Gaskets and Seals

There Are No Small Parts, Only Tight Spaces

No matter how tiny, every automotive part must be engineered, manufactured and installed with precision. High-temperature gaskets and high-pressure seals, in all areas of a vehicle's driving and operating systems from engine and transmission components to cooling and heating elements and from fuel and emission systems to steering and suspension mechanisms, are designed and sold for specific makes and models, like the Subaru Forester, Toyota Tacoma or Honda Civic.

Gaskets are vital to prevent leaks of liquid and gas, running from the engine to the exhaust, by tightly sealing two surface types together. Gaskets can get pinched, cracked and torn, or dry out and shrink, which pulls open the bonded seal. White smoke coming from under the hood, liquid pooling under the car or consistently running low on fluids like coolant or fuel are signs that a gasket needs replaced. And don't forget the often overlooked (usually spring-loaded) rubber coated or silicon seals: axle shaft seals, wheel seals, transfer case output shaft seals, cylinder head seal rings and more.

Don't Lose Your Head Over A Bad Gasket

Here's a gasket, there's a gasket, everywhere is a gasket. Gaskets are vital to your entire car, truck or van's cooling system, including on the water pump, thermostat and coolant bypasses. Valve cover gaskets are often made of rubber or cork that become brittle over time, which can lead to cracks that allow leaking. Additionally, your vehicle's transmission or differential could be damaged beyond repair if fluid leaks from a failed axle gasket.

The timing cover is often tucked away under fans, belts and pulleys at the front of the engine, which makes it difficult to inspect the timing cover gasket. The timing cover protects the timing belt that connects the camshaft to the crankshaft, and allows your engine valves to open and close at exactly the right time during the internal combustion process. The timing cover gasket ensures this essential cover keeps out dirt, grime and debris from entering the engine.

A leaky intake manifold gasket can lead to a blown cylinder head gasket. The head gasket is mounted between the engine block, which houses the cylinders, and the cylinder head, which contains the intake, exhaust and valves. The head gasket creates a seal to contain the internal combustion process, and it keeps coolant and oil from mixing as they circulate throughout the engine.

A blown head gasket can cause your engine to drastically overheat, greatly adding to the costly repair. Best practice is to replace head gaskets during any service to your cooling system. If the leak is minor, try using head gasket Stop Leak, a liquid sealing compound that is poured into the radiator. The coolant carries the stop leak mixture to the head gasket, where it fills in any leaks and hardens to reseal the gasket.

Not All Gaskets Are Built Alike

NAPA AUTO PARTS carries hundreds of components from automotive gasket manufactures and sealing ring suppliers, including exhaust manifold gasket sets, intake manifold gasket kits, thermostat housing gaskets, oil pan gaskets, catalytic converter gaskets, EGR valve gaskets, exhaust flange gaskets and gearbox gaskets.

While many new cars use multi-layer steel gaskets, any vehicles older than the mid-2000s use gaskets made from high-heat resistant materials with a steel core. The two halves are bonded to the steel core, which keeps the gasket from blowing out. At-home mechanics working on their souped-up Ford GT or a classic Volkswagen Beetle might consider custom cutting gaskets from rubber fiber material. Custom-made gaskets are best used on pieces like manifolds and exhaust pipe flanges.

Shop for automotive replacement brands like NAPA Echlin, Sealed Power, Mahle and Eaton Weatherhead, engineered for extremely high-pressure applications, their innovative design and superior corrosion resistance results in higher operating performance. Of course, no shopping cart of gaskets and seals is complete without an item from NAPA AUTO PARTS' selection of adhesives and sealants.

Whether you are shopping for seal and retainer kits, seal repair sleeves, piston rings, V-rings orO-rings for axles, camshafts and engine coolant pipes, NAPA knows how important convenience is to our customers. Our mission is to deliver quality automotive parts when you need them most. That's way NAPA AUTO PARTS offers One Day Shipping on 160,000+ products to nearly all areas of the U.S.