Timing Cover Water Leak Help

[DryHeat]

My new L20 is installed and I started to fill the radiator only to discover a drip coming from underneath and behind the lower radiator hose water inlet on the timing cover. I have another timing cover so I looked at it and it there is an "L" shaped groove that runs next to and below the water jackets. The water is coming from that small hole. I used all new gaskets and hi-tach gasket sealer and also made sure that the mating surfaces were very very clean.

Based upon my observations I assume that is can be one of two things .. either the gasket is torn or it twisted somehow when I put it on or there is a crack in the timing cover itself ...

Any other ideas!!! (preferably one that has this magically fixing itself)

[datzenmike]

Yes the L groove is to provide a path for water to leak out should the gasket fail. This (hopefully) would keep it from getting into the oil pan.

[banzai510(hainz)]

try just chainging the water linlet gasket to the front cover first as its ezer. then see what happens.

[DryHeat]

Thanks for the input gentlemen.

I started to remove the timing cover after replacing the inlet gasket with no luck. When I removed the water pump bolts I noticed that one of the bolts on the passenger side had too much water on it. I tested the depth and it goes a long way into the block.

Does this bolt enter a water passage? If so perhaps some plumbers dope on the threads will fix my issue.

Any thoughts on this?

[datzenmike]

Yes one does go into the block just above the L shaped groove, but the gasket should seal it.

[DryHeat]

The leak has disappeared. I put the water pump bolts back in with a litttle bit of anti-sieze on the threads. My guess is that the water was seeping around the threads and following the bolt to the front of the water pump and then running back to the weep hole area. I also used a slightly longer bolt too.

Thanks for all the help guys.