What Car Enthusiasts Want

Parts, Tools and Repair Literature from RockAuto are what car enthusiasts want to find when they tear the wrapping paper off their presents! Here are a few fun gift ideas. Or, get a RockAuto Gift Certificate for any amount and let them choose what they wish!

Gifts for less than $20!
A Door Panel Removal Tool Set to safely remove door panels, moldings, handles, trim and more!

An Electrical Tester to quickly know if the alternator is working and the condition of the battery. Inexpensive enough to keep in every glove box!

Help make their repair a success by looking under "Literature" in the catalog for model specific (2001 Camry, 2010 Impala...) and repair specific (suspension, electrical, brakes, A/C...) manuals under Tools & Universal Parts.

Gifts Starting at Less than $70
Improve starting, fuel economy and performance with a complete Tune-Up Kit. Look under the Ignition category in the catalog for the particular vehicle.

Give a gift of warmth with a universal Seat Heater Kit!

Move under the car comfortably with a low profile Creeper that rides less than an inch above the floor.

DEA Motor Mount Kits

Alarming noises, apparent transmission problems and tire wear are a few of the symptoms of bad motor and transmission mounts. When one mount breaks, leaks hydraulic fluid or is simply worn out, extra stress is put on the other mounts. It is often impossible to see that a mount is broken when the vehicle is parked and the weight of the drivetrain is holding the pieces of mount together. Replacing all the mounts at once prevents damaging new mounts and additional problems/costs down the road. A new set of motor and transmission mounts can transform a car, with parts often costing less than just one tire.

RockAuto's new DEA brand Full Motor Mount Kits make it easier to get all the mounts required for the complete repair of many popular cars and trucks. The DEA mount kits bring the motor mounts, torque strut mounts, transmission mounts, or whatever parts the particular vehicle needs, all together under one convenient part number.

You can find DEA Full Motor Mount Kits listed under "Motor Mount" in the Engine category of the RockAuto catalog. There are mount kits now available for everything from the 2006 Toyota Camry to the 2000 Ford Focus. More kits are coming! Individual mounts are still found under the "Engine", "Transmission-Automatic" and "Transmission-Manual" catalog categories.

Forum of the Month

Saab Central is a Saab information resource and online community for all things Saab. Saab Central contains thousands of pages of Saab information, from technical talk to performance modifications. Whether you drive a 2010 Saab or a vintage model you’ll find answers to your questions, or provide a fellow enthusiast with needed advice.


If you are the administrator or member of a forum and you would like to see your website featured in an upcoming newsletter and receive a discount code to share with your members, contact marketing@rockauto.com.

Repair Mistakes & Blunders

A friend I had not seen in a while asked if we could catch up on our lives while he changed rotors and brake pads on his girlfriend's Toyota Camry. His girlfriend was working in a mall, and he promised to do the long promised work in the lot if she parked under a tree. I followed him to the mall one sunny day and found the spots under trees taken by non-Toyota cars. Finally, we found a beige Toyota Camry, so we parked next to it and broke out the tools. We chatted as he jacked up the car and easily swapped out the rotors and brakes (which did not look that bad). With the brake job accomplished, we met his girlfriend at the mall entrance. As Bob started walking, his girlfriend started walking in another direction. She asked where he was going. It turned out we had changed brakes on the wrong car! She had parked in a different section of the lot, expecting him to come in and ask for keys.

We waited for the owner of the newly shoed Camry to come out and explained what happened. Hoping to find out that we had been good Samaritans, the car was a rental to boot! With my own errands to run, I left him there scratching his head.

Manny in New Jersey

Tell us about your most infamous auto repair blunder or unconventional fix. Use your woe to help others avoid similar mistakes or share off-the-wall solutions that worked (at least for a while!). Please e-mail your story to flamur@rockauto.com. Include your mailing address and if you would like a RockAuto T-Shirt (please let us know your shirt size) or Hat if we publish your story. See the T-Shirts and Hats under Tools & Universal Parts in the catalog. The story will be credited using only your first name and your vague geographic location (state, province, country, continent, etc.) so you can remain semi-anonymous!

Automotive Trivia

Jaywalkers cross the road wherever they want rather than waiting for street corners or marked crosswalks. What is the origin of the word "jaywalker"?

A. In 1924, the Chicago Police Department encouraged their city council to write an ordinance prohibiting pedestrians from crossing streets mid-block. The typical scofflaw pedestrian was described as following a path resembling the letter "J" as he crossed the road and continued down the opposite side. It is not clear if it was the city council or newspapers covering the story that first came up with word "jaywalker," but that word was included in the ordinance adopted by Chicago in 1925.

B. In the 1920s, "jay" was a contemptuous term for an unsophisticated hillbilly. Also in the '20s, cars commonly collided with and killed pedestrians. There was a push to govern cars' top speeds and otherwise restrict the use of cars. The automotive lobby promoted the use of the derogatory word "jaywalker" as a way to indicate it was foolish pedestrians rather than drivers who were responsible for the numerous collisions. This shaming of "jaywalkers" successfully promoted the notion that roads were built primarily for cars.  "Jaywalker" helped get rules written for pedestrians and got more pedestrians to comply with those rules.


Answer below

Nobody Wants to Release Gas Vapors

Since the ‘70s, cars have had vapor canisters filled with charcoal to capture gasoline fumes from the fuel tank for storage until the engine is ready to draw them out and burn them up. My ‘79 Chrysler still has its original vapor canister. I have not replaced the vapor canister in my ’86 Mustang, either.

The vapor canisters in my old cars might actually be failing or long dead. There could be clues like gasoline odors or difficulty filling the fuel tank. A blocked vapor canister or tubing can prevent air from exiting the tank as fuel is pumped in. However, the only way I can really know if my old cars’ evaporative control systems (EVAP) are working properly is to pull out the repair manuals and begin extensive testing. Nobody wants to release gas vapors into the environment, but it is hard to get motivated to disassemble a car and actively go hunting for trouble when none is apparent.

With OBDII (1996 model year onward diagnostics), the computer continuously hunts for trouble by monitoring the ability of the EVAP system to hold pressure or vacuum. The check engine light illuminates if there is a leak in the system. It may be a problem with the vapor canister purge valve. That valve controls the flow of fumes to the engine. It might be a problem with the vapor canister vent solenoid. That controls the flow of fresh air into the system. It could be the fuel tank pressure sensor that the computer uses to measure pressure/vacuum.

Or, it might be the vapor canister at the heart of the system that fails. RockAuto manufacturers including ACDelco, Airtex, Dorman and Motorcraft make new vapor canisters for just about every late model vehicle. With OBDII’s introduction in ‘96, vapor canisters became a commonly replaced part. How does a container filled with carbon go bad?

There is a chance that overfilling the gas tank on some vehicles might turn the carbon into a useless glob by saturating it with liquid gasoline. The most common cause of failure is a cracked vapor canister or canister fitting. Any leak sets off the check engine light. Vapor canisters are typically found under the hood or near the gas tank where they are exposed to extreme temperatures, road debris or other hazards over the years. Some vapor canisters are cracked or weakened during collisions or when vehicles hit major potholes. No plastic container can remain airtight forever.

RockAuto currently has Wholesaler Closeout vapor canisters for some vehicles such as my Mustang (and other ‘80s and ‘90s Fords) for less than $40. Most vapor canisters for late-model cars are closer to $100. The vapor canister for a Mercedes-Benz 5.0L is not too far away from $400, even at RockAuto, because it has valves and lots of complicated plumbing built in. How can an owner maintain their vapor canister so it lasts as long as possible?

Avoid overfilling the fuel tank. Protect the vapor canister from physical dangers like a misplaced jack. The first vapor canisters have a replaceable fresh air filter on the underside of the canister. The repair manual says the filter on my ’79 Chrysler should be replaced every 30,000 miles (48,000 km). Most newer vapor canister designs do not have replaceable fresh air filters, but a few do. (’08 Chevy Cobalt 2.2L, ’11 Chrysler 300 3.6L…) The filter names can vary. The ’08 Chevrolet has a “Vapor Canister Filter” while the ’11 Mopar part is called a “Fuel Vapor Leak Detection Pump Filter.”

As shown in the photos, vapor canister designs now vary widely between car and truck manufacturers. See a photo of your vehicle’s specific vapor canister and check if there is a replaceable filter available by looking under “Emission” in the RockAuto catalog.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

To read more of Tom's articles, click this link and choose from story titles on the Newsletter Archives page.

Automotive Trivia Answer

Jaywalkers cross the road wherever they want rather than waiting for street corners or marked crosswalks. What is the origin of the word "jaywalker"? A. In 1924, the Chicago Police Department encouraged their city council to write an ordinance prohibiting pedestrians from crossing streets mid-block. The typical scofflaw pedestrian was described as following a path resembling the letter "J" as he crossed the road and continued down the opposite side. It is not clear if it was the city council or newspapers covering the story that first came up with word "jaywalker," but that word was included in the ordinance adopted by Chicago in 1925. Answer: B. In the 1920s, "jay" was a contemptuous term for an unsophisticated hillbilly. Also in the '20s, cars commonly collided with and killed pedestrians. There was a push to govern cars' top speeds and otherwise restrict the use of cars. The automotive lobby promoted the use of the derogatory word "jaywalker" as a way to indicate it was foolish pedestrians rather than drivers who were responsible for the numerous collisions. This shaming of "jaywalkers" successfully promoted the notion that roads were built primarily for cars.  "Jaywalker" helped get rules written for pedestrians and got more pedestrians to comply with those rules(source Smithsonian Magazine, December 2014). An anti-jaywalking poster created in 1937 Back up to trivia question

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