Exhaust Gaskets

Buying guide: Exhaust Gaskets

There are 540 listings covering 1960 through 2026 with a median price around $24. Gaskets are the cheapest part in an exhaust job and the one most often reused when it should not be. A compressed gasket does not seal a second time, and a leak at a manifold flange sounds exactly like a cracked manifold, which sends plenty of people shopping for the wrong part.

FEL-PRO supplies the largest share with 284 listings, followed by Ajusa, Elring, ACDelco, Dorman and Walker Exhaust. That spread matters because the material varies by application.

Multi-layer steel gaskets are the modern standard for exhaust manifolds on aluminium heads. They handle the different expansion rates of cast iron and aluminium without crushing. Composite and graphite gaskets are used where the original used them, typically on older cast-iron applications and at pipe joints. Copper gaskets are for high-temperature race applications and generally need re-torquing after the first heat cycle.

Position matters as much as material. Manifold-to-head, manifold-to-downpipe, flange donut, EGR tube and AIR pipe gaskets are all separate parts. A manifold job usually needs three or four of them, not one.

Follow the torque sequence in the service manual. Exhaust manifold bolts are specified low on most engines, often 15 to 25 ft-lb, and tightening them in the wrong order warps the flange and starts the leak again. If you are replacing a gasket because of a leak, check the flange for straightness with a steel rule before fitting the new one. A warped flange will destroy a new gasket within a few heat cycles no matter how carefully it is installed.