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RockAuto February Newsletter
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Another Happy Customer!

Yep, all the parts my car will ever need. Great selection of parts from different manufacturers with all the specs and pictures. Great prices and fast shipping. Easy to navigate website that is SIMPLE to use...

Mark in Pennsylvania



Upcoming Events

Need goody bag items and a gift certificate for your show? RockAuto can help! Email marketing@rockauto.com for more information.

24 Kanrocks Frostbite 2018
Mapleton, KS Email
Feb
24 4th Annual Crusin With the Wildcats
Royal Palm Beach, FL Email
Feb
24 Blue Knights FL29 6th Annual Law Ride
Orlando, FL Email
Feb
24 Cruisin' Thru the Decades Car Show
Mesa, AZ Email
Feb
25 BSA Troop 132 9th Annual Car Show
Palm Beach Gardens, FL Email
Feb
2 Krazy Larry's South Beaux Auto Show
Ragley, LA Email
Mar
3 Cars in the View
Channelview, TX Email
Mar
3 15th Annual Chandler Classic Car Show
Chandler, AZ Email
Mar
4 On the Road for a Reason
Webster, TX Email
Mar
9 5th Annual Vegas Nationwide Nissan Meet
Las Vegas, NV Email
Mar
9 Texas Nissan Truck Meet
Temple, TX Email
Mar
9 Carolina Collector Auto Fest
Raleigh, NC Email
Mar
9 Naxja Winterfest 2018
Attica, IN Email
Mar
10 26th Annual Wide Track Warrior Car Show
Sanford, FL Email
Mar
JTE Replacement Wheels
See what we have from JTE

RockAuto now offers JTE replacement wheels for many cars and trucks, everything from a 1989 Pontiac Grand AM to a 2017 Toyota Tundra! JTE's new aluminum alloy and steel wheels are guaranteed to match their OE (original equipment) counterparts in safety, fit, finish and durability.

For some vehicles, RockAuto also has JTE OE Take Off wheels (OE wheels removed at a dealership from the original vehicle to be replaced by a different style) for a much lower price than buying a new replacement wheel directly from a dealership!

JTE OE Take Off wheels
Catalog selection showing availability of OE Take Off wheels

Whether you want to upgrade your wheels to make your vehicle stand out, need to replace a damaged wheel or want a matching wheel for a full-size spare tire, RockAuto has what you need at the reliably low prices you expect. Find JTE wheels and center caps for your specific car or truck in the "Wheel" category of the RockAuto catalog.

JTE replacement wheels

Forum of the Month
ChevyHHR.net

ChevyHHR.net started in August 2005 as a tribute to the all new 2006 Chevy HHR. ChevyHHR.net is the premier choice for HHR enthusiasts all around the world. Visitors ranging from long-time Chevy Cavalier owners to curious muscle-car and import drivers enjoy this website for the information on the Chevy HHR.

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 megant@rockauto.com

Repair Mistakes & Blunders
Repair  Mistakes & Blunders

I live in a small valley between two mountains in New York state. In the mid '80s, my wife set out on an errand in her late '70s Toyota Corolla SR5. Some time after that, she returned home on foot. She had parked the car on the side of the road and walked home about one mile. She said that while going up a mountain, the accelerator pedal was stuck to the floor, and the car took off full speed. Luckily it was a manual transmission, and she was able to shift into neutral and coast the car with its screaming engine to the side of the road. Imagining a whole slew of things which may have gone wrong, I grabbed some tools and we drove up to the car.

She popped the hood. I gave a quick look, tugged on the throttle linkage at the carburetor and determined the linkage was indeed stuck. Without using any tools, I was able to solve the problem. It seems as the car changed pitch going up a 15% grade, an acorn left by a chipmunk (who apparently enjoyed the warmth of the engine at night) rolled backward and lodged itself between the carburetor body and the linkage, holding the throttle wide open. I removed the acorn, and my wife was back on her way. To this day, part of my regular car servicing routine includes a comprehensive acorn check.

Steve 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 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
Automotive Trivia

We probably would not have MOOG steering, suspension and drivetrain parts if Alva and Hubert Moog had not been influenced by what major historical event?

A. Prohibition
B. Women's Suffrage
C. World War I
D. All the Above

Answer below

Wiring by Region
Tom's Story

My wife's '93 Ford Tempo would not start. There was not the usual sound of the fuel pump switching on when the ignition key was turned. I logged into my RockAuto account (available to all customers in the upper right corner at RockAuto.com) and discovered I had replaced the car's Fuel Pump in April 2017 and replaced the Ignition Lock Cylinder and Ignition Starter Switch in 2014. Another part must have problems somewhere between the relatively new fuel pump and ignition.

I flipped to the wiring diagrams in the Tempo's Haynes Repair Manual (found under "Literature" at RockAuto.com) with a plan to methodically test every part between the fuel pump and the ignition. The wiring diagram showed the Electric Fuel Pump Inertia Switch was the last component in the circuit before the fuel pump. Maybe my wife had driven the Ford over the garage's threshold at an excessively exuberant speed and tripped the fuel pump inertia safety switch in the trunk (boot).

A visual inspection revealed the inertia switch was not tripped, and my Electrical Tester light (found under the "Tools & Universal Parts" tab) showed the inertia switch was receiving power when the ignition key was turned on. If the inertia switch had power, then according to the wiring diagram, the fuel pump should have power.

I took a closer look at the wiring diagram and discovered "Canada" printed below the inertia switch drawn right before the fuel pump and another inertia switch labeled (U.S.A.) drawn just after the ignition switch. I thought I had started my testing at the fuel pump end of the circuit, but I had actually started at the ignition switch end of the circuit since the Tempo was built for sale in the USA.

I took a closer look at the wiring diagram

This was a good reminder to know the vehicle's heritage and to pay close attention to fine print in wiring diagrams! The 1993 Ford Tempo built for sale in Canada has normal seatbelts. The Tempo built for sale in the USA has automatic electric shoulder belts. My best guess is that the electric seatbelts caused Ford to change the inertia switch's circuit position on US bound cars.

It is usually the market where the car was to be sold that matters. The Tempo was assembled in Canada, but it was built for sale in the USA. "California" printed on a wiring diagram refers to cars built for sale in California.

California printed on a wiring diagram refers to cars built for sale in California.

Occasionally, the correct wiring diagram is determined by where the car was assembled. The example from the 2010 Toyota Corolla Chilton repair manual shows cars built at Toyota factories in Japan (TMC) can have different circuit designs than cars assembled at factories in other countries.

Different circuit designs for cars assembled at factories in other countries

The window sticker, owners manual, VIN, and/or decals in the door jams and under the hood can provide clues about which market the vehicle was originally built for and where it was assembled. Some used cars may be surprisingly well traveled! My daughter's 2005 Mustang was assembled in the USA for sale in Canada. A previous owner brought it to the USA and changed the Instrument Cluster (found under "Interior" at RockAuto.com) to the miles per hour (MPH) version. There are maple leaf decals in the door jams, the owners manual is written in both English and French and daytime running lights switch on when the transmission is put in gear. My daughter and I will be watching for software and circuits that might be unique for Canadian Mustangs.

Oh, and yes I continued my methodical testing from the ignition switch end of the circuit and eventually fixed the Tempo by thoroughly cleaning the large multi-pin electrical connector for the Body Control Module (aka Integrated Relay Control Module (ICRM) and Constant Control Relay Module (CCRM)). The fuel pump relay is part of the Body Control Module (found under "Electrical") on this Ford.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

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

Dan's 1974 Volkswagen Beetle
Dan's 1974 Volkswagen Beetle

Here is my 1974 Volkswagen Beetle (Limited Edition) Sun Bug. I had originally noticed it in a pawn shop parking lot without a "For Sale" sign. I would drive by the pawn shop every day for nearly four months, and it only seemed to move around the lot a couple times. Several more weeks passed, and I began to notice the Beetle accumulating dust. I figured it must have been owned by someone who worked there. Finally after making an inquiry, and negotiating a very reasonable price, I was the proud new owner of this relatively excellent condition time capsule.

As with most Volkswagens that have sat for a while, it had typical issues with electrical wiring, dried fuel lines and cracked rubber parts, especially being in the Arizona sun! After a good bath and a tune up, it now runs perfectly well.

Having purchased parts from RockAuto for three of my other cars (Jeep Cherokee and two Ford Escapes), I knew I could get my Volkswagen parts at a reasonable price shipped directly to my door. I enjoy the range of pricing available and the fact I can review the information and photo of the part.

Thanks RockAuto!
Dan in Arizona

Share Your Hard Work
Do you purchase parts from RockAuto? If so, RockAuto would like to give you the opportunity to have your car or truck possibly featured in one (or occasionally more) of our publications such as the monthly newsletter, collector magnets or RockAuto social media. New, old, import, domestic, daily driver, trailer queen, classic, antique, we want to see them all! Please email flamur@RockAuto.com with your vehicle's history, interesting details, your favorite images (tips for taking pictures of your car) and what parts from RockAuto you have used.

Automotive Trivia Answer
Automotive Trivia

We probably would not have MOOG steering, suspension and drivetrain parts if Alva and Hubert Moog had not been influenced by what major historical event?

Answer: A. Prohibition (The Moog brothers operated a wholesale liquor business in Pensacola, Florida until prohibition encouraged them to switch industries. In 1919, they purchased an automotive leaf spring manufacturer in St.Louis, Missouri.)
B. Women's Suffrage
C. World War I
D. All the Above

Back up to trivia question