Unexpected item in the cylinder jacket area

[Waynebaby]

Hi All,

 

As you might have noticed from the engine section of the forum I've been having fun and games with the cylinder head on my Mk3 GT6. Whilst the head has been off I started to investigate why the coolant drain plug on the block has never drained whilst the car has been in my ownership and thought you might be interested in what I turned up. Dredging/flushing operations using a 500ml syringe from Machine Mart removed about an inch of magnetite sludge from the rear of the cylinder jacket but probing with a piece of wire to find the drain hole only rewarded me with an unexpectedly "rubbery" sensation. When I peered down into the water jacket I saw what at first sight looked like an unused condom!. After much fishing about with bits of wire I dragged out the offending item you see in the attached picture. Judging from the shape and size I'm pretty sure that it is some excess sealant that a previous owner has used to seal the water pump to the head. Needless to say with that out of the way the bock drain hole now flows freely.

 

Wayne

 

 

[AidanT]

Blimey !  I know clearing my drain plug aperture last year was sun and games, it also had not been opened up for a long time, but I didn't find anything like that! Just good old rock solid calcium deposits from the south east where the car originated!

 

It will be interesting to see if it has any impact on how much cooler the engine runs.

 

Aidan