O.K. question here…I have replaced my share of water pumps on piston engines GM, Chrysler…I need to replace my water pump on my 7 because it is leaking.

My 7 is an ’85 GSL-SE.

I got it tore down and I have to water pump off of the car but my question is in two parts (Haynes doesn’t address this in the manual):

1) When I removed the water pump it seemed to loosen the whole water pump assembly and not just the front “pump” portion. Does the whole water pump assembly need to be removed and have some sealant applied to it to prevent leaks? Or can I just put the sealant and gasket on the “pump” portion and bolt it all back together? Now I am wondering if this is where my leak was and not from the water pump itself.

2) What are these shims that the manuals keep talking about? They go behind bolts 2 and 4 on the pump? I don’t see any on the bolts that I removed.

Thank you for your input.

Jimbo3san