Progress Thread Progress Thread kinda stalled- looking to get it back going again!

General karthief · Jul 28, 2019

Yeah, I have to drop the tank too. It sounds like nothing good is happening in there.

Rdub6 · Aug 4, 2019

So, the other day, just killing some time in the garage, I noticed my “cold level” coolant was a little low. Didn’t really think anything of it.
Tonight, after a long day at work, I’m again just hanging at the workbench looking at the car (here’s where I get my ideas of how I will spend more money on the car). Anyway.......
I notice some dots on the underside of the hood, kind of looks like oil. Sure enough, it aligns with the weep hole on the top of the water pump!! Not happy!
I like working on the car because I “want” to, not because I “have” to.
I guess I’ll use this time to clean up every piece I take off, and further clean more places I’ll be able to reach with the pump off.

But still not real happy!!

General karthief · Aug 4, 2019

It is maintenance, enjoy the time spent cleaning and replacing stuff and the satisfaction that you have discovered a minor problem before it became a global warming environmental catastrophe.

Rdub6 · Aug 6, 2019

Had today off from work, so after the lawn, I spent some time cleaning up what I could reach in and around the water pump. I took it for a ride and got it nice and warm. I’m 99% sure the water is coming from the thermostat housing.
So while I have it apart, I’ll change the bypass and heater tube hoses, as they are both bulging pretty good. Who knows how long they’ve been on there.
Not a sign of water around the water pump weep holes either...... another reason I think the pump is not the culprit.
I guess my worse case now is that it’s the timing cover. Hope not.

jrichker · Aug 6, 2019

Rdub6 said:
Had today off from work, so after the lawn, I spent some time cleaning up what I could reach in and around the water pump. I took it for a ride and got it nice and warm. I’m 99% sure the water is coming from the thermostat housing.
So while I have it apart, I’ll change the bypass and heater tube hoses, as they are both bulging pretty good. Who knows how long they’ve been on there.
Not a sign of water around the water pump weep holes either...... another reason I think the pump is not the culprit.
I guess my worse case now is that it’s the timing cover. Hope not.

The water pump R&R is a cut and paste from the timing cover replacement tech note...
So, if you need to replace the timing chain cover, I have a step by step how to tech note for that.

Rdub6 · Aug 6, 2019

jrichker said:
The water pump R&R is a cut and paste from the timing cover replacement tech note...
So, if you need to replace the timing chain cover, I have a step by step how to tech note for that.

Thank you! I guess I’ll know more once I get the thermostat housing off, but the only spot the cover is wet, is right under the housing...... so I’m hoping I get off easy on this one.

General karthief · Aug 6, 2019

When you get the t stat housing off check that corner of the intake, there is a water jacket in that area too.

Rdub6 · Aug 8, 2019

I’ll post this here for those who happen to read. I placed an order for a thermostat housing, thermostat, and bypass hose from Rock Auto on Aug 6. (The pump to coolant hard line I had to order from LMR). Anyway, the bypass hose was in my mailbox Aug 7 at 10:30am. I realize Rock Auto must use a network of distributors, but I had one piece of my order about 18 hours after I hit that “submit order” button. That’s some good service. Being in retail management the last 23 years, I hear (and fix) more complaints than I care to tell. So when something good happens, I do my best to get it out there!!
(If I don’t get the rest by Saturday, I may have to edit). Lol.

I’ll edit it for the better: The rest of the order came Thursday morning!!

Rdub6 · Aug 12, 2019

T-stat housing and hoses off. Time for some clean up and re-assembly. (I will be buying a few new bolts first).

Rdub6 · Aug 12, 2019

Had to go to work, so I’ll finish this tonight or tomorrow morning. I hate those paper gaskets. Deciding whether to just use the blue RTV? Thoughts?

Steel1 · Aug 12, 2019

From your pic it looks like you have some corrosion/imperfection on the mating surface of the intake.
I would pit a smear of RTV on both sides of the gasket and install.

General karthief · Aug 12, 2019

Blue is good

TOOLOW91 · Aug 12, 2019

Blue ? Yuck .

Grey or black- the right stuff. So what little bit may ooze is not an eye sore . You have some corrosion on that intake . I’d use a light smear on the housing to hold the gasket in place and the intake to keep it from leaking in that spot

General karthief · Aug 12, 2019

I use blue because it matches my crappy paint

Rdub6 · Aug 12, 2019

Steel1 said:
From your pic it looks like you have some corrosion/imperfection on the mating surface of the intake.
I would pit a smear of RTV on both sides of the gasket and install.

That was my concern with the paper. I cleaned it up and used some fine sandpaper to get it smooth, but there are definitely some pits on the manifold side. I’m thinking that may have been what was causing the leak in the first place. There was no blue on that side, only on the housing side when I took it apart. I figure the blue will get into the pits.

Wayne Waldrep · Aug 12, 2019

I'll be honest and say even though I've done it countless times I still hate fooling with the thermostat housing and waterpump/timing cover. Last time though I actually did a few things that really helped. On the thermostat housing, I taped a full piece of sandpaper on my bench. I held the gasket surface of the housing flat and went back and forth till it was perfectly flat and smooth. Don't get carried away. Then I put some Ultra Black on the housing and placed the thermostat in the recess. Followed this with the gasket and let all that tack up. I only put enough RTV to be consider a skim coat...none squeezed out. Then I put a skim coat on the lower intake and put the housing on with bolts finger tight only....very important. Let that sit over night. I've had so much better results now that it let it dry completely before any fluids touch it. Zero leaks for me now.

General karthief · Aug 12, 2019

Anti seize on any bolts that are used to attach aluminum and metal together and more so when it involve liquid flowing through them, that includes the shaft of the bolts that are not threaded when used in the timing cover.

Rdub6 · Aug 12, 2019

General karthief said:
Anti seize on any bolts that are used to attach aluminum and metal together and more so when it involve liquid flowing through them, that includes the shaft of the bolts that are not threaded when used in the timing cover.

I was real worried about breaking a bolt. I loaded it up with wd40 and PB for three days. One was pretty tight, but I got it. The other came right out.
The new bolts will be getting anti seize for sure.

Rdub6 · Aug 12, 2019

Wayne Waldrep said:
I'll be honest and say even though I've done it countless times I still hate fooling with the thermostat housing and waterpump/timing cover. Last time though I actually did a few things that really helped. On the thermostat housing, I taped a full piece of sandpaper on my bench. I held the gasket surface of the housing flat and went back and forth till it was perfectly flat and smooth. Don't get carried away. Then I put some Ultra Black on the housing and placed the thermostat in the recess. Followed this with the gasket and let all that tack up. I only put enough RTV to be consider a skim coat...none squeezed out. Then I put a skim coat on the lower intake and put the housing on with bolts finger tight only....very important. Let that sit over night. I've had so much better results now that it let it dry completely before any fluids touch it. Zero leaks for me now.

I’m glad to hear that works because that was how I planned on attacking it. I wanted to set it up tonight when I get home from work, however I’m remembering I don’t have the new bolts yet. God forbid they give you new bolts with a new housing!!
I guess I’ll run up, get them in the morning, and let it set up all day. Supposed to rain pretty good tomorrow night, so probably wouldn’t get it out anyway.

And yeah..... I’m still praying this was my leak. Don’t really want to deal with the pump or the timing cover right now. But I’m pretty certain this will get it.

Rdub6 · Aug 13, 2019

Skim coat on both sides. Finger tight, just enough to compress the lock washers a touch. Anti seize on bolts!! Now I wait!

Gonna try to clean these hose connection points up a little while I’m here.

Progress Thread Progress Thread kinda stalled- looking to get it back going again!

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