Hello all,
This is my first post here other than my introduction. I have a leaking freeze plug on the passenger side of my 4.6 in my 97 f150. It appears to be behind the motor mount and I'm pretty sure I can't get to it unless I pull the motor. I have a week off in December and I'm thinking I may try to tackle this job. The motor seems to be pretty sound at this point. It has the coolant leak on the side, a minor ping when not using 97 octane, and piston slap for a few minutes off a cold start.

Question 1: Is pulling the motor the only way to replace this freeze plug?

Question 2: If I pull the motor, is there anything else I should do while its out? I was thinking I would take the intake manifold off and clean it real good. Not sure what else would be smart.

 

I had the same issue and had an extended warranty,the stealer dropped the trans to get to iot and repaired,two weeks later,I was back again because they only did 1 side >
A--holes had to do it again,5 years later----no leaks.

 

No, you should not have to pull the engine to replace it. Just put a block of wood on the pan or on the dampener pulley (on a jack or porto-power) to support it and pull the mount off to get to it. They make "drivers" that are on a ball and angled rod to drive it in if you can't get a straight shot at it. Parts stores may well have one for rent. I would STRONGLY suggest replaceing ALL of them if the one leaking is because of rusting (probably). If one rusted through, it only stands to reasons the others may not be far behind. Been down that road. I once worked in a dealership where the mechanics replaced the plugs without even draining the coolant! They drove the new plug in and pushed the old plug on into the water chamber!!! I am still agast whenever I think about that. It was a decent dealershiop too. I DO NOT recommend ANYONE EVER do this!!!

 

Thanks for the responses guys. How many freeze plugs are there in total? Would I be able to reach all of them without pulling the motor?

 

A professional mechanic should be able to replace all of them without pullng the engine, at least I've never seen one pulled to replace all the freeze plugs. The one that wouldn't be so essy is the one on the back of the engine. That requires removal of the trans to do the replace. I'm sure there are times that all the others are replaced but not the rear because of the extra work and expense.