Permatex Gasketing Products

The last time I bought any Permatex, (actually called Form-A-Gasket) it came in two flavors -- hardening and non-hardening. As of this posting Amazon.com search alone lists 452 results for "Permatex." The Permatex website is a wealth of information on these products, but it requires a lot of drilling down and doesn't offer online sales. Actually, the very last time I bought Permatex was a couple days ago, when I got some "Water Pump & Thermostat Housing RTV Silicone" (22071) to repair a loose radiator hose connection, which is what inspired this page. RTV is an acronym for "Room Temperature Vulcanizing."

Sometimes it can be a real challenge finding what you want at Amazon. In the case of these Permatex products, it's pretty easy -- if you know how. The Amazon automotive products editors have (usually) included the Permatex part numbers in their product names, so you can just search for "Permatex" + "part#" and find the appropriate product. (Use the actual part number, of course, from the Permatex website). The search box below should help:

NOTE: Search results will often include two or more pages for the same part. Typically the "cheaper" one is supplied by a third-party vendor and will include shipping charges, while the "higher" part comes straight from Amazon and is eligible for free shipping on orders of $25 or more.

I've used Permatex gasketing products for years and never had any cause for complaint. I have less experience with some of their newer product lines, which I suspect are corporate acquisitions. I have no reason to believe they aren't good -- I simply have no personal experience with many of them:

• Fast Orange is the Permatex line of degreasing hand cleaners. Most well-equipped garages have this or it's competing product Gojo
• DL Hand Cleaner if you don't like Fast Orange (the smell, maybe?) You could try DL Hand Cleaner, including the pumice-containing Trounce line.
• Right Stuff is Permatex's new elastomeric rubber gasket material which eliminates the need for cut gaskets and is approved by many OEMs. If you haven't used this before, you'll need the special caulking gun included in the Installer's Kit, or the aerosol Power Bead versions below.
• Power Bead is a line of select Permatex gasket makers and sealants in convenient aerosol form.
• PermaPoxy is a line of specialized and general-purpose epoxy resins. Similar products include J-B Weld and Bondo
• GEL TWIST is the Permatex line of threadlocking products, similar to the familiar Loctite brand.
• No Touch is the Permatex line of appearance products for glass, plastic, tires, and wheels. Competing brands include Meguiar's
• Spray Nine is a heavy-duty cleaner / degreaser from Permatex. Many people use Gunk for this type of application.
• NOS Nitrous Oxide Systems brand of octane boosters and fuel system cleaners.
• Dr. Bond this brand includes one of three Permatex lines of cyanoacrylate super glues and a special plastic bonding glue.

Gasketing Products

These products build on the foundation of the Permatex® (Form-A-Gasket) line, and what most people think of when they hear the name. In addition to the "original" products, there is now a wide range of RTV Silicon products.

• Form-A-Gasket #1 Type I (hardening) Sealant.
• Form-A-Gasket #2 Type II (non-hardening) Sealant.
• Aviation Form-A-Gasket #3 Type III (non-hardening Aviation) Sealant.
• Tacky Sealants Hold gaskets in place while positioning parts.
• RTV Silicon Sealants These "room temperature vulcanizing" silicon gasket-makers set into a rubber-like silicon gasket. Be sure to follow the directions, allowing the silicon to cure for 30 minutes between installing your part "finger tight" and torquing it down. These products come in a wide variety of color-coded formulations. The most popular are:
• Ultra Black RTV High temperature and oil resistance. Not recommended for parts in contact with gasoline. Good for valve covers, oil pans, etc. Meets or exceeds dealer warranty requirements.
• Ultra Blue RTV The original Permatex® RTV formula. Probably the best general purpose RTV silicon. Features high oil-resistance and flexibility.
• Ultra Grey RTV Rigid, high torque RTV for higher RPM engines.
• Automatic Transmission RTV Specifically for transmissions, resistant to harsh ATF additives.
• Ultra Black Valve Cover and Gasket Dressing RTV This differs from Ultra Black 22072 in that it is a non-setting gasket dressing vs. a hardening gasket maker.
• High Temp Copper RTV For high-temperature applications, including heads gaskets and exhaust manifolds.
• Water Pump & Thermostat RTV High resistance to ethyene glycol / antifreeze.
• Racing Sealants Made to be non-setting and non-hardening even at high temperatures for quick dismantling and reassembly.
• Hylomar Universal Blue Racing Formula Gasket Dressing and Flange Sealant Improves the chances of re-using a wide variety of gaskets.
• Surface Prep Activator for Anaerobics This solvent is recommended primarily for threadlockers, but could also be used for any of the anaerobic gasketing products below.
• Anaerobic Flange Sealants I'm not sure how this differs from the anaerobic gasket maker, but Permatex mentions that this product is flexible.
• Anaerobic Gasket Makers I'm not sure how this differs from the anaerobic flange sealant, but Permatex mentions that this product is easily removed.
• Other Gasketing Sealants
• Ultra Rubber Gasket Sealant The best sealant for formed rubber gaskets.
• SUPER '300' Form-A-Gasket Sealant Non-hardening sealant resists antifreeze, high-detergent oils, and aviation fuels.
• Indian Head Gasket Shellac Compound For hoses, paper and cardboard gaskets.
• Spray-A-Gasket Adhesive sealants hold gaskets in place for assembly.
• High Temperature Form-A-Gasket Amazon doesn't seem to have this in stock, but it's a slow-setting sealant for heavy-duty applications like exhaust pipe connections.
• Muffler & Tailpipe Sealer Follow the instructions, and this sealant will form a ceramic material in small joints between exhaust parts. Great for those "extra" parts used to adapt a clamp-on muffler to the thoughtfully welded factory-original system.
• Motoseal 1 - Grey MotoSeal forms a solvent-based bond that is great for irregular sufaces on 2 and 4 cycle engines. Fully cures in 20 minutes.
• Right Stuff New elastomeric rubber gasketing compound comes in regular and import versions for either a special caulk gun or aerosol dispenser, including their latest 1-Minute Gasket product.
• Power Bead Several sealant and gasket-maker products are available in this convenient aerosol form.

I originally intended to cover all the Permatex products listed at Amazon.com, but (obviously) 452 search results ran into a very long page. I'll be adding to this post "soon," but for now, the gasketing products are probably what nost people are looking for.