Frost Plug

[faolteam]

Just by luck today my heater in car would not blow hot air as it always did , i pulled in after a 1km, and thought i heard a gurgling noise , so i opened the bonnett , and checked water levels the plastic container was a bit low , i opened the radiator lid and was surprised there was no mad steam or pressure

but there was a leak

got it over to the mechanic and after a while he said it looks like a frost plug problem and that while he was doing it he may as well do the timing belt

just wondering would this be right

and why did the Frost plug pop was it because i had no ant freeze ???

Toyota Avensis 2000

[Konrad C]

If you mean the engine core plug, then the Frost plug may have corroded. It happened years back on my Fiesta. There was not enough antifreeze. When I checked the Fiesta, I found it only had water so had to buy coolant. The damage was already done and later the frost plug holed. I changed it myself because unlike modern engines, there is plenty of access. The engines were simpler then.

The coolant as it is called now, protects the engine from internal corrosion as well as prevents freezing.

That is why I have close to 50% in my car and change it every 2 years. If I have to top up the system, which I rarely need to, I add more coolant.