I'm 99.99% sure the intended use of Teflon tape (found in the plumbing dept at hardware store) is to create water tight connections, whereas...

I'm thinking the intended use of ground black peppercorns... is something completely different.

I did a Google search for pepper in coolant, and there are a number of articles that describe using this as a temporary fix, when one is in a pinch, however I'm not ready to buy into this as a permanent fix, no way. OTOH, when it comes to the proper way to fix a nice rare steak, I'm all for it!