water pump mounting plate pitted

[john at westcoastgarage.net]

Joshua Van Tol wrote:
>
>             _______________________________________________
>             Hey!  I'm one of those "VW Vanagon nutcases".  I've used
>             JB Weld to fill those pits for years.  I learned it from a
>             BMW TSB.  I've used the technique on a 5K with good
>             results.  You MUST use the regular slow drying type, and
>             the surface MUST be as clean as you can get it.  I use a
>             wire brush, carb cleaner, a razorblace, and compressed
>             air.  Apply the JB Weld sparingly with a putty knife, let
>             it dry for 24 hours, file or sand it flat with a wide tool
>             so you don't induce any irregularities, and reapply more
>             epoxy as necessary, allowing it to dry the full cure time
>             and again sanding it flat.  Patience, in this case, is not
>             only a virtue, it's the only thing that will make the job
>             work.
>
>
>
> I used to be one of those nutcases too, but sanity prevailed.
>
>  
>
>             As for silicone sealant, this isn't a job it was made for,
>             and an Audi engine isn't the engine it was made for,
>             either. John
>
>
> I've used silicone sealant in this application, and it does work. It 
> may not be the most pleasing solution, but it does work just fine. The 
> varieties with more solids (such as the gray permatex stuff) seem to 
> work better, and are much easier to work with as they're firmer, less 
> sticky, and spread better.
>  
>
You're talking to "The Anti-Silicone" here.  Rubber o-ring sealing 
mechanisms are designed to have the rubber mate directly to the metal 
surfaces.  You're adding a layer of an unplanned-for substance, thereby 
increasing the chances for a leak.  36 years of professional wrenching 
has taught me to avoid that stuff like the plague, except for where the 
correct variety for the job is called for.  John