Broke block drain on 1995 4.3 - threads still in block

[KevB]

While winterizing for my first time, I used a wrench to try to remove what ended up being the entire brass block drain rather than just the threaded 'plug' (lesson learned). This ended up breaking the plug, leaving threads in the block.

I plan to use a nipple remover to remove the threaded remains from the block - would this be the best way to go? Is the red-ish thread sealer going to be an issue? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,...... With the right sized easy-out, it should come right out,......

I use plain ole 1/4" pipe plugs, the drain hole is bigger when ya take 'em out,....

I get the hex-headed ones that take a 9/16" wrench at my local hardware store,......

 

[KevB]

Thanks for the advice Bondo!!!

 

[Rick Stephens]

Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,...... With the right sized easy-out, it should come right out,......

I use plain ole 1/4" pipe plugs, the drain hole is bigger when ya take 'em out,....

I get the hex-headed ones that take a 9/16" wrench at my local hardware store,......

I use 1/4" solid brass ones from the hardware. There are two kinds of brass ones, solid and hollow.

I broke one of mine once as well and ended up having to drill it out and retap it with a 1/4 pipe tap.

Rick

 

[harringtondav]

I give mine a few wraps of teflon tape to insure sealing w/o too much torque. Also easy removal.

 

[Scott Danforth]

if you have to re-tap, you will need to grind the tip of the tap as it will hit the cylinder bore on the inside.

 

[RaceCarRich]

On race cars we used petcocks to make winterizing easier.

 

[AShipShow]

On race cars we used petcocks to make winterizing easier.

That's what is there from mercruiser and they are no good... they plug up with gunk and rust and make you think there's no more water... the solid plugs with teflon tape as mentioned above are the way to go... pop em out and poke around with a screwdriver... several times the water stopped draining and I would poke around and a chunk of rust would pop out and then lots more water...

 

[achris]

Hmmm, my 'winterizing' just consists of making sure the tank's full. Ready for a nice day out. On a REALLY cold day here, it would only get to about 13 degrees (55F). The coldest nights it can get as low as 2 degrees (35F)....

Chris....

 

[KevB]

I should clarify - the 9/16 inch brass fitting is the one that broke off in the block. Am I in for a major headache trying to remove the rest of the fitting?

 

[Rick Stephens]

That's the 1/4 pipe we are all referring to. My issue with using easy outs with brass is as the easy out bites in it also expands the entire fitting tighter into the hole. No way of knowing if you will have issues, but they aren't major. Worse case, drill it out and use a tap to clean out the threads.

 

[KevB]

Thanks all of you for the info, and for tolerating the rookie!!

 

[KevB]

I'm finally able to work on this. The easy out 'locks up' almost immediately. I'm assuming this means I need to drill it out and run a tap through the threads - true?

 

[Rick Stephens]

My personal experience is that drilling is better than breaking the easy out off in the hole.

 

[Lou C]

I’ve been using OMC gasket sealer/Merc Perfect seal or Permatex Aviation sealer on the plugs on my 4.3. Never had trouble getting them out after all these years in salt water.

 

[RaceCarRich]

Be careful drilling. Many years ago I knew this kid, probably about 20 years old, that bought this POS ‘68 camaro. The only good thing was the fresh motor which had a leaky freeze out plug. He decided to drill a hole in it to pop it out. He wound up drilling through the plug, cylinder wall, and into the piston. The story is sort of a legend between me and my buddy who was his neighbor at the time.

 

[Scott Danforth]

the easy out may be hitting the inside cylinder bore. its only about 1/2" in from the outside face of the hole