Why do gaskets fail?
In spite of our best efforts, gaskets can and do fail. It was a gasket failure that caused a space shuttle to explode, in spite of the best efforts of the best scientists and engineers at NASA. They fail because, over a period of time, we cannot always predict unforseeables; engineers can test a gasket on an engine and run it day and night to simulate hundreds of thousands of miles, but it’s humanly impossible to predict what will happen in unique situations or over an extended period of time. In the case of the lower intake manifold gasket, some people suspected that the long life engine coolant caused the gasket to deteriorate as its chemical composition changed over time. Others feel that the gasket was too thin and eventually collapsed. Indeed, advances in engine fluid technology almost always comes with unforseen consequences, and it always seems to be the gaskets that go. For instance, in the 1970’s, it was discovered that synthetic oil, while superior to conventional motor oil,
