Core Plug Replaced
Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2018 6:25 pm
Hi all,
Well finally got the chance to replace the leaking core plug on the Pinto today. John very kindly popped round to give me a hand especially as the manifold had to come off which would have been a bleedin nightmare to do it myself whilst keeping the rest of the exhaust in situ. Anyhow the job went very well indeed...
First up the manifold had to come off as there was no room at all to swing a cat !! Manifold nuts came off no problem as I had loosened them all off last week. Kept and reused them as perfect condition. I had been applying wd40 to the manifold/exhaust joint all week and this paid off as whilst I scrambled underneath to grip the exhaust John was up top wiggling and pulling at the manifold and sure enough it separated pretty easy in the end.
Manifold-less !!
2018-04-14_05-09-09 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr
Oh, here it is...John was very proud of his wiggling and pulling...
2018-04-14_05-09-21 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr
So with the manifold out of the way we could crack on. Rather than me try to punch a hole through the plug and lever it out John wanted to give it a go with a small bolster gently (but with enough force) knocking it so it spun enough for me to get at it with a pair of grips and yank it out.
The plug deffo needed replacing !!
2018-04-14_05-08-41 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr
2018-04-14_05-08-28 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr
That hole in the plug was not caused by knocking it out so it really was past its use by date ! The remarkable thing was how clean the condition of the mating surface on the engine block was given the corroded plug we had just removed. John was astonished at how smooth it was but of course he did not want to let it go without making absolutely sure with a clean up.
To bang the new plug in I found (after an initial panic) a socket that John was happy with as it was just a tad smaller than the plug itself so had a teeny bit of space as when the new plug got banged in it did not encase around the socket causing a right headache if it did ! So new plug fitted like a glove...and some ! TBH chaps it fitted so well and the surfaces were both as new I have not actually smeared any sealant around the joint. Both myself and John were happy in the end to leave it as it was. Any hint of a bit of seeping then maybe apply some but should not have to hopefully. Yep I know some do but as Paul G said himself if the surfaces really are that clean and the fit is good then should be fine without.
We refitted the manifold which again there is no way I would have done this without John. Manifold was a bit more tricky to refit than remove but we got there. Whilst we were doing this John commented on how low my exhaust was sitting ( as per my post on another thread here recently) so we actually managed to get it higher after a neat trick by John using my ultra low profile jack and bit of wiggling to twist it so as to give it a better lie. Job very well done John !!!
So manifold refitted here are a couple of pics of the new plug fitted...
2018-04-14_05-08-12 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr
2018-04-14_06-11-49 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr
So next to test everything was ok we filled up the rad with plain water as John said no point wasting coolant if we found a leak and had to drain the system again. Great tip !! Now the bit I was waiting for...to fire up the Pinto for the first time in what seemed like years but was really only about 5 weeks (still a long time for me !). Engine running and building up to temp we kept an eye on the core plug, manifold fixing and exhaust joints and everything thank God was fine...no leaks....PHEW !!! After initial smoking of the manifold where wd40 was burning off it settled down nicely. We gave it plenty of time for thermostat to open and build up to operating temp and once we were happy we switched off and waited for everything to cool down before draining the system of the plain water and replacing with a coolant mix, again firing the Pinto up and keeping an eye on the plug and rad hose for leaks. All good ! The old coolant we originally drained was just about ripe for replacing too as it was showing signs it was getting on a bit so great to get a nice fresh mix of coolant/deionised water in the system. The last system drain I did was about two years ago so was just about the right time to replace it anyway.
So job done. Am well pleased as now I can get it down to the mot guy this week as its only a month over due
John already knows how much I appreciated his help/time today but I just wanted to thank John again and here's a treat for you all...John in his stunner of a 2.8i Special just as he set off back to sunny Watford. Those who aint seen it in the flesh it really is a remarkable Capri and drives as great as it looks. Never get tired of hearing him fire up his Janspeeds !!! Nice one John...
2018-04-14_05-08-55 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr
So job done and everything back to normal...
2018-04-14_05-08-00 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr
All the best
Nick
Well finally got the chance to replace the leaking core plug on the Pinto today. John very kindly popped round to give me a hand especially as the manifold had to come off which would have been a bleedin nightmare to do it myself whilst keeping the rest of the exhaust in situ. Anyhow the job went very well indeed...
First up the manifold had to come off as there was no room at all to swing a cat !! Manifold nuts came off no problem as I had loosened them all off last week. Kept and reused them as perfect condition. I had been applying wd40 to the manifold/exhaust joint all week and this paid off as whilst I scrambled underneath to grip the exhaust John was up top wiggling and pulling at the manifold and sure enough it separated pretty easy in the end.
Manifold-less !!
2018-04-14_05-09-09 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr
Oh, here it is...John was very proud of his wiggling and pulling...
2018-04-14_05-09-21 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr
So with the manifold out of the way we could crack on. Rather than me try to punch a hole through the plug and lever it out John wanted to give it a go with a small bolster gently (but with enough force) knocking it so it spun enough for me to get at it with a pair of grips and yank it out.
The plug deffo needed replacing !!
2018-04-14_05-08-41 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr
2018-04-14_05-08-28 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr
That hole in the plug was not caused by knocking it out so it really was past its use by date ! The remarkable thing was how clean the condition of the mating surface on the engine block was given the corroded plug we had just removed. John was astonished at how smooth it was but of course he did not want to let it go without making absolutely sure with a clean up.
To bang the new plug in I found (after an initial panic) a socket that John was happy with as it was just a tad smaller than the plug itself so had a teeny bit of space as when the new plug got banged in it did not encase around the socket causing a right headache if it did ! So new plug fitted like a glove...and some ! TBH chaps it fitted so well and the surfaces were both as new I have not actually smeared any sealant around the joint. Both myself and John were happy in the end to leave it as it was. Any hint of a bit of seeping then maybe apply some but should not have to hopefully. Yep I know some do but as Paul G said himself if the surfaces really are that clean and the fit is good then should be fine without.
We refitted the manifold which again there is no way I would have done this without John. Manifold was a bit more tricky to refit than remove but we got there. Whilst we were doing this John commented on how low my exhaust was sitting ( as per my post on another thread here recently) so we actually managed to get it higher after a neat trick by John using my ultra low profile jack and bit of wiggling to twist it so as to give it a better lie. Job very well done John !!!
So manifold refitted here are a couple of pics of the new plug fitted...
2018-04-14_05-08-12 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr
2018-04-14_06-11-49 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr
So next to test everything was ok we filled up the rad with plain water as John said no point wasting coolant if we found a leak and had to drain the system again. Great tip !! Now the bit I was waiting for...to fire up the Pinto for the first time in what seemed like years but was really only about 5 weeks (still a long time for me !). Engine running and building up to temp we kept an eye on the core plug, manifold fixing and exhaust joints and everything thank God was fine...no leaks....PHEW !!! After initial smoking of the manifold where wd40 was burning off it settled down nicely. We gave it plenty of time for thermostat to open and build up to operating temp and once we were happy we switched off and waited for everything to cool down before draining the system of the plain water and replacing with a coolant mix, again firing the Pinto up and keeping an eye on the plug and rad hose for leaks. All good ! The old coolant we originally drained was just about ripe for replacing too as it was showing signs it was getting on a bit so great to get a nice fresh mix of coolant/deionised water in the system. The last system drain I did was about two years ago so was just about the right time to replace it anyway.
So job done. Am well pleased as now I can get it down to the mot guy this week as its only a month over due
John already knows how much I appreciated his help/time today but I just wanted to thank John again and here's a treat for you all...John in his stunner of a 2.8i Special just as he set off back to sunny Watford. Those who aint seen it in the flesh it really is a remarkable Capri and drives as great as it looks. Never get tired of hearing him fire up his Janspeeds !!! Nice one John...
2018-04-14_05-08-55 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr
So job done and everything back to normal...
2018-04-14_05-08-00 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr
All the best
Nick