Radiator drain plug BROKE off!!????

[Jedidiahwiebe]

I was out in the forest today grabbing some firewood. Not too much, I've had way heavier loads in there before. However on the way down this time there were some water-bars which may have caused the body to twist and deform more than usual. Perhaps this is what caused it? The drain plug (the entire unit (brass hex shaped body and everything simply popped out of the radiator, thus dumping all my fluid on the ground. I'm extremely glad that I caught it right away before overheating and warping the head!
I come on here to ask, Can anyone think of a reason WHY this happened? I would say that It did seem like the diff was rather close to the place where the plug was supposed to go. I did not like that. In fact I could not even put the plug back in it's place the diff was so close (I was parked facing downhill so the center of gravity was pushing down on the front.)
Is it possible that I have the radiator poorly mounted? Maybe there is something that should be holding it closer forward and away from the diff? I wouldn't mind it if the rad would sit higher too now that I think of it.

[Jedidiahwiebe]

I very much appreciate yous guys' input! Gonna be pretty dang fun getting it running again tomorrow. I grabbed the radiator and took it with me on my way home, left the van (oh! L300 btw) and plan on getting the plug soldered back in tomorrow.
The real gem will be getting it started in -12 degree weather as... yes you guessed it I was running SVO at the time and did not have the chance to purge. I think I'ma bring a turkey frier and heat up a Big ol bucket of water to preheat things!

Oh and, should I solder it back on myself or take it to the rad shop? I have some silver solder lying around, and some regular electrical stuff.

Before you tell me to replace the rad I should say that yes, indeed I have had it rebuilt quite recently, and it is not calicified or anything. I only use distilled water in it.

Thanks again for taking part in my winter bush repair plans!

[Firesong]

I'm not sure why it would have happened. Maybe it's been a weak spot, not done right at the beginning? Rough roads and..

You were very lucky to stop the deli before damage happened further. I would take it to a rad shop myself. Hate to put it back in and have it not quite sealed or something silly. But my skills are lacking in that department.

Good luck and get that firewood back home!! :)

[thedjjack]

front diff should not move on an L300? It has independent suspension. The diff is fixed unless someone put a solid axle in there...

1) rad moved not mounted right
2) Front suspension sub frame really loose or rusted out
3) or ????

[Big-Bird]

Use the silver solder as it has a higher strength and will better resist stress cracking due to the plug being removed at a later date.

Check all bushings that support the front diff assembly, there's no way the diff should be able to move unless a mount is loose or weak.....Best to check before you get back on the road.

[Jedidiahwiebe]

As it turns out... Well it would seem anyways, that last time I had the rad out (2 years ago) I think i failed to place it back in carefully and missed sliding the two rubber nubs at the bottom of the radiator into their mortises Thus the mounting of the radiator must have been entirely dependent on the one bolt on top??? So i guess it just bounced around in there until one day it swung back and hit the diff and broke the drain plug off.

There were no rad shops around when I went out looking, and my machinist recommended me to use old fashioned lead/tin solder (btw lordco/nappa/canadian tire do not carry this stuff, ONLY found it at home hardware) I threw some canadian tire 'waterbase' flux in for good measure and lit up my torch. Seems to have worked relatively well.

Van was an absolute joy to start though after sitting outside for 24 hours in -12 to -8. Very thankful that my girlfriend came along with me and boiled about 2.5 gallons of water and patiently poured it over the injectors and IP. After cranking it over for a goodly while it just started right up the tenacious little green bugger.