Had a situation at RDU last month that split the crew on whether to go with OEM gaskets or aftermarket ones on a 737

We swapped out a pack valve on an NG and the aftermarket gasket started weeping after just 12 cycles, but the supervisor says the OEM ones cost triple and we've had good luck with the cheap ones for years so which side are you on, has anyone else seen this kind of failure?

2 comments

2 Comments

barbara_taylor8315d ago

...and of course I was the one who had to go back and swap it out again, so my opinion on this is a bit colored. I get the budget argument, I really do. But I've seen enough aftermarket parts fail at the worst possible times that I lean toward OEM for anything critical like gaskets on a pack valve. It's not like we're talking about a seat cushion or something, you know? The labor alone to redo a job like that eats up whatever you saved on the part. Maybe that's why I'm not a supervisor, I'd probably spend the whole budget on the good stuff and then have to explain why we're broke.

allen.cole15d ago

Man, you're spot on. Aftermarket parts on something like a pack valve gasket just isn't worth the headache. I've seen too many of those cheap seals swell up or crack within a month, and then you're tearing the whole thing apart again. The labor cost alone kills any savings, like you said. Plus it's a safety thing too - a blown gasket on a pack valve can cause a real mess fast. OEM's the only way to go for stuff that actually matters.