ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Core plug

A core plug is a small circular piece of metal that plugs a hole in the engine block of a car. The engine block is the big metal box that holds all the important parts of the engine, like the pistons and the crankshaft. Sometimes, the engine block needs to have a hole drilled into it so that something can be installed or changed. When this happens, a core plug is used to plug up the hole.

Think of it like putting your finger over a hole to stop water from coming out of a bathtub. The core plug does the same thing for the engine block. It stops things like oil or coolant from leaking out of the engine block where there shouldn't be any leaks.

Core plugs are also sometimes called freeze plugs because they help prevent the engine block from cracking when the coolant inside gets too cold and freezes. When the coolant expands as it freezes, it can create a lot of pressure inside the engine block. The core plugs will pop out instead of the engine block cracking, which is a good thing because engine block cracks are very expensive to fix.

So, in summary, a core plug is a small, circular piece of metal that plugs a hole in the engine block to prevent leaks and cracks.