Read through enough shop repair manuals, and there’s a good chance you’ll come across the word “Gasgacinch” in your studies.
So in this article we’ll explain what Gasgacinch is and offer some handy ways to use it.
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Story Summary Overview:
- Gasgacinch is sold as a gasket sealer & belt dressing
- It can help prevent leaks in certain applications
- Good for intake manifolds, water pumps, valve covers, oil pans & more
- It can also prevent gaskets from shifting around as you install them
- When applied to a belt, it can improve grip and reduce slippage
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Gasgacinch has been around for decades and is a common sight in professional shops and home garages alike.
Gasgacinch is a super thin, sticky sealant that can be brushed onto the gasket itself or its mating surface. It’s easy to clean up, won’t harm the gasket, and is resistant to oils, fuel, and heat. It’s also flexible even after drying, so the gasket remains pliable and workable.
Gasgacinch works great for things like water pumps, valve covers, intakes, and oil pans.
The best part? It’s easy to remove too, so you’re not yanking and scraping to get the part off after a few years and thousands of heat cycles.
So yeah, at first glance, it may seem like Gasgacinch can help mitigate leaks—particularly in stubborn spots where slightly uneven or pitted surfaces can cause headaches.
And while that’s certainly true, it’s only part of the magic.
Perhaps the biggest benefit to using Gasgacinch is it keeps the gasket stuck in place while you work. (If you’ve ever muttered a quiet profanity or two while wrestling parts into place without the gaskets slipping off, you can appreciate the appeal here.)
Since Gasgacinch is tacky, you simply apply some to the gasket and stick it into place on one of the mating surfaces. As long as you’re not too aggressive with your movements, the gasket will stay put while you maneuver the part into place—even at odd angles or upside down.
Suffice it to say, if you’ve got a pesky gasket and can’t rely on dowel pins, flanges, or channels to keep it stationary, Gasgacinch comes to your rescue.
You’ll also notice that Gasgacinch is considered a belt dressing—which in our experience, can help mitigate belt slippage.
While we’ve never used it on a belt for a street-driven vehicle, we have used a seasonal application of Gasgacinch on the belt-driven starter for a vintage Cub Cadet Model 72 lawn tractor.
Gasgacinch is one of those handy products that gearheads in-the-know buy and keep on shelf so it’s ready if/when you need it. And the best part is, it’s not expensive and, if properly sealed and stored, will last a long time in your shop or garage.
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