it very well could be...

 

I would get the black high temp rtv... Me personally have never had a problem with then stuff... the blue I have had small leaks from...

 

Or try Right Stuff gasket maker. Same stuff Ford uses everywhere. Down side is that its 20+ dollars for a cheese whiz can. Thats all ive used for 15ish years and no problems. Make sure mating surfaces are clean and flat and that the tstat didnt slip out of the recessed area.

 

No laughing at me...


The cause of the leak seems to be a loose heater hose clamp.. And a loose top bolt...

 

Glad you found it.

 

Smit Happens .....pssst hey ya hear about the guy whos heater hose .....lol....Merry Christmas ....

 

Lol merry Christmas to you as well!

 

Why a gasket and RTV ?

 

Next time you have to replace a gasket, smear a small amount of vasaline on the gasket. It makes the gasket tacky, so you could align the gasket on the housing. Be careful when inserting the bolts because the threads could make a small tare on the edge of the gasket.
As far as torque goes, the specs for my XJ says about 110 Lbs, which is basicly wrench tight- no need for a torque wrench. Just dont break the bolt to the stud... I did once.
Thats just my 2 cents, it appears you've got it covered!

 

You guys are making a church out of a chit house.

Just make sure both mating surfaces of the head/T-Stat housing are super clean, apply two coats of Permatex High Tack Spay-A-Gasket Sealant to both sides of the the gasket, wire wheel the bolt threads and make sure the threads in the head are clean and dry, Torque the T-Stat housing bolts to 15 ft. lbs. Retorque the bolts after 30 minutes.

If you insist on putting oil on the bolt threads, reduce the bolt torque to 12 ft. lbs.

 

i went through 3 aftermarket gaskets and 2 new T stat housings before i got mine to stop leaking. I ended up buying the mopar one, and its got a bead of red sealant on the sealing surface of the gasket ( its intergrated right in it). That solved my problem. I ending up using the original t stat housing and returning the 2 new ones.

 

This is good advice too. The Permatex High Tack is a great product. I use it a fair bit while at work when i assembling engines and hydraulic pumps at work.