Dodgy plug

[xavier]

I have been cleaning up a 323i head for a possible eta 2.7 build. The head seems OK bar a few snapped exhaust manifold studs. The most worrying bit was this plug. The rest were near perfect. It had been entomb in a big lump of silicon. Is the state of it indicative of anything ? I cannot find any cracks near the plug port.

[Grrrmachine]

Let's fix that image...

Right, it looks like the HT lead was coming loose, so the last owner coated the top of the spark plug with Instant Gasket to try and fix it in place.