water pump install. what am i doing wrong

[Sundance 6g72]

for those of you who have done your water pump.. why does mine leak from the left side... there is a channel that that goes from the center and flows water to the left (right under where the water goes into the rear most head)

it seriously just leaks out of this small channel that has an opening in it.. the gaskets dont block the flow right there.. its as if its a pressure releif valve or something... the only way for water to get to it is to go through the openings at the pumps "fins" and seep under the fins and from there it goes through a hole in the pump and into this channel... i dont have pics so i hope someone understands what im talking about.

i tried using the gaskets, i also used RTV as my own gasket, i tried another NEW pump and nothing.. i also didnt even run the motor.. i just took a bottle of water and dumped it into the passenger side hose and let it flow into the pump and eventually it would just start to drip out

what the hell

[Sundance 6g72]

is there supposed to be an oring on the water pump (not the one for the crossover) but a second oring about the same size? cuz i havnt been using that and it looks like im leaking right at the beginning of the crossover (and that has a new oring...)


i assumed i was leaking from the weep hole passage but i removed the pump and its not leaking there.... that area apears to be dry but maybe the pump didnt get seated into the crossover correctly the 3 times ive done this?

[MNmopar]

I can't really picture what you're talking about, and I just did my water pump about 2 weeks ago. Do you have any pics that you can post of what you're talking about?

There's only 2 gaskets, the o-ring that is where the pump housing mounts to the engine block, and the larger oddly shaped gasket that goes between the water pump and the housing. If you're leaking up by the block, did you for sure get all of the old gasket out before mounting it again with the new o-ring? Sometimes it's hard to tell it's even there after a few years of usage, it squishes and almost flattens completely across the groove that you put the new one in.

Just one thought, a pic or diagram might help figure out what's up.

(Oh, and when I did mine, I only used black rtv at the block/housing spot. Some people use it around the housing too, but I cleaned mine up really good and the new gasket has been working great so far.)


*sorry, didn't see this was in the 6cyl section until after posting... I've never done a 6 cyl so ignore the above.:o

[bond_bbs]

I think I know what you're talking about - little tiny, like 1/8" wide the runs 45 degress up towards the gasket surface? Pretty sure that is an over-pressure bypass.

[Shadowv4l]

there are two O-rings for the cross-over pipe, one is backside of water pump and the other is trans bell housing side (remove the two top bell housing bolts and give it a tugg) if it is leaking into the valley of the engine it could simulate a leaky WP. To be honest, I would buy a new crossover pipe, they tend to become pretty nasty over time and may not seal that well. And I believe that channel you're talking about is for when the pump's bearing seal craps out. I also had a pin hole in the small bypass hose above the water pump area, its a U-shape hose. On my car it was leaking downward into the WP area and made me think it was a leaking pump. Also, there are two different gaskets to worry about, there is one that goes between the two pump pieces and there is one that goes to the engine block so you have twice the sealing areas to worry about. The engine block can get kinda nasty pitting so that would be the only gasket i might apply RTV to (i've always had good luck with Mopar gear/engine RTV - usually gray or black in color) finish the job and let it sit without adding coolant for a few hours at least and only apply a thin layer of RTV if you decide to use it. Ive rebuilt many 3.0L's and had success with all of them using this method. Let me know how you make out, maybe some pics? That way i can look into it further for you. Rock auto has some good pics of the WP gaskets if you need to compare anything.

---------- Post added at 02:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:12 AM ----------

here is a crazy idea, block the left and right holes of the pump when out of the car (use tape or something) and pour water into the pump blade area, maybe use your mouth and blow into the pump to find a leak. I never tried this but hell its worth a shot and might save ya some time, at least you will know which gasket you are battling with.

---------- Post added at 02:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:17 AM ----------

also, are you using a new water pump housing along with the new water pump? if not maybe something is cracked or not mating correctly with the new pump half.