I got a problem with one of the core plugs, its is located on the lower left side of the engine block. It is positioned right in front of a motor mount convieniently [:@], so removing it is gonna be a problem, I dont know how to remove it exactly or if what im suppose to do to get some clearance with the motor mount being right in front of it. I was thinking of lowering or raising the engine a little bit, but i dont know which motor mounts am I suppose to losen, and if tranny mounts will need to be losend to. So if anyone has had some experience with this or just wants to help please feel free. thanks fellow mustang owners.

 

Freeze plugs are such a pain...[:'(] You are going to need enough clearance to get a flat head screw driver onto the edge of the freeze plug and tap a light hammer with it. This will tilt the plug on it's side to the point where you can grab it with pliers and pull it out. To put the new one in: find a socket that fits inside the lip of the freeze plug, and tap socket to get the plug into place.

 

is it a 302?

 

yeah its a 302

 

i replaced all 7 freeze plugs on my 302 about 2 years ago. the expandable rubber ones work best. the one in the front behind the water pump is easy to replace. the others are a MAJOR pain. i had to take the headers off and unbolt the engine from the motor mounts. then i had to jack the motor up a bit. i stuck a piece of wood between the jack and the oil pan in order to keep from punching a hole in the pan when i jacked the engine up. taking the headers off and lifting the engine up is a pain but it will make the job easier in the end. i used a cutting torch to cut/melt the freeze plugs out of the block. that worked better than any other method i tried. its a cast iron block so the torch wont damage it. but if your plugs arent REALLY stuck in there like mine were then try screwing a wood screw into the plug and pulling it out with a pair of channel locks or pliers or something. then just install the new plugs. i would recommend replacing the motor mounts while youre at it. mine were all rotted and cracked. the motor mounts are only like $25 each and who knows how long it will be before you pull the engine out of the car again? just do one side at a time but make sure you unbolt both headers before jacking the engine up. otherwise the headers will hit the cross-member and the whole car will lift up. make sure you replace the gaskets when you bolt the headers back in place.

this job is a major pain. ford wanted to charge me $1700 to do the work. the parts are less than $100 including motor mounts, plugs, and gaskets so i decided to do it myself. your haynes manual should help you but its a 302 so its pretty simple. just get in there and start turning a wrench. it took me about 2 days in a shop where i had access to a lot of tools. it can be done though!

 

also. there are only 2 motor mounts on the engine. one on each side. if you only want to replace the plugs on the left side you can probably just loosen that left motor mount. but i would recommend replacing all 3 plugs on that side while youre in there. i would recommend replacing all the freeze plugs on both sides of the block. once i had a problem with one plug, it wasnt long before the others started leaking too. after all theyre all the same age. so after the 2nd one went i just decided to replace all of them. you dont have to touch the tranny to lift the engine up.

 

I 2nd the motion on the rubber freeze plugs. I've used them when needed and never had a problem.