Checking Water Passages

[Gene Gillam]

Back in 2006 one of my TC’s was totaled. I bought it back from the insurance company with the intention of rebuilding it but life got in the way and it’s been on the backburner now for 16 years…until now. The main damage was to the body so the engine, transmission and chassis are in good shape…front axle was bent but since has been straightened.

The engine had been rebuilt a few years before the accident so it should be good…it still turns over easily and I don’t want to take it apart. I drained the block and the radiator shortly after the accident but I believe I should check and make sure the water passages are not blocked with crud before I start putting the car back together. Is there a quick and easy way to tell if the passages are clean without removing the head and if minor cleaning is needed is there anyway to do it without running the engine?

Thanks…

[Rob Reilly]

I would run a garden hose through the upper hose port and watch what flows out the lower hose port. If you can make a good seal on the hose with tape or something, you could get a bit more pressure and force out whatever may be in there. Certainly spider webs and mouse nests are possible unless it was sealed everywhere.

[Tom Lange, MGT Repair]

You could also punch out a few core plugs to display the internal condition. You probably won't, but if you find a lot of crud, remove them all and flush with air or a hose and water.

Tom Lange
MGT Repair

[Steve Simmons]

It's pretty easy to remove front and rear plates from the cylinder head, and this gives you an excellent view inside. I would also remove the block drain tap, and run water through the engine from top to bottom to see if the tap is clogged. Since he trained the engine, I wouldn't worry about anything above the level of whatever coolant was left. But any old glycol coolant left in the system could have crystallized by now so it might be worth running a coolant system flush at least with plain water, and when you get the engine running then perhaps put some cleaning agent in there, get it hot, then drain again.