How are you putting the bolts in?
Wrong way.
. Put one bolt in at a time and then tighten it down before moving to next bolt.
Correct way
. Put one bolt in, but keep the bolt loose. Just tight enough to keep it in place.
. Continue to next bolt. Again keep it loose. Repeat til all the bolts are in.
. Now tighten down the bolts.
If I understand, the head of the bolt (machine screw?) sits at a slight angle against the water pump housing, which is aluminum. If the screw can be securely tightened against the pump housing, its head will dig into the aluminum, and its force will be unequal around its circumference. A strong steel washer under the bolt head will probably resolve this issue of unequal force, and potential damage to the housing.
Here are a couple photos I took pre RTV+ gasket. The pump looks sealed against the housing. The gap from the washer and bolt looks minimal. First photo shows the 7 oāclock (problem hole) to left and 5 oāclock to the right. 2nd is just of the ad one. I think the RTV+GAsket should hold until I can do a more permanent solution.
MikeInNH Iāve been doing number 2. shanonia bolt goes through pump hole into housing. The area between the pump and house is flat. The washer should level the force between the pump and housing instead of 1/3 or 1/4 not being flush.
Update since the board wonāt let me reply anymore:
So I put the rtv with the washer and torqued to 89 inch lbs. The bad hole tightens to a point then rotatesā¦
Agree with this. Once the washer is used, and assuming all the bolts tighten as they should, rtv may not even be necessary, the gasket should seal as normal. But rtv wonāt hurt anything either unless you go cray cray with it. I generally coat both sides of a paper gasket with a very small amount of rtv anyway. Helps hold the gasket in place and thereās really no downside unless you get happy with it and gloop it on. And the washer is just to apply even-ish pressure and to stop the gouging of the alum caused by the cockeyed bolt.
Update
So I put the rtv with the washer and torqued to 89 inch lbs. The bad hole tightens to a point then rotatesā¦
If it doesnāt hold the fluid tomorrow, then Iāll try packing some copper strands in the hole to take up the space, since itās probably only partially stripped.
I did have a question regarding the test for a leak. Iām fine to fill up the system with distilled water to test for a leak and to drive around the block for a smog correct? (I of course know you canāt use water by itself over time, as it will rust the inside)
Entirely OK, and in most locations no need for the water to be distilled.
Good luck!
Thanks for the well wishes!
I guess I really donāt see the problem. The purpose of the bolt is to apply pressure to the pump at that location. While sure itās nice to have the whole bolt square in the hole, it is still applying pressure to the pump. Putting a washer on is still going to provide uneven pressure from the bolt but I just donāt see a big problem provided the gasket is on the inside of the bolt and the bolt is not expected to be water tight. Just my two cents. Been worse things done to cars.
If the repair doesnāt hold, using a thread chaser to straighten the hole as much as possible and installing a short piece of threaded rod with J-B Weld on it into the hole will result in a stud that should provide a solid hold allowing a nut to be tightened to spec.
Iām all for trying to salvage something when possible and reasonable. But youāve been messing around with this for days and really no closer to a guaranteed fix. And the link above shows a replacement housing for $50 with a guaranteeā¦
So the system didnāt leak at all. Smog and everything is done. Thank you to everyone that provided their time and input. It is very appreciated!
What are your guys opinions on using Anti Rust/ Sealer Protector and doing chemical radiator flushes?
No experience with either, myself. I was always under the impression if you flushed the radiator every so often, scale wouldnāt build up and the coolant has rust and corrosion inhibitors already in it - so the coolant needs to be changed periodically to keep those āfreshā.
I have purchased neglected vehicles with high miles, but in those cases I generally had to replace the radiator anyway due to leaks. I always just flushed the engine with water.
Alright so those probably arenāt necessary to flush it. Thanks for the reply.
Odd thing, when I looked up the total coolant system level I got that it was 11.6 quarts.
http://oemcats.com/wiki/buick/1995/century.html
When pulling off the lower hose (no drain plug) I got like around a gallon out of it. I started it to try and push the rest of the fluid out but very little else drained. I put another gallon of water to flush and drove around.
Is there something Iām missing in pulling all of the fluid out, before I put fresh coolant?
Usually only around half the coolant comes out when you drain the radiator. The rest stays in the motor and heater core. 11.6 quarts is about 3 gallons, so if pulling the lower hose drained a gallon and a half or so, thatās about right. You didnāt get more coolant out when you started the motor because the engine is cold and thermostat is closed, Iād guess. I like to pull the thermostat out if itās easy to access. Then flush the radiator and engine both directions with a garden hose. Once the water runs clear, put everything back together.
Or you can fill the rad with water like you did, drain it after driving around, repeat the process, then fill with coolant.
I like to use the concentrated coolant, not the coolant that is already mixed with water. You need 50% coolant and 50% water in the cooling system. If your coolant capacity is 11.6 quarts, you need to pour in about 1.5 gallons concentrated coolant. Then top off with water.
Iāve always flushed my radiators with the engine idling in the driveway. I remove the radiator cap & top hose and as the thermostat opens the old coolant pours out into a catch container. As this happens the radiator level drops, so I add more water to the radiator to top it off. I keep doing this, so the radiator always stays full. After a while what comes out the top hose is just plain water, so all the old coolant is gone. I turn off the engine and let it cool to ambient, then drain the radiator, re-fill w/new coolant, done. You have to remember thereās water in the engine at this point, so you have to add enough full strength coolant to end up w/a 50/50 mix. And be sure to run the engine enough so that the water and coolant mix, you donāt want any pockets of plain water anywhere inside the engine.
Iāve always wondered if thereās a problem w/this method. Adding cold water to the radiator when the engine is warm could conceivably crack the block or head but never happened in 50 years. I think the reason is b/c I donāt need to add more than a trickle-flow of water to keep the radiator full. Anyway, thatās how Iāve always done it.
Thatās why whenever I drained a cooling system I would figure out how much antifreeze would be needed for a 50/50 mix, then add the undiluted first to make sure I had enough.