my friend just fixed a water leak coming from the thermostat gasket in his car. thing is that he used silicone to seal it and no gasket or anything.. i told him to use a gasket and do it proper but he insisted he has done it before and it works.. will it work or should he fix it properly? help me out here and tell him lol
bandit_602012-02-28T19:22:43Z
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if you use silicone the right way it can last until you take the the thermostat out again. but myself i like the gasket.
You haven't changed very many thermostats in new cars have you? There are no gaskets and you don't use silicone. The neoprene gasket surrounds the thermostat itself.
Every car has a different type of gasket sealing arrangement.
The silicone will do the job. For extreme heat applications, it's better to use a paper gasket. I will use silicone as a sealant on a differental cover, but not a thermostat housing.
Ya gasket make will work if done right. Some cars they don't even make certain gaskets for them anymore and your supposed to use gasket maker. Me personally i would bought a gasket as they are only a few bucks but theirs a good chance the gasket maker will work just fine.
It could last for years or it could blow tomorrow. You're right, he should have bought or made a gasket. A quick home made gasket cut from a cereal box would be a lot better than nothing.