Re: [Chrysler300] Soft Plugs Revisited -- Two Losses

[lettercars@xxxxxxx]

Chris , Ron, Mike, and All:
I carry a couple of the rubber expandable plugs available at any auto parts 
 store with me.  I---so far---have not had any core plug problems with the  
300F, but do know from its original owner that the loss of a plug in a  
deserted part of south Florida in 1966 is why he decided to trade the car in  
when they returned to Cincinnati.
I figure I can replace one of the block core plugs "on the road" if  
necessary.  As for the ones in the heads on a ram car----not exactly a  roadside 
repair!!
300ly, Gil C.
Beautiful day in Tallytown, FL
 
 
In a message dated 5/26/2010 9:32:21 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
thelastbestgenius@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:


The  best clues to blowing a freeze/core plug is the sudden loss of near 
all  cooling water over maybe 5-20 seconds is both the huge cloud of 
water/vapour,  plus the accompanying smell of coolant on hot exhaust.



If you  miss this, over the next couple of minutes the motor will get hot, 
then maybe  start to detonate/ping/knock badly, lose power, then maybe  
seize.



Usually however a freeze plug only blows under hard  acceleration - where 
sudden high revs occur for a period, such as kicking back  a gear, and 
holding it.



Best advice I can offer is visually  check your plugs - if they seem fairly 
flat, have most of the outward curve  flattened in, but not so far they 
dish in, then they may be right. They are  held in by the tension caused by 
flattening them - when installed right, if  you tap them lightly with such as a 
light hammer, you will hear the tension on  them, it has a sort of ring, 
that is not there when tension not on  them.




Wrongly installed freeze/core plugs are likely the  fastest way to ruin a 
motor - you can only drive on for maybe a minute at low  revs once you blow 
one, then as said a few weeks ago, the car likely will need  to go on a hoist 
to replace it/one. If you blow one on a trip - you have a  real nightmare 
scenario, that if you don't seize the motor before you realise.  "Snap On" 
likely make the special tool you can install them with correctly,  but I do 
not know - maybe some US Member can check and see, and report back on  Club 
Website how it works if motor in car, and what it costs, and if different  one 
needed for each different size plug - I think it will only be useable if  
motor out, and it easy to get at every plug.



Christopher  Australia 


To: chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
From:  ronbo97@xxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Wed, 26 May 2010 09:11:51 -0400
Subject: Re:  [Chrysler300] Soft Plugs Revisited -- Two Losses





What Michael describes below has never happened to me, so I  have to ask 
this 
question:

If I was driving along and a freeze plug  (soft plug) blew out, how would I 
know ? Does the engine just quit on me,  is there a sudden loss of power 
but 
I can still get to the side of the  road ?

Thanks,

Ron

----- Original Message ----- 
From:  "Michael Reed" <mrreed@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "Chrysler 300 Club Intl."  <Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; 
<la1948@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent:  Wednesday, May 26, 2010 7:17 AM
Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] Soft Plugs  Revisited -- Two Losses

> Two outings this year, both under 15  miles, two soft plugs blown out of 
> the "F". Now I am afraid to drive  it anywhere other than around town. 
> After 31 years of total  reliability, it has now become totally 
unreliable. 
> Maybe  coincidental? But I'm not willing to gamble on it.
>
> This fall I  will be (hopefully) be able to replace the remaining 8 
> plugs -- that  seems to be the only remedy that is practical now. In the 
> meantime,  the (heresy, I know) Chevelle will do car events.
>
> Mike Reed in  Lake Odessa, Michigan
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From:  la1948@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> To: Michael Reed
> Sent: Wednesday, May 26,  2010 7:01 AM
> Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] Soft Plugs Revisited -- Two  Losses
>
>
> These plugs are convex and have no flange on  the edge. They fit in a 
> champfer and bottom out with the curve facing  up. Then they are hit down 
> flat which expands them. There is a tool  for this so they don't get 
> pushed too far and loosened again. Same  thing happened to me. The shop 
> that did the heads just used a ball  peen hammer.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From:  Michael Reed
> Date: Sunday, May 23, 2010 5:55 am
> Subject:  [Chrysler300] Soft Plugs Revisited -- Two Losses
> To: "Chrysler 300  Club Intl."
>
> > On its first drive this year, the "F" popped  a soft plug (left
> > head, front) about 12 miles from town. On it's  second drive
> > yesterday, it lost another (left head,  rear).
> >
> > This time all 10 soft plugs will be replaced.  What I wonder is --
> > is this a coincidence? Or not... Two of them  in two trips?
> > While it isn't readily conceivable to me -- could  there an
> > inordinate amount of pressure that is causing them to  pop out?
> >
> > I'd appreciate any and all thoughts from  the membership...
> >
> > Mike Reed in Lake Odessa,  Michigan
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this  message have been removed]
> >
> >
>
> [Non-text  portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
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