Are these exhaust gaskets reusable?

[RETed]

Originally Posted by JustJeff

Turbo to downpipe gasket. I didn't store it properly and it got damaged. I'm thinking this isn't useable, but wanted some opinions.

This might seal initially, but I think it's going to fail prematurely down the road...
This might be worth replacing at this point if you don't want to deal with it within a few months to about a year.

The problem with this kinda damage is that the metal gets work hardened and will never go back to it's original (or preferred) shape.
Since torque specs are not excessively high - I believe it's only like 30 lb-ft or close to that? - I doubt the fastener torque is enough to flatten it out totally.
It'll be a different story if you're able to re-anneal the metal, but I doubt that's possible in this case.

The problem with exhaust gas sealing gaskets is that if you give the exhaust gases just a tiny alternate path to escape, it will and will cause a bigger gap the more you run it.
The gasket needs to have a perfect seal before running it with any miles or else it'll fail prematurely.


-Ted