Thermostat housing recommendation?

[Braymond141]

The URO gasket is different than the BMW ‘orange rubber thingie’. The URO gasket is a solid ‘column of silicon rubber different than BMW gasket than narrows on each edge.
I don’t believe that there is a bad batch of BMW gaskets.
There has been a rash of problems with plastic OEM and/or aftermarket thermostat housings.
I own a URO aluminum T-stat housing, as a spare. I am nervous about using it due to the size of the machined ‘trough’ for their oversized gasket.
Torque of attach fasteners could contribute to the issue. The T-Stat has an O-Ring and the BMW ‘orange thingie’ is well designed. Use the plastic T-Stat housing or the Ranol /Ranok aluminum housing, if you can find one.


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Read what I wrote again. BMW started supplying gaskets with the housings. Those gaskets are exactly like the Uro gasket. I’ll post photos later and they are absolutely not what you want to use.

Again, those may differ from the gasket ordered separate.

[Braymond141]

Silicone red gasket came with the Genuine housing compared to the orange Elring.



Again, DO NOT USE the provided gasket with Genuine BMW housings. They are the same silicone garbage that URO uses.

(photo by toodaloo)

[bluptgm3]

The inner flange of the OE housing does not appear to be at the same height as the exterior flange. The aluminum housing in this thread, the housing that failed, the flanges appear to be the same height......are ALL aluminum T-Stat Housings this configuration?







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[Braymond141]

The inner flange of the OE housing doe not appear to be at the same height as the exterior flange. The aluminum housing in this thread, the housing that failed, the flanges appear to be the same height......



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That has nothing to do with the issue, nor is it an issue. The seal is the problem.

[URO Parts]

Thanks for the update guys. Regardless of the brand, that aluminum junkyard housing Chimpanzee pulled could have been cracked by a too-thick gasket being forced into the groove, since there's no way the inner wall could have been taller than the rest of the housing. The entire surface is milled flat at the same time.

We designed our gasket to match OEM, so if the OEM isn't right (which is a rare thing), we'll need to make adjustments to our gasket profile. We're always extremely hesitant to deviate from OEM, but we're monitoring this thread and this may be one of those times.

[Braymond141]

Thanks for the update guys. Regardless of the brand, that aluminum junkyard housing Chimpanzee pulled could have been cracked by a too-thick gasket being forced into the groove, since there's no way the inner wall could have been taller than the rest of the housing. The entire surface is milled flat at the same time.

We designed our gasket to match OEM, so if the OEM isn't right (which is a rare thing), we'll need to make adjustments to our gasket profile. We're always extremely hesitant to deviate from OEM, but we're monitoring this thread and this may be one of those times.

The OEM gasket is right. Yours is not and never was.

[URO Parts]

^ If "the OEM gasket is right", then why previously say OEM gaskets are "exactly like the Uro gasket" and "absolutely not what you want to use"?

BMW started supplying gaskets with the housings. Those gaskets are exactly like the Uro gasket. I’ll post photos later and they are absolutely not what you want to use.

Looks like the tapered gasket profile Elring uses might fit the groove the best.

[Braymond141]

^ If "the OEM gasket is right", then why previously say OEM gaskets are "exactly like the Uro gasket" and "absolutely not what you want to use"?



Looks like the tapered gasket profile Elring uses might fit the groove the best.

Did you read what I wrote or even look at the picture? The OE thermostat housing from BMW recently started COMING WITH a gasket that is cheap URO grade garbage. DO NOT USE IT.

BMW has never included a gasket until now and the original OE style gasket SOLD SEPARATELY is the correct part to use. Not the freebie included with the housing. The verdict is still out if the gasket sold separately by BMW is this newly silicone junk or the original style. Elring, Victor Reinz, Goetze, and others still supply the original style gasket.

[URO Parts]

The OE thermostat housing from BMW recently started COMING WITH a gasket that is cheap *** grade garbage. DO NOT USE IT.

By definition, the gasket that comes with the OEM housing is an OEM gasket. We bought a separate OEM gasket from BMW when we developed our gasket. Our engineers have compared this OEM gasket to our gasket on more than three different occasions, and found the dimensions and material to be the same, which matches your findings with the OEM gasket that comes with the OEM housing. Perhaps BMW had multiple sources for the OEM gaskets sold separately, and the OEM gasket we received from the dealer is a fatter one, and you received a narrow one. Who knows.

The important thing is figuring out the proper profile, which appears to be Elring's profile. It really doesn't matter what BMW provides, the only thing that matters is what works.

[Braymond141]

By definition, the gasket that comes with the OEM housing is an OEM gasket. We bought a separate OEM gasket from BMW when we developed our gasket. Our engineers have compared this OEM gasket to our gasket on more than three different occasions, and found the dimensions and material to be the same, which matches your findings with the OEM gasket that comes with the OEM housing. Perhaps BMW had multiple sources for the OEM gaskets sold separately, and the OEM gasket we received from the dealer is a fatter one, and you received a narrow one. Who knows.

The important thing is figuring out the proper profile, which appears to be Elring's profile. It really doesn't matter what BMW provides, the only thing that matters is what works.

Look. Like I've said three times now; The Genuine BMW thermostat housing has never come with a gasket up until recently. This newly added "freebie" is NOT OEM. I don't care if it's on the OEM part, it is not OEM, hence the warning not to use it. Clear?

As far as your gasket. It appears I am wrong about yours, but to my credit I did search online first (see here: https://www.eeuroparts.com/Parts/114...-11531722531A/) and found an equal amount of your housings with the oversized red gasket as I did with the black gasket. Your black gasket is indeed OEM size and and shape except for a broader sealing lip. This black gasket should work just like OE, but I'm not signing off on that. If your products ever came with the red or orange oversized silicone gasket like all the vendor pictures say, they are faulty. Your change to the OE sized black one was the correct move and you can get yourself off the shit list of typical aftermarket garbage out there (for this one part).

I dug up my bin of scraped gaskets that have come on aluminum thermostat housings. Shown below is one that matches the red oversized one I'm warning people not to use. It's orange in color for this example but identical in size to the red one mentioned. One is the black one from one of your URO thermostat housings purchased a few months ago. One is Elring.







l_DSC03729.jpgl_DSC03730.jpgl_DSC03731.jpg

[WBS]

I've had a Uro Aluminum housing with a Goetze gasket since 2011-04. Have not had a problem.

(edited for spellink Geotze wrong )

-- is the oversized gasket a softer material?

[chimpanzee]

Thanks for the update guys. Regardless of the brand, that aluminum junkyard housing Chimpanzee pulled could have been cracked by a too-thick gasket being forced into the groove, since there's no way the inner wall could have been taller than the rest of the housing. The entire surface is milled flat at the same time.

We designed our gasket to match OEM, so if the OEM isn't right (which is a rare thing), we'll need to make adjustments to our gasket profile. We're always extremely hesitant to deviate from OEM, but we're monitoring this thread and this may be one of those times.

See pics, with (red) gasket. The gasket seems to be warped & "sticking out" at the point-of-fracture of inner-wall. Hard to believe this could have caused the inner-wall to crack..but I guess it's possible..

You say it's impossible for the inner-wall to be higher. The inner-wall clearly is not shiny flat, like the outside part (milled). I think the problem is the inner-wall being higher (as noted by someone else, as well as me), which is causing the fracture (when 4 bolts are torqued down)

I was going to buy a new URO thermostat housing (only $10 shipped off Ebay), then dremel the inner-wall (so it doesn't stick out). Put the red gasket in, to check for fit. Shave any excess down with razor. Also, use some orange Permatex RTV on everything. Install. See what happens.

[Braymond141]

See pics, with (red) gasket. The gasket seems to be warped & "sticking out" at the point-of-fracture of inner-wall. Hard to believe this could have caused the inner-wall to crack..but I guess it's possible..

You say it's impossible for the inner-wall to be higher. The inner-wall clearly is not shiny flat, like the outside part (milled). I think the problem is the inner-wall being higher (as noted by someone else, as well as me), which is causing the fracture (when 4 bolts are torqued down)

I was going to buy a new URO thermostat housing (only $10 shipped off Ebay), then dremel the inner-wall (so it doesn't stick out). Put the red gasket in, to check for fit. Shave any excess down with razor. Also, use some orange Permatex RTV on everything. Install. See what happens.

Your issue is the oversized gasket I keep warning everyone about, not the housing. Stop using the “red” (and orange) oversized gaskets. OEM only. Do not use RTV.

[bluptgm3]

Stop using the “red” (and orange) oversized gaskets. OEM only. Do not use RTV.

+1, though one might need to address corrosion/pitting on the head surface.


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[Braymond141]

By definition, the gasket that comes with the OEM housing is an OEM gasket. We bought a separate OEM gasket from BMW when we developed our gasket. Our engineers have compared this OEM gasket to our gasket on more than three different occasions, and found the dimensions and material to be the same, which matches your findings with the OEM gasket that comes with the OEM housing. Perhaps BMW had multiple sources for the OEM gaskets sold separately, and the OEM gasket we received from the dealer is a fatter one, and you received a narrow one. Who knows.

The important thing is figuring out the proper profile, which appears to be Elring's profile. It really doesn't matter what BMW provides, the only thing that matters is what works.

I just want to confirm after 5 URO housings purchased 2020-2021 that you guys have not fixed the issue and your gasket is 100% not developed off the OE part.

[blckstrm]

I just want to confirm after 5 URO housings purchased 2020-2021 that you guys have not fixed the issue and your gasket is 100% not developed off the OE part.

Are the OEM gaskets ordered individually still the proper size? I have a thermostat replacement in my future and am thinking I should just buy the new gasket now before they change them all to the newer bigger crap one...

[brianc]

I just want to confirm after 5 URO housings purchased 2020-2021 that you guys have not fixed the issue and your gasket is 100% not developed off the OE part.

I bought a couple URO housings from Pelican this month too. They both came w/ a 6.7mm thick orange gasket. Wrong. As mentioned many times use the BMW or URO housing just make sure to use the original spec gasket (I'm using Elring it's perfect)

[URO Parts]

Thanks guys, just submitted another report to Engineering. Maybe our sample library has an oversized aftermarket gasket mis-tagged as "OEM", and our engineers are checking our production pieces against the wrong gasket. We'll dig into it again.

[brianc]

I'm following up with more details on my parts. I'm not trying to pile on - just following up with confirmed details of the parts I received.
So I ordered two housings from Pelican, they both appear to have 2021 date codes. The gasket is indeed the thicker one, see pics below.

therm_housing_gasket1b.jpg therm_housing_gasket2.jpg

[URO Parts]

^ Thanks!

[URO Parts]

Hi guys, our engineering department is going to stick with the same (thick) gasket dimensions as is currently being provided with the Genuine BMW housing. In their view, you can't go wrong if the item matches OEM.

We hear you regarding Elring gasket preference and we get it, but engineering has the last word, so by all means use the gasket that works best for you. It's certainly a bit of a hassle to buy a separate gasket, but fortunately they retail for less than $2.

[jayjaya29]

Hi guys, for liability reasons, Engineering is going to stick with the same (thick) gasket dimensions as is currently being provided with the Genuine BMW housing. We hear you and we get it, but legal has the last word, so by all means use the gasket that works best for you. It's certainly a bit of a hassle to buy a gasket separately, but fortunately they retail for less than $2.

Quoted for posterity.

[brianc]

It’s their decision to make but I will say DO NOT use the URO gasket, there is a very high likelihood you will break a housing bolt or strip threads in the aluminum head trying to torque to spec. It will also squash and deform the gasket. The housing itself is very good, just use s bmw/elring gasket.

This is the OE gasket in pic below… it’s thinner and 20% less tall than URO and it’s already sticking out a fair bit.

78C945AE-146E-40E0-AB00-CB48E8A0F7C8.jpg

[bmwstephen]

As far as thermostat housing goes, what is Conesus between Febi ($18), Uro ($15),Genuine ($55)? Surprised to see the aluminium Uro going for cheaper than the rest.

[importbanana]

have a febi housing and thermostat in mine since 8 years with no problems.