We have in the family, 2 Sunfire's. One 1996 and the other a 1997. Both have the 2.2. And, Both have recently developed the same problem, leaking water pump gaskets. Neither is leaking from the weep hole. The 1997 is an original installation. The 1996 water pump was replaced about 5-6 months ago due to a seep at the weep hole, noticed while other work was being done, and access was simplified. The installation was done with a supplied fibre gasket that came with the pump purchased from NAPA. The installation was torqued to the specs in the OEM manual.
The 97 original has a small leak. The 96 replacement leak is fairly substantial.
Q1. Are these fibre gaskets known for/prone to leakage? Q2. Is there a better type of gasket that can be purchased for this installation/location? Q3. Or - Am I better off to do the installation using a gasket making sealant (like DC's High Temp gasket sealant? or a high temp gasket black or copper RTV) - or a combination of both gasket and sealant? Q5. Any other hints on how to avoid this again in the future?
TIA Mike