|
AutoZ*** wanted $87.99 for a cabin air filter (of course it wasn't in stock and I would have to order it). Checked RockAuto for the same exact brand and paid $30.86!
You Rock!
Dave in Indiana
|
Upcoming Events
If you would like your event featured here e-mail with details. |
|
|
Ardomore Dragway - Jr. Race
10/11/2013
Ardmore, OK
e-mail
Annual Cruise'n Silsbee Car & Bike Show
10/11/2013
Silsbee, TX
e-mail
Studebaker Drivers Club - Grand Canyon Chapter
10/11/2013
Phoenix, AZ
e-mail
16th Annual Summerset
10/11/2013
Selinsgrove, PA
e-mail
Tricked Out Car Club's Motorfest 2013
10/12/2013
Panama City, FL
e-mail
Boy Scout Car Show
10/12/2013
Reading, PA
e-mail
Rock Hill Army National Guard Car & Truck Show
10/12/2013
Rock Hill, SC
e-mail
4th Annual Cruise-In at McClary Ford
10/12/2013
Athens, AL
e-mail
The Keepers Car Club 10th Annual Show
10/12/2013
Clyde, TX
e-mail
2013 Car Show
10/12/2013
Louisville, TN
e-mail
New Kent High School Car Show
10/12/2013
Quinton, VA
e-mail
28th Madison County Car Show
10/13/2013
Winterset, IA
e-mail
City of Burlington K-9 Car Show
10/15/2013
Burlington Township, NJ
e-mail
2013 North East Regional Meet
10/18/2013
Easton, PA
e-mail
3rd Annual Car Show
10/19/2013
Whitehouse Station, NJ
e-mail
GNOCC 22nd Annual ExtraVETTEganza
10/19/2013
New Orleans, LA
e-mail
13th Annual Jalarama Car Show
10/19/2013
Jal, NM
e-mail
PHS 4th Annual Open Car Show Fundraiser
10/19/2013
Powhatan, VA
e-mail
16th Annual Bay Area Corvette Club Dimmitt Show
10/19/2013
St. Petersburg, FL
e-mail
Harmony Car Show
10/19/2013
Monterey Park, CA
e-mail
Cruisin The Brazos Car Show
10/19/2013
Seymour, TX
e-mail
Wings & Wheels Air Affair & Car Show
10/19/2013
Page, AZ
e-mail
27th Robbers Cave Fall Foliage Cruise
10/19/2013
Wilburton, OK
e-mail
4th DARE Rod & Custom Car Show & Swap Meet
10/19/2013
Dexter, MO
e-mail
Family Day Classic Car Show & Food Drive
10/19/2013
Dundalk, MD
e-mail
Copperstate Mustang Club Fall Cruise
10/19/2013
Phoenix, AZ
e-mail
Touched by Cancer II
10/19/2013
Lehighton. PA
e-mail
2013 Joe Pearlstein Memorial Bear Mountain Toyota MR2 Meet
10/19/2013
Parsippany, NJ
e-mail
Ocean Gate EMS 8th Annual Car Show
10/19/2013
Ocean Gate, NJ
e-mail
Oktoberfest & Car & Truck Show
10/19/2013
Brea, CA
e-mail
Rock-N-Roll Revival
10/20/2013
Atlanta, MS
e-mail
Rebels 25th Annual Car & Truck Show
10/20/2013
Miami, OK
e-mail
Lancaster County Corvette Club
10/20/2013
Lancaster, PA
e-mail
Swayze Mill Car Show Fund Raising Event
10/20/2013
Blairstown, NJ
e-mail
Rolling Thunder Car Show
10/20/2013
Oklahoma City, OK
e-mail
Skippack Car Show
10/20/2013
Skippack, PA
e-mail
2nd Annual Freedom Park Benefit Car & Bike Show
10/20/2013
Plymouth, IN
e-mail
3rd Annual Caddo Mills Benefit Cars Craft Show
10/20/2013
Greenville, TX
e-mail
Packard Proving Grounds Open House Car Show
10/20/2013
Sterling Heights, MI
e-mail
Kilcoy Classics on Wheels 10/20/2013
Queensland, AU
e-mail
Lake Mirror Classic Auto Festival
10/20/2013
Lakeland, FL
e-mail
17th Annual Galaxie Nationals
10/25/2013
Springfield, MO
e-mail
|
|
K&N Performance Air Filters, Oil Filters & Air Intake Systems |
|
RockAuto is now carrying K&N performance air filters, oil filters and air intake systems. For over forty years, K&N has designed and built performance parts that can help increase horsepower, torque and acceleration. Below are just a few of the many benefits the K&N parts offer:
K&N Air Filters |
|
- Designed to increase horsepower and acceleration
- Excellent filtration for long engine life
- Lifetime air filter with K&N Million Mile Limited Warranty
- Simple drop-in performance
- Available for cars, trucks, motorcycles, ATVs, diesels
|
K&N Oil Filters |
|
- Designed for high flow rates to improve engine performance
- Many filters feature a Wrench-Off Nut for easy removal
- Heavy duty construction
- Provides excellent filtration to protect your engine
- Available for cars, trucks, motorcycles, diesel engines
|
K&N Air Intake Kits |
|
- Designed to increase horsepower, torque and acceleration
- Replaces entire factory air intake system
- K&N Million Mile Limited Warranty
- Easy to install performance improvement
- Improves engine sound and looks great too
|
Whether you need an oil filter for your 2007 Honda CRF150, an air filter for your 1994 Chevrolet Cavalier or an air intake kit for your 2005 Ford F-250 Super Duty, K&N is now included in the selection of parts available for your vehicle in the RockAuto catalog. Air filters and air intake kits are located under the “Fuel/Air” category and oil filters are under the “Engine” category.
|
Forum of the Month |
|
OFFROADTB.com is a community-driven resource and forum whose goal is to unite the populations of TrailBlazer, Envoy and other GMT owners that have a shared passion for seeking out the unpaved areas of the world. Our community is founded by and run by a small group of like-minded individuals eager to continue expanding and sharing our off-road adventures and functional modifications. We have a well-organized database of members' vehicle builds, trip reports, modifications, fabrication projects and related articles.
We encourage all interested folks to join our forums to learn more about the capabilities of your TrailBlazer and help spread information about our often overlooked vehicle platform for functional off-roading.
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. |
Repair
Mistakes & Blunders |
|
When we were teenagers (around 1960), my older brother bought a Model A Ford. We ran around the county in that thing for a summer, but one muddy road caused us to get stuck. In the process of rocking the car to get it out, something broke in the rear end differential. We went to a junk yard to search for another Model A, and finding one, we removed the drive shaft and rear end with axle and hubs all in one piece. We figured that would be the easiest way to fix it. We talked the high school shop teacher into letting us work on it there on a weekend and all went well until we pushed it out and fired it up. Much to our shock, it had the same problem in the differential that we started with!
The moral of the story: order new parts and do the job right!
Richard in
Indiana
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 |
|
Since the 1980s, the Toyota Camry has frequently been the best selling car in the United States. Where did the name "Camry" come from?
A. Camry is the Japanese word for "crown."
B. Camry was an acronym used internally by Toyota in the late 1970s to describe the target markets for the new RY body: Canada, America, Mexico, RY body.
C. Camry Bay, a body of water off the coast of Japan near the city of Toyama.
Answer
below |
The First Things to Check |
|
When the battery goes dead, the condition of the battery and the alternator are two of the first things to check. However, do not assume that if the battery is good then the alternator must be bad and the cause of the problem. My 1979 Chrysler 300 still has its original, never disassembled alternator. I have lost count of how many new batteries and electrical problems the car has had over the decades. Here are a few tips on how to use common tools to diagnose charging system problems to prevent unnecessarily replacing the alternator. These are general suggestions that may not apply to every car. Rely on your car’s repair manual (found under “Literature” in the catalog) for vehicle specific instructions.
- Using a multi-meter, measure the voltage across the battery posts with the engine off. It should be 12 or 12.5 volts. If it is less than 12 volts, then the battery needs to be charged, something is draining the battery or the battery cannot hold a charge and needs to be replaced.
- If the battery voltage is around 12 volts, then start the engine and again measure the voltage across the battery posts. It should have increased to 13 or 14 volts if the alternator is working and charging the battery. (Note: The computers on some newer vehicles will not raise alternator output to 13+ volts unless the headlights or some other system that draws a lot of electrical current is switched on first.)
- If the battery voltage did not increase with the engine running, then verify the alternator and battery have good electrical connections. Make sure the battery cable terminals are tight and free from corrosion. Look for loose connectors or frayed cables. Use the multi-meter or a test light to verify the body of the alternator is grounded (zero resistance between the alternator and negative battery post).
- If the battery voltage is well above 14 volts with the engine running, then the alternator could be producing too much current and overcharging the battery. Maybe the voltage regulator (internal to some modern alternators) is bad. Or the battery is weak and a vehicle computer has temporarily raised the voltage limit. It might still also be bad connections or loose wiring. Some vehicle lights being brighter than others can be a symptom of this type of problem, because the alternator produces more energy to overcome the resistance of a bad wire or connection.
- The condition of the alternator belt is the next thing to check. Of course make sure the belt is not broken. Also look for a belt that is loose and slipping. It would probably be making noise.
- If in step 2 the voltage across the battery terminals was 13 to 14 volts with the engine running, then the alternator is properly charging the battery. That is good news, but there is another alternator electrical problem to check for. I know from personal experience with a Ford 5.0L. that sometimes an alternator can charge fine when the engine is running but drain the battery when the engine is off. It probably has something to do with the rectifier diodes in the alternator not properly blocking current from draining away from the battery. This problem may be intermittent. It certainly was on my Ford 5.0. Disconnect all the electrical connections from the alternator when the car is put away for the night. If the battery never goes dead with the alternator disconnected but goes dead when the alternator is hooked up, then that might point to an alternator diode problem. RockAuto sells replacement diodes for some alternators. The diodes are buried so deep inside many modern alternators that replacing the entire alternator is often the most practical option.
- If the battery goes dead when the car sits (engine off) with the alternator electrical connections disconnected, then something else is draining the battery. Check first for the most obvious battery drains such as any lights left on (headlights, trunk light, ashtray light, etc.). After that it gets harder to track down the problem especially on modern cars. Newer cars have systems that are designed to stay on for various amounts of time after the engine is switched off. In the next newsletter, I will offer some tips on tracking down specific circuits that are draining a battery.
- Finally, there are the mechanical alternator problems. Unusual screeching or grinding sounds might come from a bad bearing in an alternator. However, the noise might also be coming from a loose belt, misaligned pulleys or worn out belt tensioner. Use an automotive stethoscope to verify where the noise is coming from. Avoid damaging new alternator bearings by making sure the belt pulleys are aligned, the belt tensioners are good, the belt is not over tightened, the alternator mounting bracket is not cracked or that there is not some other mechanical problem.
Look under the Tools & Universal Parts tab in the catalog to find multi-meters, battery chargers, battery testers, stethoscopes and other tools for diagnosing a charging system. I often use the inexpensive Auto Charging System Analyzer to quickly check battery/alternator voltages. My multi-meter (also inexpensive) can do the same things and much more, but I like the convenient, simple LED lights on my “System Analyzer.”
Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com
To read more of Tom's articles, click this link and choose from story titles on the Newsletter Archives page.
PS: In the last newsletter, I wrote about the oil viscosities required by modern engines and the need to suppress my gut instincts while picking oil weights. Some readers pointed out that mixing oil weights does not necessarily create “goo.” On their website, Mobil says, “there is no harm in mixing different viscosities of Mobil 1. They are all compatible with each other.” A little residual oil left in the engine after an oil change from 10W-30 to 10W-40 never seemed to create goo problems in my older cars either. However, Mobil does not say for every engine it is OK to mix bottles of 10W-30 or 20W-50 that have been sitting on the shelf since 1998 with new bottles of Mobile 1. There are just too many engine designs and oil formulations out there now to make many sweeping statements about engine oil viscosity or compatibility. It is usually easiest and safest to use the oil weight recommended by the engine manufacturer. |
Gerry's 1969 Chevy Nova |
|
Here is my 1969 Chevy Nova. My daughter wanted a classic American muscle car for her first car, and this is the one she picked. I bought it from the original owner about 12 years ago and although the lady who owned it took pretty good care of it, it was still a little rough when I found it.
Unfortunately for my daughter, the reality of driving a classic car of this vintage didn't match her idea of what it would be like. It had factory power steering, power brakes and A/C. But it was noisy, had no power windows or power door locks, and had no stereo...just the original AM radio. After about six weeks, she decided that it wasn't the car for her, despite the fact that she got a lot of attention from the boys at school who thought she had the coolest car in the parking lot.
I gave her another car (nothing special, but it had all the creature comforts that she was looking for) and told her that if she gave up the Nova, her decision was irrevocable. It would become Daddy's forever. She agreed. Since then, I've continued to work on it a little at a time (which I would have done for my daughter, had she kept it).
This is how it looks now, including new intake manifold gaskets and head gaskets from RockAuto (for the Vortec heads and manifold). There may be other RockAuto parts in there. I've just lost track of some of it over the years. It's been a long project, and it's far from over, so I'm sure I'll need something else from RockAuto before long.
Thanks,
Gerry in California |
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, import, domestic,
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, your favorite
images and what parts from
RockAuto you have used.
|
Let
RockAuto Help |
|
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 an e-mail to marketing@rockauto.com with information about your
show.
|
Automotive
Trivia Answer |
|
Since the 1980s, the Toyota Camry has frequently been the best selling car in the United States. Where did the name "Camry" come from?
Answer: A. Camry is the Japanese word for "crown." In Asia and other parts of the world there is an even older Toyota model called the English word "Crown." It is currently similar to the Toyota Avalon sold in North America.
B. Camry was an acronym used internally by Toyota in the late 1970s to describe the target markets for the new RY body: Canada, America, Mexico, RY body.
C. Camry Bay, a body of water off the coast of Japan near the city of Toyama.
Back
up to trivia question |
© 1999-2013 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. |
|
|
|
|