Intake Manifold Gasket Replacement

[firebird78]

Hello Everyone,

I own a 1992 pontiac firebird. I recently overheated due to a collapsed coolant hose and blew out my intake gasket. I have taken off my intake manifold cleaned the surfaces of the engine and intake and ready to replace my gaskets. my back cooling ports on the intake were capped off with a couple tine plugs I'm trying to figure out why and if it is neccessary to keep this that way. I have a 350 5.7L with a 305's intake running a T.B.I I want to leave the caps off since there are holes for coolant but not really sure why it's been plugged off for. I've never seen this before. I can't get any answers out of the automotive stores as the people that work at the stores usually only know one thing what the computer pulls for them.

[Blue Bowtie]

Welcome Aboard!

The coolant passages there don't usually go anywhere, unless the RH head has a coolant supply line for the heater core (older design). The coolant is supposed to flow from either side of the pump discharges, get metered through the deck by the mating passages, then travel forward to the crossover on the intake manifold so it can be regulated by the thermostat.

[Morley]

The alumnium headed Corvettes used the rear coolant passage for more even cooling for the heads. On iron headed engines the rear passages are almost always blocked off. If you have plugs in the manifold at the passages you could always put some hose barb fittings in there and run a short length of hose from one side to the other, but it really isn't needed.