>Hope the guy that brought this to mind (John Slade) heard it.  I still don't know what kind of junction >(connector, butt splices, bullet connectors, etc) that he used but none of them should be encapsulated in RTV >for the reason given.  That pungent smell you get when dispensing RTV is acetic acid. 
Yep. Heard it loud and clear.
The RTV was added in an attempt to waterproof the connector. I was concerned that the open holes were vertical, just below the water pump and might get filled with coolant in the event of a leak. Perhaps a rubber boot would be a better solution.
John