Napa/Felpro valve cover gasket = junk?

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Bought one for my Corolla as the one in the car was leaking pretty bad. The Napa Felpro unit was a little too short around the cam sprocket and distributor; it just didn't fit in the groove all the way, but Napa already closed, so I went ahead and installed it hoping it will seat correctly when tightened. Plus the book says to use a dab of RTV in the corners where the cam/distributor come out the head as they are 90 degree corners.

It seems EVERYTHING I buy automotive nowadays is absolute JUNK, even OEM stuff. I though Felpro was still decent...
 
I remember hearing about Felpro having issues with certain Corolla gaskets.
 
Fel-Pro gaskets have been questionable for me as far as longevity is concerned. I've had excellent luck with Victor/Reinz gaskets. Unfortunately Victor/Reinz gaskets are a little tough to obtain and are now Mahle.
 
Originally Posted By: Kool1
Fel-Pro gaskets have been questionable for me as far as longevity is concerned. I've had excellent luck with Victor/Reinz gaskets. Unfortunately Victor/Reinz gaskets are a little tough to obtain and are now Mahle.


Get them on EBay. They have everything. Might be a little old but you should not have issue finding the other brands there.
 
I was pretty disappointed in Fel-Pro when I was replacing the water pump on my car. Their gasket was a cheap cardboard gasket that fell apart after torquing the bolts. I went to the dealer and bought an OEM metal gasket for $4 more.
 
Rock Auto still has Mahle/Reinz gaskets
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Get the Mahle/Victor Reinz, Beck/Arnley, or Magnum
 
Originally Posted By: boom10ful
I was pretty disappointed in Fel-Pro when I was replacing the water pump on my car. Their gasket was a cheap cardboard gasket that fell apart after torquing the bolts. I went to the dealer and bought an OEM metal gasket for $4 more.


Something that important you have to use metal gasket.
 
I have a Fel-pro valve cover gasket and tube seals on my f23a accord. No leaks. I had OE Hondabond RTV gasket maker for the pan gasket that leaked at the dip on the transmission side. I replaced it with an after-market fel pro gasket and no more leaks.

Sometimes, it is all about application.
 
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Bought one for my Corolla as the one in the car was leaking pretty bad. The Napa Felpro unit was a little too short around the cam sprocket and distributor; it just didn't fit in the groove all the way, but Napa already closed, so I went ahead and installed it hoping it will seat correctly when tightened. Plus the book says to use a dab of RTV in the corners where the cam/distributor come out the head as they are 90 degree corners.

It seems EVERYTHING I buy automotive nowadays is absolute JUNK, even OEM stuff. I though Felpro was still decent...

Get a horse... Problem solved.
 
Fel-Pro can be hit or miss on Japanese cars, I insist on OEM gaskets for valve covers. On the flipside, I've installed a Fel-Pro valve cover gasket set on a Nissan Quest and it worked fine. I'm using Fel-Pro's plenum gaskets on my parent's current van and they fit and installed fine despite being made in China.
 
I ordered a Beck Arnley; from the pics, it looks OEM, maybe Aisin. Hopefully it works...

Car is acting like it has a vacuum leak; rough idle etc. I knew I shouldn't have put that [censored] on my car.
mad.gif
 
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I used Felpro about 3 years back for the valve cover; after 3 years needs to be replaced; [censored] quality
 
I think it is purely application specific. On a SBF the Fel-Pro one piece oil pan gasket is the bees knees. However for a head gasket Cometic MLS only.
 
I share the same sentiment. Used a Fel-Pro valve cover gasket on an 2003 Matrix with the 1.8. Even dabbed silicon on the spots where the service manual indicated to help. Still leaked.
 
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