Replaced the water pump on my 79. I first smelled a little coolant. After some inspection, I found a small amount of coolant pooled above the pump. I believe there's some seepage from the seal between pump and the engine block. Actually, there's a spacer between the pump and the block. Apparently, I didn't get a complete seal when I installed the new pump.

Any way to seal a leak like this without pulling the pump? I was thinking of a silicone sealant of some sort. Its not a hard job to pull the pump, but it takes while due to having to remove the fan blade.

Thanks,

Jason

 

There's little shims or washers that go between the housing and engine block on two of the studs to account for the thickness of the gasket. Leaving these out would cause a leak as you describe. Make sure you check those.