well I made not only a fatal mistake but a dumbass one. I'm from texas and I just moved up here to NC. well I was having trouble getting the air bubbles out of my radiator back in Jul and it kept blowing the hoses off and spewing all the fluid on the ground. well I got tired of buying antifreeze so I put water in instead. AAAAAAND we had a hard freeze the other night. started my car then remembered what I had done. I thawed out the water later today and then put more in and noticed the block was cracked just above my drive rside motor mount... water was coming out.

 

Well, that sucks. Sorry to say but that is mistake that I have seen more than once from people who were living in southern climes and moved north. Although, NC is not that far north.
Hopefully you can find a replacement block / engine for a good price.

 

yea well its a good thing that its not my dd. Im gonna run some test on it. I found where it was cracked and I'm gonna check my oil and all and see if it is getting water in it. if not then I will just have it welded up and go about my business. if not then I will just buy a new block

 

Wow. Hate to hear that. My brother in law borrowed my boat while I was in Iraq. I had just put a fresh 350 in it before I left and he didn't drain the water out of it nor did he remove the block plugs and that block busted a hole size of a golf ball down on the side.

 

i just sold a guy an engine because he completly replaced the coolant with water, and we had one good freeze and he busted his block too...congrats your not the only one to do that.haha although...i thought that the 3.8s came with freeze plugs? idk maybe im crazy...

 

All our engines have what people like to call "freeze plugs". But they are actually "casting plugs" to cork up the holes that are there from the sand casting process. Their presence has nothing to do with saving an engine from freezing and cracking. You may be able to save the block by having it welded. The block is cast iron, and it takes special rod and skill to fix it right. Ask around at your local body shops, as they sometimes use a "mobile welding" guy to fix broken ears etc. on a block.

 

Thats what im gonna do. I'g gonna throw some water in it today and let it run a little and check and drain the oil to see if it is cracked on the insided. if not then I will have it welded and hopfully same me some grief... lol I just feel so stupid.

 

ohh...ok cool now i know that haha

 

I still call them freeze plugs too though, so people know what I'm talking about.
The name was probably started by one guy who had a block freeze, but it didn't crack. The ice pushed out one of the plugs, and he said "hey looky there, that plug saved my block". And that's how urban legends are born.

 

I've always heard them called freeze plugs.