Sigh.

Land Rover Forum opinions are like ********; everybody has one.

So many people don't trust the guidance provided in the RAVE. A lot of people believe that some snake oil goop is instead the best answer. EVERY example of following the RAVE direction I know of has worked fine.

If you have any doubt I recommend seeking the advice of P.T. Schram. He will reply if you contact him. P.T. has forgotten more jobs of all these types than most of us will ever come close to doing. And he has done them with professional liability, which means that if something he does failed he is on the hook to repeat the work at no additional charge. In other words, his *** was on the line. I will defer to ANYTHING P.T. recommends. Most of the rest of us are amateurs. In every sense of the word.

When I helped my neighbor replace his water pump we didn't need anything to hold it in place other than the bolts. If you want some goop just use a little Vaseline. Or a few dots of toothpaste.

 

Many thanks. I am hoping that if BP Utah is shipping out the pump with a paper gasket then the gasket should be ok. I am learning a lot nonetheless.

 

The spay isn't a gasket maker. It's applied to to one or both sides of the gasket and provides a small amount of additional sealing plus helps prevent gasket movement during installation. Believe the Permatex spay is similar to the Hylomar Blue equivalent I mentioned using on mine in your other thread. Just the fiber gaskets alone are not likely to leak and years down the road if they do. Water pump gasket leaking is not a high failure rate item. Once you get pump R&R'd you'll understand not to sweat having to do it the next time. RTV based sealants/gasket makers are better suited for applications with damaged or uneven surfaces and for quick/dirty changes when time is not taken to carefully remove old gaskets/sealants.
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You guys replied during my composing moments.

Afraid to bash some RTV products as snake oils and think you put in a more diplomatic way.

Satisfied with fiber gasket shipped with pump I received.

Looking forward to hearing how old gasket removal went.
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Great points made by all. I really like this forum. Amazing folks here. Thanks again.

 

PO asked for opinions and us forum members gave ours. SMH

 

The first thing I mentioned was that there's more than one way to make it work. I wrote that I don't use paper gaskets, but that doesn't mean someone will fail if they do so. Paper is cheap, and it can be assembled and put to use immediately. It also doesn't take much skill to use it properly. Those reasons combine to make it popular on assembly lines in the past, but there are better options for dependability and longevity. The water pump assembly is clamped with fairly long bolts, and it endures heating and cooling cycles. Elastomeric gaskets are less likely to blow out due to stress relaxation and torque loss. Modern assemblies are more likely to be machined for a pre-formed elastomeric gasket (o-ring), but where we have flat flanges on assemblies of deprecated machines (like Rover V8's), we have elastomeric gasket makers.

Most RTV gasket makers take time to cure. If I recall correctly, the directions on the waterpump-specific stuff instructs to assemble the parts wet, but only finger-tighten the bolts. Then torque the bolts to specification after 24 hours. In any event, you don't want to overtighten the bolts and squeeze out the gasket material, and it does take 24 hours to fully cure. If you want a gasket maker that allows the parts to be assembled to put to immediate use, that's what "The Right Stuff" does.

 

I'm glad folks are willing to share differing views on matters. I've now researched several options, looking up their uses and instructions, like "The Right Stuff" and copper spray and RTV and all sorts of things I would never have thought of. I've got a razor scraper for the old gasket and will see how clean I can get the surface. If it's really clean, I think the paper gasket will do. If not, I'll likely get something like The Right Stuff. Either way I know the mating surfaces need to be super clean for a good seal. Thanks!

 

Now that we've completely exhausted the topic of gaskets I guess it's time to move on to mating surfaces. I'M NO EXPERT ON THIS and I've probably used tools I should not have, but those whose opinions I respect (e.g. P.T. Schram) are adamant about not using metal scrapers or even Scotch-Brite pads on DII aluminum surfaces. Too big a risk of scratching and causing leaks. It's more work perhaps but an old credit card is my choice. And maybe some chemical solvent for the tough spots.

I WELCOME other (informed) opinions.

 

Agree and against the SOP use of metal scapers. Use of a solvent good idea if it works on the sealant.

That said resorted to using single edged razor blades to remove gasket and some sort of rock hard red sealant stuck to timing cover during my recent pump change. No damage done and hit with some emery cloth for good measure. Brand new supply of glass filled nylon scapers wouldn't put a dent in that sealant.
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Just be, very, very careful.