Gaskets are a pivotal tool in every auto engine because they help to protect motors from problems like dirt, dust, gas, and fluid and ensure that they run smoothly. When properly installed, a gasket will prevent leaks, minimize contamination risks, and reduce failure dangers. Gaskets come in many material types, including paper. This latter fact may surprise some, but paper gaskets are very useful.
Before installing any in your engine, though, you likely have some questions. For example, many people wonder, “Do paper gaskets need sealant?” and other important things. The TLDR answer? It depends. That’s why we’re here to help amateur mechanics, and car owners understand proper paper gasket sealant selection and to make it easier to understand these important car components.
Understanding Paper Gaskets
A paper gasket is a large sheeting piece that helps make gaskets or seals throughout engines. They can join components or surfaces together and minimize various types of problematic issues. Please note that the name itself is misleading: they aren’t actually made out of paper. Instead, they’re made of flexible and robust materials that provide a long-lasting surface for your engine’s needs.
For example, paper gaskets may come in cork, nitrile, or silicone rubber. When properly used, paper gaskets provide a quick and cost-effective sealing method and can be adapted into many different shapes. Typically, a paper gasket comes in a sheet form that can be shaped into O-rings and other styles. This adaptability makes them ideal for car engines and various production machines.
Typically, paper gaskets are named after their intended usage, which makes them simple to understand. For example, you may find “vehicle” gaskets available near you, as well as “production” gaskets. It’s important to talk with professionals about paper gaskets before buying any to ensure that you’re making the best decision for your engine or production machine.
By now, you should have a simple idea of what paper gaskets are and a basic understanding of what they do. However, let’s take a deep look at the available types on the market today. We’ll break these down and, later in this article, talk about whether they need sealants. Then, we’ll talk about what sealants are available on the market today. Are you ready? Let’s dive into it!
Composition and Types of Paper Gaskets
Before answering the question “Do paper gaskets need sealant?” it’s important to look at a few types and their composition. Then, we can analyze the various types of paper gasket sealant options available for you to ensure you make an intelligent decision:
Rubber Gasket Sheet: A rubber gasket sheet is a great all-around option that uses entry-level materials to protect against gas leaks. Typically, they’re fairly inexpensive and work well for mild acids and alkali materials. However, the rubber makes it unusable for high-pressure or temperature uses.
Cork Gasket Sheet: Cork gaskets compress very easily and work well for oils, solvents, and various types of fuels. They don’t aggressively react to these substances and provide a strong vibration-damping capability. They’re not as strong mechanically, particularly under flex and torso.
Silicone Gasket Sheets: Silicone works best in an outdoor environment because it resists moisture and temperature changes and works best in many flexible situations. However, they don’t work well for streams and oils and should be used only in specific circumstances.
Nitrile Gasket Sheets: These gaskets can be used in many different situations, particularly when protecting against oil, water, silicon greases, and hydrocarbons. They’re not great for chlorines, ketones, and oxidizing agents, so make sure you keep that in mind before trying them.
Other options include graphic gasket sheets (great for high-pressure scenarios), asbestos gasket sheets (high protection from extreme temperatures but potentially dangerous to health), high-temperature gaskets (provide complete leakable control and temperature protection), and exhaust gaskets (perfect for exhaust machinery). But how are these gaskets used?
Common Applications in Automotive and Household Machinery
Paper gaskets are used in many industries, including automotive, household, and industrial machines. That makes them one of the most widely used gasket types on the market and one it’s important to fully understand. Just a few ways that paper gaskets are used include:
Sealing oil pans, valve covers, water pumps, exhaust systems, and transmissions
Protecting appliances like refrigerators, air conditioners, and ovens to keep them safe
Enclosing electrical devices and electronic devices to provide insulation and protect from dust
Creating watertight seals in various plumbing items, like fittings, faucets, pipes, and valves
Covering industrial machinery, like gearboxes, hydraulic systems, pumps, and compressors
Sealant or No Sealant? It Depends
Earlier, we gave a TLDR answer stating that paper gasket sealant usage varies depending on various situations. Now, we’re going into more depth on situations in which you definitely need sealant for your paper gaskets.
If you’re asking the question, “Do paper gaskets need sealant?” and can’t find a great answer anywhere else, please read these scenarios to get the information that you need.
Leak Protection
Are you installing a paper gasket in a sensitive area that might leak? These spots may include oil pans, gas tanks, and other critical sections.
Paper gaskets in these areas definitely need a sealant to fill gaps and stop fluids from getting out. After all, a leaking paper gasket in a gas tank could lead to devastating damage throughout your engine that could take it out of commission.
Contaminant Risks
While protection from leaks is definitely important, it’s also essential to avoid contamination. For example, you may need paper gasket sealant around refrigerant storage areas.
Dirt, dust, and mold can easily spread past paper gaskets without the proper sealant. Thankfully, sealant provides an extra barrier that should keep these contaminants out of delicate or sensitive areas.
Surface Strengthening
The best sealant can strengthen the surface mating between two different items and keep a gasket firmly attached. For instance, you can use a sealant to attach a paper gasket between two types of metals and ensure that the seal stays strong.
Sealants also help increase the longevity of sealed parts and can protect the gasket itself from oil, gas, and contaminant damage risks.
When You Don’t Need Sealants
Generally speaking, adding sealants to your paper gaskets won’t damage them or cause any major issues. In fact, it’s often good practice to simply add a sealant to all paper gaskets. That said, you don’t need sealants for all gaskets.
They’re most salient to use when exposed to fluids or high temperatures. For example, paper gaskets in low-pressure areas of the engine may not need sealant protection.
Types of Sealants for Paper Gaskets
At this point, you know the answer is that it varies depending on many factors. Now, you need to know what types of sealants are available and how they benefit you. In this section, we’ll break down the different sealant options for paper gaskets to ensure you can make an intelligent decision. Each has varying advantages that make them worth trying out.
Shellac Gasket Sealer
Shellac gasket sealer also goes by the name Indian head shellac and is mostly commonly used on thin paper gaskets. You can even use it on cardboard gaskets, though these are relatively rare.
Technicians love it because it works well protecting against motor fluids and isn’t hard to remove. Use it to protect against temperatures between 300-350 degrees Fahrenheit and in low-pressure situations.
High-Tack Gasket Sealer
High-tack sealants are similar to shellac sealants because they resist diesel, kerosene, propane, and other fuels quite easily. However, they’re better for high-temperature uses and can resist up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
That makes them useful for various types of engines and high-pressure situations. Note that they don’t dry and stay tacky after application, so keep that in mind before using.
Gasket Makers
Gasket makers resist temperatures as high as 400 degrees Fahrenheit and come in various forms. The first hardens and dries quickly and helps to build a bond between threatened connections.
The second dries more slowly and is used in oil pans and transmissions. The third come doesn’t harden and works well to seal hose connections and keep them from leaking excessively.
Copper Gasket Sealer
As you might expect, copper gasket sealers work well when creating seals in metal parts. For example, they fill gaps in exhausts, cylinder heads, and other high-temperature areas in an engine.
They resist up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and produce one of the strongest seals for paper gaskets. Even better, they’re easy to remove and replace if they get damaged at any time.
RTV Silicone Gasket Sealer
RTV or room-temperature vulcanizing silicone sealants provide amazing temperature protection. Add them to your vehicle to protect from temperatures between 500-750 degrees Fahrenheit.
They come in varying color codes, with the highest levels coming in copper and mid-levels coming in orange. Even better, they’re easy to apply with a caulk gun and dry quickly to produce a strong seal for your needs.
Anaerobic Sealer
Anaerobic sealers aren’t used very often because their purpose is so specific. They’re used in areas when there’s no external air source to help dry the sealant and keep it strong.
For example, they work best in air-tight engine components and provide long-lasting protection. Unless your paper gaskets fall under this heading, you might want to try a different option instead of this one.
Is It Common For Paper Gaskets to Fail?
Paper gasket failure isn’t necessarily common but can occur due to poor installation, bad type selection, uneven clamping, and other issues. Gasket sealants can protect against some of these problems, though reinstalling the gaskets may be necessary if they’re too poorly added.
If they do fail, you can expect problems like overheating, misfiring cylinders, check engine light activation, and even engine failure. These issues occur because gasket failure causes electrostatic charges throughout the engine, as well as contamination with various fluids.