Mercruiser gasket manufacturer

[al4171999]

Hi. I ordered a new head gasket for my mercruiser 470 on eBay which I figured was too good to be true but figured it was worth a try with the price I payed. I figured maybe someone had given up on their boat and was selling off the parts they had. The ad said it was an Quicksilver marine gasket and the Boy it shipped in had a quicksilver marine sticker on the outside but was only taped and did not have any kind of plastic on it or anything. After looking inside the box the gasket is printed victor reinz afm20 so I assume they are repackaging cheap head gaskets as OEM to try and make some money. Does anyone know what is printed on an OEM gasket or is there a possibility victor reinz makes gaskets for mercruiser? I would assume this is not the case but want to make sure before I either put it on the boat if it's genuine or order another one and report this to eBay

Any help is appreciated, Alex

 

[Bondo]

or is there a possibility victor reinz makes gaskets for mercruiser?

Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,.... Anything is possible, Merc don't make 'em,..... reinz makes some quality stuff,...

 

[alldodge]

Not saying if the gaskets may or may not be Mec/QS, but all Merc/QC parts are sealed in a bag which has Merc/QC as part of the bag. They also list that part is not returnable if opened.

As for if the gasket you bought will work, it probably will but don't know if it is a composite gasket. The original gaskets were not composites the newer ones are which are better.

The AFM 20 is a material listed with DANA (Germany) and my wild guess is it should work fine
http://www.reinz-industrial.com/EN/PRODUCTS/AFM-Group/AFM-20.aspx

 

[stonyloam]

As I recall the only thing printed on the OEM gasket is the word "front". This is the head gasket, see those lines on it, they are beads of silicone I think, they help seal the gasket to the head. If they are not there then I don't think it is OEM. . http://www.mercruiserparts.com/13709-gasket As opposed to this http://www.iboats.com/mall/image/ven...8-3878_big.jpg I think the aftermarket (non OEM) ones are just repackaged Ford 460 heads. Might be OK, but I would not use one.

 

[al4171999]

The one I got does have silicone strips matching the picture you posted. It is a composite gasket. I think I will try to use it since it's extremely easy to change if it doesn't work out. I was just nervous about it since I have read a lot of arguments against using aftermarket head gaskets on these engines since they are prone to water leaks in the lifter area.
Thabks for all the help everyone!!

 

[Bt Doctur]

Fel-Pro SS marine 17068

 

[stonyloam]

Sounds like you will be OK.