Indian head sealant question

Indian head gasket sealant/tstat leakt question

I have a question on Indian head sealant.

Today I went back and re did my water pump gasket and tstat housing and because of the great suggestions here I used Indian Head sealant on the pump and tstat.

I put it on both sides of the gasket and the pump face as suggested. While inspecting for leaks I noticed the indian head was bubbling as the motor started to heat up. In addition the tstat housing started to weep a little as the motor got to near 200. Is it normal for the Indian head to bubble up when heated the first time? I let it cure for a few hours on the pump and followed the directions on the bottle to let it cure for a bit before installing the pump and tstat.

I also noticed that my temp climbed to 215 before I shut her down. I figure there is a bubble in the system someplace? The only confusing thing was the coolant bottle level was very high even though I started off at the full mark.

Any help would be great! Thanks

Edited to add: I made sure to clean off the old gasket material and freshened up the surface with a scotchbrite pad to made sure it was clean.

Sometimes if you put too much on it will take longer to cure. This can cause it to bubble. If you have a bubble you coolant bottle can show full as well. I always undo the smaller line on the t stat housing when filling then put it on and fill the rest of the way. Also I will let the jeep warm up with the cap off and burp the upper rad hose. I'm sure others will have other methods but this usually works for me. Also check to make sure your fan is coming on.

will this fix itself as the sealant sits overnight? I really hope I dont have to do this all over again. The people at NAPA are starting to get to know me by name.

FWIW I NEVER like putting rtv, dressings, or silicone on quality gaskets. Not only is it redundant, but I feel like its begging to cause trouble down the road (in your case sooner than later). For your exact application, I've alway just cleaned the two surfaces so they're IMMACULATE. Use a razor blade and then get a die grinder with some red cookies and buff it up nicely. Install the gasket, and torque to spec. I've used 3 felpro gaskets (@advance auto) and not one of the jeeps has had an issue.

I used felpro gaskets but I figured because they were leaking I would put the Indian head on there.

Gah

I've used Indian Head for decades. Good stuff.
Don't worry about the bubbles, not an issue and
it'll stop when the sealant cures.

Did your thermostat have a small relief hole in it?
If not, it's a good idea to drill a 1/8" hole in the
thermostat housing to allow air to escape...

I don't know about Indian Head sealant but RTV requires a 24 hour cure.

Indian Head Shellac bubbles when it gets hot after first use or so. (NORMAL)

On my 97 ZJ 4.0 I take out the Coolant Temp. Sensor when refilling the radiator to get the air out.

My 99 XJ has a bleed on the Radiator.

My 98 doesnt have the bleed on the rad. If the air doesnt come out after the first few start ups Ill pull my temp sensor and try that.

Did your thermostat have a small relief hole in it?
If not, it's a good idea to drill a 1/8" hole in the
thermostat housing to allow air to escape...

Click to expand...

Along with your coolant?? Care to elaborate more on this?

I always apply to one side, stick to the item the gasket goes on, then apply the other side. I find the stuff in the metal can is thinner and less dried out/gummy than the brown plastic jar.

Also, always drag the razor on soft metals and push on hard metals. It'll dig into a cast aluminum thermostat housing pretty bad if you aren't careful pushing but it's damn near impossible to screw up dragging it.

The stuff in the plastic container is like molasses!

Everything is cool, bled itself out and no leaks. Left me the day for other jeep fixings.

Right on man.

I have a question on fluctuating temps.

On the first start/run cycle of the day my jeep will heat up to 213-215 then drop down to the 197-203 range for the rest of the time running, ocassionally getting up to 206 ish.

I am assuming that the Stant Superstat just cant get the job done and is having a hard time controlling fluctuations. My dash gauge never gets above 210 the only reason I can see it is I have a digital temp gauge too. Maybe its just a tad more sensitive since the time the coolant is over 210 is only a few seconds.

I have checked my mech fan clutch and its good to go. My e fan kicks on on time. I have no air in the system and Im not losing/leaking any coolant and I have a brand new waterpump in it.

The only reason I even ask about this, Im concerned about summer. Its been winter cold here (40's and lower) since about November.

Should I chalk this up to normal or a sensitive digital gauge?

Sounds like it just takes the T-stat a little while to open, and it may be trying to stick closed. Or it is just not working at the labeled temp.

I always wonder about how accurate the gauge and sensors are. My Renix jeeps have terribly inaccurate gauge/sensors on temp. Sense yours is a 98, the two should match pretty closely. Have you checked the temp sensor connections for corrosion?

The connectors look good. I have cleaned them and put some grease on them this summer when I replaced the sensor.

Im going to take some of the guys on here that know stuff about things and get my next tstat from Jeep. lol

However, I am going to wait until spring because its just too bloody cold out here.

I would verify the temps with an IR temp gun. I don't think the stant brand is specifically an issue, maybe you just got a faulty t-stat. Perhaps your sending unit is just faulty.

Thanks Talyn, I planned on doing that as soon as I see my buddy that has one.