Question:
I have a 2004 Chevy Impala 3.8, took the upper and lower manifolds
off and there are 4 coolant holes around the 6 cylinders , 2 on each
side the one on passenger side in the rear was plugged with what
reminded me of particle board, i removed it easily, now on the
manifold there is just 2 holes both on drivers side one in front and
one in back, on the passenger side front there is no hole at all it
looks to be aluminum. On the passenger side rear of the manifold,
looks like a hole should be there but is filled with very hard junk like i
dug out of the engine but it is not coming out so easily and it doesn't
look like there is a water channel there anyway. Are all these holes
suppose to be open or is this junk suppose to be in there clogging
holes? And how many open holes are in the manifold?
I have a 2004 Chevy Impala 3.8, took the upper and lower manifolds
off and there are 4 coolant holes around the 6 cylinders , 2 on each
side the one on passenger side in the rear was plugged with what
reminded me of particle board, i removed it easily, now on the
manifold there is just 2 holes both on drivers side one in front and
one in back, on the passenger side front there is no hole at all it
looks to be aluminum. On the passenger side rear of the manifold,
looks like a hole should be there but is filled with very hard junk like i
dug out of the engine but it is not coming out so easily and it doesn't
look like there is a water channel there anyway. Are all these holes
suppose to be open or is this junk suppose to be in there clogging
holes? And how many open holes are in the manifold?
Answer:
The holes you describe are correct. The other spots that are full of
junk is just the fact that the coolant stops there and accumulates.
This is normal. Dexcool antifreeze has a tendency to do that,
especially if it has never been changed. Just clean the manifold
real good before replacing the gaskets and re-assembling the
engine. You may also want to drain the radiator before putting it
back together. After it is all done, use a good cooling system
cleaning kit from the local parts store to clean out the rest of the
system and drain and fill it again.
The holes you describe are correct. The other spots that are full of
junk is just the fact that the coolant stops there and accumulates.
This is normal. Dexcool antifreeze has a tendency to do that,
especially if it has never been changed. Just clean the manifold
real good before replacing the gaskets and re-assembling the
engine. You may also want to drain the radiator before putting it
back together. After it is all done, use a good cooling system
cleaning kit from the local parts store to clean out the rest of the
system and drain and fill it again.