[Shop-talk] Frost heater/freeze plug

[Donald H Locker]

I would look for a threaded plug into the coolant jacket in a shop
manual. I remember planning to buy a block heater for my wife's Scion
and the instructions actually had a drawing of where the plug was (in
this case it was above the intake manifold in an "odd" location.)

In any case, if they are talking about threading into a plug, it isn't
going into a core plug hole, which are smooth. (No reason to thread it;
that just costs money.) I read somewhere that the port is in the "rear
right position" so passenger side of the engine, toward the firewall.
(If I find more, I'll followup.)

Donald.
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On 2021-01-14 12:20 p.m., Scott Hall wrote:
> This is mostly theory.
> 
> One of my staff wants to stick a frost heater in his car--it's a Kia
> with a 3.3L engine (though I don't think that matters for the question).
> 
> Since he thinks I'm a car guy--which in his head means I know everything
> about all cars--he's asking for help.
> 
> He brought in the instructions and the heater itself. The instructions
> are pretty simple: drain coolant, "remove plug" (quotes mine--it just
> says "plug", so I'm assuming that's a freeze/expansion plug), screw in
> heater, refill coolant, etc.
> 
> The heater to install is threaded. It says to torque it to 30 lb. ft.
> 
> The plug he's removing probably isn't...I'd think.
> 
> Obviously without rolling under the car, who knows? But I'm tempted to
> tell him to not start--the only way I know to remove a freeze plug is to
> drill a hole in it, then pull it out with something. If there are no
> threads behind it--and I can't imagine that a press-in freeze plug
> presses in to a threaded hole--then he's just going to need a new freeze
> plug to reinstall.
> 
> So I guess my questions to the list are:
> 
> 1) anyone ever see a threaded freeze plug? That would seem to defeat the
> whole purpose of allowing it to pop out.
> 
> 2) anyone ever see threads behind a freeze plug? Perhaps the plug
> presses into a smooth port, and there are threads behind it?
> 
> We called the manufacturer who confirmed that the part number is
> correct. It's used on several models so they couldn't say for sure other
> than, "it'll work". I'd hate to see this kid pull out a freeze plug then
> be screwed.
> 
> YouTube similarly has nothing relevant.
> 
> Anybody have any experience with this before I just have him drive over
> and roll under the car to see what I'm looking at?
> 
> Thanks.
>