i found out for the first time, that when you put gasket maker on gaskets, that you need to let it dry. i put a new water pump gasket on my 88, and when i got done i started it right up. i got two jets of water out of the pump mounting surface. now ive got to tear it all up and redo it with out the gasket maker. anyone else ever done this?

 

Not really, I usually put the gaskets in dry, but if the surface is questionable, I use hi-tack. I can fairly say I have never had a leak like that. One thing to keep in mind is that silicon is an excellent lube, and until the material dries, you've got a greased gasket that will pop out under any pressure.

 

thats what i figured happened, was the silicone was just giving the water a grease spot to go through. after it happened i realized what happeded. ill just have to remeber not to do that again.

 

Use your gaskets without any sealer.

 

Ah, here we go again with the wonders of silicone, the answer to all the world's problems. There's no need to use that stuff to coat a gasket, it's just for unusual sealing problems, or when no gasket is available, and should be used SPARINGLY. I just tore down a Chevy 454 that had about a week on the rebuild, the builder used a ton of silicone everywhere, even the sides of the intake manifold where there were perfectly good Fel-pro blue gaskets. I've never had such a difficult time getting a manifold off. The reason the engine blew after only a week? There was so much silicone used that a glob of it got sucked into the oil pump, plugging it and starving the bearings. Two bearings spun on the crank and then the rods let go. It was a mess...but it was only a Chevy, so, no loss. On gaskets like water pump and timing cover gaskets, I like to use the Permatex Hi-tack red spray-on sealer. You coat the gasket and the surfaces, (Watch that overspray) let it sit for about a minute and then stick it together. It acts as a gasket adhesive and sealer, never had a leak using the stuff. But it too has its proper place, not for every job. -TD

 

yea, hard lesson learned. this weekend i got to tare it apart.

 

On waterpumps or thermostat housings I use the special Permatex for coolant. I lightly smear the gasket and apply it to the block and then torque to spec. Sometimes I use the red RTV. Never a problem.