Vetus M4.14 with plugged coolant passages?

[trissel]

My Vetus M4.14 had some stuck/rusted cilinders. When I removed the cilinder head I noticed some of the coolant passages in the cilinder block where plugged. I first thought it was rust//dirt (it felt soft) and started working on freeing the cilinders. After a few days I got all the cilinders fixed (yes!) and took another look at the plugged coolant passages. It looks like it is plugged with metal and its very solid. I can scratch it with a screw driver and it reveals a shiny material. The cilinder head is not plugged and a new gasket also not plugged. Its also not the old gasket because that material is very soft.

What is going on? Why plug coolant passages? Is it a repair? Can coolant become a solid and look like metal? Should I leave it alone and put it back together?

 

[Plum]

My Vetus M4.14 had some stuck/rusted cilinders. When I removed the cilinder head I noticed some of the coolant passages in the cilinder block where plugged. I first thought it was rust//dirt (it felt soft) and started working on freeing the cilinders. After a few days I got all the cilinders fixed (yes!) and took another look at the plugged coolant passages. It looks like it is plugged with metal and its very solid. I can scratch it with a screw driver and it reveals a shiny material. The cilinder head is not plugged and a new gasket also not plugged. Its also not the old gasket because that material is very soft.

What is going on? Why plug coolant passages? Is it a repair? Can coolant become a solid and look like metal? Should I leave it alone and put it back together?

No idea why but if that is cast iron, as originally cast like that, and you have not had an overheating problem then I would just reassemble.

 

[Chris_d]

That is definitely not correct those holes should not be plugged, maybe it was a bad casting from new or maybe someone put some additive in the water system to try to fix a blown head gasket or leak somewhere, I certainly wouldn't put it back together like that as 3 cylinders are not getting full cooling around the bores.