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Simply
a great company!
I've been a customer
for years. Always great prices,
always great service. Returns, never
a problem. Wish there were more
Internet companies as good as RockAuto.
Charles in South
Carolina
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Upcoming Events
If you would like your event featured here, email us with details. |
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1st Annual Toys for Tots Benefit Car Show
12/3/2011
Cochran, GA
e-mail
Toys for Tots
Car Show
12/3/2011
Ridgecrest, CA
e-mail
Delta Miata
Club in Northern California
12/3/2011
Discovery Bay, CA
e-mail
Tilted Kilt
Anniversary/Christmas Car Show
12/10/2011
Orlando, FL
e-mail
7th Annual
Free Car Show
12/10/2011
Dunn, NC
e-mail
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Forum of the Month |
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This-Old-Jeep
is a jeep enthusiast and fan's site
dedicated to all non-current models
regardless of what it is that we are
looking to get out of them. It’s
for all the lovers of rusty, shiny,
stock, modified, show queens, daily
drivers, rust buckets or museum pieces,
just as long as it's an old Jeep.
From history, technical info, and
restoration to just plain curiosity,
if it's an old Jeep, this is the place
to be.
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 cynthia@rockauto.com.
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Repair Mistakes & Blunders
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As
a teenager, my interest in cars started
early, but doing maintenance and repair
was rather difficult, since I lived
in Manhattan, New York. With no garage
and alternate side of the street parking,
even washing a car was a chore, since
my family lived in a fourth floor
apartment. This was about 1970, and
a friend had just returned from California
with a nice, big white 1958 Cadillac
Sedan, with a powerful V8, which had
plenty of passing power. He loved
showing off its power and soon broke
a connecting rod. Surprisingly, the
motor still worked, but barely limped
along.
He soon found a used
motor and a street that had no parking
restrictions, and asked me if I would
give him a hand in swapping the motor.
Easy job, he said, lots of room to
turn wrenches, and he had all the
tools from another friend. I jumped
at the opportunity to help and learn,
and on a hot July Saturday we started.
Out came the original motor, and by
late afternoon, the used motor was
in. Covered to my shoulders with black
grease and sweating quite a bit, we
hooked up the battery and hit the
starter. But the V8 would not turn
over. The tool guy suggested pulling
a plug to see what's up. As my friend
removed the plug, out gushed rusty
water, and our hopes for a running
car went down the street curb, along
with the oily water. The junk yard
motor had never been properly protected
against rain.
The department of
sanitation picked up the abandoned
Caddy a few weeks later. The grease
on my arms had finally washed off,
and we learned a lot from that experience.
Never assume! Diagnose and test. It
saves much work and money.
Vladimir in New York
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 awhile!). Please
email your story to flamur@rockauto.com.
Include your mailing address and shirt
size (large or extra large) and we
will mail you a RockAuto "Do it yourself?"
t-shirt if we publish your story (see
the t-shirts under Extras 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!
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Automotive
Trivia |
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Why
do 2.8L 4 cylinder and 3.5L 5 cylinder
powered Chevrolet Colorado pickups
never need a new EGR (exhaust gas
recirculation) valve?
A. Manufacturer,
ACDelco used technology and finished
components transferred from NASA Johnson
Space Center. The EGR valves are "fail
safe reversible" which means
any valve interruption in one directional
path enables valve operation in the
opposite path.
B. Variable valve
timing (VVT) on the engines' exhaust
valves achieves the equivalent of
exhaust gas recirculation. Neither
engine has an EGR valve.
C. The Chevrolet
Colorado with these engines has almost
no emissions equipment and is labeled
"Off Road Use Only" (decal
on right A-pillar inside door jamb).
Answer
below |
Where is the Oil Filter?
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“Where
is the oil filter?” asked the
man next to me at the car show as
we gazed under the hood of a new Chrysler.
There it was right on top of the engine
but hidden under a black plastic oil
filter cover. That Chrysler 3.6L V6
and many other new engines displayed
at the show use a disposable oil filter
cartridge installed inside a permanent
housing rather than a conventional
completely disposable, metal-housed
oil filter. The disposable oil filter
cartridge is one of those new, green
automotive features that are really
not new at all. Just open the hood
of a 50 year old GM vehicle to find
an oil filter cartridge.
Here are some slightly
edited tips from filter manufacturer
Fram for changing modern oil filter
cartridges.
- If the oil filter
housing is located above the oil
pan, then take out the filter cartridge
before draining the oil pan. Once
the cartridge is removed any dirty
oil retained in the housing will
drain to the oil pan.
- Replace the O
ring on the oil filter cover and
lubricate it with new oil. Many
replacement oil filter cartridges
include a new O ring.
- Do not use the
adjustable strap type oil filter
wrench you use on conventional metal
oil filters. The plastic oil filter
cover is more likely to last if
you use a Filter Socket type wrench
that securely fits the oil filter
cover. Under “Extras”
RockAuto carries oil filter socket
wrenches, adjustable filter socket
wrenches and sets of filter socket
wrenches.
- Watch how the
old filter cartridge comes out of
the housing. Some oil filter cartridges
snap into the oil filter cover,
some have a tube that needs to fit
into a hole, etc.
- Some replacement
oil filter cartridges are permanently
mounted into a disposable oil filter
cover. But do not throw away the
vehicle’s original oil filter
cover because you may need it the
next time you or your mechanic replaces
the oil filter cartridge with a
different brand or part number filter.
RockAuto does have replacement oil
filter covers for some engines if
yours is lost or broken.
In any newer car
it is especially wise to use the weight
and type of oil recommended by the
engine manufacturer. Sometimes it
might be tempting to dismiss the need
for a certain weight (5W20, etc.)
or expensive synthetic oil and just
use some of that 10W30 that works
great in your 25 year old truck, but
that is a bad idea. New engines not
only have tighter tolerances, longer
oil replacement intervals, etc, but
the oil might also be doing hydraulic
duties it never needed to do in older
vehicles.
Engines with
Variable Valve Timing (VVT) and/or
cylinder deactivation might have solenoids
and valves that use motor oil like
hydraulic fluid. Using the wrong motor
oil might clog or otherwise disable
those VVT parts. For example, RockAuto
sells new Dorman Variable Timing Solenoids
for GM’s “Atlas”
4, 5 and 6 cylinder engines with VVT.
The solenoid fails when “sludge
buildup on screens and orifices hinders
oil flow, resulting in drivability
issues.” Using the wrong weight
oil, mixing weights or not changing
the oil frequently enough for driving
conditions can contribute to the creation
of that sludge.
Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com |
Sean's 1972 Lincoln Continental |
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This
is my 1972 Lincoln Continental. It
was originally from Montana, but now
resides in Canada.
At RockAuto I was
able to get a distributor, master
cylinder, shocks, brake and front
end parts. Plus some specific items
that I could find no where else such
as a fuel vapor emissions hose, a
blower relay, an air cleaner vacuum
motor, and an oil pressure sensor.
Thanks to RockAuto
I can cruise all summer long knowing
my car is safe and reliable.
Sean in Canada
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Share Your
Hard Work |
Do
you purchase parts from RockAuto?
If so, RockAuto would like to
feature you & your car or
truck in our monthly newsletter.
New, old, daily driver, trailer
queen, classic, antique, we
want to see them all! Please
e-mail flamur@rockauto.com
with your vehicle's history,
interesting details, and what
parts from RockAuto you have
used.
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Let
RockAuto Help |
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Are
you organizing a car show or
other auto related event? From
goody bag stuffers to gift certificates...we
can help. We can even publicize
your event in our newsletter.
Just
send us an email
with information about your
show.
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Automotive
Trivia Answer |
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Why
do 2.8L 4 cylinder and 3.5L
5 cylinder powered Chevrolet
Colorado pickups never need
a new EGR (exhaust gas recirculation)
valve?
Answer: B.
Variable valve timing (VVT)
on the engines' exhaust valves
achieves the equivalent of exhaust
gas recirculation. Neither engine
has an EGR valve.
Back
up to trivia question |
© 1999-2011 RockAuto,
LLC - Madison, Wisconsin USA. RockAuto
name and logo are registered trademarks
of RockAuto, LLC. Manufacturer names
and logos in the RockAuto catalog
are trademarks of their respective
companies and are used only to identify
their products. All rights reserved.
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