Head gaskets installed backwards???

[advent]

reviving this thread, I saw the advice about looking at the head gasket tabs. well, my head gaskets (9333) have tabs on all four corners... also, I remember that no matter what way you put them, the water ports on one side were closed off... is that normal?

I ended up just putting them with the "front" facing the correct way despite coolant ports being blocked...

If your lower intake has provisions in the rear for sensors or returns , just take the plug out and with a screwdriver or a flash light you can check if the water passages are blocked or not and look if you installed the gaskets in the right way .