Water Pump Disaster, Send Help (1 Viewer)

[Sizzle Chest]

OK, I just bought my dad's 98 LC (first car I ever drove, lot of family trip memories, always wanted it, blah blah). He had the timing belt done at 90k and it's at 180k now so I decided to do the belt and water pump. I used the full Aisin kit from Cruiser Teq, torqued everything to spec, triple checked my work before buttoning it up.

Used Permatex water pump gasket seal for the water inlet housing (not on the water pump gasket) and let it cure for 24hr before I started refilling the coolant this morning. I got a couple gallons in when I realized it was pouring out of the engine compartment onto the driveway . There was suddenly so much coolant everywhere that I couldn't tell where it was coming from.

Problem 1: I could see for sure it was leaking around the inlet housing so I popped it off and found the gasket sealer wasn't cured at all, and still pasty.

Problem 2: I'm trying to figure out if coolant is also leaking from the water pump but it's extremely hard to see. Is there a good way to figure that out? Not looking forward to the prospect of taking everything back apart so any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[87warrior]

Check the easy stuff first, like the coolant hoses that go down to the oil cooler (it's what the oil filter screws on to) or the thermostat gasket/housing.

Otherwise you are going to have to open it back up most of the way.

Did you forget a bolt in the water pump? Earlier this week I followed a thread on a tundra forum where a member had coolant dumping out during refill after doing the timing belt. It turned out to be a missing bolt on the water pump.

 

[Sizzle Chest]

I think I might have answered my own question but I'm wondering if my logic makes sense.

Looking at the old water pump, the inlet leads directly inside the water pump (duh). Since the new water pump is still holding coolant up to the inlet level (I even siphoned some off) wouldn't that indicate the water pump gasket is holding?

 

[excessive]

if you have major pitting in the aluminum, that could be causing the leak. A water pump job on these trucks should not need any gasket sealer at all.

 

[Bisho]

I think I might have answered my own question but I'm wondering if my logic makes sense.

Looking at the old water pump, the inlet leads directly inside the water pump (duh). Since the new water pump is still holding coolant up to the inlet level (I even siphoned some off) wouldn't that indicate the water pump gasket is holding?

View attachment 3702615

View attachment 3702616

yes, water pump is holding.

 

[OwnerCS]

I just resealed that part (yellow arrow below) as part of a starter replacement job and general coolant component maintenance.

All parts in this picture are used and reconditioned except the heater supply pipe.

The local Toyota dealer provided some Toyota FIPG Black (103) to seal the thermostat housing. It worked.

 

[Sizzle Chest]

Yes! I actually wanted to update for anyone future reading this that I got it solved. Just as OwnerCS said, it's important to use the correct FIPG sealant. Aisin includes a card that specifically states to use Aisin FIPG ab1207b1 or equivalent (such as Toyota) sealant, which creates a rubbery type seal.

I initially used Permatex water pump sealant, which is more of a paste and dries harder, almost the consistency of JB weld. The Aisin sealant worked perfectly, no leaks and timing belt/water pump job done!

 

[baltistyle]

Yep, fipg is needed. It’s one of the best there is when used properly. There’s a procedure for this that requires not just the sealant, but very timely mating of the surfaces. Glad it worked out for you