What to use on water pump bolts

[Warstud]

Originally Posted by bullwinkle
Originally Posted by Warstud
It's most likely Red RTV and not Red Loctite.

You don't want Red Loctite on ANYTHING that you ever want to take apart again, unless you can heat it with a torch!


Yep....That's why I think it's RTV....it has a more orangy color red than the maroon colored thread locker.

 

[Paulfix]

Permatex #2 ðŸ‘. Been using it for 40 years on bolt threads.

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted by cronk
Likely a thread sealant.
You could use the white Teflon thread sealer made by Permatex, Loctite, or Arp.


EXACTLY!

Q: What should I use on the threads of water pump bolts?
A: white Teflon thread sealer made by Permatex

 

[Linctex]

 

[BigD1]

Permatex #2 user here too.

Get a lot more bang for the buck using #2 over the dinky tube of thread sealant plus I can use #2 on various gaskets.

 

[DejaVue]

The pictured bolt looks like it may have factory thread sealant on it. Hard to tell with its age and condition. I'd look up what a new factory bolt looks like and see if it comes with stuff on the threads like in the picture.

Reminder: don't overtorque the water pump bolts on install. Some people like to crank on them and risk breaking things.

 

[DuckRyder]

Originally Posted by DejaVue
The pictured bolt looks like it may have factory thread sealant on it. Hard to tell with its age and condition. I'd look up what a new factory bolt looks like and see if it comes with stuff on the threads like in the picture.

Reminder: don't overtorque the water pump bolts on install. Some people like to crank on them and risk breaking things.


A new bolt does come with that stuff on it. It is sealant not locktite (or RTV) and um... PST (Pipe Sealant with Teflon) works fine...

 

[das_peikko]

Originally Posted by DejaVue
Reminder: don't overtorque the water pump bolts on install. Some people like to crank on them and risk breaking things.


I use a 1/4 drive ratchet for the 1/4 inch bolts and a 3/8 drive ratchet for the 5/16 inch bolts.

Both ratchets are regular length; not long handle.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Thank you everyone for your kind input. I believe now the red stuff was RTV or thread sealant. I researched the engine more (3.0 OHV), and. checked with the Ford Taurus forum. I'm thinking there really was no need for sealant and this engine does not have bolts exposed to the water jacket. I'm thinking the previous mechanic was using thread sealant from habit. No problem.

I cleaned up the bolts, ran them through a die to clean out the sealant, used a gasket with Permatex High Tack Gasket Sealant on the pump side and torqued up the water pump to spec using the average torque, not the high side, as I used Permatex aluminum anti-seize. Used 25 nm on the 12 mm bolts and 10 nm on the 8mm bolts. Also used the pattern suggested by Ford. I was able to reach all the bolts with my torque wrench. Buttoned her up and every thing is fine. I know there are a lot of opinions on techniques! Thanks again. Here is a photo of the gasket sealant.

 

[Lubener]

Permatex 2 on threads which go into a water jacket only, otherwise a little oil on the threads on the remaining, after cleaning them..

 

[HangFire]

That will probably work fine, but it's not exactly the right stuff.

High Tack Gasket Sealant is designed for use on the gasket, not the bolt. It is used to hold gaskets in place during assembly (that's the High Tack part), and to seal the gasket well once compressed (the Gasket Sealant part).

Thread Sealant is designed to seal out water/coolant intrusion along the bolt threads, and to prevent rust and rust welding.

Really, most anything that coats the threads, isn't overdone and doesn't promote corrosion will do well enough. Well I wouldn't use Lok-Tite Red due to rework issues. If it's anything like my Taurus Vulcan, it will need another water pump in its lifetime. Mine went through an original, an aftermarket, and 2 Ford dealer-sourced water pumps to get to 170K miles. The rest of the engine was dead reliable, wish I could say that about the starters, alternators, and every moving part in the front end.