see Replacing freeze plugs - YouTube for another tool to consider. Also, the point is well made that one freeze plug, corroded and rusted, usually has not been living all alone in the coolant. You may end up pulling engine and doing them all...

A quick way to remove - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0x4irAsNzM


Moral - change coolant more often than we change Olympic sites. If the plug is leaking from rust-thru, any leak sealer will be short lived. And DM is right, usually by the time they start leaking the back side is quite a mess. On the other hand, leak stop may buy you enough time to increase the Rover Repair Reserves (the most important 3 R's for an eduacted Rover owner).

 

it all depend on how hard “you” want to work at a solution, I know I have replaced many freeze plugs when I was in the business and always found a way.
Most of them sucked but I always managed to do it, I guess it comes down to work ethic.
Now if your looking for a mechanic to go out of his way and bust his ***** to save you money with a phone call, your crazier that a LR parts department.
I suggest you just pull out your check book and write a check for the $1500, because honestly you don’t sound like your going to be prepare to replace your head gaskets when they do go, so you might as well just bite the bullet now.

 

Speaking of LR . I called the dealer and they argued that they didn't know what I was talking about . As far as there being freeze plugs behind the engine against the firewall .

I just don't see a way to lower the jack enough to get enough room.

One shop said they could go in from the top all the way to the valve covers and have enough room. They said they would also just replace all those gaskets .
That quote was 1000.
And the owner is my fathers neighbor . So I don't think they would be jacking me around if there was another way .

Then there is the question of well I'd youre going this far . How far should you really go ?

 

I will work at something until I'm blue in the face . But I just don't see how you can lower the engine on a jack to get enough room to get to the plug .

Back in your day of pulling plugs how did you pull the ones behind the engine ?

 

I just don't see how you can get enough room to remove and replace the freeze plug without removing the engine. You are going to have to remove the flexplate to even get at at plug. MAYBE unbolt engine from transmission and engine mounts, remove fan and with engine hoist, pull engine as far forward in engine bay as possible. Of course then you have to wonder if the wiring harnesses will stretch... You may have to remove the transmission bellhousing which requires removing the torque converter to gain enough room to get the freeze plug inserted straight.

 

let taks a few steps back here, you original post say you had a leaking freeze plug and the told you it would cost $1500 to replace the headgaskets and would a sealer work.

my answer was there is no need to do head gasket for a freeze plug.
so i told then showed you how to replace a freeze plug.

in your third post with a little imformation you went back to the guy and suddenly the price dropped to $500.

Somewhere after that it become a rear block freeze plug, YES if it is (?) a rear freeze plug you must seperate the engine and tranny.

If your pulling the motor for one freeze plug do them all the wrought from the inside out.

while the motor is out (i guessing because no were to i see year or mile) in your post.
replace the head gaskets, oil pump, timing chain, water pump, t-stat, wires , coolant, plugs, hoses & recovery tank cap.

Do it yourself and you under $2k have a dealer do it and you over $5k.

Good luck

 

The leak was always from the rear freeze plug.

He claimed it would be a 1300-1500 dollar job. Then he said it is basically the same thing as a head gasket job because were going into the engine from the top and we may as well replace all the gaskets etc.

Then the next day he said he got online and found someone saying to do as you were saying. To lower the engine on a jack. However he did not say he would have to undo the exhaust and tranny.

He said he did not have an estimate for me on this exactly because it is not in the book.
He said maybe around 500 dollars.

Another place said it would be faster to go in from the top rather than the bottom. They claimed it could be down for 900-1100 and this would be going down to the valve covers and replacing gaskets and such as well.

My question is, if you're going to go into the engine this far , how far should you go?

It is a 2002 with 82k miles.

It has a new water pump, serp belt, timing chain, timing cover gasket less than 1500 miles ago.

 

If this is going to cost me a grand and the mechanic is already in there, then should I have them do the head gaskets as well?

 

If he'll do it for the $1500 or so, I would.