Coolant Seep Around New Water Pump

[Tall T]

It almost looks like years ago someone might have been using a very dilute anti-freeze mix or just water and that LINE was a line of corrosion from a slow water pump leak that persisted for quite a while before the leak was fixed. (?)

But then again maybe a freeze crack that some skilled welder stitched up.

This post was edited by Tall T on 11/07/2023 at 01:21 am.

 

[RTR]

(quoted from post at 04:18:02 11/07/23) It almost looks like years ago someone might have been using a very dilute anti-freeze mix or just water and that LINE was a line of corrosion from a slow water pump leak that persisted for quite a while before the leak was fixed. (?)

But then again maybe a freeze crack that some skilled welder stitched up.

This post was edited by Tall T on 11/07/2023 at 01:21 am.

I just hope that isn't the source of my leak. Would really hate to put water pump back on to find it still leaking.....

 

[Tall T]

[/quote]

If it wasn't you that removed the red paint where the line in the casting meets the water pump port, then there's a good chance that leakage caused that short stretch of paint to lift.

that being a good possibility, I would V out the crack just enough to provide a clean surface with bite but only for the first inch or so.
Now I know that everyone swears by JB but personally I would use Lockweld (by Loctite).

Here's why:
Years ago I dealt with a place called Strebor Engineering where they had their own little machine shop but worked on all the exotic British cars. One day I went to see him and we talked about cracks in castings. He excitedly showed me and told me how he had repaired cracks in MGB HEADS where the operations were totally successful by using Locweld. So that's precisely when I started using it for various things.

I attributed the success of his repairs in head and block castings to the fact that the epoxy itself has a very close coefficient of expansion to the heat expansion of the casting . . . so the casting at the crack doesn't pull away from the Locweld repair material.

You also might want to use a toothbrush and lacquer thinner after the shallow V-ing and to also carefully study the water pump end of the crack with a strong magnifying glass.

HTH
T

 

[RTR]

Put the water pump back on at lunch today. Gonna take a chance to see if it was just from putting the gaskets on dry. Gotta finish buttoning up the fan, alternator, and belt later this evening and then put coolant in tomorrow at lunch. Sprayed the gaskets heavy with Permatex High Tack Gasket Sealant and let them sit 15 minutes before I installed it. Should be good-to-go.

This post was edited by RTR on 11/07/2023 at 12:59 pm.