Freeze plugs

[jgines]

I just received a freeze plug kit today from another board member. Ive never changed any freeze plugs before. As I am new to the GNs And wanted to ask you a few questions.

The kit came with the following. 4 small and 4 big gold colored. 2 big silver ones and 2 small silver ones. then the two pieces that have threads.
What are the 2 big and 2 small silver ones for, and where do they go?

What are the threaded pieces for, and where do they go?

What are the 4 big and 4 small gold colored ones for, and Where do they go?

How do you remove the old ones?
how do you install the new ones?

If anybody out there can help please do so. Once that is done I will finally be able to drive my GN after months of just seeing it just sit in my driveway.

Everyones time and help is greatly appreciated. Thank You . :cheers:

[pfredricks]

> What are the 2 big and 2 small silver ones for, and where do they go?

The 2 big plugs go in the back of the block.

The 2 small silver plugs go in the front of the block to plug the left and right oil galleries.

> What are the threaded pieces for, and where do they go?

These are plugs for the rear of the block, they thread into the oil galleries.

> What are the 4 big and 4 small gold colored ones for, and Where do they go?

The 4 big plugs go in the sides of the block, 2 plugs per side.

The 4 small gold plugs go in the cylinder heads, 2 plugs per head with a plug at each end of the head.

> How do you remove the old ones?

I use a blunt punch tool, set it against the outer rim inside the cup of the old plug, then give the punch a good wack with a hammer. The old plug should twist or fall completely into the water jacket. I then use pump pliers to work the old plug out. I, too, was concerned with losing the plug in the water jacket, but there's enough room there to work the plug out.

For the oil gallery plugs at the front of the block, I first remove the threaded plugs at the rear of the block. I then use a long rod passing it through the oil gallery and wack the rod. Those little plugs pop right out.

> how do you install the new ones?

Take some gooey sealer and put a small bead around the inner half of the rim of the plug where it will contact the block. Place the plug in the block. Use an old socket you don't mind hammering on that fits neatly inside the plug and drive the plug into the hole with a hammer.

Be careful not to drive the oil gallery plugs too deep. The top of the plug rim should be just to the edge of the block.

For the threaded plugs you can use teflon tape or gooey sealer, your choice. Try not to go overboard with the gooey sealer, use just enough for the job.

[jgines]

Thank you very much for your time and help. You have been very informative and thorough with the directions.

One more question if you dont mind.thanks
Can this all be done with the motor still in the car?

[kenmosher]

Not very easily.

You have to drop the transmission to get to the back plugs and you'll have to practically disassemble the front of the motor to get to the front plugs (all the drive accessories and timing cover).

Just as well yank it out and do a thorough inspection...

[pfredricks]

> Can this all be done with the motor still in the car?

The short answer is fugeddaboudit.

The long answer is:

The plugs on the side of the block could be done with great difficulty, gnashing of teeth, skinned knuckles and a healthy dose of swearing.

The plugs on your heads on the front could be done easily, but those on the back side are all but impossible without removing the heads.

You'll need to remove the transmission and torque converter to get the plugs at the back of the block.

The oil gallery plugs at the front of the block will require the removal of the water pump/oil pump/timing cover and cam gear. Then you'd need a different approach to removing the plugs. You'd need to drill a small hole in the plug and thread in a body shop dent puller tool.

By this time you'll have done enough work to justify pulling the motor.

[jgines]

Thank you. You both have been alot of help. :cheers:

[jgines]

Forgot one thing. Can any regular car shop do this or would I be better off doing this myself. Im a new to the GN but have worked on motors before. The thing is I dont have the equipment such as a cherry picker to pull out the motor. What should I do. Go to a shop and hope they dont F@#!* it up. Or rent what I need from an auto store and get busy. Im located in San Jose CA and cant seem to find a shop that have experience with the GN. Please give me your honest opinion.

Thanks, John

[pfredricks]

You can try the Nor-Cal Turbo Buicks car club. www.norcalturbobuicks.com
They are located in Ben Lomond which is a bit of a drive from you, but there might be some members from San Jose who you can reach for help in selecting a shop.

Are you sure you need to replace all of your freeze plugs?

[jgines]

Well the coolant leak is really bad so I figured that since im gonna change one or two, might as well do all of them. Thanks for that link.

[jgines]

Forgot to ask. which way do the plugs go in? rounded side in open side out or vise versa?

[jgines]

pfredricks,

the link you supplied me with goes to a site called domain contender and has a bunch of stuff to choose from. what do click on?

[pfredricks]

> the link you supplied me with goes to a site called
> domain contender and has a bunch of stuff to
> choose from. what do click on?

It's goofy, isn't it? I pulled that site from the Clubs section of our site. Here's the rest of the info:

Nor-Cal Turbo Buicks
c/o Tyson Green, turbobuick87@hotmail.com
7950 Harvard Drive
Ben Lomond, CA. 95005
Turbo Regal, GNX, TTA, Syclone and Typhoon club
www.norcalturbobuicks.com

Try the email address. If Ty responds ask if there's an update to his site.

> Forgot to ask. which way do the plugs go in?
> rounded side in open side out or vise versa?

Rounded side in, you'll see how they go in when you go to take the old ones out.

[jgines]

Thanks pfredricks. you have been a big help. This is to you :cheers: