The o-ring for the fuel rail supply fitting on the 2000 Alero I've been working on is brown. What is the significance of the color? Different material? Different hardness? Something else?
If it's important to duplicate the color are those o-rings available at places other than a dealership? My experience trying to find ordinary o-rings at places like Advance, AutoZone, and NAPA has been miserable at best.
Are you just asking for o-rings or more specifically o-rings for the fuel injection system. I have found them at either NAPA or OReilly, can't remember which one. I suppose the color indicates material, hardness and most likely, fuel system duty. Take a sample to a parts store and let them know where it will be used. If nothing else they probably are cheap enough at the dealer..
Went to AutoZone this morning to look for "brown" o-rings. Lo and behold. They had an assortment of brown ones on the shelf. Package says they are made of Viton for use with fuel systems.
Based on my experience with o-rings in power generating stations I can testify that Viton is good stuff. It stands up to some nasty fluids quite well, but it's not always brown and it ain't cheap.
Color does not necessarily codify O-ring material or quality. There are all sorts of O-ring compounds, measurements, etc.. Red and green, black, brown, etc.
You are best served, I believe, by buying the specific O-rings designed for your application.
If you want to step up to better quality materials, they are most likely available.
Viton is a good O-ring, but there are other materials that probably have much better overall characteristics.
Everything hinges on the temperature, and the liquid or gas to which it will be exposed, assuming you can get shape and size you need.
The ordinary FLAPS should be able to get you the OEM type replacements.
A specialty rubber goods business, which deals in O-rings, can get you æmost anything you need if you want to go upscale.
Got the ones I needed from the GM dealer. Had to buy the whole fuel pressure regulator to get the little one, however. But the GM regulator was half the price of the ones from Advance or AutoZone. Hard to figure that one.
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