cold weather help needed

Yup. 5W30 for the winter up there. Even in the old Jeep engines, which at the time were not that old. Also where i was taught to toss and old blanket or throw rug over the hood and windshield to keep the heat in, and sticking a 60 or 75 or 100 watt droplight under the hood to keep things warmer than the ambient 'Heat Wave' single digit temps at bay. Don't remember if we used charcoal in a hub cap to heat the oil pan or not, but I have done that in other parts of the world where you could pee ice-cubes.

 

And mix your own antifreeze. Buy a gallon or two of pure stuff and mix it 3 parts pure to one part of distilled water. Six months of temps from single digits to -40 or -50 degrees F can turn an engine into junk if you don't have the right mix in there. Or drain the block every night and pour in fresh water every morning after you start the engine.

 

"Or drain the block every night and pour in fresh water every morning after you start the engine."

What would stop it from freezing in the radiator before the thermostat opens, if it ever does? That might have worked in the days of the Model T, but they had no thermosat.

 

Well, not sure anyone has actually installed a freeze plug block heater on an F-head. I removed the coil, and relocated it to the firewall


I then tried to tap out the freeze plug.


And like ALL advice on the net suggested, I banged like a madman on the corner. Finally gave up and drilled out the center, tapped it, and pried the bas*ard out. Turns out, there's a 1" diameter lip in all plug holes!!!


It's a miracle I didn't crack the block with all the banging an swearing.

Not only will a freeze plug remove in the "standard" fashion, but a heater won't install either. That ID of 1" prevents proper fitting of all 1 1/4" plugs. Yes, I could try a 1" heater and see if it'll recess that far, and hopefully seal. But the tolerances are so tight between cylinder walls, that I'm not sure any heater would fit properly, much less "seal" with the wing-style lock screw assembly.

Also, the icing on the cake is that a standard freeze plug won't pound in properly with that lip.

 

"And like ALL advice on the net suggested..."


"The trouble with quotes on the internet is you never know if they are true or not" - Abraham Lincoln
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That freeze plug advice must have been for "new" engines. I always used the "tap and pull" method. In the old days the new plug is supposed to be flat (but dished) and expands when it hits the shoulder.
There are many other kinds of heaters - fit into a radiator hose or heater hose, dipstick, magnetic on the oil pan, etc.

 

I think you should use one of the hemispherical shaped core plugs, not the cup plugs. Ron Fitzpatrick shows it https://www.vintagejeeps.com/pm-121-3-expansion-plug-1-14.aspx as does Walcks http://walcks4wd.com/expansion-freeze-plug-l-f-head.html

It should be just a 1.25" diameter core plug, but Dorman shows no listing. If you look by size, this one might work http://dormanproducts.com/p-26335-560-017.aspx or this one http://dormanproducts.com/p-28194-550-017.aspx - any parts store can get Dorman.

 

I should have taken a picture of the plug. It was almost completely flat and very little edge to it. I'm guessing it's an original.

And I'll end up with an inline hose heater, no problem there. Well, like everything on the jeep, it's a learning experience.

 

They flatten out after you drive them in.

The links above say 1.25", but measure the diameter carefully. The disk needs to set in and be caught by the lip when you flatten it. A little Permatex #1 or #2 would be ok.

 

Timgr, that's the one. I'll probably order it from Walcks - given my other things about to be ordered. I've got the modern version in right now, and it leaks just a teaspoon a day... so I'll be fine until the order arrives. Also, not a daily driver.

I've also noticed the thermostat went quite high after this whole ordeal. I went through proper procedures when refilling coolant... The overfill drain line seems to be clogged. I pulled the cap off after heating to check fluid, and it just came pouring out. Temp quickly came down. The fluid should have been trickling out of the overflow. Can a non venting cooling system cause a high reading?

 

"I've also noticed the thermostat went quite high after this whole ordeal."

That typically happened due to air trapped in the block. A small hole or micro check-valve in the thermostat helps the system equalize and "burp" itself, but many new thermostats do not have it.

 

Yeah, I've always drilled a small hole to allow the burp. I also refilled the system with front end elevated... trying to allow air to naturally come out.

Either way, looks like I need to blow out or scrub out the overflow tube. It looks like original copper tubing, just painted over.

Here's an old picture... Best I can get while at "work"