Water Pump Gaskets on 2005 5.3L

[Jim Clifford]

I've replaced several that had the metal/o-ring gaskets, which frankly can be a pain. I've had leaks from those gaskets before. Recently my sons friend needed help with his water pump and it came with good old-fashioned fiber gaskets, which sealed up perfectly and stayed in place easy enough with gasket sealer.

Any reason why I shouldn't always get fiber/paper gaskets in the future?

 

[SnowDrifter]

Personal preference. Fiber seals up a bit better if the block is pitted (larger sealing area), but also takes more labor come next replacement. They tend to stick to both sides and need scraping to remove. They also need some tack on either side to seal appropriately and are sensitive to torque.

Rubber impregnated metal ones are less labor and don't require any tack/rtv/etc. Slap them on and go. The metal prevents overtorquing. Maintenance on these tends to be easier as there is no scraping and clean up consists of wiping the surfaces clean.


I prefer the rubber impregnated metal ones, but there's a case to be made for fiber gaskets if the mating surfaces aren't in good condition

 

[Jim Clifford]

Personal preference. Fiber seals up a bit better if the block is pitted (larger sealing area), but also takes more labor come next replacement. They tend to stick to both sides and need scraping to remove. They also need some tack on either side to seal appropriately and are sensitive to torque.

Rubber impregnated metal ones are less labor and don't require any tack/rtv/etc. Slap them on and go. The metal prevents overtorquing. Maintenance on these tends to be easier as there is no scraping and clean up consists of wiping the surfaces clean.


I prefer the rubber impregnated metal ones, but there's a case to be made for fiber gaskets if the mating surfaces aren't in good condition

Yeah, I get what you mean. I guess that's it, whether or not the block is a little pitted or not. there just isn't a lot of surface for the rubber impregnated metal gaskets.

 

[dan newman]

I'm going with MR Gasket fiber triple seal gaskets and a micro thin layer of,,, gascasinch,,,