k&s gasket kits

[uranys]

i'm getting ready to reassemble my engine and I saw a k&s complete gasket kit for about $60.

Has anyone tried one of these? Are they any good, or is oem the only was to go?

[brantc]

I would go OEM for the valve cover and the head gasket.

They are both metal gaskets that have to be the right thickness.

Whatever else for the rest......

[Beyond The Pale]

I've installed K&S about 18 months ago and so far they are working fine. I also have a preference for OEM on those two gaskets. Currently I only have a OEM head gasket though. My K&S cover gasket is holding fine.

There is a guy form south Florida selling no name gaskets on ebay. Don't use those unless you plan on taking your engine apart in a year. The heat bakes those gaskets brittle and they crack leading to oil leaks. At least that's what happened to me.

[uranys]

I intend to re-use my oem cam cover gasket, it's pretty new.

Looking at an image of the k&s kit, the head gasket looks like it is similar in construction to the oem. Is this not the case? I have a cometic that I won't use because it looks really cheap.

[HeadTrauma]

As long as the head gasket is laminated steel it will likely work fine. Actually, the head cover gasket should be laminated steel also.