Royalty Rotors & Brake Pads

Royalty Rotors and Brake Pads are now available at RockAuto.com. Royalty Rotors pride themselves on having over 30 years experience of CNC manufacturing in the aerospace and automotive industries. They offer a large selection of slotted and cross drilled rotors for nearly every vehicle make and model. Royalty Rotors offer a limited lifetime warranty on all their rotors.

The following are features and benefits of Royalty Rotors and Brake pads:

Slotted & Cross Drilled Rotors
•Cross Drilled-Degasses brake pads and decreases rotor heat.
•Curved Slot Design- Deglazes brake pads, reduces fade, and minimizes brake dust.
•Silver Zinc Plating- Prevents rust and corrosion. Greatly improves appearance.

Find these brake parts and more in the "Brake/Wheel Hub" category of the RockAuto catalog.

Forum of the Month

Team ZX2 is the largest Ford Escort ZX2 forum on the web. Team ZX2 has everything you could ever hope to know about the ZX2. There are plenty of members that just sign up to get help fixing their car and end up staying around for the conversation. There is also a very extensive knowledge base with topics like: How to change your timing belt, How to remove/install your transmission, How to paint your car, and much more. There is even have a section for non-ZX2 owners where they can also show off their cars.

Come join today! Your first stop should be the Newbie section. There you will find a "Welcome" thread that contains most of the first timer questions. Also, check our Photo section and post your ride there. We even have a Vidz section where you can see V8 swapped ZX2's and Zetec powered low 11 second ZX2's. One of my favorite sections is the Forced Induction section where you can ask all of your boost related questions. Yes, we put turbo's in Escorts. The site is free and even our knowledge base is open to guests. You don't have to register to view our site but I'm sure you will once you see what we offer.

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 jessa@rockauto.com.

Repair Mistakes & Blunders

While in college, I purchased a new 1971 VW Karmann Ghia. Within a few years I was married and we had purchased our first house. With money being tight, I decided that oil changes and tune ups were a way I could save money. The VW required periodic valve adjustments to keep the valves from tightening down and snapping a stem and ruining the engine. The procedure was to remove the valve cover and start with the number one cylinder, turn the crankshaft to top dead center, then use a feeler gauge between the rocker arm and valve stem. Then unlock the nut, adjusting to proper gauge, and re-lock nut. Move to next cylinder, turn crankshaft, and repeat. After doing all four cylinders, I cranked the engine. You wouldn't believe the awful sound! It sounded like a stem had broken and ruined the engine.

With tail between legs, I took it to the dealer mechanic, prepared for a new engine but never telling the service advisor what I had done. I simply said it was making an awful noise. When I picked up the car, the service advisor said they had adjusted the valves that someone had been messing with. I never fessed up, but you can bet I learned the proper way to adjust the valves!!!

Gary in Georgia

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 awhile!). Please email your story to flamur@rockauto.com. Include your mailing address and shirt size (large or extra large) and we will mail you a RockAuto "Do it yourself?" t-shirt if we publish your story (see the t-shirts under Extras 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

Compare the cost of a shopping cart full of parts (starter, radiator, turn signal switch, etc.) for the 2001 Cadillac Deville DHS 4.6L with a shopping cart of similar replacement parts for the cars below. Which vehicle's parts cost more than the Cadillac's?

A. 2001 Chevrolet Metro LSI 1.3L
B. 2001 Acura Integra LS 1.8L
C. 2001 Lincoln LS 3.9L
D. 2001 Volkswagen Beetle 2.0L
E. all of the above

answer: A (source is RockAuto Repair Index)

Happily Delay Piano Practice

My eight-year-old daughter got rid of the hillbilly car alarm on my wife’s Ford Tempo! For a long time one of the power door lock solenoids had been making a screech just like a car alarm does when activated. The noisy lock solenoid finally lost the oomph to move the lock linkage and it was time to replace it.

My daughter was involved in every step of the repair. She watched the threaded rod on the old solenoid spastically twitch. She pulled off the wiring harness plug. She chose the correct length rod to install on the new Dorman door lock solenoid and used pliers to help me put it together. She guided the little rubber clips on the new solenoid into the mounting bracket. She lubricated the lock, window gears, and door latch. She helped line up the door panel fasteners. She demonstrated the new door lock solenoid to her mom.

Involving children in car repairs has many benefits. They learn a car is a bunch of interesting systems rather than an impossibly complicated black box that should be feared. They use hand tools. They learn to deal with frustration, solve problems and correct mistakes. They take pride in a job well done. They get to spend time with mom or dad.

Especially with young children, choose the right repairs to help set the kid up for success. The door lock solenoid repair was perfect. We could do it comfortably in a warm garage. My daughter had spent many miles next to that door and she was curious to see what was inside it. I loosened the various clips in advance so she would not have any trouble taking things apart. She felt important when only her small hands could reach parts dropped inside the door. I also started the repair at a time of day that enabled my daughter to happily delay piano practice for a few minutes.

Some other repairs that are great for young kids on most car models include replacing:
•taillight and headlight bulbs.
•cabin and engine air filters.
•throttle position sensors, pcv valves, and other relatively clean and accessible parts.
•support struts for hatch, trunk, or hood.
•license plates or renewal decals.
•lug nuts.
•windshield wiper blades.

But even messy, rusty, or complicated repairs can involve children even if they only hold a flashlight and pass a wrench or two.

My daughter took the broken door lock solenoid to school for “sharing”. Her class found it to be an interesting break from the usual parade of stuffed animals. My wife’s Ford has three more doors. There will probably be more opportunities for my daughter to hone her door lock solenoid replacement skills! (Find door lock solenoids under "Body-Exterior" in the RockAuto.com catalog.)

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

In 1991 my wife purchased a first generation Eddie Bauer Explorer. At the time she wasn't my wife. I met her while working in the service department of a Ford dealership. We married and the Explorer racked up over 185,000 miles of memories. My wife and I couldn't part with it for sentimental reasons, so it sat on the side of my mother's house for four years.

Our son is approaching his driving years so he and I decided to overhaul the Ford as a father and son project. We kept ordering parts from RockAuto little by little and took the opportunity to spread our rebuilding job over two years. Last week, the Explorer took the highway once again and it is waiting for my young adult to get his license. We now both share personal pride in our complete Explorer overhaul.

Mark in California

Share Your Hard Work
Do you purchase parts from RockAuto? If so, RockAuto would like to feature you and your car or truck in our monthly newsletter. Please email flamur@rockauto.com with details.

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