ok i replaced my wifes water pump in her 2000 durango 2wd. besides the fan clutch being horrible to get off it wasn't that bad, until later. got everything put back and was putting antifreeze back in . it is leaking out one of the bolt holes. pic below of which one circled in orange. is the block cracked or something? did i not tighten it enough and not get a good seal on the new gasket? i noticed fluid come out that hole when i disassembled. i hope its not effed.

 

It threads into the block. Clean it really good and install the new pump. On the threads of the bolt put some RTV sealant on it before you put the bolt inside to seal the threads and torque regular. If not putting new bolts in is advisable to torque over by 2-3 Lbs to stretch the bolt like it was installed normally from the dealer.

 

If your SURE it's the bolt hole and not just gravity from the pump seal. Crank that Biootch down and if it still leaks.. I'm bettin gasket "placement" on the new one. I just replaced mine last weekend, outside from the fan clutch pain in and out in an hour and half. Trust me i am NO MECHANIC either. Was seemless remove and replace.

 

well i just went and bought a new gasket just in case. the guy working at the store just happens to have a durango and just replaced his water pump a couple weeks ago. an interesting thing is that the bolt hole that is leaking actually goes through to the water jacket! wow nice design. he also suggested caking on some rtv and replace the bolt first to see if it stops. if not then i guess i'll break it back down and start from scratch. nice way to spend my long holiday weekend[:@]

 

Well look at it this way at least it isn't a cracked block. [8D]

 

You can say that again! I would probably just drive it off a cliff.
I just got back in and i put rtv all over the bolt except on the end where it looks like it extends into the water jacket. Added a little coolant and it isn't pouring out or even dripping. I'm going to let it set overnight just to be sure the rtv cures some. Thinking about it though, that much sealant on the threads would probably require a hell of a lot of pressure to get past it. so i think i'm safe now. thanks for all the help. this is a great forum and i appreciate all the quick responses. I also belong to a local vw forum in louisville ky and find these sites to be an invaluable resource for technical issues with my cars. when the durango problem came up i did a search and found you guys. thanks again and i'll be around here for awhile for sure!

 

Yeah I googled dodge + forum and came up with thisa year ago. [8D]

 

Nice to se you up on the road. I think you got it.