Granville Instant Gasket – Product Review

Should you use gasket sealant? The debate has raged for as long as we can remember. It’s an argument as old as time and in answer to the question, our two pennies’ worth would be… sometimes. Most gaskets don’t require any extra sealant, after all, that’s the whole point of a gasket – to provide a seal between two mating surfaces. But, in some instances it is necessary as an additional safeguard to help prevent leaks, especially if a flange is particularly uneven, helping to fill any minute gaps. It can also be used to improve the efficacy of cheaper gasket materials as well as keep a gasket in place when fitting new parts, which is exactly what we utilised Granville Instant Gasket for when replacing a water pump. So, how was it to use and how has it held up after our application? Let’s find out.

Get your Granville Instant Gasket here.

The Product

Granville Instant Gasket is an acetoxy cure, room-temperature-vulcanizing silicone sealant which means it releases acetic acid when curing and whilst this could cause discolouration or corrosion on certain surfaces it does mean that it cures more quickly than a neutral sealant. It is resistant to high temperatures, pressures, transmission fluids, water and antifreeze and doesn’t shrink when dry, remaining flexible to form either a replacement for factory gaskets, creating a tough rubber seal, or as an adhesive to keep them in place when fitting.

The Test

The water pump on our Volvo 940 Turbo recently began its death rattle and so to avoid catastrophe we swapped it out. It sits on the front of the engine block and is a bit of a pain to fit so we thought we would fix the gasket to the pump with some Granville Instant Gasket to stop it moving about and potentially not sealing properly when installing the new pump. A small bead of the stuff around the mating surface of the pump allowed us to adhere the gasket to the pump. Letting it cure for a few minutes we were then able to fit the pump to the engine, safe in the knowledge that it would be in exactly the right place to seal effectively, eliminating any pesky water leaks.

The Result

It’s been a couple of weeks now since fitting the pump and with a few long journeys subsequently under its belt we can confirm that there are no leaks whatsoever and everything is tickety-boo. The clear sealant is simple to work with and we were able to clean up any excess with ease. It cures quickly which cuts down on any waiting time and the gasket stayed put when fitting the new water pump to the car. While not strictly necessary it did make installation a lot easier and any worries concerning improper placement of the gasket were extinguished. Peace of mind truly is a wonderful thing.

The Verdict – 5 out of 5

If you’re looking for a gasket sealing solution then you can’t go wrong with Granville Instant Gasket. It’s perfect for those fiddly instances, like with our water pump, where you need the gasket to remain in place when mating two vertical surfaces and at less than a fiver for a 40g tube there’s no excuse not to have some in your toolbox. We can’t comment on its capacity as a complete gasket replacement but for our application it was 100% effective and easy to work with.