My old 12a I'm fitting into my Vauxhall Viva (see oldschool and other) has a popped rear frost plug. I had bought it like this from the fella who built it. He had left the car out and one cold night it blew the plug out. Thing is I dont know if there may be other damage.

I had a look at the engine tonight where the frost plug had popped out. There is oily gunk in the hole when i but my finger in there. Could it be that over a few years the anti freeze would/ could break down leaving just a messy oil like substance?

Or could it be that the engine not only popped out a frost plug when it froze but has also cracked somewhere else allowing the oil sitting in a oilway to find its way into the bottom water way? i will put this in technical section too- i'm hoping someone else might have experience of what cracks when engine freezes.

My plan anyway is to fit a new core plug, fill engine with water over night. Come the morning I will turn engine over with plugs out and see if any water has found its way past water seals.

If its ok i will continue on with the transplant into the Viva. Once its all go I will see how engine is. I would rather rebuild it after I have done all the hard work transplanting it. Rebuilding it knowing the car is all ready for it to go back in will be more fun!

 

I had a 13b that had water freeze in it and it busted chunks out of the front housing surface. I was amazed at the damage done.

 

i've never been in the position before, but i'd tend to think the side housings (iron) would crack first. it sounds like you've already come to terms with the fact that pulling it apart is inevitable, so i see no harm in going ahead and getting the car sorted out and rebuilding after that. if it were me, i'd try to get the engine built first and then sort the car, but your choice is not invalid.

 

yep. I guess anything could have cracked inside- or maybe not. But will never know till its opened. I'll do car first as that will keep my mojo going- rebuilding the engine is easy on the bench in warm shed stuff and winters coming. If i start engine strip now i'll muck about and it'll be too cold to work on car. I'll keep my main viva thread updated so at some point we'll all find out if engine is ok or not.

 

Here are pics of an intermediate that had severe cracking https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/j-spec-intermediate-housing-failure-726181/

 

I had a T2 cracked the center iron from the inside middle.