GM's Redesigned 2003+ LIM gaskets

[geldartb]

those uppers are they the metal ones

advanced shows paper but thats just a general pic

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=FEL&MfrPartNumber=MS90505

[Superdave]

I'd imagine so.. but the stock GM ones are metal as well.

[geldartb]

i tryed buying the stock GM ones awhile back seperate from the complete set and they tryed to pawn off paper 3400 ones on me, and i couldnt see spending the 130 for the complete set just to get the 2 gaskets.

there on 7 bucks too

[IsaacHayes]

The upper MS-90505 Seems to be paper instead of the metal like the factory. But I'm guessing it's larger opening so those who wish to port to a bigger gasket can grab this and go for cheap ($5)!

[geldartb]

the only thing is if you look at the list of vehicles for the part number they are all 3400 cars, theres no 3500 based cars in the list

[3400-95-Modified]

Do you want a set of 3500 uppers... Give me $30 and they are yours, I just dropped $111 on another GM LIMG set, which is lower, valley and uppers... Not even the friken valve covers...

But yes let me know if you want them, I already have 1 set to use again.

[IsaacHayes]

Yeah those metal uppers can be re-used. Hell I re-used the plain paper 3100 ones that didn't even have any silicone in them like 3 times or more! LOL

[G-U-NOT]

I think Im just going to wait for Fel-Pro... I trust them more than the GM stockers!!

[3400-95-Modified]

3500 GM stockers haven't had any problems like previous versions. And its all in the torque, and use of thread lock and also those metal tabs to prevent crushing of the side ports.

[IsaacHayes]

Warping of the plastic has been my biggest problem on all 3 sets of plastic ones that my car has seen.

[david3100]

Plastic LIM gaskets - How long will they last?

I just bought a 95 Cutlass yesterday (3100) with butterscotch oil.
Started and ran long enough to get onto car dolly. No knocks.
It'll be used for short trips and maybe 5,000 miles a year.
I have a set of the all too familiar plastic gaskets.
Would you use them in this case?

[3400-95-Modified]

I would still invest in the better felpro metal ones. I did for my daily car, granted I'll be doing more miles but it's worth it knowing you wont have to fudge with it again later.

[Rhedalert]

I wanted to update that I did replace the GM gaskets a few weeks ago. I didn't find any obvious failure of the old gaskets, but the new Dorman set works just fine and with the bolts it's a good investment. I'm going to send the last batch of oil for analysis to see just how much glycol was mixed in.

[david3100]

Oil test?

I remember years ago, truckers had their oil tested and the results could indicate bearing wear by the type of material found, and ring wear. Do you have contact information to share on the lab that tests oil? Thanks

[IsaacHayes]

Good news on the cheaper metal dorman set. The last LIM plastic gasket I took out had less than 1 year of use on it, and wasn't leaking, but if you look at the cooling jackets, it looked like the plastic was getting wider around the silicone seal, and there was crusty stuff built up there (not dex cool, car has never seen dex cool, just old school green). These were dealership gaskets BTW. Not leaking, but showing signs that they would be eventually.