Gasket sealer

[showcrop]

Today I was putting the new water pump on the engine that I am rebuilding, and I noticed instructions in the box. I thought "what a nice idea", so I read them. There wasn't much that was interesting except that it said to seal the gasket on both sides. Now, I am not one for using gasket sealers, but I have had plenty of experience with gaskets on various types of water pumps in automotive and non automotive applications turning to mush, so I thought well I'll spray some Hi Tack on it. I must have used it up though, because I couldn't find any. Then I recalled that people sometimes just spray them with paint, and I can vaguely remember "gasket shellac" being used long ago. I rarely use any type of gasket in a tube, and I am convinced that around water RTV silicone is worse than nothing, but where hot water is involved I think that it would be wise to seal the gasket. What do you use on a WATER PUMP gasket?

 

[Goose]

I use spray on Copper Coat on most everything.

 

[David G]

I use indian head or hitack on one side, nothing on the other

 

[MarkB_MI]

My opinion is that the gasket cement is needed just to hold the gasket in place during assembly. In a pinch, I've coated one side of a gasket with grease to get it to stick long enough to mount the water pump.

 

[John Garner]

Gasket cement (Gasgacinch is the one I prefer) on the side of the gasket fitting the piece that I can remove and put on the workbench, a thin coating of water pump grease or petroleum jelly on the side of the gasket facing the part I don't want the gasket to stick to.

Cementing both sides of a gasket practically guarantees that the gasket will be damaged beyond any possibility of reuse, and having to
scrape half of the gasket's earthly remains off of difficult-to-impossible-to-get-to surface.

 

[rustred]

Permatex high tack sealer, I use on everything.

 

[Steve@Advance]

I've used a variety of sealers over the years.

But mostly just something to hold the gasket in place.

There are times when I have found the need to use sealer when the mating surface was rusted, corroded, or gouged from scraping.

No real preference, usually whatever I have, Permatex, or RTV.

When I have bolts going into the water jacket I'll use RTV.

 

[SVcummins]

I use Indian head or permatex ultra black

 

[oldseabee]

(quoted from post at 17:20:22 03/31/19) I use spray on Copper Coat on most everything.

Me too, I also use copper coat brush on.

 

[Hobo,NC]

3M 8001 weather strip on the part stick the gasket to it and apply a thin coat of good RTV to the gasket face... I have done 100's and 100's the best part if you have to remove it later the gasket stays with the pump and whats left on the block can easily be removed with a scraper...

Try that with all that goop others recommend I hope they get to redo all they glue together a dozen times... I spec they will need a good side grinder to get that goop off once it sets up..

 

[4play]

I agree with Hobo, once you start having to clean your own mess, or ones from others, you will start doing things to make it easier on you in the future.

 

[SVcummins]

I never found it that hard to clean up a gasket
surface especially on something as small as water
pump . I guess I?m old fashioned and don?t mind
taking a little time to clean a surface up if a putty
knife won?t work a wire brush in a die grinder will

 

[showcrop]

A little more online research showed me that the most defining factor here is not how I affect the future taking apart but rather whether the gasket is a composite type or paper. Felpro preaches CLEAN AND DRY, because most of their gaskets are now synthetic, so that is a no brainer. However, putting a paper gasket in with water unprotected is a recipe for failure. I also looked for gasket shellac and found it. It is now a Felpro product. I don't know yet what I will use but what I want is a protective coating that will not stick to either surface. Petroleum jelly is looking attractive.

 

[rustred]

that's why I use high tack sealer... it does not get hard and very easy to remove the gasket and also tacky to hold gasket in place. shellac is the bad stuff!

 

[GEO-TH, In]

Hobo,
I had a 4 cylinder Buick, around a 1985.
I replaced the water original water pump.
No gasket, I was told GM used silicone.
So I used hi temperature RTV. It worked
fine .

In the early 70s a friend had a Ford
pinto. Aluminum head cast iron block .
Ford replaced head gasket twice while
under warranty. The third time I helped
friend remove head. He applied a thin
film of silicon to each side of gasket.
Let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes before
putting head back on. Head gasket never
leaked for over 100k miles. Back then I
don't think RTV was invented. He used a
clear silicone.

I use silicone on anything to do with
water, even plumbing.

Like you said easy to take apart decades
later.

 

[Dick L]

RTV silicone cures out solid. When it is slavered on like mustard on a hot dog then pinched tight before it has cured you end up with gobs that is almost pinched off on the inside as well as the outside. This is miss use and will cause large pieces inside to plug things up. The outside normally gets wiped off. In place of a gasket it can be put on and let cure before pinching it tight it will not cause that problem. You can also slaver on enough to cause a problem that way also.

 

[jimg.allentown]

In general, when it comes to gaskets, the thinner they are, the better they work when you have good flat smooth surfaces to work with. The glue to the part and silicone to the engine is the best idea. Silicone should be used sparingly. Too much and it squeezes out and potentially into places it should not go.

Composite gaskets like head gaskets should be installed dry. Preformed gaskets that are used on most modern engine are also used dry - and many are re-usable.

 

[Texasmark1]

I always used Kopper Koat or Copper Coat.....been a long time since I did a head. Made especially for head gaskets. Spray or liquid....spray works best....specifically designed for the job. NEVER RETORQUED and never had a rework. That part of it was especially of interest to me as for me, having your job all nice and clean and painted up nice and pretty, having to run it in and then come back and tear it down and re torque and reset the valves just wasn't on my list of desirables.....didn't say deplorables, desirables. Grin

 

[Texasmark1]

Todays silicon molded Orings in an aluminum frame, or just plain Orings in a machined grove excepted, I always put gaskets in wet. Reason being, back
in my early days of mechanicing dry didn't always seal....probably my mistakes in the installation, but none the less, they had to be reworked. Started
using sealers and no more revisiting.

Over the years I had a bear of a time getting automatic transmission pans to reseal after changing the fluid and filter.....what a disgusting mess!!!!!!

I tried dry and then went wet on both sides, one time I even got some Aircraft gasket cement and tried that and it didn't work.......until I put it on one side
only and left the other side dry......worked like a charm. One of the reasons for wanting a glue in the first place was to keep the gasket in place while you
attempted to reinstall the pan....working alone with the most basic tools.

On OEM and gasket mfgrs. recommendations for dry installations, my take on one reason why they say that is that they spec the gasket material for the
job and anything you put on the gasket may not be as good a sealer (under the specific conditions of operation) as the gasket itself. So, like adding
things to your motor oil, they just recommend you don't do it. Fine. I'll do it anyway and ask for forgiveness if necessary. Grin.

 

[DR. EVIL]

You guys should join the 20th Century, let alone the 21st Century, look up HYLOMAR Universal BLUE
gasket dressing. If it's good enough for Rolls Royce, NASA, all the Formula 1 and NASCAR teams it's good
enough for old farm tractors.

Forget trying to buy it at NAPA, those idiots at my local store never heard of it, but thought it
sounded good, but the idiot wouldn't order me any. Worst parts store EVER!

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 10:14:07 04/02/19) You guys should join the 20th Century, let alone the 21st Century, look up HYLOMAR Universal BLUE
gasket dressing. If it's good enough for Rolls Royce, NASA, all the Formula 1 and NASCAR teams it's good
enough for old farm tractors.

Forget trying to buy it at NAPA, those idiots at my local store never heard of it, but thought it
sounded good, but the idiot wouldn't order me any. Worst parts store EVER!

Well Doc, I Googled it and there're only about a dozen different Hylomar Universal Blue gasket products with a pretty wide price range. Are they all the best or what?

 

[ASEguy]

Aluminum safe RTV.