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Hi all,
I am having an issue with a leaking waterpump. The pump is 4 or so months old and was put in by a friend. The pump seems to leak where it meets the head on top. I read the faqs re: resealing. My pump didn't use RTV upon installation and used the rubber seal. Is it worth trying to loosen up the bolts to apply upward pressure to seal the connection, or should I just take the whole thing off and redo it. If the latter, what materials would I need? Top seal, paper gasket, heater pipe gasket, anything else? I was considering seeing how much these were at the dealer before ordering on line. I'm loosing 8 or so ounces of antifreeze every 10 days or so.
Thanks, Seth
From the FAQs
Re-sealing the Gasket After Installation. [Inquiry] Top of water pump connection gasket seeps anti freeze when overflow tank is filled. Is it possible to loosen and re snug waterpump and 90 degree connector to block cast piece back together or loosen the connection and put permatex on surfaces instead of completely removing pump? [Response] What you propose is not a good idea. You will always have a little drip out of there that will contaminate the RTV (Permatex) It will leak and make your belts squeal. IPS (http://www.importpartsspec.com) just sold me a complete re-seal kit for that application for like $2.50.
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Thanks for all of the responses. I guess I will take it all apart. I bought a new gasket set.
Looks like I will use a little rtv on the rubber parts and try to figure out a good way to compress the pump against the top head seal (after cleaning well).
Thanks again,
Seth
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Dear Seth,
May this find you well. Those with enormous upper-body strength can hold the pump firmly against the underside of the head, while they snug the water pump bolts and nuts. I lack the required strength.
Therefore, I took a bottle jack and a piece of 1" x 2" wood strip, about 16" long. I removed the belly pan, and set the jack on the ground. I aligned the top of the jack's piston with the flat area, on the underside of the water pump's nose.
I shaped the piece of wood, so that it would clear obstacles between the top of the bottle jack's piston and the underside of the water pump. The top of the piece of wood was about 3/4" square.
Once I had cleaned the face of the block, I adhered the water pump gasket to the pump, using an aerosol gasket adhesive. I put the gasket on a plastic sheet, and gave it a light coat of adhesive, and allowed the adhesive to "set up". I then applied the gasket to the pump.
I put the top seal (black rubber - use Volvo brand item) into place. I also emplaced the rear (round - also Volvo brand item) seal, that goes on the steel pipe, that takes coolant to the heater hose. Please note that the Volvo brand rear seal has slightly radiused edges. This slight curve at the edges of the seal eases installation; after-makret seals have a square edge, as if a tube of rubber had been cut, to make the seal.
I then gently pushed the pump towards the block, so that the heater hose pipe entered the pump body. I then raised the pump so that the top seal was under the head. I then screwed in the bolts and finger-tightened them. I also finger-tightened the water pump nuts.
I then raised the bottle jack piston, very slowly, to seat the pump under the head. When the pump was fully seated, I began to snug the bolts and nuts, using wrenches and in a "hop-scotch" pattern. Thus, once I started, I moved to the fastener opposite the one I'd just tightened. I likely made three "passes" before all fasteners were snugged.
The goal was to tighten all fasteners to the same extent. Once I had tightened all fasteners, I released the bottle jack and removed the piece of wood. I then tightened each water pump nut and bolt a further one-eighth of a turn.
I secured the hex nut, that holds the heater hose supply tube. I reconnected the radiator hoses and re-filled the system, "burping" it by running the engine, while the nose was elevated, and running it further, once I had lowered the car. This allowed any trapped air to escape.
You'll note that I did not use any sealant. The pump has not leaked a drop in the 5,000 miles since it was replaced.
Hope this helps.
Yours faithfully,
Spook
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Dear Seth,
May this find you well. Those with enormous upper-body strength can hold the pump firmly against the underside of the head, while they snug the water pump bolts and nuts. I lack the required strength.
Therefore, I took a bottle jack and a piece of 1" x 2" wood strip, about 16" long. I removed the belly pan, and set the jack on the ground. I aligned the top of the jack's piston with the flat area, on the underside of the water pump's nose.
I shaped the piece of wood, so that it would clear obstacles between the top of the bottle jack's piston and the underside of the water pump. The top of the piece of wood was about 3/4" square.
Once I had cleaned the face of the block, I adhered the water pump gasket to the pump, using an aerosol gasket adhesive. I put the gasket on a plastic sheet, and gave it a light coat of adhesive, and allowed the adhesive to "set up". I then applied the gasket to the pump.
I put the top seal (black rubber - use Volvo brand item) into place. I also emplaced the rear (round - also Volvo brand item) seal, that goes on the steel pipe, that takes coolant to the heater hose. Please note that the Volvo brand rear seal has slightly radiused edges. This slight curve at the edges of the seal eases installation; after-makret seals have a square edge, as if a tube of rubber had been cut, to make the seal.
I then gently pushed the pump towards the block, so that the heater hose pipe entered the pump body. I then raised the pump so that the top seal was under the head. I then screwed in the bolts and finger-tightened them. I also finger-tightened the water pump nuts.
I then raised the bottle jack piston, very slowly, to seat the pump under the head. When the pump was fully seated, I began to snug the bolts and nuts, using wrenches and in a "hop-scotch" pattern. Thus, once I started, I moved to the fastener opposite the one I'd just tightened. I likely made three "passes" before all fasteners were snugged.
The goal was to tighten all fasteners to the same extent. Once I had tightened all fasteners, I released the bottle jack and removed the piece of wood. I then tightened each water pump nut and bolt a further one-eighth of a turn.
I secured the hex nut, that holds the heater hose supply tube. I reconnected the radiator hoses and re-filled the system, "burping" it by running the engine, while the nose was elevated, and running it further, once I had lowered the car. This allowed any trapped air to escape.
You'll note that I did not use any sealant. The pump has not leaked a drop in the 5,000 miles since it was replaced.
Hope this helps.
Yours faithfully,
Spook
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1. forget the RTV do not use it.
2. use some white grease or even a lithium grease (use non petroleum based)
3. remove the upper timing cover
4. remove the pump
5. clean up the block surface and the pump as if you were worried about an infection..that clean
6. place the lightly greased block gasket on the two studs
7. place the greased heater pipe gasket on the pipe NOT the water pump
8. place the greased mushroom gasket on the water pump
get a small pry bar or foot long flat blade screw driver
9. place the pump on the 2 protruding studs and work the heater pipe into the water pump
here is a fool proof way of pushing the pump up to seat the mushroom easily
10. set the pump against the block and use you hands to pull the pump up against the head..........now use the pry bar to lift the pump side which is closest to the lower timing cover using the top of the cover as a fulcrum to push the pump UP to seat the mushroom. it won't seat fully but it will get in there most of the way. now snug up simultaneously the nut on the stud closest to the pry bar. once snug
11. pull up with you hand the pump while snugging up the upper nut.
now install the rest of the bolts. do not over tighten. i have used this method many many times with out ever once having a leak.
the key is using the top of the lower timing cover to provide a fixed place from which to gain the extra leverage you need. do not get too rambunctious, you do not want to crack an edge of the cover.
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posted by
someone claiming to be Felix_the_Cat
on
Fri May 28 09:41 CST 2010 [ RELATED]
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I was shown this by a volvo tech, it requires a little time tho.
He usually drops the pump and then glues the new rubber seal in place with RTV using a mirror to make sure it is in properly. Let sit overnight and then install the pump - no folded or misaligned gasket.
Also, this is a transient problem and will get worse quickly. Plan to either do the job soon or put a few gallons of coolant in your wayback to get you home. My experience has been once it goes, the system will not hold coolant even with the engine off.
good luck
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I think you will have to install a new gasket kit. Use a little automotive RTV silicone on the two rubber gaskets. RTV on the paper gasket is your option. Also use a mirror and a light to view surface on the head that meets the mushroom gasket is clean and smooth.
Tom
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Is there 3 gaskets all together? Paper, top rubber and pipe?
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Yes, three gaskets.
This may have been mentioned, oil leaking on the gasket greatly reduces the life of the rubber mushroom (top) gasket.
I would mention that if no lubricant* was used on the mushroom gasket when the pump was installed on the two studs that mate with the two elongated elongated holes on the pump, the gasket may have been damaged or slightly cocked allowing the leak.
*I have read of a few different lubes being used but I think auto silicone RTV is the best. Use it at the top and bottom of the mushroom gasket. I use it at the heater pipe too.
I use a stick to hold up the pump and lean on the car to lower the front end a quarter inch to give the pump a little up pressure to get the remaining screws in. Tighten all the nuts and screws equally a little at a time. Dry fit, no gaskets, to make sure you clear the timing belt cover.
BTW, there should be only two studs coming out of the engine that align with the elongated holds in the pump.
Tom
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If there truly was no RTV used at the top seal OR on the paper gasket to the block...why not? I use a small bottle jack on the ground with a foot and half long piece of notched 2x4 to give mine a little push up. BE CAREFUL not to jack too hard, lest you snap a stud and then your F'd. That being said you can remove it without taking timing cover and belt all the way off so why no do so and add some RTV at the top seal while your at it?
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I had the same problem a couple of years ago when my camshaft seal went, dripped oil onto the brand-new upper waterpump seal and it started going. Cured it by putting a very small amount of Bar's leak into the upper radiator hose, running the engine until it stopped the leak. When it was dry, I blasted the area clean with brake cleaner and then applied high-temp black silicone to the gap, sealing it from the outside. It's held for at least two years, and my coolant level hasn't gone down at all.
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