Leaking water pump

[ephantmon]

I replaced the water pump about 6 months ago. New gasket, copper RTV, torqued to spec, everything by the book. I now have an intermittent (1-2 times per week) leak. I'll get small puddles/splashes under the Jeep, and I can see the leftover film from evaporated coolant on the water pump, alternator, etc. under the hood.

Should I just replace the gasket and RTV? Any particular reason this might have happened so quickly?

 

[rcjohnson]

I had something similar splash marks under the hood of mine. At first I thought it was the upper radiator hose but it turn out to be the plastic tank on the radiator leaking. Started slow and got worse over time. So you might want to check the side of the radiator for stains.

 

[uss2defiant]

I don't think you were suppose to use RTV with the water pump.

 

[CactusJacked]

Right, the water pump uses a ring in a groove type seal/gasket. No RTV to be used on those types of gasket, and that's confirmed in the Liberty factory service manual as well.
"Everything by the book". Which book told you to schmootz it up with RTV?
If your leak is in fact between the pump and block, then it's either due to the RTV getting squirted off the gasket, or you didn't clean the block thoroughly enough.

 

[ephantmon]

I don't think you were suppose to use RTV with the water pump.

Right, the water pump uses a ring in a groove type seal/gasket. No RTV to be used on those types of gasket, and that's confirmed in the Liberty factory service manual as well.
"Everything by the book". Which book told you to schmootz it up with RTV?
.

The Haynes manual as well as the "How to" post on this site.

 

[CactusJacked]

I guess if Haynes says so, it must be true. The person who posted here must have been following the same book.
It's standard practice not to use a sealant on these types of seals/gaskets. I double checked with my FSM before posting earlier to make sure Chrysler didn't have any "special instructions". They say, install gasket on pump, bolt pump to block.
Look at it this way, if the pump seal was round instead of odd shaped, it would be called an o-ring. Do we put RTV on o-rings? No.

 

[uss2defiant]

I saw your post in the how to and someone did reply to you to not use RTV.

Here;s a vid
How To Install Replace Engine Water Pump 2002-13 3.7L Jeep Liberty - YouTube

 

[Porkchop]

Did you clean off any old rtv after taking it apart. Just saying.

 

[tjkj2002]

The Haynes manual as well as the "How to" post on this site.

Notice that pic is not even a 3.7 water pump?

 

[CactusJacked]

Not that that matters any. The written instructions for both the 4 cyl (shown in the pic) and 3.7 say the same thing about using RTV.

 

[mightybeet]

i put a very thin layer of rtv on the engine side of the gasket .... veryvery thin.

 

[ephantmon]

Notice that pic is not even a 3.7 water pump?

If you read the page on the left side, step 13, it specifies using RTV even with the 3.7L engine.

 

[uss2defiant]

I have a haynes manual as well but I trust the FSM more than it.
If you have the non-HD cooling jeep then it isn't a difficult thing to redo with a new gasket.

 

[CactusJacked]

If you read the page on the left side, step 13, it specifies using RTV even with the 3.7L engine.

Which, as I said before, is not the way to do it with these types of seals. Your use of RTV and resulting leak is a testament to that.

 

[ephantmon]

Which, as I said before, is not the way to do it with these types of seals. Your use of RTV and resulting leak is a testament to that.

Which is fine, and apparently what I need to do, but I don't need the condescension when a professionally produced repair manual, as well as other members of this forum say to use RTV.

 

[CactusJacked]

Which is fine, and apparently what I need to do, but I don't need the condescension when a professionally produced repair manual, as well as other members of this forum say to use RTV.

It's unfortunate that was you're take-away, as that certainly wasn't my intent. Mine was only to illustrate that Haynes isn't necessarily the auto repair bible. You're not the only one who has or will be replacing a water pump. Hopefully when someone does a search here, your experience will be a benefit to them.

 

[SoonerJeep]

My original water pump had reddish RTV, and way too much of it for any application, on the gasket. And I'm sure it was factory because I drove the Liberty off the lot with less than 3 miles on the odometer and no one has ever touched the engine but me.

 

[ephantmon]

I just re-gasketed the pump with a new one from FelPro. We'll see if that fixes the problem. I'm a bit worried, as when I removed the original one to install a brand new pump, I could tell where the seal had failed on the old one. This time, when I took it off, I couldn't see an obvious point of failure. Based on the distribution of coolant on the outside of the pump, it looked to be coming from the location nearest to the alternator, but who knows.

 

[uss2defiant]

did you RTV it again?

 

[Buggydude65]

I had a similar problem. At about 155,000, my original water pump was growling and leaking. I bought a rebuilt pump from the local parts store. I did not use any RTV; just the gasket that came with the pump. About 8 months later, the new pump started leaking at the engine. I pulled the pump and found the gasket was flat - it did not stick up higher than the groove. I bought a Fel-Pro gasket and re-installed the pump. The new gasket was really flexible and squishy. It was much taller once in the groove. I flexed the old gasket just a little bit and it broke. Been about 6 months since I put the Fel-Pro gasket in and I have had no trouble. Hope you fixed your problem.