could bad thermostat gasket be cause of major coolant leak?

[mf7365]

I replaced my water pump myself on my 97 mountaineer 5.0 a year and a half ago and had no leak problems.

Suddenly 4 days ago the temp gauge spiked and when I checked the radiator it was bone dry with coolant leaking. I filled it up and made it home with no major problems. Then yesterday in a parking lot something let loose and all the coolant went everywhere. filled it again and limped home but noticed it did not leak at first when the engine was turned on. Only once heated up.

So I disassembled everything tonight to get access to the water pump and could not see any problems. The coolant was pooled on top of the water pump just under the Thermostat housing, so I pulled the thermostat having never changed it before. As soon as I got it off I noticed the gasket was completely corroded and particularly bad/gone at the bottom of the housing. Would I be wrong to assume the gasket is the culprit, change the gasket, put it together and not even mess with the water pump? I dont want to take that thing apart again, but I want to know if a bad thermostat gasket would create that big of a leak once it goes.

 

[koda2000]

there are many places that can leak coolant. in answer to your specific question - a blow thermostat housing gasket could cause a pretty substantial leak, which would be worse under pressure. in addition to changing the gasket and the thermostat, check the housing for corrosion and replace if necessary. i'd also replace the small bypass hose while you're in there.