I can't find anything on using a gasket sealant on the water pump gasket. I have silicone which I hate and Permatex Aviation grade sealant, the brown stuff you brush on. I have used this product for years on domestic rebuilds. Even the FSM does not mention a sealant. I'm sure my old one had a sealant. This is a new cover and new pump.
Thanks
Mike

 

I use Permatex Sensor-Safe High-Temp RTV Silicone Gasket Maker

 

Do use use just the silicone sealant by itself or with a gasket? My new pump should arrive tomorrow.

 

I put it on both sides of the gasket. Maybe a little overkill but has never leaked with the covers I’ve done

 

If you are using an OEM Toyota gasket you only need sealer where the Toyota manuals call for it.

If you are not using an OEM gasket use your best judgement.

Better quality gaskets are usually easy to spot when side by side with lesser quality gaskets.

Some are just paper, and others are impregnated with things like graphite and silicone.

If you use an added seal it's important how you do it since you don't want it shedding bits into your engines internals.

 

Your right about the difference in gaskets. I just installed the pump on the new front cover. I used Permatex Aviation sealer. The good old brown stuff. There is a big difference in pump quality too.

the top pump is an almost exact copy of the original pump. Notice the machined rotor. The bottom is a not so cheap Gates pump made in China. The top was made in Japan. I picked it up from LCE. The Gates cost almost the same amount.
And I used the gasket out of my original Toyota set.