Repairing exhaust/water entry point

[jrys]

Please see attached photos.
Does this look like an original setup for the water entry point into the exhaust pipe?
This small water inlet point was crimped and corroded to a point that my engine was constantly overheating to a point that I was getting no flow out of the discharge port. This photo is after I cleaned it up and pried open with a chisel. Does my new opening look sufficient? Can the opening be a full circle, or does it need to be oval shaped as pictured? I can open more.
Lastly, since my exhaust is now open I'm considering a water problem I get because I think I don't have sufficient vertical clearance in the hot section of the exhaust pipe. Any suggestions? My setup is similiar to figure 1, sketch A on page 7-3 of service manual.
Thanks,
Joe Rys

[Don Moyer]

Joe,

There really is no standard set-up for water entry fittings. Yours looks relatively OK to me, except for the fact that the pipe occupies so much of the internal area of the fitting through which it enters. However, given the way you cleaned it up and opened the water pipe, I suspect that it will work on into the indefinite future. I would plan to check it every 5 years or so (depending on how much you use the engine) to be sure it is not clogging again within the annular space between the fitting and the water pipe.

Don