Following by rebuild I had 3 leaks. One was from the oil sendsr, replaced it and it is fine. One is from the front trans seal, I am using Lucas and the jury is still out. I will give it a few more weeks before I pull the trans and put in new seals again. I have a small water leak coming from the gasket at the water neck. Is there any way to replace the gasket without making a mess taking out all the anti freeze. I was thinking of opening the lower hose with a bin under it. Is this the best way to drain it. Or is there another trick.
Put a 10-12" chunk of 3/8" fuel line on the petcock, open it, and catch all the antifreeze in a bucket, and filter it through a T-shirt or paint filter, and put it back in when done. I have that same leak. Can't get it to stop. So I just live with it. I have probably lost a shot-glass full of coolant in 50 miles, so it is not really bad.
If you're using a fancy chrome t-stat housing it will leak every time. Take sandpaper or wire wheel to the neck and rough up the chrome to give the rubber something to bite in to. I have better luck with Permatex #2 skinned on both sides of the gasket. It works better than silicon sealer. Be sure to install the gasket to block when putting things back together, not to the t-stat housing. I've seen leaks because of the gasket was put on wrong.
You can also use a thin (.010") film of Lock-tite "Gasket Maker" on both sides of the gasket (or even the newer o-ring seals). It seals the gasket to the housing and the intake and is easy to peal off when you change thermostats in five years. You can also use it to seal the threads and heads of bolts that go into the water jackets.
I have had 3 thermostat housings. The chrome one, of course, leaked like crazy, and the tighter you make it, the more it leaks. Had a cast aluminum one that leaked less. But I ended up going with the stock cast iron one with the plug in the top for a temp sensor. Still leaks, but much less than the other two. Next time I take it off, I will try one of the gasket makers...
I have had good luck with the chrome units that included the O ring. They seem to seal much better. And I echo the comment on roughing up the next first.
I roughed up the chrome elbow, got a new gasket, used hi-temp rtv and no leaks. Thanks. Now all my leaks are gone except the drip or two a day from the C4.
Can't fix C4 leaks???? I can show you C4's that are years old after I rebuilt them that are dry - NO LEAKS!:16suspect There isn't any Ford equipment that can't be sealed.
Paul, I was just kidding!!! Actually, the only place mine leaks (drips) now is at the trans cooler! Replacing the front seal (the one that ripped off half my finger sending me to the Emergency Room on Super Bowl Sunday) was the biggest leak fixer on my trans.
I think I am going to live with the C4 leak until winter when I can have some money in a slush fund for this heavy duty 'bullet proof' C4 I have been looking at. This rebuild cost me way more than I thought. It is going to the paint shop next week then I will put up a ton of pics. My neighbor says the leak may go away with more miles. I know it is from the front seal. I put a tiny bead of RTV on it when it went in. Oh well.
Vaseline good to put in seal with,,, I would not use rtv on front seal !!!! It's done now, this just info for the future, No rtv silicone on front pump seal,, not a good thing to use on tranny anywhere in my honest opinion!
ATF will disolve RTV silicone over time. The only place I have had no problems with RTV is on the cooling system. It can be a bear to clean off when you have to replace something. I use the Lock-tite product in almost every situation because it works well and it peals of like a soft plastic gasket when it comes time to replace a gasket or seal. Tech point: when ever you install a seal be sure to lubricate the seal with a lubricant that is compatible with and at least as heavy as the fluid you will be sealing. The external seals on transmissions should have the lips lubricated with Vaseline prior to installation. Grease is good for wheel, manual transmissions and axle seals. Engine seals need oil or light grease.
