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After
over 40 years of buying parts locally,
RockAuto continues to more than
beat the competition on price availability,
service, and selection.
I would recommend
RockAuto to anyone that works on
their own vehicles.
Brian in Wisconsin
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Upcoming Events
If you would like your event featured here, email us with details. |
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5th Annual Mississippi Stampede
Car & Truck Show
4/7/2012
Byram, MS
e-mail
Pig Trail
Harley Davidson Show-n-Shine
Car Show
4/7/2012
Rogers, AR
e-mail
British Classic
Car & Bike Show-6th Annual
Wheels Across the Pond
4/7/2012
Jupiter, FL
website
Corvette Expo
XX
4/7/2012
Enid, OK
e-mail
Aire Valley
Vintage Machinery Crank-Ups
Event
4/8/2012
Keighley, UK
e-mail
12TH ANNUAL
Rods & Rails Extravaganza
Motorcycle & Car Show
4/9/2012
Perris, CA
e-mail
Deanos Cruz
In
4/12/2012
Plainwell, MI
e-mail
Capital City
Thunderbird Club 2012 South
Central Regional Convention
4/12/2012
Austin, TX
e-mail
50's Cruise
Car Show
4/28/2012
Astoria, OR
e-mail
Iowa Street
Rod Association Car Show
4/29/2012
Boone, IA
e-mail
CCNJ Annual
Spring Show
4/29/2012
Wyckoff, NJ
e-mail
Iowa Street
Rodders 15th Annual Spring Fling
Show & Shine
4/29/2012
Brooklyn, IA
e-mail
College Park
Turning Spring Meet for Charity
4/29/2012
College Park, MD
e-mail
MG Car Club
Events
4/30/2012
Crossford, UK
e-mail
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Alliance Torque Converters |
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RockAuto
is now proudly offering the full line
of Alliance Torque Converters for
domestic and foreign brand cars and
light trucks. Alliance Torque Converters
are remanufactured units that meet
or exceed all OEM replacement specifications.
The addition of these high quality,
ready to install torque converters
broadens customers' choice of automatic
transmission parts for everything
from Buicks to Volvos.
Alliance takes pride
in their no-short-cut remanufacturing
process. They disassemble, clean,
machine, inspect, perform various
dimensional checks, assemble, high
pressure leak test, balance and package
the torque converters using OEM specifications
and parts. Alliance Torque Converters
come with a full two-year replacement
warranty.
You will find
these parts and more under the "Transmission-Automatic"
category in the RockAuto
catalog. |
Updated Ground Transit Times |
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Ground
transit times are now more specific
than the “1-5 business days”
we used to display. We have updated
our shopping cart to show a more accurate
estimated time frame based on the
location(s) your parts are coming
from in comparison to your zip code.
We hope this helps in planning your
automotive projects and appointments!
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Forum of the Month |
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Mopar
Muscle Association (MMA) U.K.
is the official site for the Mopar
Muscle Association U.K., based in
the United Kingdom. Members of the
MMA are dedicated to the preservation,
use and enjoyment of Chrysler Corporation
products of the muscle car era, otherwise
known as "Mopar muscle cars".
We are not restricted to a thin slice
of American cars, anyone with enthusiasm
is welcome to join regardless of their
choice of car. Within the club are
owners of Australian Chryslers, '50s
Mopars with Fins, American cars from
other manufacturers and even new Chrysler
vehicles.
To find out all about
the MMA and the benefits of being
a member please check out our Frequently
Asked Questions page and check out
our forums - they are a great medium
for fast answers to problems and for
finding parts and cars for sale. Be
sure to check the Events page to see
where you can meet us and see the
cars in person!
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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I
was driving my 1981 Fiat Spider when
I noticed that the gas gauge, turn
signal indicator, and temperature
gauge were not working. Back at the
garage, I inspected the fuses, and
found no breaks in the fuse metal.
So, I dropped the steering column
and removed the instrument panel.
I checked all the connections, and
put everything back together. It worked!
I went for a drive
and when I made a sharp turn I noticed
that the gauges quit working again.
I was getting frustrated. I returned
to the garage, checked the fuses again,
and everything looked OK. I dropped
the steering column and checked the
connections. It looked all good. I
got out the wiring diagram and traced
the wiring from the gauges back to
the fuse box. Figuring all this out
took quite a while. The wiring was
fine. I put everything back together.
The gauges started working again,
and then later quit. I was really
getting frustrated now!
Decided to
check continuity across the terminal
of the fuse box. No continuity across
the fuse on the gauge circuit! I removed
the fuse, and found that the metal
had broken at the tip of the fuse.
The tip was hidden when the fuse was
installed. So, even though the fuse
looked fine in the box, the broken
metal at the end of the fuse would
only occasionally make contact. I
replaced the fuse and problem solved!
Two lessons learned:
- Always focus on
the most obvious solution first.
- Always remove
and physically inspect a suspect
fuse. Not just visually inspect
it in the box.
Ed in Colorado
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
email 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 |
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Brake
fluid absorbs water out of the air.
Therefore, it is "hygroscopic."
What other automotive chemical is
hygroscopic?
A. antifreeze
B. diesel
C. ethanol
D. all of the above
Answer
below
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Don't Forget to Flush
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Brake
fluid absorbs moisture from the air
(it is hygroscopic). Over time, enough
water accumulates in brake fluid to
cause corrosion and/or reduce stopping
power. Water in hot brake fluid turns
to steam which compresses and cannot
maintain hydraulic pressure. The brake
pedal goes soft on a long downgrade
or during a panic stop. Flushing the
brake fluid is a good idea and something
a DIYer can do on most cars.
A brake flush is
a super-duper brake bleed. Rather
than just bleeding out only enough
brake fluid to get the air out of
the system, you take all or at least
most of the old brake fluid out.
Handy new brake bleeder/flusher
tools make it easy to quickly do the
job single handedly. Last weekend,
my daughter and I used the K
TOOL Vacuum Pump in the photo
to suck the brake fluid out of our
1992 Dodge van. We opened the bleeder
fitting on the brake caliper or drum
brake wheel cylinder, pushed the pump’s
rubber adapter onto the fitting, and
gave the handle a few squeezes to
build a vacuum. The pump’s four
ounce (118 ml) bottle filled up quickly.
We steadily added new brake fluid
to the master cylinder so it never
ran dry. At each wheel, it was time
to stop when the old muddy colored
brake fluid was gone and new brake
fluid started coming through the bleeder
fitting. To prevent air from entering
the system, we closed the fitting
while there was still a vacuum in
the pump.
The pump came with
general instructions. More specific
brake bleed/flush instructions might
be found in a vehicle’s specific
repair manual. Our K TOOL pump and
its attached vacuum gauge can also
be used to test EGR, PCV and several
other vacuum based automotive systems.
While flushing, I
also replaced the van’s brake
pads. My new Lisle
Disc Brake Piston Tool shown in
the photo made compressing the caliper
piston much faster and easier on my
hands. I feel silly thinking of all
the times in the past I wrestled with
a big C-clamp to compress the pistons.
The first go around with a C-clamp
almost never resulted in quite enough
piston compression to make room for
the new brake pads. Please note both
the vacuum pump and brake piston tool
were products I purchased and sincerely
liked rather than freebie tools from
the manufacturers.
And finally, the
van’s brake job reminded me
what a good idea it is to get a Brake
Hardware Kit along with new brake
pads or brake shoes. This time it
would not have even been an option
to reuse some of the anti-rattle clips,
o-rings and other parts that came
in the hardware kit. Parts were badly
corroded, broken or completely missing!
Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com
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Craig's 1989 Chevrolet Astro |
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This
is my 1989 Chevy Astro van with 292,000
miles on the odometer. It began life
as a soccer mom-mobile, but has been
through quite a change. It currently
has nine inches of suspension/body
lift, 31" mud tires, remote adjustable
shocks, radios capable of operating
on any legal Ham frequency while mobile
or camped, camouflage headliner, window
screens, door panels, custom welded
front bumper and roof rack with embedded
off road lights, and multiple other
mobile electronic gadgets.
RockAuto supplied
suspension parts, tune up parts, filters,
plugs, wires, tools, U-Joints, brakes,
steering components, engine and door
gaskets, electric cooling fan, belts,
the list is endless. Essentially anytime
a part is replaced either for routine
preventative maintenance or for acute
breakdown, the parts come from RockAuto.
Even emergency breakdowns are typically
taken care of with RockAuto replacement
parts because the shipping, even standard
shipping, is so darn fast!
Even though this
is a 2-Wheel Drive Astro, I still
take it out into the deserts and mountains
and tackle the trails right along
with the 4-Wheel Drive trucks and
Jeeps. I like to camp in the wilderness
and operate my amateur radio station,
making contacts all over the world.
My Camo Astro Van, with the help of
RockAuto parts, takes me there and
brings me back, again and again.
Craig in Arizona
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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, 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.
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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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Brake
fluid absorbs water out of the
air. Therefore, it is "hygroscopic."
What other automotive chemical
is hygroscopic?
A. antifreeze
B. diesel
C. ethanol
D. all of the above
Answer: D (Antifreeze
and brake fluid that contain
propylene glycol are hygroscopic.
Diesel engine fuel systems often
include a fuel water separator
filter.)
Back
up to trivia question |
© 1999-2012 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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