Hey folks,

Tinkering under the hood this afternoon, I found that for the third time since I changed the radiator (and removed that clogged hose!), my coolant level is a bit low. I think, for the first time since I got the car, I'm able to read the coolant level, since that clog kept the reservoir at half, all the time.

Anyway, I saw a small bead of coolant on the upper part of the gasket where the pump meets the engine block. Where the bead is, the gasket has a cracked funky edge hanging out - and I think, 'ok, this is where I'm losing coolant.'

I assume that the coolant steams away when the engine gets hot, and that's why this pinhole leak isn't causing a pool of coolant on my under engine shroud.

I have a few questions:

First, does this kind of leak grow with age?

Can I put some kind of sealer on it from the outside?

Will ground pepper (!) seal this sort of gasket leak?

Does this merit replacement of the 8-year-old Volvo OEM pump? Should I just get a new gasket set?

How soon should I repair it?

Thanks, guys.

Ari