With engines now lasting as long as 150,000-plus miles, there's little doubt that gasket technology advances have played a significant part in the longevity and durability of today's engines. Today's engines must be robust enough to withstand a hostile environment for such a long life, and without leading to gasket failure. A gasket needs to keep things such as engine oil, coolant, vacuum and combustion properly separated within an engine. In order to achieve this, gasket engineers have tried various materials to seal the engine. Nowadays, your customers demand the OE equivalent from your repaired engine, so you need gaskets that are up to the task.

A robust gasket design is one that will hold up for the life of the engine under less than ideal operating conditions. Clamp loads may vary, fatigue and gasket creep may set in, a flange may warp or distort, but the gasket must continue to do the job despite such circumstances. To counteract these issues, gasket makers have employed a healthy dose of ingenuity and high-tech materials to help you keep your engines in service and free of leaks.

Sealing Solutions
We interviewed several gasket makers to discuss the latest trends in gasket design and materials. One common acknowledgement from our interviews is, in fact, that gasket development in the aftermarket is the result of new OEM designs. As new engines become lighter and more fuel efficient, sealing them can becom...