I think I messed up on the 351C. I put high temp silicone on both sides of the thermostat-housing gasket and bolted it down (kinda messy, looks like crud). A few hours later (long before the silicone had cured) I added antifreeze. Now I see coolant oozing out right under the bolt heads and the engine hasn't even been started. The threaded holes for the bolts go all the way through to the coolant passage so I'm assuming I should have put some RTV on the bolt threads and I should have waited the full 24 hours curing time before adding coolant.
Looks like I'll have to drain the fluid again, clean up this mess and try again. Should I be using something other than RTV? Maybe something less messy?
Looks like I'll have to drain the fluid again, clean up this mess and try again. Should I be using something other than RTV? Maybe something less messy?