BIG_RED
New member
- 385
- 0
- 0
- Location
- Winnipeg, Manitoba
Not too hard. This is how I did it, twice (in my defense I am not an "expert" and I believe the "proper" way to do it is a drilling a hole in the frost plug, threading a special puller into the hole and tightening down till it pops out. If you're like me and have no idea where to get such a tool, didn't have the resources to make one and need this done quick - read on):
Find a solid stick of metal (I've used a piece of 1/2" threaded rod I found at a hardware store in a pinch, any solid strong metal stick that won't bend and is 1/2" ish in diameter will work fine). Drain your coolant and Jack up your front axle on SOLID Jackstands (or concrete blocks, etc) so that you can put the metal rod up through the (driver's side) wheel well and onto the center frost plug at an angle and still have room to swing a hammer without wacking the ground (you may need to cut down your rod.. I think mine was about 2 feet long). Then put the end of the rod on the frost plug at about the 3 o'clock position (so in the depressed round frost plug towards the rear of the engine block) and wack on the other end of the rod with the hammer. Be gentle-ish at first, go slow. Try to direct the force "into" the engine, not rearward, so that you don't out-of-round the frost plug hole in the block. The idea is that the frost plug will turn in it's hole, with the rearmost (realitive to truck) side going into the block and the frontmost side coming out of the block. As soon as enough of the edge of the plug pops out at the front, grab it with vice-grips and yank like crazy. More coolant will come out of the engine - so keep a pail under there. You do not want to wack the frost plug right into the engine block.. it is not impossible to fish out of there.. but avoid it, it takes time. Good Luck!
Find a solid stick of metal (I've used a piece of 1/2" threaded rod I found at a hardware store in a pinch, any solid strong metal stick that won't bend and is 1/2" ish in diameter will work fine). Drain your coolant and Jack up your front axle on SOLID Jackstands (or concrete blocks, etc) so that you can put the metal rod up through the (driver's side) wheel well and onto the center frost plug at an angle and still have room to swing a hammer without wacking the ground (you may need to cut down your rod.. I think mine was about 2 feet long). Then put the end of the rod on the frost plug at about the 3 o'clock position (so in the depressed round frost plug towards the rear of the engine block) and wack on the other end of the rod with the hammer. Be gentle-ish at first, go slow. Try to direct the force "into" the engine, not rearward, so that you don't out-of-round the frost plug hole in the block. The idea is that the frost plug will turn in it's hole, with the rearmost (realitive to truck) side going into the block and the frontmost side coming out of the block. As soon as enough of the edge of the plug pops out at the front, grab it with vice-grips and yank like crazy. More coolant will come out of the engine - so keep a pail under there. You do not want to wack the frost plug right into the engine block.. it is not impossible to fish out of there.. but avoid it, it takes time. Good Luck!