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i assuming bad?

sprayzz

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hey guys im pulling my engine down and came across this grease cr#p and im assuming that would be for the water? what would make them blocked? gasket is crack at the same area it is blocked

new1.jpg
 
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James39

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Yes it means you need new gaskets. Clean up the mess and install new gaskets.
 

sprayzz

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Thought so cheers. do you think i should check the head gasket?
Yes it means you need new gaskets. Clean up the mess and install new gaskets.
 

someguy360

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Completely normal for bad inlet gaskets.....while the engine is open...replace the gaskets (the plastic gaskets in your first picture)

It's the most common issue on the V6's.......very unlikely to be a head gasket issue
 

sprayzz

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Cheers someguy360 glad i found this problem before it was too late
Completely normal for bad inlet gaskets.....while the engine is open...replace the gaskets (the plastic gaskets in your first picture)

It's the most common issue on the V6's.......very unlikely to be a head gasket issue
 

VPRob

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Might be worth checking out something better than the standard plastic gaskets that have such a history of failing. Aren't there some aluminium ones as an upgrade?
 

someguy360

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Might be worth checking out something better than the standard plastic gaskets that have such a history of failing. Aren't there some aluminium ones as an upgrade?

Yeah MACE do a set of aluminium ones which will last a lifetime....the plastic ones are ****....I blew through 2 sets in 3 years
 

Jxfwsf

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Absolutely normal, nothing to be worried about.
The reason the **** builds up there is because no coolant flows through there, look at your intake manifold and you'll see only 2 passages (what lines up with the blocked passages in the head will be square rust marks with some pitting, providing the corrosion and pitting don't extend past the square mark in the gasket then it's fine)
Essentially without getting to technical the depression made by the thickness of the gasket and hole in the head will create a low pressure zone where **** will stick and stay there to build up as the coolant flows past (along with minor corrosion on the allow etc etc)...

The gasket will crack as it's a crappy silicon impregnated plastic design that has been compressed and used, plastic deteriorates over time and now you've undone it then it'll crack, there doesn't seem to be any visible signs that there was a leak prior to removal, but as said they are a common failure point and it never hurts to replace them on a high km engine.

Now why are they there if they're not used? Simply the left and right head are exactly the same and can be installed on either side of the engine, lets say you swap the heads over from left bank to right bank, the currently blocked off unused passages would then be at the front of the engine and the nice clean ones would be at the back.

As said above, very unlikely to be a head gasket issue, these cast iron block and head combinations are pretty bullet proof unless they have not be maintained and serviced with regular coolant changes etc etc.
 
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sprayzz

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Thanks for that information Jxw im might considering getting good reliable gaskets as said above and ditch the plastic ones. yeah i noticed on the intake manifold that they are blocked off which was confusing but now makes sense after reading your comment, so cheers for that. what problems would have this caused over time? if i only cracked the gasket when i removed the inlet manifold?
Absolutely normal, nothing to be worried about.
The reason the **** builds up there is because no coolant flows through there, look at your intake manifold and you'll see only 2 passages (what lines up with the blocked passages in the head will be square rust marks with some pitting, providing the corrosion and pitting don't extend past the square mark in the gasket then it's fine)
Essentially without getting to technical the depression made by the thickness of the gasket and hole in the head will create a low pressure zone where **** will stick and stay there to build up as the coolant flows past (along with minor corrosion on the allow etc etc)...

The gasket will crack as it's a crappy silicon impregnated plastic design that has been compressed and used, plastic deteriorates over time and now you've undone it then it'll crack, there doesn't seem to be any visible signs that there was a leak prior to removal, but as said they are a common failure point and it never hurts to replace them on a high km engine.

Now why are they there if they're not used? Simply the left and right head are exactly the same and can be installed on either side of the engine, lets say you swap the heads over from left bank to right bank, the currently blocked off unused passages would then be at the front of the engine and the nice clean ones would be at the back.

As said above, very unlikely to be a head gasket issue, these cast iron block and head combinations are pretty bullet proof unless they have not be maintained and serviced with regular coolant changes etc etc.
 

Jxfwsf

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The gasket's break down and crack pretty much anywhere the silicon is impregnated into them, not just on that spot.

No real problems over time except when there is no coolant/corrosion inhibitor or if it's not changed on the recommended regular intervals, if you use plain water the alloy intake will slowly get eaten away and the coolant passages can open up and let coolant go where it's not meant to...... into the valley and to the sump

Worse case scenario into the intake and through the combustion chambers, slow leaks into the combustion chamber won't cause major problems (unless you leave the engine sitting for extended periods of time and the rings rust to the bore), you'll just have to keep topping it up, a massive leak that dumps heaps suddenly can cause what's called hydrolock but you'd have to be really unlucky or completely ignorant to the prior symptoms for this.... Hydrolock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

once an alloy intake is corroded to far it may be unserviceable and need replacing (sometimes it can be welded up but not always)
 
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