Guys I am in a pickle. 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport XJ.

This morning I noticed a TON of drips from under the engine, further back at about the firewall. After releasing the pressure my mechanic and I could get a mirror back there without misting up. Bad freeze plug. It's ALL the way at the back of the block and he was shaking his head. It's one of the silver ones, for what it's worth. Mechanic says he's gonna look up if there's a kind of a plug you can tap in from the side... if there isn't he says the whole engine has to come out. He says to get some of the good stop leak (he says it has crushed walnut shells in it) in the meantime. From what I've read on here, though, that's just a bandaid and maybe a bad one. The radiator isn't that old, I put it in about a year ago. I flushed the block too but it's a dirty job and takes forever so I haven't done it since.... I know...

It is not great timing. I am supposed to be hauling a sailboat for five hours on Thursday.

What do y'all suggest? Get the engine out and do it? or is there a way to just... seal it up with a welder? I get that they are features, not bugs, for in case water freezes and they pop off, but aren't there four other plugs that can handle that?

Any advice is SOOO appreciated!

S

 

They're really the holes that let the sand run out after the block was cast, the secondary use is that they tend to pop out first if the coolant freezes. I had one go, and it wasn't long before the coolant drained out as fast as you put it in.
You're either going to need to develop some sort of robot arm or pull that engine

 

Oh dear. Thank you for the input. I think you are right... Interesting fact on the origin of the holes. Any opinion on simply welding one on?

 

On the 4 liter you can pull the transmission and access it. You'll have to decide if pulling the engine or the trans is easier.

 

Either way you'll want to change out the rear core plug in the block as well as the head while you're in there.

 

proper fix is engine out, do all plugs

in the meantime, you can try some JB Weld OR Quicksteel to stop or slow it right down, monitor leak and temp, carry heaps of coolant

I would personally cancel the boat tow, unless the "temp fix" appears perfect...even then, I would cancel it

 

Time for a new schedule. Hauling anything with that would be asking for a trashed engine. Driving 5 hours would be asking for a trashed engine. Anything other than accepting the fact that you are down for a few days (or more) is asking for a trashed engine.

 

I'd shy away from any kind of stopleak. That tends to plug up more than leaks.

 

Run from the stop leak. It will cause more problems than it will fix, plug the radiator, and the freeze plug will still leak. Do it once, do it right, never give it another thought. Just make sure the mechanic removes the old plug completely, instead of driving the old one into the block.

 

Are you people forgetting about rubber plugs? They are expandable rubber plugs that tighten up with a wrench. Not a permanent fix, but a stopgap until such time as you can remove the engine and do them all.

You can drop the crossmember and lower the trans down for more access AFTER disconnecting the t/case linkage and exhaust.