Any thoughts on what look like blocked waterways in this photo?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/m1qusn58cy1d3uk/SAM_0448.JPG
I never had any overheating problems but they look very restricted. On cleaning up only where the HG is though. I worry this could mean head warped with the temperature having appeared to go high.
Can someone who has done a few tell me if this is normal?
Many thanks
What you have to remember is that, whilst you've got a large water jacket area passing from block to head around each cylinder, in the normal case, there will only be small holes in the head gasket to allow coolant flow between them, spaced and sized to give approximately equal cooling to the 4 cylinders.
I think what you are looking at is not a blockage of those passages, but deterioration of the head gasket material that used to cover them with the exception of the small holes in the gasket that are just about visible.
So no, I wouldn't worry. That said, if you are having to take the head to an engineering company to get the studs removed, you might as well ask them to check it for flatness while you're at it.
