Where are the freeze plugs a 4.0 jeep head? - 1996 Jeep Cherokee Sport

If you mean the core the core plugs - the metal disks that will pop out if the water in the engine freezes due to insufficient coolant:

Look below the cylinder head, on the engine block itself. You won't find one at the front due to timing gear/thermostat etc..

Look on each side of the engine and at the rear. There's more than one fitted.


Removal is straightforward - a large screwdriver and hammer can be used to pierce it and then lever it out. Clean the surrounding metal and apply a smear of sealant before fitting a new one.

To expand the new one into place simply give it a sharp tap in the centre with a hammer.

Freeze Plug Installation on Jeep Cherokee Sport

My research shows that your engine is most likely the 2.5 liter American Motors 4 cyl that was also used in a lot of Jeeps; Chrysler owned Jeep at the time. The 4 cylinder engine is basically the old AMC 4.0 liter 6 missing two cylinders; a very basic engine.
If you do a Google search for 1996 AMC 2.5 freeze plugs, you'll get lots of pictures. Here is one with the plug out which shows you which way to rotate the plug to remove it without damaging the cylinder:

You may want to spring for a brass plug if you are going to keep the vehicle. Also see the link below for some good tips on freeze plug installation.
Non typical Coolant leak Page 2 JeepForum com Freeze Plugs Tips For Leak Free Plugs Circle Track Magazine

there is 4-8 frost plugs(freeze) on the block 2 on each side of the engine and possibly 2 at the front and 2 at the rear on the engine. there is 4 smaller plugs on the heads 2 on each head. you don`t say what engine you have 4 or six.

why ask this? if they are bad , the leak antifreeze, out side engine
or inside. both are obvious. green on ground, or engine oil
looks HORRID, like milk chocolate shake,
answer, there are core plugs (aka, freeze misnomer) are all over the engine, google freeze plug, under image. bingo.
on side of engine, (no engine option stated) on front and rear, in the heads, some have them on top of heads , inside the engine.

my guess someone said, check the freeze plugs. right?
to what question?

check to see if your hoses are collapsed, bring car to normal operating temp check if hoses collapsed. It sound like a bad head gasket or worse yet a cracked head. look in oil if tan you have water in it bad head or gasket, pull spark plugs see if their wet. when car is cold remove radiator cap let car warm up to normal operating temp if radiator fluid blows up and out of radiator bad head or head gasket. also check sylinder presures another way to check for cracked head.

The freeze plugs are on the engine block and some on the cylinder heads.When you buy the engine heater it usually has instructions on the location of which plug to put it in.Hope this helps.Good luck.

Take a chisel and a hammer and hit one side of the freeze plug til it rotates out ward enough for you to grab it with pliers and pull it out. To install the new freeze plug use somethig cylindrical that will fit within the freeze plug and hammer it in gently dont push it in too far cause it will go through.Good luck.

its the head gasket. to be safe, i would suggest changing both seals but, the head gasket will leak in this direction .

Check your coolant to see how low a temp it's good for. What u are describing is the failure of a freeze out plug. They are there to protect your block and head from cracking in cold weather, if you don't have sufficient anit-freeze protection (old anti-freeze, or not enough anti-freeze). If the water in the engine freezes, the freeze out plugs are designed to be a weak point, popping out to relieve the pressure of the freezing water, hopefully saving the head and block from cracking. The other reason for failure is corrosion due to, again, insufficient or old anti-freeze. To remove, u just need an old screwdriver and hammer, knock a hole in the plug w/ the screwdriver, pry it out. Clean up opening, install new one w/ block of wood and hammer. Of course, the location of the freeze out plug is what determines how much room u have to do this, so u have to decide if it's easier to pull the engine, or remove the head. It would be wise to pull the engine, and change all the plugs as angelo63 suggest, when done flush the system, adding a 50/50 mix of anti-freeze/water.