engine tin seal and heater hose question
 

I'm working toward getting the engine back in my car and have a question about the engine tin seal. Mine is crusty, brittle, and missing a 1 foot section above the turbo. is it recommended I replace it? is there a better product available that will last longer?

second question is on the factory heater hoses. Again, mine are in poor condition an I need to replace them. Is there a silicon hose product available or similar item that isn't quite so frail?

I would replace the entire engine bay seal(s) (I did this when I had my engine out) - Pelican sells them - the new ones are very heavy duty and will likely last, trouble free, for many years!

LOl mine was replaced new in 2007 and again in 2010 so if many years is 3 then yeah many years. I do drive it every day though and it's not stock and it's on boost frequently.

so is there a better product/method/work around to avoid having this pain in the ass seal fail on me in a year or two?

Not that i know of or i would have done something different. I was also unable to find it in bulk so i could just get a roll of it. I have the engine out for one reason or another almost every year anyway, so i figured a roll of it would work pretty well. But no luck.