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Another Happy Customer!

I usually don't spend time with e-mails and such, but RockAuto "Rocks"! Prices, fast shipping, easy ordering, easy to understand web page...

I have been working on a '89 Lincoln Continental, '77 Corvette, a '94 Ford E150 and getting ready to restore an '84 Toyota Supra. Glad I found you guys!

Mickey in Tennessee



Upcoming Events
If you would like your event featured here e-mail with details.

30th Annual "Run to the Pines" Car Show
9/28/2013
Lakeside, AZ
e-mail

19th Annual Lake Garnett Cruisers Auto Show
9/28/2013
Garnett, KS
e-mail

Pumpkinfest
9/28/2013
Port Elgin, Canada
e-mail

Applefest Car Show
9/28/2013
Belleville, Ontario, Canada
e-mail

Southern Maryland Mustang Club
9/28/2013
Bryans Road, MD
e-mail

Hyway Rockers Classic Car Club 5th Annual Hot Rod Reunion
9/28/2013
Arnold, MO
e-mail

Nassau County Cruise to the Show
9/28/2013
East Meadow, NY
e-mail

32nd Hilton Applefest Auto Show
9/29/2013
Hilton, NY
e-mail

Jack Taylor Memorial Car Show
9/29/2013
Green Lake, WI
e-mail

Mustangs West Car Show
9/29/2013
Olympia, WA
e-mail

22nd Annual Roddin' on the River
9/29/2013
Lake Havasu, AZ
e-mail

Corvette Charity Car Show
9/30/2013
Morristown, NJ
e-mail

36th Annual Ford Texas T Party
10/2/2013
Houston, TX
e-mail

US Car Club Lübeck
10/3/2013
Lübeck, Germany
e-mail

LMT & CKSC Dyno Shootout Weekend
10/4/2013
Waukesha, WI
e-mail

Calvert Hall College High School's 4th Annual Classic Car Show
10/5/2013
Towson, MD
e-mail

Stratford Fall Festival 6th Annual Car & Cycle Show & Fund raiser
10/5/2013
Glassboro, NJ
e-mail

Aurora Time to Shine Car Show
10/5/2013
Hardin, KY
e-mail

35th Annual Four Wheelin' with Feelin' on Road/On Trail Rally
10/5/2013
Deforest, WI
e-mail

Cruisin Towards a Cure for PF Because Breathing Matters
10/5/2013
Holland, IN
e-mail

10th Annual Jim Bowie Days Car Show
10/5/2013
Bowie, TX
e-mail

32nd Annual Centerville In the Fall Auto Show
10/5/2013
Centerville, TN
e-mail

Wings Wheels Festival
10/5/2013
East Wenatchee, WA
e-mail

Cartoberfest
10/6/2013
New Hartford, CT
e-mail

Chrysler Show N Shine
10/6/2013
Queensland, AU
e-mail

Cars of the Past
10/6/2013
Covington, GA
e-mail

6th Annual Veterans Memorial Car Truck & Bike Show
10/6/2013
Sussex, NJ
e-mail

Classy Chassis Open Car Show
10/6/2013
Cedar Creek, TX
e-mail

Hot Rods & Harley's Lions Club Car Truck Bike & Rat Rod Show
10/7/2013
Hopkinton, IA
e-mail

Yankee Toys Inc. Fall Gathering
10/10/2013
Whitman, MA
e-mail

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

 

Rebates, Rebates, Rebates!

Air Lift Rebate
Monroe Shocktober Rebate
Rancho Shocktober Rebate
Walker Ultra Rewards Rebate

Air Lift, Monroe, Rancho and Walker all have rebates ending October 31, 2013. Take advantage of these rebates while there is still time!

  • Air Lift – Get up to $100 mail-in rebate on select Air Springs and/or On-Board Air Compressors.
  • Monroe/Rancho - Buy 4 qualifying Monroe or Rancho products for the price of 3!
  • Walker - Get up to $40 back with the purchase of a qualifying Walker Direct-Fit Catalytic Converter or a Walker CalCat Direct-Fit Catalytic Converter.

To see the details for these rebates or to view additional rebates currently being offered by ACDelco, Bosch, Fram and Omix-Ada/Rugged Ridge, go to the Promotions and Rebates page.

While shopping, watch for the yellow "Promotion/Rebate" star Promotion/Rebate Star next to the part names to help you save even more on RockAuto’s reliably low prices!

 

 

Dorman Radios

See what we have from Dorman

Dorman has introduced a new line of remanufactured OE replacement radios that ensure a direct-fit replacement every time. These work with existing steering wheel controls and will not leave dashboard gaps like other aftermarket options. In addition, these Dorman radios include an auxiliary jack upgrade, which will allow you to listen to music from external devices like your phone or mp3 player. Dorman radios require no programming and use plug-and-play connections to ensure an easy installation.

Radios are available for a variety of 1995-2005 Chevrolets; 2005-2009 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep models; the 2004-2007 Ford Taurus and the 2004-2005 Mercury Sable. The Dorman radios can be found in the "Body-Interior" category of the RockAuto catalog.

 

 

Forum of the Month

EliteStangs

EliteStangs is a family-friendly Mustang club and forum founded in East Tennessee in 2010, but it is growing rapidly nationwide. We strive to provide a family-friendly environment on our Internet forums as well as at all of our events. Include the whole family by bringing them along to join in the Mustang fun. Regardless of how much we grow, it is our desire to always have a small, local club ‘feel’ which is what we believe sets us apart from the herd.

Our club is and always will be absolutely free to join. ‘Premium Memberships’ are available at very reasonable cost, and they are what primarily support the club financially. Come on and join the club and grow with us. We would be proud to have you as a member!



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

Ouch!

I love saving money and still turn a wrench on my own car for most projects. I was all ready to replace the timing belt in my '06 Subaru Legacy, which should be easy enough as it is a flat boxer engine with easy access to the front of the engine. I was having a helper come over on Saturday for moral support, so I thought I would get the easy stuff out of the way. I put my car up on ramps to drain the antifreeze and remove the electric fans and the radiator so that we would have plenty of room to work on the front of the engine. Now that I had done that, I attempted to roll the car off the ramps (as I couldn't start it). I could have called my wife for assistance but decided that was unnecessary.

I got the car to start rolling with the door open.  I thought I could pull my leg in and get the door closed before the car rolled out of the garage. Wrong! The rear of the Subaru door clipped the track for the garage door, which did considerable damage to the car's door.

We did get the job done and the car ran perfectly, but I still have a constant reminder of my mistake in judgment. I will get the door fixed eventually but it's not in the budget at the moment.



Sam 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 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

Automotive Trivia

What was the first automotive product built by RockAuto tool supplier, Lisle Corporation?

A. King Pin Set
B. Master Ignition Vibrator
C. Timing Cam Gear

Answer below

 

 

10W-30, The Heavy Duty Alternative Oil?

RockAuto

I cannot help but still be surprised when I open the hoods of newer cars and see 0W-20, 0W-40 and other unique oil weight specifications printed right on the oil filler caps (found under "Engine" in the RockAuto catalog). Putting 0W oil in a hard working engine just seems wrong. Is 0W as thin as water? I was raised to believe that powerful engines needed heavy weight oils. Racing oil was straight 30 weight. Only sewing machines and guns used light, thin oil.

0W-20 oil weight specifications printed right on the oil filler cap

Maybe light weight oil increases gas mileage because the internal engine parts move more freely, especially when the engine is cold. However, maybe the parts also wear out faster because they are not protected by a thick enough coating of oil? 10W-30 is still apparently very popular since it is always on the shelf in every store where oil is sold. How about “upgrading” the oil in that new Toyota engine from 0W-20 to trusty, heavier duty 10W-30?

Do not do it! Resist following your oil picking instincts and only use the weight of oil specified in your vehicle’s owner’s manual (owner’s manuals and repair manuals are found under "Literature" in the catalog). Newer engines are much pickier about oil. New engines often specify only one oil weight and it is not OK to assume that if 0W-20 is specified then 0W-40 should work better in hotter climates. Even new diesel engines do not all use the “favorite” oil for diesels, 15W-40, any longer.

Like with old engines, oil in newer engines still needs to lubricate the moving parts while not leaking into the combustion chambers. However, oil now often has other important duties. Engine oil may have to act as a hydraulic fluid in engines with variable valve timing, multi-displacement or other systems with small orifices and pressure sensitive parts.

Engine oil also may have increased cooling duties. The four cylinder in my wife’s 1993 Ford Tempo takes five quarts (4.73 liters) of 10W-30 just like the V8 in our 1992 Dodge van does. Newer engines may need seven quarts, ten quarts or whatever volume is needed to keep the engine, turbocharger and other systems lubricated, pressurized and cool. An oil pump designed to pump seven quarts of relatively light weight synthetic oil is probably not going to be happy trying to move seven quarts of old 30 weight racing oil. Some oil passages or the oil filter might be left dry.

I wonder why 10W-30 is still sold at nearly every convenience store? I do not complain because it is what I need for my old cars, but how many drug store shoppers still have cars over 20 years old in their fleets? 5W-30 was already becoming the new normal in the early 1990s. Maybe significant numbers of people are putting 10W-30 in newer cars when they should not. Mixing weights of oils (for example 10W-30 mixed with 10W-40) always risked clogging the oil passages with goo. I imagine that really bad goo might happen if 10W-30 is mixed with 0W-20.

Changing the oil has almost become as vehicle specific as changing the timing belt. However, it is easier to pour in the wrong oil than it is to install a wrong belt. Another reason to keep doing your own oil changes or to say thanks to your trusted professional mechanic.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com


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

P.S.
Combustion Leak Detector:
In the last newsletter I talked about trying unsuccessfully to detect automotive carbon monoxide leaks using a home CO detector. Foolish me! RockAuto has a Combustion Leak Detector by Lisle specifically designed to detect exhaust gas leaking into the radiator through a bad head gasket, warped head or cracked block. I mercifully do not have a vehicle with any symptoms of those head problems to try out the tool on. However, Lisle makes it appear the tool is simple to use. Just watch to see if the fluid changes color. Lisle makes great tools designed to diagnose and solve specific problems. Learn more about the Combustion Leak Detector here.

 

 

Chris' 1992 Jeep Cherokee

Chris's 1992 Jeep Cherokee

I bought this 1992 Jeep Cherokee new off the dealership lot.  I drove it as my primary vehicle for years, then passed it on to each of my two sons when they started to drive.  Over the course of time, this sweet Jeep gave us all 363,000 miles of dependable service!  Most recently, my youngest son enlisted in the Air Force and wanted to take the Jeep to his new duty station, so I decided to re-build the original 4.0L High Output engine (which by the way, was still running strong at the time...just wanted to make sure he had the assurance of a newly rebuilt rig).

RockAuto was instrumental in providing reliable parts for the re-build, at the lowest prices anywhere.  The “Rock” supplied parts including the new clutch, distributor, harmonic balancer, coolant hoses & thermostat, plugs & wires, serpentine belt, power steering hoses, injector o-rings, and A/C parts.

RockAuto’s customer service, fast shipping and lowest prices were beyond compare.

Thanks,
Chris in Idaho



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

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

Automotive Trivia


What was the first automotive product built by RockAuto tool supplier, Lisle Corporation?

A. King Pin Set
Answer: B. (Lisle produced a master ignition vibrator for the Ford Model T.  The Model T ignition system used trembler coils that emitted a continuous stream of sparks rather than a single, strong spark like a modern ignition coil. The master ignition vibrator helped control the on/off cycle timing for the four trembler coils.)
C. Timing Cam Gear

trembler ignition coil
Trembler Ignition Coil

Back up to trivia question

 

 

 

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