I have a 99' camry ce w/ about 160k, my girl was driving it home when the engine started overheating, she pulled over and waited for me. I got there and the radiator as well as the reservoir was bone dry, I had just checked it a week ago and it was fine. So I threw in some spare coolant I had and drove it home, by the time I got home and checked it again it was dry... again. So I opened the radiator cap and started filling it up again and I noticed it was leaking from the back of the engine block at some little hole(dont know what it was), but it was coming out at a steady stream. Anybody got any advice?

P.S. my old man told me something about a freeze plug that sometimes gets corroded and fails, but he also said they were on older cars and didnt know if mine was old enough to have one.

 

Back of the engine block or back area of engine?

A bad freeze plug is not common on these engines but happens. Most likely due to lack of coolant changes or using only water.

There is a drain "plug" for the block on the back of the engine drivers side. Its a small bolt that screws into the block. Its in the area above where the exhaust pipe runs under the engine. There may be a freeze plug above these drain.

The throttle body has a couple of coolant hoses running to it, make sure these are not what are leaking.

 

Yeah I threw it on some jack stands and got a better look at it, its a small hole in the back of the engine on the passenger side. Also I made sure to check all the hoses, and they were all good.

 

I got a better look at the back of the engine, its not coming from the drain plug, its coming from the back of the engine block where there are what looks like 4 circular inserts along the back of the engine, the leak is coming from one of these inserts...

 

The circular inserts may be the freeze plugs. If you look hard at the front of the engine you may be able to see a freeze plug. Compare what you see with the back of the engine.

The plugs are driven into holes in the block. The hole(s) were required as part of the block casting process. On the other side of the plug is engine coolant.

 

Yeah its the freeze plug on the rear right side thats leaking, is there a quick fix for those or how do you change that out?

 

Suggest an internet search on freeze plug replacing and to see what a freeze plug looks like.

The old plug needs to be removed. The plug cup shaped and pressed into the hole.

Typically this is done by hammering on one side of the plug to rotate it in the hole about 90 degrees then grabbing it with pliers and pulling it out.

You might be able to force a long punch into the existing leaking hole then pry the plug out.

This may not be so easy given access problems at the rear of the engine.

Once the plug is removed, clean the hole in the block up. You don't want burr's etc.

Normally another freeze plug would be driven into the hole. There are special tools for this but most people use a socket that fits into the freeze plug cup and drive this with a hammer.

If going this route suggest cleaning all surfaces and applying some kind of sealant or even epoxy glue. The plug is not really for freeze protection and you don't want it popping out or leaking. There may be other sealants, check at your auto parts store.

Get the correct size of freeze plug as diameters vary between engine models, etc. Use a brass plug as it will not rust as the old one did.

The alternative is use a rubber plug as in the link below:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=263602_263622

This might be easier to install when access is limited. Auto parts stores should sell them.

The plug goes into the hole, then the nut is rotated causing the two washers to compress and force the rubber compound against the hole. Have never used them but it works in way as a block heater installation which in my experience works very well.

 

So for the past few days I've been trying to get to this freeze plug, I finally ended up taking off the passenger side tire to get to it. It is the hardest plug to get to and I can't seem to get enough leverage to punch it out. I heard about this stuff called blue devil sealant, you run it through your cooling system and its suppose to plug up any leaks you have. Has anyone used this stuff before or heard of someone using it? I'm kind of skepitcal about using it, but at the same time I dont have the time or the tools to pull the engine, or the money for a shop to do it.

 

One issue with these kinds of products is they can also plug up the tubes in the radiator.

Might look into something like JB Weld or epoxy glues. Pack into the plug making sure some of it gets into the crack, hole, etc and behind it. This would help prevent the sealing material from working its way out. If you go this route make sure you allow enough time for the material to cure, dry, etc before adding coolant.

 

Okay, so I'm gonna be pulling the engine soon to change this freeze plug and any other one's I see that have any corrosion