High swell gasket material

An internal combustion engine employing hydrocarbon oil containing fluids, comprising

• a first engine part having a first gasket engaging face;
• a second engine part having a second gasket engaging face, said second part located adjacent said first engine part for defining a gasket receiving space between said first and second gasket engaging faces;
• at least one of said engine parts being formed to allow the gasket receiving space to be exposed to the hydrocarbon oil containing fluid;
• biasing means for maintaining said first and second gasket engaging faces in a fixed position while subjecting material filling said gasket receiving space to a flange pressure at least as high as 10,000 psi;
• said first and second gasket engaging faces allowing a non-fibrous ethylene propylene gasket filling said gasket receiving space to be extruded out of said space upon application of a gasket compressive force less than 10,000 psi;
• and
• a gasket positioned between and in contact with said first and second gasket engaging faces in a manner allowing contact with the hydrocarbon oil containing fluids, said gasket comprising a fibrous material and an ethylene propylene rubber binder therefor and formed by a non-latex, compressed process in which non-latex ethylene propylene rubber binder in excess of 10 percent by weight and fibrous material in excess of 50 percent by weight are mixed and compressed into a sheet which when cured is capable of filling said gasket receiving space when placed therein and of preventing extrusion out of said gasket receiving space when said biasing means applies a gasket compressive force as high as 10,000 psi.