In just shy of 20 years (2x per year) I have always used the skinny gasket with no problems. To pull out the old gasket I went to a dentist friend and asked to have one of his old steel teeth picks and that pick works very well (free beats any price at a tool center). I remember once going to NAPA for the filter, filter was right but the gasket enclosed was just a tad too big in diameter and have since ordered filter from TRF.
Lou Metelko
Auburn, Indiana
54 TR2LD TS981L