I have a 1993 4.0L v6 with 250,660 miles it started to leak pouring water from what appeared to be the water pump location. After changing the waterpump and heater hoses it still leaks. It appears to be leaking under the air conditioner pump somewhere. Cannot see, but has a lot of water comming down from under the pump area on the front of the block. Any ideas? Is this a cronic problem with 4.0Ls. Someone suggested it was a common problem with high milage engines.

 

1993 engine could have some core plugs(freeze plugs) starting to rust out, not specific to 4.0l or Ford just time, and maybe coolant wasn't changed every 2 or 3 years which starts the rusting from the inside out.

Driver side doesn't have much else that can leak coolant.
Passenger side has the heater hoses and lower intake coolant pass thru, the later was a know leak point as the aluminum intake connected to iron head can cause electrolysis which eats away at the metal and gasket, I suppose that could happen on the drivers side but coolant doesn't flow thru to the head on that side but coolant is present so.............it leaks right where the lower intake and head meet, right at the front of the intake.

 

Thank you for your response. I will check that out. It sounds like I shouldn't give up just yet. It was just a bummer after working for two days on fixing what I thought was the problem. To find out that it hadn't even slowed down. I am encouraged that you thought the same thing I did. I just wasn't up to more wrench work at the time. I will check out the possiblilities. Thanks again.

 

You can replace the metal core plugs with the rubber ones, they are much easier to install in tight places.
Factory uses the metal ones because they are much much cheaper to install when building the engine from scratch.

And no, engine won't get damaged from possible freezing with rubber plug.
"freeze plug" name was given to the core plugs prior to anti-freeze being used.
In the winter you had to drain the block if temps would be going below 32degF
If you didn't and water in the block started to freeze a few of the core plug would be pushed out, but...............water in the lower block could still freeze and crack the block.
So they are not there to prevent damage from freezing, they pop out when water freezes, they are there to get the sand out of the block(core) after molten metal casting