RockAuto now offers RDS Auxiliary / Transfer Tanks and Auxiliary / Transfer Tank & Toolbox combos! RDS Manufacturing Inc. has been manufacturing quality aluminum products in the United States for over 50 years. RockAuto has a full assortment of RDS tanks and tank and toolbox combos in various capacities and dimensions to fit your needs.

Increase driving range and be able to stock up on more of the grade, brand and/or price of fuel you prefer with an Auxiliary Tank or Tank and Toolbox combo. Auxiliary Tanks connect to your vehicle's OEM fuel tank to provide additional fuel capacity, and the optional toolbox is welded on top of the tank for added storage without using additional space in the truck bed!

Enjoy the convenience of a gas station that goes where you go with an RDS Transfer Tank or Tank and Toolbox combo. These aluminum tanks are designed for transferring diesel fuel, gasoline, racing fuel or aviation fuel from the bed of a pickup to automobiles, boats, 4-wheelers, generators, or anything else you may have. Aluminum tanks do not rust, protecting your fuel from contamination.

All RDS Tanks, both Auxiliary and Transfer, come with detailed installation instructions to ensure your Tank or Tank and Toolbox combo is properly secured to the bed of your truck. Some models come in a variety of finishes, including Treadplate, Black Powder Coated Treadplate, and Machine Milled Finish, to suit your needs. Find Auxiliary / Transfer Tanks and Auxiliary / Transfer Tank & Toolbox combos of all shapes, sizes and finishes under "Fuel Tank" in the "Fuel & Air" category of the "Tools & Universal Parts" tab.

DriveAccord.net is a comprehensive resource and a large community of Honda Accord owners and enthusiasts. This forum is active with friendly members sharing information on all aspects of these cars, from answers to technical questions to general all around Honda Accord talk. Although the majority of topics cover "modern" Accords (7th through 10th generations), you will also find active discussions on all Accords back to the 1st generation cars.

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 marketing@rockauto.com.

One night my daughter called and said the coolant overflow tank on her high mileage 1999 VW Cabrio had filled with “light brown paint.” I sighed knowing the prognosis of oil and coolant mixing is never good. Sure enough, when I got home, her entire cooling system was the consistency of tan latex paint. Interestingly though, the crank case oil was still a healthy golden amber from the recent oil change. I figured either the head gasket was bad or her block had cracked. We ordered an engine gasket set, new head bolts and got to tearing it apart. After a three day weekend of wrenching, we had her car all put back together, cooling system cleaned out, filled with distilled water and fresh oil in the oil pan. We started it up, and I watched in terror as blobs of “brown paint” started to bubble up into the Cabrio's coolant tank.

Defeated, I went inside, grabbed my laptop and started looking around on the internet. There, buried in an Audi forum, was the exact same story I had. This other poor soul had done the same thing and was in the same situation I was. Several folks on that forum recommended he replace the oil cooler. I did not even know this motor had an oil cooler! I went to RockAuto and saw it was in stock and cost less than I paid for the head bolts alone. It showed up quickly, and I had it installed in about 20 minutes.

I sucked all the “paint” out of the coolant tank, started the car and we held our breath watching the coolant tank. No more tan latex paint bubbles showed up! I wasted a three day weekend replacing a perfectly good head gasket when the real problem was a $30 part that took 20 minutes to install!

Marc in California

The easy to replace 1999 VW Cabrio Oil Cooler

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 RockAuto 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!

Why does the truck driver who has been driving the same Mack truck for twenty years grind the gears more often than the teenager who has been driving his family's manual transmission equipped Ford Focus for six months?

A. The Mack truck needs a new transmission.
B. The gear shifter in the big truck is about five times as long as the stubby stick in the little car.
C. The car's transmission has synchronizers that equalize the speed of the current gear with the next gear, making smooth gear changes much easier and eliminating the need for double clutching.

Answer below

The two old cars with carburetors currently in my family's fleet get driven less frequently in the winter. Starting them up after weeks of sitting tended to be a hassle because of the unpredictability. Maybe the engine would start right up after setting the choke with a push of the gas pedal and turning the ignition key. Maybe pumping the gas pedal would be required to get enough fuel into the intake manifold. Maybe too many gas pedal pumps would flood the engine, and I would then have to wait for the fuel to slowly dissipate. All the while I would be concerned about repeatedly flexing the stiff, icy cold accelerator pump diaphragm in the carburetor and/or contaminating the engine oil with gasoline.

I came up with a new method of starting my carbureted engines (Ford 2100 and Carter ThermoQuad carburetors) a few years ago. It requires somewhat laboriously opening the hood and taking off the air cleaner cover but works every time, eliminating the uncertainty. To avoid injury, damage and other bad things, do not try this method yourself without first consulting your vehicle's owners manual, repair manual (find manuals under "Literature" in the RockAuto.com catalog), and/or the proper authorities familiar with your specific engine and carburetor. The oldest carburetor designs may not have accessible bowl vents and the last OE carburetors may have emissions devices controlling airflow in and out of the bowl vents.

I press the gas pedal to set the choke. Next, I send a short burst of compressed air into the carburetor bowl vent tube. When there are two bowl vent tubes, I block one with my finger tip to keep more air in the carburetor. Then I put the air cleaner cover back on, turn the ignition key and the engine starts.

To provide the compressed air, I currently use a small portable air tank. I hold a valve stem cut off an old bicycle tire tube against the air tank's nozzle and direct the flow of air down the carburetor bowl vent tube. This very leaky setup demonstrates it does not take a lot of concentrated air pressure.

Carburetor bowl vents prevent a vacuum from forming by allowing air to flow into the bowl as the fuel flows out of the carburetor into the intake manifold. A cold engine that has been sitting for days already has plenty of air in the fuel bowl. My puff of compressed air through the bowl vent tube slightly pressurizes that air which encourages fuel in the bowl to not only enter the intake manifold but circulate through the idle control orifices and other carburetor passageways that may have gone dry over time. I have never flooded one of my engines using this relatively gentle pressure.

My "carburetor whisperer" skills may only apply to my individual carburetors. I have been whispering with that Carter ThermoQuad for decades. The puff of air down the carburetor bowl vent tube technique has just worked so consistently for me that I thought I should share it. I want to see more people taking advantage of the occasional dry, sunny winter days by taking their trusty heirloom vehicles out for drives.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

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

I am a 31-year-old mechanic and auto enthusiast from Quebec, Canada. I originally purchased this 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger "Daisy" in 2014. She is an original California car, still has her original paint, as well as the original 225 cu. in. slant six engine and automatic transmission. Daisy and I have become quite inseparable through the years. I attend the local car shows with her every weekend in the summer and maintain/repair her during the winter months while she is off the road. I have purchased spark plugs, wires, ignition parts, oil filters, all sorts of engine gaskets, and water pumps to name a few. I would not be able to maintain this car with such ease if I did not have RockAuto. I also collect the Collector Series magnets that I receive with every purchase and plan on continuing to do so for years to come.

Thank you for being such a reliable source for auto parts for the DIY community!

Best regards,
Nikki in Quebec, Canada (RockAuto customer for over seven years)

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, RockAuto social media or other commercial use. New, old, import, domestic, daily driver, trailer queen, classic, antique, we want to see them all! Please email flamur@RockAuto.com with the vehicle history, interesting details, your favorite images (tips for taking pictures of your car) and what parts from RockAuto you have used.

Why does the truck driver who has been driving the same Mack truck for twenty years grind the gears more often than the teenager who has been driving his family's manual transmission equipped Ford Focus for six months?

A. The Mack truck needs a new transmission.
B. The gear shifter in the big truck is about five times as long as the stubby stick in the little car.
Answer: C. The car's transmission has synchronizers that equalize the speed of the current gear with the next gear, making smooth gear changes much easier and eliminating the need for double clutching. (Heavy duty trucks were the last to get synchronized manual transmissions. Manual Transmission Fluid betters regular gear oil by providing lubricants tailored for synchronizers: https://www.rockauto.com/en/tools/transmission-manual,fluid+/+chemical,transmission+fluid,13630)

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