replacing WATERPUMP can i just put GASKET or do i need some sealant? if so how?

Question

im stuck i called a friend he said to put sealant, then called autozone and said you dont put any gasket sealant to a gasket, the previous gasket was metal so i dont know, ill be using a cardboard one (how long do these last?) just because i cant find anyone to carry others, should i wait around? ps.. i only expect this engine to last me 4 years at the most due to a problem in the crankshaft which case ill just drop another engine.

also what type of antifreeze is good ive always used the green one is the orange one any better? my car is a 1994 mazda miata, is the orange antifreeze kinda like the "synthetic oil" of coolants or are they not interchangeable at all? i will be flushing everything completely,

Answer 1

I always put permetex sealer on the gasket when replacing a waterpump on both sides of the gasket to make sure it seals good.
Just use the green anti-freeze in your car as really there is no benefit to the new orange stuff.

Answer 2

The paper gasket is adequate but I frequently use some of that Ultra Blue on the metal surfaces as well. It holds the gasket in place and if you did any scraping to get old gasket material or rust off the block or if the new pump has scratches the Ultra Blue fills in those voids. Just use a razor thin layer and don't goop it on. Just a dab on the finger and smooth it on 'til the metal surface is covered.

You can use either coolant. The green stuff has some silicate in it and this helps scour the crud off the inside of the water jacket (heads and block) and really should be changed every two years unless you use some distilled water or reverse osmosis water to mix with the antifreeze. This seems to keep it looking cleaning longer than two years. Hard tap water water leaves a lot of crud, mineral deposits, (scale) in the radiator and block if you don't change it out every couple of years.

The "new" orange stuff has improved with time. It used to leave a white sludge in the water jacket, radiator, heater core, bottle, etc.. The newest stuff seems to have over come this problem. This orange coolant is listed as "low silicate" and is more common in aluminum engines.
There's a phenomenon where the suspended metals in the old green coolant will let electrical current travel from the engine to the radiator. This was one of the reasons why, I imagine, they invented the orange low silicate stuff and recommend it in newer engines. I suppose it is more environmentally friendly as well since it is supposed to last 100K miles.

Just flush her out good and don't mix the green with the orange. I still use the green with distilled water and this has been the secret to making it last longer. There is an anti-corrosion compound in antifreeze/coolant and heat degrades it with time.
They had some pumps that they used years ago on the big rigs that would double filter the coolant and replace the anti-corrosion compound and pump the old coolant back in. This was due to the fact that a big diesel cooling system would use like ten gallons of coolant/water and the disposal costs for antifreeze are steep and the antifreeze ethylene glycol is good indefinitely.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

ok read this carefully. The manufacturers use gaskets for a reason. if the mating surface werent good enough for a gasket, the factory would've used a sealant. Sealants are for jack leg shade tree mechanics who dont know what the eff they are doing. Gaskets are for detail oriented individuals who take pride in what they are doing, or people who want their cars to last 4 more years Tip: use line up bolts in the mounting holes and put the gaskets on them, them slide your water pump on, making it really easy. using a sealant has a certain mentality---just put it together without any thought, and it'll last until it breaks next time. As far as coolant, there is a specification in your owner's manual for the coolant. Im not sure what your car uses, but I would stick to it. Mixing coolants is bad news . The poly ethylene glycol in one coolant and the ethylene glycol in the other coolant will react to each other and create crystals in your radiator and other places, clogging your radiator and making your new waterpump useless. In my opinion, use whatever the vehicle was built with. It takes a lot of guess work and headaches out of the picture especially if you need to make the car last. Btw, the synthetic oil thing is a myth: mixing natural and synthetic oils causes cavitation and pitting, because they also react chemically and can pit the bearings, cylnder walls, and other important surfaces.

Answer 4

In tech school there was sort of a huge debate delima over this very question...

it was deteremined by the instructors that neither was an incorrect method..

what works for one person and seals may not work for the next...

and vice versa..

hence the conclusion was for us as individuals to use the method which was suceesful for us...

I personally use a ultra thin layer of the ultra copper or the ultra black on each side of the gasket..

reason being is that a small amount will work as a glue and gap filler that fills any imperfections in the mating surfaces like those which have occured over time and slightly pitted the block surface like on many older cars...

While I do understand you are trying to avoid doing the job twice.. waterpump gaskets are cheap.. (so if you faill you'ld only have your time and about $2.00 at worst in it)...

use what works for you...

for anti freeze use the same as what was originally installed by the manufacturer to avoid trouble and complications etc...

Walt

Answer 5

First Orange and green coolants are NOT COMPATIBLE.
If you mix the DEX coolant(orange) and the regular stuff you will end up with the gray,white gritty snot in your motor.

I wouldn't trust anything and AutoZoner told me.... There is a reason they work for minimum wage at Autozone, and not in a dealer parts department.

Did your original gasket have any sealant? That is your best place to start.

Answer 6

If you clean both surfaces of all old gasket material and chemical residue with brake-cleaner, the gaskets should seal on their own. Use green coolant in your engine. Orange coolant is supposed to last longer, but if you mix the two kinds, a chemical reaction occurs, forming a corrosive chemical that will rot out your radiator and/or heater core. Stick with what works.

Answer 7

Anti-freeze, I have always used "Preston", the Orange one you're talking about is "Environmentally Safe" Preston makes one that may be pink or red.

Personally I you spray Anti-Seas to keep the gasket from sticking to the block when old and easy to get of if you ever have to change the pump again. NOTE; Make sure the surfaces are clean and dry!

Answer 8

you can use the gasket and some sealant and that would be fine. 2nd use the green coolant due to the age of the vehicle, the orange is only intended for newer vehilces.

Answer 9

You dont need any sealant.... it should be fine as long as you tighten down the water pump good.