Welp, I purchased a Felpro gasket kit for the timing chain and water pump and everything fits great, but I have one question. The water pump gasket is the normal felt type, but the timing chain cover gasket is a metal one coated with silcone/rubber with 3 small ribs around the entire thing. My question is should I not coat this gasket with the RTV? I am pretty sure I am supposed to with the felt one, but not sure about this one. Thanks in advance fellas.

I am guessing they upgraded to this style gasket cause they were having leaking problems with the felt type... as this is the seal that was leaking on mine.

 

It does not need anything, but a very light coat won't hurt. Obviously the most important thing is to make sure both surfaces a perfectly clean,flat, have no gouges and the proper torque is used.

 

Sweet, thanks Zman! Dinners now over and I'm heading back out to start installing everything (well, aside from the intake cause my Hughes pan hasnt come in yet). Thanks for the quick reply!

 

I coated mine as well. I heard so many horror stories about leaks I thought I'd double bag it.

 

Hmm, well I sure hope I dont get a leak again. I am sooooooo sick of the smell of hot anti-freeze!

I have the timing chain/sprockets replaced with cover on, new water pump installed, and the throttle body modded. Now I just gotta mod the intake and wait for the Hughes pan to come in so I can button it up!

 

Amen, sister. I never thought I'd get rid of that damn smell. I HATE it. With me it was the timing chain cover gasket, which I got replaced (along with the timing chain) under warranty. It still smelled. I then decided to do the plenum, and replaced the bypass hose and heater hose. Still smelled. Realized that I didn't tighten the clamp on the heater hose and was sure that was it. Tightened, washed. Still smelled. Removed and resealed the t-stat housing. Still smelled. Gave in and took off the fan, alt, a/c comp, and accessory bracket. Sure as **** the bypass hose I patched in there was leaking. I replaced it with a more appropriately sized hose and smoked the clamps down as tight as I could. No more leak.

Interestingly, when the shop did the timing chain cover gasket, they didn't replace the bypass hose. I have no idea why not. The one that was on there was bulging so badly that it would have certainly burst in the very near future.

Bastards.

I guess the moral to my little story is make sure the piece of hose you use for the bypass is set square against the intake and the water pump, and don't be afraid to tighten the **** out of the clamps-- the nipples are steel, so no fear of cracking them. I made sure of that.

 

Yeah, I bought a new bypass hose even though I got mine off just fine without damaging it (which that one I replaced about a year and a half ago). I figured why not... its cheep and it will never be this easy to get at for a while.

But, I was still gonna use the stock/factory clamps. Any reason not to? Should I get some hose clamps?

 

I personally don't trust the spring clamps, just because I have no control over how tight they are. They're also a pain in the *** to remove. I figured that since that hose is in such an inaccessible place, I was going to make sure there was no way the hose could leak because of a loose clamp.

As bad of shape as that old hose was in, I have no idea how they got it off/on when they did the timing chain. I had to cut the hose in half to get it off when I did the plenum repair (it was too bulged to move the clamps), and I know they had to have had that hose off-- they replaced the water pump at the same time (due to there being no additional labor charge I just had them do it so I wouldn't have to worry about it).