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| Joined: | 06-03-2011 |
| Location: | Austin, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 97 |
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Every now and then I get a few brain cells to fire in sync and figure something out so thought I would post in case someone else runs into the same problem. The problem being how to replace a freeze plug on the 907 without removing the engine.
I had a rusty freeze plug with a pinhole leak dripping anti-freeze behind the exhaust header which I discovered as I was installing a new Delta performance header. I was able to remove the freeze plug by tapping the edge with a punch until it swiveled and then pulled it out with pliers. I put the punch in a socket with a long extension to reach.
The problem then was how to install the new plug as I could not get a straight shot at hammering it in with a socket. I’ve only had the car a few weeks and am not ready to pull the engine.
As a temporary fix I tried installing one of those expandable rubber freeze plugs then discovered that the nut that tightens the plug sticks out too far. The Delta header covers the entire area around the exhaust outlet and has no cutouts between the pipes like the original header. So an expandable plug might work with an original header but not with the Delta.
So it’s back to a standard freeze plug. But how to hammer it in with the suspension arm in the way of getting a straight shot? I searched the forum but no posts on freeze plugs. [BTW, without this forum there’s no way I could have successfully installed the header and exhaust system. No way!]
Then it hit me…the new header fits flush against the freeze plugs. Why not use it as a press to push the plug in? I tapped the new plug in as far as I could which was not much then put the new header in place (without the gaskets) and tightened about 4 of the easiest to reach nuts around the plug. I used the old nuts rather than the new copper ones as they’re pretty soft and I wasn’t sure how much force I would need to use.
After tightening the 4 nuts and checking that the header was flush on the manifold I removed it and sure enough, the freeze plug was all the way in. I popped the gaskets on, installed the header (as covered in gory detail elsewhere on the board) and voila!
No water leaks from the plug so far and the new exhaust system sounds fantastic! The old exhaust had 4 holes that I could see and made the car a head-turner to drive, but not in a good way.
Next up is all new water hoses as some of them appear to be original.
Mason