Thermostat Seal and Thermostat Housing Gasket
 

There's a thermostat seal AND a thermostat housing gasket. Are both used?

Thermostat Seal
http://partimages2.genpt.com/partimages/25934.jpg

Thermostat Housing Gasket
http://partimages2.genpt.com/partimages/180990.jpg

Yes.

The thermostat seal is used to seal the thermostat as it's installed, giving you one way flow. The housing gasket is used to seal the housing so you don't get leaks onto your engine

THANK YOU lash!!! :D

And if anyone asked, I was prepared to say "2000 Bonneville SE" even though that would have been a lie. ;)

no, a gasket is not used

i never had one, before or after i changed mine

Really?!?

2000+ does not use a housing gasket? 'Cause that's the first I've heard that.

nope.

but you can...

you CAN, but GM didnt feel it was necessary, and therefore i dont either

I had a gasket on mine and replaced with gasket and was fine.I say use it.

Mine didn't come with a paper gasket, and I haven't used one. I hate scraping gaskets, and swapping the 180 and 195 as temps change would make that a pain! :D

I haven't experienced any leaks.

Same here. It made me a little nervous that the intense site listed a paper gasket and the rubber seal and then i took my stock one out and there was no paper gasket to be found. No leaks here either without using the paper gasket, you should be fine.

That's good to know.

Mine has the gasket and all my other cars have always had the paper gasket. Finally, an improvement that works!

Ok I got it changed out and apparently there was NO gasket on the the housing, so I didn't put one on.

Just in case though, I bought a gasket if I ever need one. NAPA # C-31349. :D

My 98 has a gasket, my 02 does not. The parts store will not have a listing for a gasket for the later model but the earlier gasket works fine on the later engines.

IIRC sometime around 99 they quit using a gasket for the tstat housing. Just the o-ring around the tstat was enough to seal it I guess. I've also never used a gasket on any L36/L67 cars and have had no problems with leaks if its properly torqued.