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Another Happy Customer!

I had to write to tell someone (or everyone at RockAuto) thanks for stocking a part that no other auto parts store stocks. The dealer had stock, but the price was outrageous at $118.00 each...

...I checked the web, called at least 15 auto salvage places in my city, and checked the dealership to locate used or new parts only to be disappointed by no stock or price. Well, that was until I checked RockAuto.com. To make a long story short, I fixed an overheating problem and put everything back to together with the Inner Fenders from RockAuto.

Thanks a million! I'm sold! I guess you guys do carry "All the parts your car will ever need" and definitely at the best prices I have seen!

Whenever I need a part for one of my vehicles in the future, I'll always check out RockAuto.com first!

A very satisfied customer! Ernest in Arizona

 

Upcoming Events
If you would like your event featured here, email us with details.

21st Annual United Fire & Rescue Car Show
8/8/2008
Hammond, WI
email

Yellow Rose Classic Car Show
8/9-8/10/2008
Grand Prairie, TX
website

16th Annual Fabulous Fords Forever All Ford Show
8/9/2008
Tullahoma, TN
email

Packey Webb Mustang & Ford Car Show
8/9/2008
Wheaton, IL
email

Summer Super Show
8/9/2008 Alton, IL
email

Kingdom Cars & Crafts
8/9/2008
Sheboygan, WI
email

18th Annual Falcon Club of America Pacific Regional
8/15-8/16/2008
Salem, OR
website

5th Annual Cool Northern Nights on the Coast
8/16/2008
Crescent City, CA
website

Lubbock Mustang Car Show
8/16/2008
Lubbock, TX
email

7th Annual American Iron Car Show
8/17/2008
Pleasant Hill, CA
email

Skykomish Show n Shine
8/23/2008
Skykomish, WA
website

Still Cruisin' Car Show
8/23/2008
Staples, MN
email

3rd Annual Midtown Car Show "Classic Meets Custom"
8/24/2008
Elizabeth, NJ
email

BUG-A-PALOOZA
8/24/2008
Channahon, IL
email

PAWS Central Park Moto Expo
8/24/2008
Washington, IA
email

International Mustang & All Ford Stampede
8/31/2008
St. Lake City, UT
website

Pride & Joy Car Show
8/31/2008
Yorkville, IL
email

 

 

RockAuto Now Has Wiring Harnesses

SwitchBattery CableSpark Plug Wire Set

Factory Fit by American Autowire
Factory Fit® is American Autowire's OEM and restoration division offering all you need for your GM project - Wiring Harnesses, Switches, Battery Cables, and Spark Plug Wire Sets.

Selection
Factory Fit® has a huge selection of OEM wiring harnesses and parts built to demanding specifications that are sure to please any restoration enthusiast or concourse judge.

Speed
Factory Fit® wiring harnesses are built using OEM blueprints and original GM parts, assuring you a "plug and play experience". Save time and money!

Specific
Manufactured for the discriminating restoration enthusiast. Factory Fit® ensures you have the correct wiring, connectors, clips, lamp sockets, tapes, and more. Also included in the Factory Fit® line are OEM harnesses that include standard modifications such as internal regulator, one-wire alternator, HEI, and more. Dedication to the details gives you the right fit every time.

Wiring Kit

 

 

Forum Of The Month

Markviii.org

Nine years ago, I had a problem with my Lincoln Mark VIII, and tried to find a solution on the Internet. Sadly, there were very few resources for a Mark VIII owner, so I decided to start a website for other owners who might be in the same boat, and so was born www.markviii.org.

Since then, our community has grown to nearly 10,000 members, and we pride ourselves on being the best source of information for troubleshooting and repairing these unique luxury sports coupes. We have a very active community, that is helpful, polite, and knowledgeable, which has made us the most popular Mark VIII website. Another important element has been to provide less costly alternatives for repairs and parts, and RockAuto has been a great resource for our users. Our members enjoy a nice discount, easy to use website, and reasonably priced, quality parts. Thanks RockAuto, for helping the markviii.org community keep these cars on the road!

Calvin Louie
Site Admin/Owner
www.markviii.org

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

Ouch!

I was enjoying a Hawaiian style cook-out in my backyard, complete with my grass skirt and coconut shell bra when one of my guests screamed that someone was just hit by a car in front of my house. The sight of me sprinting across the yard must have been a sight to see.

It turns out my neighbor was working on the transmission of his Ford F-150 pickup in his driveway across the street. He was underneath the truck lying on a creeper and neglected to engage the emergency brake or chock the wheels. When he disconnected the drive shaft universal joint, the truck began rolling down the driveway with him underneath grabbing the frame rails for dear life and trying to stop the truck by dragging his feet.

The truck passed over his sidewalk and down the apron, I don't know how he wasn't crushed. To make matters worse, parked across the street directly behind him was a classic Corvette belonging to one of my party guests.

Lucky for my guest, the truck veered off missing the Corvette by literally only a 1/4", jumping the curb and coming to rest on my next door neighbor's lawn after taking out a mailbox post. All my guests saw was a guy under a moving truck as it hit the curb.

My neighbor emerged from under the truck with only a bruised ego and not a scratch on him. Lucky I had plenty of friends on hand to push his truck back up the driveway before my neighbor decided to call it a day and join my party!

Jeff in New Jersey

 

Tell us about your most infamous auto repair blunder. Use your woe to help others avoid similar mistakes. 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. 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!

 

 

Tech Tip: Don’t Shoot The Messenger!

RockAuto

Oxygen sensors are an automotive equivalent of the “usual suspects” rounded up by police in the movie classic Casablanca. When the “check engine” or “service engine soon” light appears, it’s usually the O2 sensor that gets the blame.

Sometimes, unfairly.

An oxygen sensor’s job is measuring the proportion of oxygen to unburned fuel in the exhaust and transmitting that information to the engine computer. The O2 sensor is the messenger that tells the computer whether the engine is running rich or lean. The computer uses that data to adjust spark timing and fuel delivery. The computer’s objective is achieving the “stoichiometric ratio,” the ideal mix of fuel and air at which all fuel is burned and no oxygen remains. That’s the ratio that gives maximum economy and lowest emissions.

When the engine computer misses the stoichiometric target by too much and for too long, it sets a diagnostic trouble code and turns on the dreaded warning light.

This doesn’t always mean there is something wrong with the oxygen sensor. Any engine problem which affects fuel delivery or air flow can eventually trigger a trouble code based on O2 sensor data.

For example, a leaking intake manifold gasket will not be spotted by the sensors monitoring air flow into the engine, because that leak is downstream of the sensors. So, the engine computer cannot adjust fuel delivery to compensate for the additional airflow caused by the intake leak. But, that leak will cause excess oxygen in the exhaust and O2 sensor data will trigger the warning light, even though the O2 sensor is not the problem. Similarly, a leaking fuel injector can deliver more fuel than the engine computer intends, causing a rich condition first detected by the O2 sensor. The underlying problem can even be in a different sensor, such as a dirty air flow sensor which underreports the amount of air going into the engine.

Of course, the problem can be the oxygen sensor itself. Oxygen sensors live in the exhaust, which is not a very clean environment. Eventually, an oxygen sensor’s ability to transmit data may deteriorate to the point that it is no longer an effective messenger. That, too, will trigger the warning light.

Whatever the diagnosis, the repair should always begin with the same first step: a visit to the RockAuto.com catalog to get the parts you need to fix it right!

Ralph Kalal,
RockAuto.com

 

 

Lewis & Clark Road Trip

Road Trip

My family stood transfixed in front of the train station in Dayton, Washington. The beautifully restored and preserved Dayton Depot was built in 1881, but what had caught our attention was the dust devil swirling across the street about a block away. How had a thirty-foot tall, mini-tornado of debris managed to find its way from the surrounding desert all the way to the heart of green and carefully manicured Dayton?

We watched as the dust devil turned and meandered towards us. It made a direct hit on our Ford Country Squire station wagon and paused long enough to swoosh its load of junk through the five open windows before heading on its way. How exciting, the kids were thrilled! The cooler’s cord would not plug into the cigarette lighter socket because it was full of leaves!

We were on a family vacation tracing the route of Lewis and Clark. Instead of boats and canoes, we were riding in an artificial wood bedecked station wagon. Rather than discovering new species and routes we were proving that the family road trip is still the same blend of fun and trauma it was when I was one of the kids jammed in the back seat about thirty-five years ago.

Every occupant of the family station wagon was in a completely different world. My wife was enjoying the fruits of her carefully planned itinerary. The educational stops and hotels were ticked off flawlessly. My ten-year-old son was wondering if he should have bought the souvenir at the last stop or if there would be something better to buy down the road. My six-year-old daughter was remembering previous hotels’ pools and wondering what pools in Oregon would be like. My four-year-old daughter was busy collecting a mountain of rocks and a bag full of bird feathers.

I was patting myself on the back as the old Ford I repaired and maintained with parts from RockAuto zipped through lonely, scorching desert and hauled us up steep mountains. I enjoyed driving smooth, deserted, twisting roads that I thought only existed in new car ads. I wondered if I would ever get to drive those roads in a sportier car.

The hotels seemed nicer than hotels from childhood memories. I don’t remember ever getting free breakfast or having a sofa bed for the third kid. The fast food lunches seemed a little less leaden too. Gas was expensive. A few more picnic meals than usual saved enough money to pay for the pricier gas.

The atmosphere in the car was just the same, but with a little less wind noise. Thirty-five years ago I had a back seat role and this time around I was in the drivers seat! At the end of the day the kids had the same “she’s touching me!” sort of hysterics and my wife and I made the same empty threats: “you had better not make me pull this car over!”. I will treasure the memories and I hope my kids do too.

Ford Country Squire

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

 

 

Roy's 1964 Buick Riviera

Hi!

Thank You RockAuto! You've helped an old 1964 Riviera with many new parts. Everything had a perfect fit and installation was painless. Looking forward to finishing the Riviera this spring and ordering more parts. Thank you so much from the cold north!

Best wishes,
Roy in Norway

 

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

© 1999-2008 RockAuto, LLC - Madison, Wisconsin USA. RockAuto name and logo are registered trademarks of RockAuto, LLC. Manufacturer names and logos in the RockAuto catalog are trademarks of their respective companies and are used only to identify their products. All rights reserved.