Expansion plug/ Freeze plug mystery

[cagiva9]

My wife's Torrent overheated the other day and ended up blowing out a freeze plug. The freeze plug is located underneath the serpentine belt assembly that's mounted on the alternator bracket. I ordered and received the parts then got to work..the problem is that the freeze plugs I received, the same size plug called out by every parts catalog I can find, is the wrong damn size . I can't speak for all the plugs on the engine but this particular plug seems to be a 1 inch (25.4mm) certainly not the 34.33mm I received and everyone tells me is the ONLY size the Torrent takes.

 

[melsg5]

Is there a reason why you dont take the old plug to a local auto parts store and have them match it up?
You are sure the plug is in the block and not the cylinder head?

 

[cagiva9]

Is there a reason why you dont take the old plug to a local auto parts store and have them match it up?
You are sure the plug is in the block and not the cylinder head?

I did exactly that and replaced the plug with the one that ALMOST matched up. It's a little shallow than the original. I'm no gearhead so the significance of whether the plug is in the block or head is lost on me I'm afraid. It appears to be in the cylinder head. Is that not also a freeze plug then Should I have been asking for a different part?

 

[melsg5]

you didnt specify the year or whether a 3.4 or a 3.6 and the site below shows different plugs for the head versus the block
https://www.tonkinonlineparts.com/p...isAccessory=0&isPerformance=0&searchTerm=plug

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[cagiva9]

you didnt specify the year or whether a 3.4 or a 3.6 and the site below shows different plugs for the head versus the block
https://www.tonkinonlineparts.com/p...isAccessory=0&isPerformance=0&searchTerm=plug

2006/3.4... I'm still not finding it.

It's halfway covered by the alternator bracket, just forward of the serpentine belt tensioner...in fact I ended up using that bracket to press fit the plug, no room to swing a hammer.

 

[melsg5]

the block or the head?

 

[cagiva9]

the block or the head?

As I said earlier, it appears to be in the head but that is not as straightforward a question (at least to me) as you would think.

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=i...biw=768&bih=379&dpr=2.5#imgrc=qOym25IaKea0yM:

If this link worked and you open it, look at the bracket that the serpentine belt tensioner is mounted to. Just forward of the tensioner, underneath the middle of the bracket's arc is the aforementioned plug. You can't really see it in the picture but it is half under the bracket and 1/2 out.

 

[melsg5]

heres a cylinder head plug described as being 25.68 mm, take the old one and go to a GM dealer to check it.

https://www.tonkinonlineparts.com/p...ne-Fuel-Intake-Manifold/5916263/10044811.html

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[cagiva9]

Thanks!!
You've done what AutoZone, Oreillys, Rock Auto and Parts Geek could not do.