Engine gaskets ... Felpro "heads-up"!

I decided to "refresh" the engine in one D's Tracer ... 1997, 175 k miles, 2.0 L SOC. Wanted to stay ahead of the "valve seat dropping" possibility ... and hoped to make engine run like new ... reground valves, re-ringed, etc.

From AdvanceAuto I bought all the Felpro gasket sets available ... hoping to end up with a full engine gasket set. Therefore the Head Gasket and Oil Pan sets were obtained. To date I have spent over $50 buying (from Ford) gaskets and seals not included ... not to mention wasted driving time and fuel.

Not included:
Front and rear crank seals.
Gaskets for water pump, oil pump, rear seal bracket, oil pick-up, ??

It would have been OK, if Felpro had listed what was not included ... but NO, buyer beware!

Well they don't list what ISN'T included.... but on the box there is typically a list of everything that IS included.

Yes, once you have the box in hand ... you are very empowered. You can look at the list ... or you can examine the contents.

But when you are in the ordering process, and you use the Felpro supplied photo of the intented box contents ... guess what? You may be decieved! There are gasket and seal pieces shown that are not included. When I reviewed all this with the AdvanceAuto folks, they dashed off a e-mail to Felpro ... and reimbursed me for parts shown on photo that were not included ... without my asking. Kudos for AdvanceAuto!

Just trying to help others avoid my wasted time. I'm not trying to steer folks away from Felpro.

That's cool that they fixed it without any hassle.
I suppose that would be a problem if you were ordering parts- but for that sort of thing I typically just go down to the store since they are usually in stock... can piece everything together right there at the counter.
The pictures, especially when ordering online, can be very deceptive. They use generic photos for a lot of items.

I now know that if I had ordered Fel-Pro set #HS 9309 PT-2, and set #CS 9309-2 ... I would have likely had a complete engine overhaul set.

Unfortunately, this is not easy/possible to discern with the present in-store information that AdvanceAuto has. And it may be that they do not even stock the second listed set (above). I don't know (yet).

I'd have to agree with the OP about Fel-Pro products. Like everything Federal Mogul sells, there is no customer service, and not even a decent online catalog.

I have a transmission pan gasket. It lists two of them for my Escort, with one of them being listed as "while supplies last". I have no idea what the difference between the two of them is, and it's supplied in a cardboard box (so I can't inspect it at the store). And there is a note on the box saying that it's not returnable if the box is opened.

..... and not even a decent online catalog.


Glad you wrote that. I thought maybe it was just my navigation skills. I found not any useful info there.

Glad you wrote that. I thought maybe it was just my navigation skills. I found not any useful info there.

Which is a shame, since they make some of the best automotive aftermarket products available, but their position is to just deal with your retailer. As if they know.

Let me continue to "kick" Fel-Pro a bit:
1. The EGR valve-to-intake manifold gasket missing.
2. The valve cover bolt isolator bushings too small ... obviously for a different model than my 1997 2.0 SPI. Luckily I had a set from an earlier rebuild.

This morning I am cutting a gasket for the oil separator to block connection ... of course, this gasket wasn't expected since I didn't order the "right" set combination. Hopefully this engine will soon be completed ... I don't get to spend much time on it.