I recently replaced water pump, radiator, and heater hose assembly. All is well except a small coolant leak at one of the water pump bolts. Luckily it drips out the front of the water pump, as to avoid the opti. My Haynes manual did not specify using teflon tape (or something similar) on the water pump bolts, and as I've found in these posts, it should be used since the bolts enter the coolant jackets.

My question is this...can I avoid redoing the entire water pump by removing one bolt on the pump, apply the teflon tape to this one bolt, and replace it without altering the present seal of the pump? If it matters, it's the top left bolt (of the 6), when facing the front of the engine. Thanks for any input.

 

Put some pipe sealant on the bolt threads. If it still does it, you can put copper washers under the bolt heads. The washer will better conform to seal the leak.

 

Thread sealant

Teflon tape Tape can come off and cause clogs.

 

Awesome, thanks for the quick replies. I'll put some sealant on that one bolt and let you know how well it works. Thanks again!