Oil Seals/Gaskets: OEM vs Aftermarket

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jan 29, 2012
Messages
777
Location
Canada
I posted this question in my vehicle specific forum, but realized it might be more suited to the BITOG community because of the level of OCD here
grin.gif


I usually like to stick with OEM on critical parts and just wanted the community's thoughts on oil seals (eg. rear main, crankshaft, camshaft, axle, etc...). We can also expand the topic to gaskets and the various RTV sealants. With such a simple part, is there much to go wrong with an aftermarket seal? Are there brands which are better to stick with and have you guys ever had any problems with aftermarket brands or have been able to trace the reason of failure?

I understand there are some OEM nazis out there (for some parts, I am too), but I want to understand what is it exactly that may or may not make an aftermarket seal better or worse than OEM. Is it material selection? The physical design/engineering? It's not exactly rocket science to make a Viton based seal right?

I do like OEM parts, but when the price difference is $10 vs $50 for the same part, it's hard to justify that extra cost. The low Canadian dollar is also making OEM parts more expensive than usual.
 
Sometimes it just plain depends on what make/model/year we are talking about. The OEM's over the years have a track record of having some pretty faulty stuff. Especially on intake and head gaskets.
 
Whoever agreed to GMs specs for cheap intake gaskets should bow out of gasket making.
 
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
Whoever agreed to GMs specs for cheap intake gaskets should bow out of gasket making.


That's so true. After market was truly superior to the junk they were using.
 
Fel-pro usually makes good gaskets. Magnum is also a good brand.

The OEM gaskets are made by one of the aftermarket companies like Fel-pro or Victor Reinz.

Many Victor Reinz gaskets for Japanese cars are reboxed OEM and made in Japan. Reinz actually supplies most of the gaskets on European cars. However, Victor's gaskets for American cars are often terrible.

And as already mentioned, if the OE design is faulty, then aftermarket can be a better choice.

For some brands, you can find the country of origin on eBay by searching for the brand and part number.
 
try using aftermarket head gaskets on a 6.0 powerstroke. You will kick yourself when they fail in a couple hundred miles. oem only for that case.
 
Originally Posted By: abycat
try using aftermarket head gaskets on a 6.0 powerstroke. You will kick yourself when they fail in a couple hundred miles. oem only for that case.


Absolutely, and only use genuine ARP head studs. Toss the OEM TTY bolts in the trash as soon as they come out of the box.
 
Like many things, there is a lot of variation. Sometime the OEM is better. Sometimes the aftermarket is a copy of the OEM/The OEM is repackaged aftermarket. Then sometimes the OEM screws up and Aftermarket comes to the rescue.

FWIW, I used Felpro gaskets from AZ when I recently swapped the intake manifold on my CVPI and I was happy with them. They looked similar to the factory gaskets that came off except with blue rubber instead of grey.
 
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with OCD on a $2 part. I've gotten weird looks from the parts counter guys for asking to compare the quality of gaskets they stock. But that's one reason I'll buy gaskets from chain stores vs. online.

I've had good success with most gaskets just by doing a quick test-fit, also making sure the surfaces are 100% flat and clean, and coat with a very light layer of RTV gasket sealant.
 
A lot of people here are OEM only nazis

I like Fel-Pro gaskets. I have a Victor Reinz valve cover gasket on my car now, it's doing fine.
 
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
Depends entirely on application.


This.

Sometimes fel-pro improves OE paper gaskets by adding a silicone lip, while in other applications they may be paper where OE was flourosilicone.
 
Other than known issues where the aftermarket has resolved an issue, or some other performance criteria, I'm OK with OEM. I'll also use aftermarket from a known reputable brand, no white box generic ebay gaskets / seals. This is especially true if the component is buried and requires significant effort to change it out.
There are cases where it wouldn't make any difference who made the gasket / seal. It may fail due to a design problem, installation process, or sealing surface condition. So when a gasket / seal fails, the gasket / seal is not always the root cause, but you guys all know that.
 
I use Fel-Pro and OEM interchangably for most things. For radial seals, I stick to OEM - because a lot of aftermarket seals aren't even close to NOK or Freudenberg.

Elring, Victor Reinz, Federal-Mogul, Freudenberg and NOK have virtually all the OEM business.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: nthach
I use Fel-Pro and OEM interchangably for most things. For radial seals, I stick to OEM - because a lot of aftermarket seals aren't even close to NOK or Freudenberg.

Elring, Victor Reinz, Federal-Mogul, Freudenberg and NOK have virtually all the OEM business.


Yeh if it's NOK or ROCK I tend to buy one of those instead of fel-pro.
 
I get better results from OEM gaskets unless the OEM gaskets have a design flaw. I prefer Fel-pro for most GM V6 engines and the Ford Vulcan 3.0L.
 
Originally Posted By: artificialist
I get better results from OEM gaskets unless the OEM gaskets have a design flaw. I prefer Fel-pro for most GM V6 engines and the Ford Vulcan 3.0L.


If I ever find myself wrenching on a GM or Ford V6 for a friend, I'll use Fel-Pro Problem Solvers exclusively on those.
 
OEM or Aftermarket isn't the deciding factor for me, material choice is.

My OLD gaskets were card, or cork. Since strip&inspect&rebuild when I purchased the car, my NEW gaskets are rubber or MLS.

Don't care who makes them, I care what they're made from.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top