RockAuto.com RockAuto August Newsletter :: Early Edition

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Another Happy Customer!

The parts I need at the price I want and shipping is fast to boot! What more could you ask for?

Saved hundreds over what the local parts store wanted for the same parts.

Thomas is Kentucky

 

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

Wrightwood Mountain Classic Car Show
8/16/2013
Wrightwood, CA
e-mail

Gunnison Car Show
8/16/2013
Gunnison, CO
e-mail

Hot Nights/Cool Rides Car Show
8/17/2013
Forest City, NC
e-mail

South Tacoma Classic Car Show
8/17/2013
Tacoma, WA
e-mail

WPBA Auto Shows 2013
8/17/2013
Warminster, PA
e-mail

Floyd Auto Fair & Swap Meet
8/17/2013
Willis, VA
e-mail

5th Annual Classic Car, Truck & Bike Show
8/17/2013
Gaylord, MI
e-mail

Rosewell World Harvest Car Show
8/17/2013
Roswell, GA
e-mail

Spring Green Car Show
8/17/2013
Spring Green, WI
e-mail

Pacific Cascade Mustang Club
8/17/2013
Carnation, WA
e-mail

Cappuccino Cruisers 2013 Show n' Shine
8/17/2013
Orangevale, CA
e-mail

1st Annual Defiance County Fair Car Show
8/17/2013
Hicksville, OH
e-mail

A and Z Roli Rally
8/17/2013
Schaghticoke, NY
e-mail

Wilmington Rotary Car Show
8/17/2013
Wilmington, IL
e-mail

Courageous Ministries Classic Car & Motorcycle Fest
8/17/2013
Riverside, CA
e-mail

Tomato Festival Show & Shine ROMA Club
8/18/2013
Leamington, ON, Canada
e-mail

Kornfest Car Show 2013
8/18/2013
Trempealeau, WI
e-mail

Brookdale Auto Meet
8/18/2013
Lincroft, NJ
e-mail

Tenino Quarrymen Car Club Annual Car Show
8/18/2013
Tenino, WA
e-mail

Charlies Ride - 4th Annual
8/18/2013
Hartford, CT
e-mail

28th Annual Sun Burst All Mopar Show & Shine 2013
8/18/2013
Tacoma, WA
e-mail

The Magic Cruisers 4th Annual Car Show
8/18/2013
Akron, OH
ddweil@sbcglobal.net
e-mail

Good Times Car Show
8/18/2013
Colorado Springs, CO
e-mail

KJP Car Shows 2013 Events
8/18/2013
South Elgin, IL
e-mail

TransAm Club of America National Trans Am Car Show
8/23/2013
Beaver Falls, PA
e-mail
website

The Knuckle Busters Car Club
8/24/2013
Aledo, IL
e-mail

Mass Cruisers Auto Club 22nd Annual Auto Show
8/24/2013
Walpole, MA
e-mail

Chesapeake City Lions Club Car Show
8/24/2013
Chesapeake, MD
e-mail

Annual Team LeCure Relay for Life Car & Bike Show
8/24/2013
Pennsville Township, NJ
e-mail

4th Annual Team 207 Auto Club Car Show
8/25/2013
Lewiston, ME
e-mail

32nd Annual All Vehicle Show
8/25/2013
Fremont, NH
e-mail

Classic & American Motorshow Devon
8/25/2013
Kingsteignton, UK
e-mail

2013 DTE Car Show
8/29/2013
Southfield, MI
e-mail

Mid-Missouri Motorcycle Rally
8/30/2013
Bates City, MO
e-mail

The Invasion
8/31/2013
Dallas, TX
e-mail

7th Annual Charity Car/Motorcycle Show
8/31/2013
St. Charles, IL
e-mail

36th Annual LeMay Car Show
8/31/2013
Auburn, WA
e-mail

 

ITM Engine Components

See what we have from ITM Engine Components

RockAuto now offers ITM Engine Components for over five hundred engines built from 1949 to today! These parts are predominately for engines in Asian and European brand passenger vehicles and light trucks, though there are internal engine parts for some U.S. brand vehicles too. ITM parts range from pistons and bearings to valves, timing components and even full gasket sets. If you need a valve cover gasket for your 1949 Jaguar XK120, piston rings for a 1974 Dodge Colt, or an oil pump for your 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata, look no further than RockAuto!

With over 40 years in the automotive aftermarket industry, ITM has many great and longstanding relationships with manufacturers from around the world to ensure ITM parts use the best possible components and have competitive pricing. Much like other brands we carry - such as Beck/Arnley and Auto 7 - ITM parts are sourced globally from trusted manufacturers and distributed as ITM Engine Components. ITM parts meet or exceed OEM quality specifications with many of the components being manufactured by the same factories that built the original equipment parts used by the automakers.

ITM Engine Components

Find ITM Engine Components in the "Engine" category of the RockAuto Catalog.

 

 

Online Trust Alliance

Online Trust Alliance Announces Top-Ranked Websites for Security, Privacy and Consumer Protection

RockAuto.com was recognized in USA Today as one of the companies doing a “laudatory job of keeping their customers secure and respecting their privacy” while “53% of big-name online companies continue to rely on inadequate security and privacy practices.” 

Thank you to the customers who noticed the newspaper article and pointed it out to us. Read the article online at http://www.usatoday.com/story/cybertruth/2013/06/06/twitter-amercian-greetings-privacy-security/2393869/

RockAuto has been hailed as one of the top 10 companies for best practices by the Online Trust Alliance!

 

 

 

RockAuto is Looking for a Few Good Cars

Brian's Charger
Mika's Galaxie
Andrew's Lotus 7

Show off your vehicle and hard work to the world! Submit a photo of your car or truck to be considered for the next series of RockAuto Collector Magnets. These magnets are sent to our customers worldwide and are given out at car shows and events.

Vintage or high tech street machine, trailer queen, or daily driver, all types are encouraged! Send a high resolution image, a short story about your car and what parts you have purchased from RockAuto to flamur@rockauto.com.

If your vehicle is chosen, we will make sure to send you plenty of magnets to share with friends and family and make you the envy of your favorite car club.

 

 

Forum of the Month

JeepKJ Country

Jeep KJ Country is a forum dedicated to the Liberty KJ and KK. The forum includes separate discussion areas for the Jeep Liberty KJ (2002 to 2007), Jeep Liberty KK (2008-Present) and general topics where fabrication, detailing, electronics, etc., can be discussed. Help out your fellow Jeep Liberty KJ and KK enthusiasts by sharing your knowledge or asking a question to help you learn from the wisdom of fellow members!

If you are not already a member of Jeep KJ Country, join for free today and become a part of a forum driven by enthusiasts!



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!

We bought a used minivan with 230k miles. It was in surprisingly better condition than any other van in our price range. So we take it on a family road trip. After an hour of highway driving, it starts overheating while the A/C is on. We get back from our trip and take it to a shop. They say the thermostat is bad and replace it.

Fast forward to the next family road trip...still overheating! We take it to a different shop. They say the radiator is packed with sediment. We replace the radiator. Then the next family trip rolls around, and you guessed it, still overheating! No difference at all. Now the shop says the cylinder head gaskets are leaking, causing the cooling system to not hold pressure and boil causing the overheating. We change the cylinder head gaskets. Nope! Still overheating!

Well one day I hear what sounds like boiling water under the hood. Sure enough I can feel the coolant percolating in the upper radiator hose. I carefully check to see if the radiator cap is holding any pressure. Nope, no eruption of steam. Not even a "pshhh." I bought a new cap and it hasn't overheated since! I spent $$$$ for the "pros" to "fix" my car and all it really needed was a $5 part.

Michael in Florida



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

ZF Friedrichshafen AG, founded in Germany in 1915 but now worldwide, is famous for designing transmissions for numerous car manufacturers including BMW and Chrysler. ZF is also the parent company of RockAuto's part manufacturers Lemforder (control arms, motor mounts...) and Sachs (lift supports, clutch kits...). What vehicle used the first ZF transmissions?

A. Mercedes 35 HP race car built by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG)
B. Opel 4/8 PS nicknamed the "Doctor's Car"
C. Zeppelin air ships

Answer below

 

 

The Canary in the Coal Mine

RockAuto

An engine might idle roughly, hesitate or stall when its Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor is failing. However, lots of other things can cause those symptoms too. There is a chance that the MAF sensor is not the root cause of the problems even when there are computer diagnostic trouble codes blaming the MAF sensor. The MAF sensor might be the canary in the mine warning that something else is wrong.

The MAF sensor is downstream of the air filter and measures the mass of air entering the engine. The engine computer adjusts the fuel/air mixture using input from the MAF sensor and other sensors.

Common Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor
Common Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor

Modern MAF sensors are typically some type of thermal resistor that increases or decreases the amount of electrical current flowing through a wire in response to the cooling effect of more air mass or the heating effect of less air mass passing over the sensor. The engine computer receives a voltage or frequency from the MAF sensor that is proportional to the current flowing through the MAF sensor’s wire. A missing or incorrect signal from the MAF sensor will lead the engine computer to make the fuel/air mixture too rich or too lean.

Here are some general things to check before replacing a MAF sensor:

  • Are the electrical connections for the MAF sensor and any separate intake air temperature sensor loose or damaged? Are the engine and sensor properly grounded? Is there an old spark plug wire arcing to the sensor’s housing? (That happened to my wife’s Mazda 323.)
  • Is the MAF sensor contaminated with dirt, water, pieces of the air filter, oil, etc.? Contamination can insulate and heat up the MAF sensor or cool it down. Either way, the signal the MAF sensor sends to the computer will be wrong. An engine air filter “cleaned” with compressed air might be punched full of tiny holes that allow fine dirt to pass through. A reusable air filter too generously coated with oil might lead to oil residue on the MAF sensor.
  • MAF sensors can often be successfully cleaned with MAF sensor cleaner or another cleaner suitable for electronics. Carburetor cleaner, WD-40, brake cleaner and other chemicals sitting on the typical garage shelf will likely damage the MAF sensor.
  • Is the MAF sensor installed correctly? On some vehicles it is easy to install MAF sensors backward in the air ductwork. Modified air intake tubing installed to increase engine performance might increase air turbulence to the point that the MAF sensor cannot work properly. If the engine hesitates or stalls when the transmission is shifted from drive to reverse, then that might indicate there are cracks or loose joints in the air intake tubing that intermittently open up with engine movement. Any air that bypasses the MAF sensor will lead to an incorrect fuel/air mixture.

MAF sensors do fail or degrade over time, especially on certain engines. However, it is usually not a good idea to replace the MAF sensor just because it is easy to access on top of the engine. Be sure to also consider other components that can lead to an incorrect air/fuel mixture. Things like a weak fuel pump or worn out oxygen sensor can cause the same overly lean or rich mixture and the resulting driveability problems. Find MAF sensors for your specific vehicle under Emissions in the RockAuto catalog.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

 

 

Andy's 1941 Cadillac

Andy's 1941 Cadillac

I have always had a soft spot for old Caddys. Last August I came across an ad for a 1941 Cadillac Series 61 that really caught my eye. To many it looked like just a hunk of metal, but to me it looked beautiful. I saw an opportunity to breathe life back into a broken down, rusted out soul. After much discussion (i.e. begging) with my wife, she conceded to allow me to embark on an unforgettable learning experience.

This project has been full of many fun and unforgettable experiences - one of which I will share with you. A couple friends and I took a road trip to bring home the Caddy and thus the adventure began. We finally got back to the house around 10:00 pm, backed the trailer into the driveway and prepared to unload the Caddy at its new home, just in front of the garage (it was too big to actually fit into the garage). We started backing down the Caddy from the trailer (and by the way the brakes didn’t work) and all of a sudden down she went as fast as 4,000 lbs can travel, narrowly missing taking out the corner of the house. It just so happened that the trailer was perfectly lined up with the entrance to the single car garage so that instead of taking out the corner of the house, it went right inside the garage clearing the side walls by inches and only taking out some stuff that my wife had been wanting me to get rid of anyway for the past month. After hearing the loud crash (the whole neighborhood probably heard it), she was glad we were still alive and that I had procrastinated getting rid of the mess. It was what had actually stopped the Caddy from going through the garage and into the living room!

As with any old car, many parts needed to be replaced and that’s where RockAuto came in. I was amazed at how expensive and difficult to find 1941 Cadillac parts were...until I came across RockAuto. I replaced many parts, including all the rubber weatherstripping on the Caddy, using RockAuto as my source. At times I saved as much as 50% from other well known suppliers.

RockAuto will always be the first place I check for any of my automotive needs. I recommend them to many people who ask me where to find parts for their cars.

Thanks again RockAuto,
Andy in California

 

 

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

ZF Friedrichshafen AG, founded in Germany in 1915 but now worldwide, is famous for designing transmissions for numerous car manufacturers including BMW and Chrysler. ZF is also the parent company of RockAuto's part manufacturers Lemforder (control arms, motor mounts...) and Sachs (lift supports, clutch kits...). What vehicle used the first ZF transmissions?

A. Mercedes 35 HP race car built by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG)
B. Opel 4/8 PS nicknamed the "Doctor's Car"

Answer: C. Zeppelin air ships (Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin was a founder of ZF.)

Back up to trivia question

 

 

 

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