Water pump still leaking - I must be going crazy!!!

As some of you know, I recently noticed that coolant was leaking from the water pump area on my car. The thread for that is here.

Here is precisely what I replaced to attempt to fix the leak:
- Water pump seal (item 21116 in the diagram found below).
- Water pump gasket (item 21114 in the diagram).

Here is what I replaced a while ago, which is when the leaking started.
- Water pump (item 21111 in the diagram).
- Thermostat (item 21200 in the diagram).
- Thermostat housing seal (item 21236 in the diagram).

Diagram.

After waiting a very long while for my parts, I just put everything back together today. Initially, I used silicone on the pump gasket to keep it in place when installing. Some members here suggested to not use any type of sealant when reinstalling, so I didn't. I tightened all 6 of the bolts in the proper order, to ~10 ft/lbs. I even checked them 3 or 4 times just to be sure.

But it's still leaking from the same spot!!! The leak appears to be emanating from the general area of where the water pump butts up against the oil pump. I mean, I haven't even turned on the car yet, and it is already leaking. This is totally ridiculous...

If I don't fix it ASAP, I won't be making it to the Reno meet. Help!

[SVXer95]

Possibly a faulty water pump?

[SVXer95]

Ahhhhhh. Just remembered. When I had my water pump done, they said the new thermostat was leaking, a bad part. Don't know what you can do about bad parts, if you can get a new one for free or not. I would start there though.

Since the thermo is only 9.11 I would definitely replace that. Check around the local dealerships. You might be able to find one that has it in stock.

I think I am going to try to get all new water pump-related items from subaruparts.com. This is the second set of water pump gaskets and seals that I have used, but to no avail. There must be a problem with the pump or thermostat. Maybe the internals of the pump are busted (seal for the shaft)?

Anyway, before I go through that potential hell, I am going to try some radiator fluid stop-leak. Does anyone have any success stories with this?

My father (and a friend, too) suggest using "Permatex" to seal the gasket. I haven't heard of it before. Anyone have any opinions on this?

[dcarrb]

Originally posted by deruvian
Anyway, before I go through that potential hell, I am going to try some radiator fluid stop-leak. Does anyone have any success stories with this?

Can't speak to why your problem persists, but in my experience, "stop-leak" products are good for little more than temporarily clogging pinhole-sized radiator leaks until proper repairs can be made. With your assembly leaking even when the system isn't pressurized, I doubt it would help.


dcb

[SVXer95]

Permatex is just another brand of silicone gasket material....

JB weld that water pump on, no gaskets...

[svx_commuter]

Permatex makes a type 1 & type 2 non-silicone gasket sealer.

It is possible that the rubber Z gasket between the oil pump and water pump is preventing the pump from seating down all the way? The bolt torque is not very high on thw water pump. I am sorry I do not remember. Did you use a torque wrench?

It is not leaking from the weep hole. Right?

If you try this again, it may be worth your while to hook up the coolant circuit and pressure test the pump before putting the T-belt in.

It may be possible that the water pump face is not flat or there are holes in the casting you can't see.

There is a two year warrantee on parts from the dealer.

Originally posted by svx_commuter
Permatex makes a type 1 & type 2 non-silicone gasket sealer.

It is possible that the rubber Z gasket between the oil pump and water pump is preventing the pump from seating down all the way? The bolt torque is not very high on thw water pump. I am sorry I do not remember. Did you use a torque wrench?

It is not leaking from the weep hole. Right?

If you try this again, it may be worth your while to hook up the coolant circuit and pressure test the pump before putting the T-belt in.

It may be possible that the water pump face is not flat or there are holes in the casting you can't see.

There is a two year warrantee on parts from the dealer.

The Z gasket appears to be completely flush with both the water and oil pump. I don't think that it is causing any type of misalignment.

I'm not sure if the pump is leaking from the weep hole. Everything has been put back together.

I contacted subaruparts.com today, and spoke with Trish. She's very helpful. She suggested that I contact a local dealership and have them replace my defunct parts with new ones. All subaruparts.com parts have a 12-month warranty at any dealership.

I called the closest dealership (about 30 - 40 minutes away), and told them the story. They said that what subaruparts.com told me simply is not true. I've always hated Gold Rush Subaru, by the way. So I called SOA headquarters and asked them their opinion on this policy. They said that subaruparts.com is correct. Their parts are good for replacement at any Subaru dealership, so long as you bring in your invoice and the defunct parts.

So, I called Autowest Subaru, which has always been more reputable. It's a little further away, but worth it. They honored the policy right off the bat.

Anyway, I'm getting a replacement water pump, seal, gasket, and thermostat via 2nd-day air.

I think I am going to pressure test the system this next time before I reinstall any of the timing belt junk. That way I can see precisely where the leak is coming from (if it's there).

I'll keep ya'll posted. Here's to making it to Reno!!

[SVXer95]

Good to hear you got new parts. Keep us updated on the progress. Good Luck!

Well, I thought about pressure testing it when everything is done this time... I just called the local NAPA auto parts store, and the pressure tester that they sell is $100+

I didn't expect it to be that damn expensive. If it still leaks this time, I'm just gonna take it to a mechanic all disassembled and have him deal with it. $100 for a pressure tester that may or may not help, or probably around $150 or $200 for a mechanic to correctly reassemble everything for me... hmmm...

By the way, should I put anything on the threads for the water pump bolts? May as well take even more preventative measures while I'm in there once again.

[SVXer95]

could you rent one somewhere? Might be worth it.

[svx_commuter]

You can also take off the coolant line to the Throttle Body, slice in a tee or two, pump it up with bike tire pump/gauge or something else similar.

Originally posted by svx_commuter
You can also take off the coolant line to the Throttle Body, slice in a tee or two, pump it up with bike tire pump/gauge or something else similar.

That is an excellent idea... I just may do that, as I just did the throttle body bypass mod the other day anyway (I got bored).