thanks rock, chris and nigel
i was just looking at the haynes manual a minute a go. looks like strip and clean it is then.
would refitting a vented cover help stop this happening again? i did have one, but i got rid 'cos of the racket it made. obviously the dust has to go somewhere, so surely it's better if it goes out into the air through the slots rather than clogging up the plates?
[Edited on 23-3-2006 by zhed44]