Look no further than RockAuto for durable and affordable differential parts from USA Standard Gear. You will find the most complete selection of Spider Gears and Positraction Differentials. Not sure how to tell what type of differential came in your vehicle? Click here for some common methods of identifying your differential. USA Standard Gear is the choice for installers when high quality is essential and price is a factor.

USA Standard Gear is offering RockAuto customers an exclusive rebate through September 10, 2017. The rebate covers select USA Standard Gear Positraction Differentials, Differential Rebuild Kits, Ring & Pinion Sets, Differential Bearing and Seal Kits, Spider Gears and Axle Shafts. Find the complete selection under the “Drivetrain” category for your specific vehicle.

See USA Standard Gear rebate details and learn about other current manufacturer rebates on RockAuto’s Promotions & Rebates page. While shopping, watch for the yellow "Promotion/Rebate" next to the part names to help you save even more on RockAuto’s reliably low prices!

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

The Mercury's oil pan and its two drain plugs.

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!

How did US President Lyndon B. Johnson enjoy alarming his passengers when he drove during visits to his Texas ranch?

A. He would lower the convertible top on his '66 Cadillac DeVille while traveling at over 20 mph (32 kph).
B. He would switch seats with the chauffeur of his '67 Lincoln Continental Lehman-Petersen limousine and leave his motorcycle police escort behind at speeds well over 100 mph (161 kph).
C. He would pretend the brakes on his Amphicar had failed and then drive it into a lake.

Answer below

My children usually comment when we see a diesel powered vehicle drive off in a cloud of black smoke. That is because soot belching diesels are now rare. One of the important Exhaust & Emission parts we can thank is the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF).

DPFs have been around since the '80s. They really became common a decade ago when diesel emissions regulations tightened. DPFs and catalytic converters look similar, but as the name implies, DPFs are actual filters that capture soot particles rather than catalysts designed to chemically alter harmful gases.

Typical Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF)

To prevent quickly clogging with soot, most automotive DPF designs use a process called regeneration to heat up the DPF and burn away the soot. There are two common types of regeneration, passive and active.

"Passive regeneration" typically just requires getting the engine up to its ideal operating temperature and going for relatively long drives at freeway speeds. "Active regeneration" usually means sending diesel fuel into the DPF to burn. This is done by timing the engine's fuel injectors so that some unburned fuel leaves the cylinders with the exhaust or by mounting a separate fuel injector on the exhaust system to spray a small amount of fuel directly into the exhaust flow.

The engine computer monitors exhaust pressure, temperatures, drive times and other parameters to decide when passive regeneration is adequate to burn away the soot and when the active regeneration should be switched on.

Burning up diesel soot and the trace amounts of engine oil always present in the exhaust, leaves ash residue behind. The ash eventually clogs the DPF, and it must be remanufactured or replaced. A DPF can become clogged with ash at 50,000 miles (80,000 km) or at more than 150,000 miles (241,000 km) depending on the engine manufacturer, model year, driving conditions and other variables.

The DPF should be serviced soon after the engine computer activates the warning light on the dash or soot may back up in the exhaust system and damage the engine, the turbo or some other important/expensive part. A diesel engine may not be able to pass an emissions test immediately after a new or remanufactured DPF is installed because it may take a few heat cycles and/or some seasoning with soot and ash before the new DPF is properly broken in.

Listed under "Exhaust & Emission," the RockAuto catalog has replacement Diesel Particulate Filters by A-1 Cardone, Eastern Catalytic and more for diesel vehicles that are commonly part of high-mileage fleets such as Ford, GM and Dodge/RAM trucks and the Sprinter vans.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

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

I found this original owner, 1957 Ford Ranchero in Hemmings Motor News, back in 1993. It was exactly the truck I had been seeking for over a year. I test drove it and made an offer that unfortunately was not accepted. A few weeks later, I made another offer via telephone and sealed the deal! I flew to Kansas, rented a truck and trailer and trailered my new baby home.

The Ranchero was still completely stock. It only had been repainted a dark blue. I took 12 years to completely restore it back to pretty much original, even painting it back to the original colors. The truck still has everything it came off the assembly line with: a 292 cid Y-block engine, three-on-the-tree shifter, overdrive transmission, no power steering and non-power drum brakes. During the restoration, the only modifications I made were an electric wiper motor, alternator and hard tonneau cover. All the hard work paid off when the truck was featured in a Motor Trend Classics article a few years ago comparing the first Ranchero with the first El Camino.

I was recently having a little problem with poor running which turned out to be a worn upper bushing in the original 60 year old distributor. I purchased a new distributor, cap, rotor and plug wires from RockAuto and now she is running great again. I recently discovered RockAuto via a friend who praised the prices and fast shipping. I am very pleased and will use RockAuto for all five of our cars.

Thank you!
Glenn in California

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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.

How did US President Lyndon B. Johnson enjoy alarming his passengers when he drove during visits to his Texas ranch?

A. He would lower the convertible top on his '66 Cadillac DeVille while traveling at over 20 mph (32 kph).
B. He would switch seats with the chauffeur of his '67 Lincoln Continental Lehman-Petersen limousine and leave his motorcycle police escort behind at speeds well over 100 mph (161 kph).
Answer: C. He would pretend the brakes on his Amphicar had failed and then drive it into a lake.

President Lyndon B. Johnson driving his Amphicar

Back up to trivia question