Water Pump Gasket Change

[GTJones]

I need to change the Water pump Gasket (Suspect Leak) but need to remove inlet manifold etc - I have bought a new set of Payen gaskets for the inlet manifold but after reading the Workshop manual it says to loosen the cylinder head when replacing the Inlet manifold.

I presume this allows the head to move when tightening the Inlet bolts, but must admit i am a bit nervous to loosen the cylinder head bolts.

Any advise on this operation



Regards



Gary

[seaside bill]

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Gary

I think the accepted wisdom is that the manual is wrong and you should NOT loosen the head bolts - the inlet manifoldwill probably fit backOK, but you might need some sealant.

[redstag]

imported post

I agree with Bill, definitely don't disturb the cylinder head likelihood is the headgasket will fail later.

Make sure you are certain where the leak is before you take it apart. There are several places where water can leak in the vee and it's not always obvious. I found one of those dental type mirrors useful in finding the leak on mine.

You should check that the faces on the inlet manifold are flat as they are often warped / distorted.

I used Wellseal sealant on the gaskets to stick them in place on the heads before replacing the manifold. I tried using silicone sealants in the past but found they allowed the gaskets to slide out of position.

It can be difficult toline upthe manifold bolts especially when the heads have been skimmed. You may need to find a way to apply pressure onto the manifold or source different thickness gaskets. Don't be tempted to elongate the holes in the manifold or you may end up with the coolant passages not lining up properly.

Having said that, mine actually went back onrelatively easily.

Pete

[Stagdad]

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I did the same as Pete with the gaskets.I tacked the gaskets to the manifold with small dabs of hylomar on the outside of the bolt holes,when they had set i used lots of red hermatite between the gasket and the heads and temporarily bolted it down .next day i removed the bolts manifold came of easy with no damage to the gaskets which were left stuck to the heads at the correct angles.Next i cleaned the waterways and inlet holes of exess gasket sealent ,put a small amout of hermatite on both surfaces of manifold and gaskets and rebolted down .

This was my third attempt to seal the inlet manifold after trying other methodsand thankfully it worked well as i was nearing my whits end

My manifold was warped and had to be skimmed (8thou) also i found i had to enlarge the 2 front bolt holes under the thermostat housing as i couldn't get these to start otherwise.

Good luck Steve

Oh yes don't losen the head as already stated