installing water pump gaskets without RTV?
 

Has anyone installed the water pump gaskets (especially the water pump housing to front iron gasket) without coating it with RTV? Did it leak? The reason why I am asking is because the RTV makes it a much bigger pain in the ass because it starts to get sticky. And with the way the housing and pump are sandwiched together, it just makes the install annoying.

I rarely ever use it. At a felpro seminar i went to eight years ago they suggest that you never use it with a gasket. Ive only been in the industry for ten years but dont recall a comeback because of a gasket leaking.

yes I have it held fine but that is my experience others may say different.
I have also just used Permatex ALONE for both the water pump and water pump housing
and the damn thing held together forever I used it cause under permetex it said
"FORM A GASKET" so I thought I dont need one I will make one and what do you know.
It worked, lol

the factory didnt use any sealant except the gasket.

i find a little RTV/silicon does a couple of things though.

it seals better if everything isnt perfect, and there is less scraping if/when you have to pull it apart again.

these days i use a really thin coating on both sides

I have brand new OEM gaskets. The FSM says nothing about using RTV but the sheet that came with the Mazda reman pump says to. Last time I installed the pump I used blue RTV but the engine was out of the car. But it was still a pain in the ass.

mine is just a gasket, holding up fine.

i use weatherstrip adhesive on the front cover gasket and the water pump/thermostat gaskets.

You mean Butyl? There is no smiley for my facial expression right now.

I hope that isn't butyl you used. I get cars all of the time, the older ones that used butyl, and that stuff tends to soften and drip in the heat.


Anyway, I use a thin layer of black RTV...just enough to make the gasket stay in place when I assemble it.

of course not butyl, the rubber cement style.. it is tacky to keep the gaskets from sliding around and actually makes a very strong bond and doesn't leak. it only takes about 5 minutes to semi cure and is very good for gaskets that are in hard to reach spots to keep them from moving.

why would i make my life more difficult when i would have to go back and work on a car? the closest thing i use to butyl is the thread/tar wrap i use to weather seal wiring harnesses against the elements.

i guess it might depends on what gasket its for.

thin layer is security measure imo.

i've seen people use the 3m yellow weatherstrip adhesive to hold gaskets in place...

same stuff i use

Gaskecinch?

Hondabond.

Haha, you scared me. I was like "the f**k?!". :)

Try rubbing grease onto your gaskets. They come right off and makes them completely reusable.

^ what kind of grease are you using?

grease? no thanks. even if i can save a gasket, maybe.

You can buy a spray can aerosol of copper gasket spray. I just spray it on both sides of the gasket and the part with two lights coats and it makes things nice and tacky so the gasket will stay in place and aligned with the bolt holes while you install the other parts. Also it's supposed to improve it's seal and adhesive properties and by the looks/feel of it, I think it helps a lot. I think Permatex makes it, and I'm not sure if it's a gasket maker/former or just a gasket sealer coating spray. Either way I used it recently in conjunction with the factory paper gaskets when I replaced my water pump, housing gasket and thermostat. It was suggested to me by our shop manager and I was thouroughly impressed.

I have used hondabond on my block off plates and it worked fine there. But I used Honda ultra flange sealant on the water pump and housing before and it leaked like hell, the thing is I didn't have the thin washer/spacers on the two passenger side housing studs so I think it was just misaligned. Got all that fixed the right way now though.

i do use the ultra copper spray on exhaust gaskets and the steel type UIM/LIM gaskets.

I like to use permatex Hi-tack for water pump gaskets. I wouldn't use grease, you don't want that in your cooling system. Silicon squeezes out and makes a mess. I used to use the Hi-tack spray, but then found it in brushable form. The spray usually gets everywhere, I suggest the brushable version. It is resistant to all oils, so it has no problem sealing even if some antifreeze gets on it. Creates a clean seal. I've been using it for probably 15 years. It is a little messy and doesn't come off your fingers easily, but it's worth it for the end result. I was reading the bottle last time I did a water pump on an RX-7 (about 3 months ago) and saw that it can be used to help seal hoses as well.

I have used copper spray on headgaskets

I still think I am going to assemble it dry at this point. I'll probably start on the water pump tomorrow.

Neo.

Up to you.
I don't like wasting money on new gaskets and wasting time scraping the mating surfaces.