stockli

I have a question on Indian head sealant.

Today I went back and re did my water pump gasket and tstat housing and because of the great suggestions here I used Indian Head sealant on the pump and tstat.

First I made sure to clean off all the old gasket material and freshened surface with a scotch brite pad.

I put it on both sides of the gasket and the pump face as suggested. While inspecting for leaks I noticed the indian head was bubbling as the motor started to heat up. In addition the tstat housing started to weep a little as the motor got to near 200. Is it normal for the Indian head to bubble up when heated the first time? I let it cure for a few hours on the pump and followed the directions on the bottle to let it cure for a bit before installing the pump and tstat.

I also noticed that my temp climbed to 215 before I shut her down. I figure there is a bubble in the system someplace? The only confusing thing was the coolant bottle level was very high even though I started off at the full mark.

Any help would be great! Thanks

ball buster

ive never had it bubble, maybe you applied to much? did you pop a 1/8" hole in your thermostat? i do that to vent air and turn the hole towards the top of the housing

stockli

I did not drill a hole in the tstat. I have read that it can help bleed the system but didnt think it was needed.

I have been having temo issues where on the first warm up the temp can get up to 213 before coming back down to 203, then fluctuation from 210 to 197 would happen while driving. I figured it was due to a leak and air getting into the system. I noticed coolant sitting on top of the waterpump so I know it was leaking, not much but enough to keep the top of the water pump moist at all times.

This sucks

kjc

I used indian head for my water pump and t-stat housing too.. worked really well. No bubbling or leaks*(note) It's pretty easy for the t-stat to slip down while you're putting on the cover.. the edges fit into a shallow recess. If it's leaking there, maybe the really thin edge of the stat is pinched between the block and the housing. Those housings can crack pretty easily if that happened. (ask me how I know)

*After replacing cracked housing

cruiser54

What year is your Cherokee? Probably ought to put it in your profile or below your avatar.