Core plug sticking out a little...bad?

[hoowahfun]

Hi all, I have a new to me boat and was doing some work today on the alternator and noticed something odd about the core plugs beneath the exhaust manifold. Engine is a 1987 3.0 merc. The plug on the left is ticking out maybe 1/8" or so while the one on the right is flush with the block. The one on the left is close to cylinder 1. I wasn't sure if this was normal or a sign of potential freezing when the previous owner had it. What I found weird was that the edge that's sticking out has black paint on it that seems to indicate it was that way at the factory when it was painted (don't see any obvious signs of repainting). Thought I'd ask and see what anyone else thought. Thanks!

 

[alldodge]

Could be original but I doubt it. Might have had an issue and the person putting it in didn't know how. I would pop it out and replace

 

[Oshkosh1]

Like you said, it's old enough to have been painted over so I wouldn't worry about it. If it shows signs of slippage then I'd pull and replace but as it stands...I'd not lose any sleep over it.

 

[hoowahfun]

Thanks guys. Would it be a good idea to push it in so it's flush with the block? Was thinking that would help me notice any slippage with it if it pops back out.

 

[harleyman1975]

I don't think it would hurt anything to lay a board over it ant tap it flush.

 

[Scott06]

You can try pushing it in, but there may be a casting ridge in there that prevented it from going in all the way hence why it's painted over. Had a similar issue on a Pontiac v8 ended up needing a rubber expansion plug. Alternatively if it's not leaking leave it alone... it might be leaking after you mess with it

 

[hoowahfun]

You can try pushing it in, but there may be a casting ridge in there that prevented it from going in all the way hence why it's painted over. Had a similar issue on a Pontiac v8 ended up needing a rubber expansion plug. Alternatively if it's not leaking leave it alone... it might be leaking after you mess with it

That's good to know. I tried taking a block of wood and hammer to it yesterday to tap it in and got no movement. I didn't want to bend an edge down or force it so i stopped. I think I'll leave it as it is since I don't see any signs of leakage around it.