Will I have to have Engine Remove to Fix Reservoir Issue?

Asked by BlackHoney Nov 05, 2018 at 10:52 AM about the 2001 Ford Taurus SE

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Hi!
I'm hoping someone here can point me in the right direction. I have a 2001
Ford Taurus. I just fixed everything that I thought was wrong with the car only
to find out that the reservoir is leaking. The reservoir itself isn't leaking, it's
under the car. I looked under there and it's coming out of holes that looked
like there used to be something plugging there, or screwed in. I'm not sure.. I
would pour water in the reservoir and it would move and flow right out the
bottom of the car under the engine.

A mechanic said that it could be "AC Plugs the rubber ones are hard to find
but easier to install, but the other ones will require to remove the engine and
install."

That's probably due to the engine being transverse right? Is this car too far
gone? Is it worth fixing? Will it be costly? What are these AC plugs that the
mechanic was talking about?

Any information will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

3 Answers

103,215

Maybe it's the terminology that I'm not understanding here, but the "reservoir" or overflow bottle is super easy to remove or replace. But from your description I believe you are referring to the freeze plugs on the engine itself that are leaking? Freeze plugs are not designed to ever come out, but they can corrode and leak. Replacing them is always part of any engine rebuild. The problem with replacing them is getting access to them, *some* might be doable with the engine in the car, others are impossible, and the engine would have to come out. Ask the mechanic to clarify that the item he wants to replace are the freeze plugs.

1 people found this helpful.

I just looked at pictures of freeze plugs for the car (couldn't reach the mechanic) and those plugs are HUGE. The holes where the liquid is coming out of is the size of a screw, but it has a steady flow when it's coming out.

My 2003 Ford Taurus SES had a leak in the reservoir. The reservoir had hair line cracks in it but it had enough of them that the water would leak out. At first it was a little and then it got worse. We couldn’t tell where the water was leaking out at first but after we realized it was the reservoir my boyfriend took it off and used some opoxy glue stuff to repair the cracks. It worked for a while but still looses a little water. I am going to replace it with a new one soon. Rockauto.com has them at half the price as the local auto parts stores. The opoxy glue stuff got me through until I could afford to purchase a new one. It was not a difficult part to remove and install. We did watch a u-tube video on it first which really made it much easier. I highly recommend watching a video on any car repair before you start to be sure it is within your capability. Also it will let you know what tools you will need so you can be better prepared. Good luck. ,

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