I am installing a new Aisin water pump and had a question about the gasket. The FSM does not mention using a water pump gasket, rather it describes using a 2-3mm bead of FIPG between the mating surfaces of the water pump and block. The new water pump came with the gasket pictured below.




It appears to be similar to the intake manifold to head gaskets - metal with a rubber bead on both sides.

My question is this - should I use the gasket supplied with the water pump or simply follow the FSM and use a 2-3mm bead of FIPG only?

Thanks.

 

Flip a coin.

Either will work just fine.

Probably better off using one or the other, and not both though.

Oh BTW, mine's got the Ultra Grey RTV instead of the gasket. No problems to report with it.

 

I faced the same dilemma (with the same pump and gasket) a few months ago. I decided to use the gasket since it has some thickness to it, and I was concerned about possible pump vane clearance issues. Aisin clearly intended that the gasket be used with the pump on this motor. But since the block had some surface irregularity, I used a very thin coat of rtv on both sides of the gasket. And I let it cure overnight before filling with coolant. I've put a couple thousand miles on the truck since then with no problems, and no leaks. Probably, the gasket alone would have worked fine, but I tend to err on the side of using sealant.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, get the torque specs and watch your torque when installing the pump. It would be easy to overtorque it since the specs are kind of low.