Freeze Plugs or Core Plugs

Well, this is one Yankee who's ass will only be freezing for one more winter. After this one I'm on the beach. Except for visits of course.

Roy

Good move!

Mike

Hope it's a short walk from the heated truck seats to the heated office seats.... wouldn't want a lot of condensation forming.... Mac

Wouldn't it be a lot cheaper to make 2 taco bell stops and just drive an ATV backwards instead of that big truck with a plow?

Mac

Hmmmmm? Heated office seat? Now THERE's a thought........

;^)

Mike

OH GOD!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone I found another post on dodgetalk.com on what else could be the problem. Check this out.

...and I quote:

'99 Durango (@48K miles) with 3 leaking freeze plugs within a week of my dealer replacing my water pump, thermostat, and gaskets, because of a leak at the thermostat housing and pump (?). Now, back at the dealership service department, one service person mentioned that Chrysler had a bad batch of freeze plugs, and that probably explains my plugs going bad so soon. Another person at the same dealer said that some of the Durangos were assembled in Mexico and that the water that was used in the cooling system when the vehicles left the plant for the U.S. was bad. Needless to say, now I hear that my extended warranty does not cover freeze plugs, that the tranny has to come out, and that I'm looking at about $1K minimum on the repair. Anyone else run into this situation so early in the life of a Durango V8? Is it chronic to the model, or just my vehicle that is going south, taking my wallet with it?

antifreeze and water. A 50-50 mixture of coolant will give you ALL the

Mike, not quite correct, check this URL...

down the left side for "Technical stuff" then "Antifreeze and you" You can see that 60% is the max for minus temps. Admittedly 70% is not far from it, but since we are tossing around facts, I just wanted to get your story absolutely straight for you.

Dave

Dave:

Thanks for the reply! It would seem that the folks at Prestone have a bit of disagreement with your 60% figure.

See:

also, the folks at Peak also indicate that 70% is the max ratio for freeze protection, See:

Hmmmmm.... curious.... I read your link and it appears this came from a study by the University of Alaska. Those folks should know above freeze-ups IMHO so there is a bit of controversy isn't there?

Suffice it to say that the max ratio is somewhere between 60-70% coolant/water and everyone should be happy except perhaps for Snoman who I suspect still maintains that pure antifreeze is OK.

Thanks for keeping me honest!

;^)

Mike

>

Ya got me. :-O

Just goes to prove that one Swallow, does not a Summer make!

Anyone seen Snoman?? LOL Probably soldering up radiators.

Dave

Mike Simm> >

At a 50-50 mix freeze protection is -34F, and boilover protection is at +265F. At 70:30 freeze protection is at -84F and boilover protection is at 276F. Hence there may be no added anti corrosion benefits, but in *either* very hot or very cold weather there is significant advantage to maintaining a maximum antifreeze to water mixture.

Note that the 70-30 mix is indeed the maximum, and going higher will in fact reduce the freeze protection. (Or, it will with ethylene glycol based anti freeze. But that is not true of propylene glycol antifreeze.)

Actually, he is precisely correct... and so are *all* of the sites listed below! There actually is no conflict!

(There's trick to it, though...)

...

...

UAF people definitely know, and no there is absolutely *no* controversy!

(I lived near Fairbanks for two decades, and saw -70F there, and didn't consider -60F to be "odd". Rest assured that the _average_ mechanic in Fairbanks knows more about antifreeze than most folks ever begin to imagine!)

...

Heh heh, want to know what the trick is?

The "coolant" being talked about can be either of two things, 1) is the "antifreeze" as it comes out of the jug you buy, or 2) the actual ethylene glycol "antifreeze" that is the ingredient which provides freeze protection. 70% for the first, and 60% for the second.

The "coolant" you poor out of the jug is not 100% ethylene glycol because it has all those corrosion inhibitors added. If that liquid is mixed 70:30 with water, what you will get is a

60:40 glycol water mix.

Confusing to say the least, but in either case what they are referencing is a 60:40 ethylene glycol mixture by weight.

Thanks Floyd! I hadn't considered the additive package. Your "trick" makes sense! Mike