Hey guys, I am trying to replace the water pump on my 5.2L and turns out the first one had a bad bearing... BOOOO... But, when I was doing my visual leak test when it WAS running, there was coolant leaking out of the bottom two LONGER bolts... The ones on the side of the pump... When I removed them to replace the new bad pump with a new good pump, coolant started to spill out of them... So, is this normal and if so, what can I do to keep it from leaking when the new pump gets installed?

 

Those long bolts actually extend into the water jacket. When you re-install them, clean the threads with a wire wheel and then coat the first inch or so with Permatex No. 2. Also make sure the mating surfaces of your pump and front cover are clean and in good condition. I like using a thin coat of No. 2 on both sides of the WP gasket. Works for me. I'm assuming your front cover to engine block seal is good?

 

Can I just use some blue RTV? I have plenty of that! LOL! I hardly use the stuff and don't really want to go out and buy the Permatex unless it will get the job done 10X better than blue RTV... What places usually stock the Permatex?

Yeah, the surfaces are very clean... I used a gasket scraper with remover followed by a fine wire brush... The engine surface is smoother than the pump surface... Yes the timing cover is good... But as you said, since the longer bolts extend into the water jackets, that would pretty much be my only concern... Now thanks to your input, I have nothing to worry about... FWIW, never use a Napa pump... I went through two already that were BAD out of the box... So I went Mopar... Mistake learned from... Never use anything besides Mopar!

 

Is say go ahead and use the blue RTV if that's what you have. Make sure you have a good bead around all the bolt holes. I like the No. 2 because it's supposed to be non-hardening and works well as a thread sealant. Just about any auto parts will stock Permatex products, AZ, Pep, etc. I am very surprised to hear about the bad Napa pumps. I usually go to my Napa store first because their quality is better than the discount stores. However, most engine/trans/chassis parts I will go through the dealer.

 

rtv will work fine