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RockAuto April Newsletter | Early Edition
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Another Happy Customer!

Priced right and delivery always better than expected! With my busy schedule and budget oriented purchasing, RockAuto is my preferred place to shop for auto parts! Quality parts and service!

Ken in North Carolina



Upcoming Events

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

15 Gas On The Grass
Victorville, CA Email
Apr
15 Cars, Coffee & Conversation Houston
Houston, TX Email
Apr
15 Halls Crossroads Car Show
Knoxville, TN Email
Apr
15 2017 Rutherford Rumble Car Show
Oakland, IL Email
Apr
17 8th Annual Wings & Wheels
Liberty, SC Email
Apr
17 Bronco Super Celebration
Townsend , TN Email
Apr
20 8th Annual SSR Rally
Jacksonville , FL Email
Apr
21 Solvang Datsun Roadster Show
Solvang, CA Email
Apr
21 Bon Temps Chapter Regional Show
Gonzales, LA Email
Apr
21 The Chrome Concert
Smithville, TN Email
Apr
22 Team Shelby All Makes & Models Car Show
Virginia Beach, VA Email
Apr
22 Connor's Car Show
Keller, TX Email
Apr
22 UW-Plattevile Auto Enthusiast Club Spring Car Show
Platteville, WI Email
Apr
23 8th Annual Car, Truck & Motorcycle Super Show
Monrovia, MD Email
Apr
23 "Dust 'Em Off" Car Show
Corvallis, OR Email
Apr
26 Lonestar Early Bronco Club Spring Round Up
Mason, TX Email
Apr
26 2nd Annual Balloon Race & Car Show
Mason, TX Email
Apr
28 Spring Jefferson Car Show
Jefferson, WI Email
Apr
29 Puzzled Car, Truck & Bike Show
Buena Vista, VA Email
Apr
29 31st Annual Pickle Festival Car Show
Mount Olive, NC Email
Apr
29 11th Annual Cruisin' The Park Car Show & Festival
Palm Harbor, FL Email
Apr
29 National El Camino Owners Annual Meet
Belton, TX Email
Apr
April Is a Good Time to Get a New Set of AutoLine Fuel Injectors
See what we have from Autoline
Autoline Fuel Injector Instant Rebate

AutoLine Products Ltd. is a family owned parts remanufacturer based in Winnipeg. They have been making parts better than new since the '60s. To celebrate ten years working with RockAuto, AutoLine is offering RockAuto customers an exclusive, instant 10% savings on AutoLine Fuel Injectors through April 30, 2017. That is 10% off RockAuto's reliably low prices!

What are symptoms of a problematic injector?

  • Check engine light/misfiring engine caused by a change in the injector's flow
  • Inconsistent idling, hesitation, stalling or fuel odor caused by dirty/leaky injectors
  • Reduced fuel mileage caused by an incorrect injector spray pattern

Replace just the worst injector?

It is best to replace all fuel injectors at the same time. If an injector is faulty on a high mileage vehicle, chances are the remaining injectors are in a similar condition, or will be in the near future. Replacing your injectors as a set ensures each cylinder is receiving the same amount of fuel leading to better performance and improved fuel economy. Since the time required to replace a single injector is about the same as replacing all the injectors, it is recommended to replace them as a set.

Whether gas or diesel, RockAuto has the AutoLine fuel injectors your vehicle needs. Find them listed in the "Fuel & Air" category of the RockAuto catalog.

Wholesaler Closeout Wiper Blades

Has it been over a year since you last replaced your wiper blades? Do you notice smearing and streaking on your windshield? Are your current wiper blades chattering and squeaking? If so, now is the perfect time to inspect and replace your worn out wiper blades!

We just brought in several new truck loads of Wholesaler Closeout wipers! These are premium quality traditional and beam blades as well as economy blades made by Trico and Anco, but in packaging labeled with our competitors' names.

Here are just two examples of current Wholesaler Closeout bargains:

  • Less than $2.50 for Trico NeoForm blade with Teflon® Coating to fit the '15-'16 Ford Transit Van, '08-'12 Chevy Malibu, '09-'16 VW Tiguan...
  • Less than $1.50 for Trico Exact Fit blade to fit everything from a '71 Chevy Camaro, to an '85 Renault Encore, to a '95 Dodge Dakota...

As always, Wholesaler Closeouts are in limited quantities. We may get hundreds of one part number and only ten of another. Even if you do not see a Wholesaler Closeout, continue to check out the wiper blade listing for your vehicle(s). Our regular inventory contains a wide variety of styles and top-name manufacturers at the reliably low prices you expect from RockAuto!

If you want to see a list of all the other Wholesaler Closeout parts available for your vehicle(s) that can probably all ship in the same box, click on the next to your vehicle's engine size in the RockAuto catalog, and then click on the next to "Love a Bargain?"

Forum of the Month
ModernJeeperForum.com

Modern Jeeper Forum is a friendly, multi-experience forum - no matter your experience or your purpose for owning a Jeep, everyone is welcome. Ask questions related to repair, installing lifts, steering, drivetrain and any other mechanical or electrical Jeep systems!

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

Many years ago, my friend and I really liked to tinker with cars. I really believed that he wanted to be a mechanic, but that never happened (he became a lawyer instead). When we were kids, we would see my dad working on cars, and we would emulate him by crawling around the inside and outside of cars to see what we could "fix" or "maintain."

One day, we saw him greasing the front end of our family car, a 1968 Nova. We thought we could do the same to my friend's parents' Chevrolet station wagon. So we got the trusty grease gun out and started greasing. We greased the front end, then the driveshaft and then proceeded to the wheels. We found more grease fittings close to the wheels and tried our best to grease them. But no matter what we tried, the grease gun connector would not snap over those fittings.

When I asked my dad why we could not grease them, he just laughed. He then proceeded to tell me that those were the brake bleeders and you did not put grease in them!

Tony in New York


Typical brake bleeder (left) and grease fitting (right)

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

The '66 Oldsmobile Toronado and '94 Chrysler LH cars (Dodge Intrepid, NewYorker, LHS, etc.) share what similar, unusual drivetrain feature?

A. The transmissions are mounted on the right side of the engine compartment rather than on the left, as found in other front wheel drive cars.
B. The transmissions use a mechanical dry dual-clutch system rather than a conventional torque converter.
C. The engine is mounted longitudinally in these front wheel drive cars. A chain is used to transfer power from the transmission to the front axles.

Answer below

They Do Not Last Forever
Tom's Story

My brother does not often disagree when I rhapsodize about features on my cars. Who would ever argue that my '79 Cordoba's clock is anything less than amazing. This Chrysler digital "Chronometer" has kept perfect time for nearly four decades! My brother, however, objects when I rhapsodize too much about the indestructible timing chain on the 2.3L in my wife's '93 Ford Tempo.

Most other four cylinder engines from that era have timing belts that need to be replaced every 60,000 miles (97,000 km) or some other routine maintenance interval. The staid Tempo resisted the timing belt craze and stuck with a timing chain, just like the venerable V8s of the '60s and many of the newest engines. How can my brother argue with that reasoning?

He disagrees that timing chains are "indestructible" because RockAuto customers buy a lot of new timing chains and not just for high-mileage classics. Most need timing chains for late-model daily drivers. Timing chains are typically durable, but they do not last forever. Newer timing chain systems may be complex with more parts that can break or wear out. It often makes sense to buy a complete Timing Set with all new parts, rather than replacing only one part and risking having to repeat all the labor when the next tensioner, sprocket, chain or another relatively inexpensive part fails.

The Timing Set for the 4.0L V6 in my daughter's '05 Mustang (shown) is a good example of the complexity of some modern timing chain systems. The timing chain transfers power from the crankshaft to a jackshaft that spins chains that turn the left and right camshafts. One camshaft chain is on the front of the engine and one is on the back. Behind the timing chain sprocket on the crankshaft is a sprocket for the chain that drives a balance shaft. Thoroughly replacing the "timing chain" on this engine can actually mean replacing four chains and their gears, sprockets, guides and tensioners.

The timing chain system on the late-model Toyota 2.4L, four cylinder includes a chain for the engine oil pump. The Timing Set for the late-model Chevy 5.3L V8 is still simple, just two sprockets and the timing chain. See what makes up the timing chain or timing belt system on your specific vehicle by looking under the "Engine" category in the RockAuto catalog. We currently have a selection of Timing Sets from six manufacturers for the '93 Tempo, so I have nothing to fear if its lucky timing chain, sprockets or tensioner ever give out!

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

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

Graham's 1976 MGB
Graham's 1976 MGB

My summer driver is not your typical '76 MGB.

I purchased it 17 years ago as a non-running ugly duckling. It has undergone an engine and drivetrain transplant and some cosmetic work, to reveal a swan on steroids! The powertrain is a carbureted Ford 302 V8, Borg Warner 5-speed transmission and a Ford 8.8" axle with a Trutrac differential.

Integrating the running gear into a British chassis took an eclectic range of parts from RockAuto. Everything from a Mitsubishi fan blade, Dodge and Nissan brake and clutch components, Ford Duraspark distributor and electronic module, and a host of smaller items like sparkplugs and headlight bulbs.

Recording a typical 4,500 miles a season requires reliable parts and fast replacement service if some component does let me down - RockAuto provides that quick turn around with reasonably priced parts and shipping costs.

Regards,
Graham in Ontario

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

The '66 Oldsmobile Toronado and '94 Chrysler LH cars (Dodge Intrepid, NewYorker, LHS, etc.) share what similar, unusual drivetrain feature?

A. The transmissions are mounted on the right side of the engine compartment rather than on the left, as found in other front wheel drive cars.
B. The transmissions use a mechanical dry dual-clutch system rather than a conventional torque converter.

Answer: C. The engine is mounted longitudinally in these front wheel drive cars. A chain is used to transfer power from the transmission to the front axles.

Back up to trivia question