So, the Jeep decided that it just really wanted to consume timing cover gaskets at a steady rate of one per year, thus making it generally unable to retain coolant inside itself. An annoyance especially considering the relative pain in the ass replacing that gasket is. The first couple times I used the normal paper gaskets, never again. Not fucking around, I also replaced the pitted original timing cover with a brand-new one and did the water pump while I was in there. I probably should have put in a new cover the last time this happened but figured filling it in with JB Weld and sanding smooth would work - it may have done so and only the gasket failed, but this time I was taking no chances.
If I never see the timing set again it will be too soon.
Paper gaskets = garbage. This was the
good, non-leaky side. They might be fine for stopping oil splash, but just didn't stand up to pressurized coolant passage duty.
Left is the shit paper gasket, a Felpro 6563. This POS is included in Mopar P4876248 Engine Teardown Gasket Kits. I know this because I spent a month trying to track down a Mopar P4876052 timing cover gasket, which is a very high-quality metal-reinforced fiber gasket that is apparently out of production completely. An outfit in the States swore they has one in stock and I paid a dear price to have it shipped to Canada - Whoops! They didn't actually have one in stock and instead pulled the paper gasket from the P4876248 kit and assumed it was the same thing, despite it looking nothing like the image of the gasket on their website and their repeated assurances it was absolutely a reinforced fiber gasket. Nope! After a very angry phone call they refunded me my money and told me to keep the damned gasket.
Middle is the fiber gasket that came with the Dorman timing cover. It's actually quite a good quality gasket, but not a reinforced one - and as I said, I wasn't messing around this time.
Right is the TC gasket from the Fel-Pro TCS45996 kit - it's a full steel-framed gasket that's coated in silicone with multiple raised silicone ridges at the sealing faces. This is one badass gasket, probably better than the Mopar one I spent so much effort trying to find. So that's the one I installed.
New timing cover installed
New water pump installed (with a good fiber gasket, again no paper for me this time though I haven't had leakage in that area)
Buttoned back up, installed the fresh 150A alternator while I was at it.
Got her back together in time for moving to our new place next week, which is good since I'll finally have a shop and can do the brake and axle swaps.