I've used the manual expansion style freeze plugs on car engines before, the kind that are expanded with a bolt. Can the same be done on bike engines? Edit: Had one that was in a motor 5-6 years before I sold it. Never leaked a drop.
My google-fu is not yielding anything. I have one more unmolested spears plug left, so I guess i’ll try grinding it down to shorten it like Zoran said and smack the piss out of it. Hopefully the brakleen bath doesnt hurt anything. I’ve read through many threads on this and it seems there is no consensus on using a sealer for freeze plugs. @TWF2 what do you think?
Well, I took your advice, ground the new plug down a bit, and she seated GOOD this time. Unfortunately, I still have a massive leak somewhere and I'm all out of patience. I bought the SV for cheap racing, and I refuse to throw any more cash at it. Im scrapping this motor. Drain your water for the winter, folks. Thanks for all your input, @TWF2
Final post in this thread, again, just in case anyone having similar issues needs to reference this in the future. I should have listened to @Boman Forklift and his suggestion to do the radiator pressure test. Had I done this, I would have found that there was a small hole in one of the rear freeze plugs that could not be seen, only heard. Yanked it out, popped my only remaining spears plug in there, and lo and behold, the system holds pressure again. I will be replacing the remaining 2 plugs for safe measure, but I should have just done this test from the start. The $40 cheap tool to do this test would have saved me 2 solid weekends of wrenching and double that amount in gaskets/parts, had I just listened. Thanks again guys.
Sorry you had so many problems, but glad you got it fixed. I wrenched on my bikes for a lot of years and never used one of these pressure testers until I bought my forklift company.
