RockAuto now carries Precision premium quality weatherstripping. Eliminate wind noise, rattling and water leaks with Precision's direct replacement windshield seals, rear window glass seals, door seals, roof rail seals, door window glass channels and more! Precision has been manufacturing trim and sealing products for automotive professionals since 1986. They offer coverage for a wide range of applications, from a Rear Window Glass Seal for a 1950 Chevrolet Suburban to a Windshield Molding / Seal for a 2022 Kia Seltos, and many popular replacement items in between.

RockAuto also carries Precision's vehicle-specific trim / molding clips and general installation tools, so you can get all of the parts and tools for the job in one convenient place. Find Precision products in the RockAuto.com catalog under the "Body & Lamp Assembly" category.

Take advantage of current promotions and rebates and save more on Brakes, Clutch Kits, Engine Oil, Shocks & Struts, Spark Plugs and more at RockAuto!

I was replacing worn out bushings on the front end of my 1965 Mustang using an air wrench with a deep socket to make things quick and easy. I pulled off the links, strut rods, sway bar and the control arm and then installed the new parts. It was all going well. When I went to reinstall one of the sway bar bushing brackets, I found that I only had three out of the four necessary nuts. I looked under, next to, and all around the car. No nut. I followed a path that it would have rolled toward the street from my garage. No nut. I looked in all the cracks and crevices of the sidewalk and driveway. No nut. I looked in my sockets and box wrenches. I looked in and around the old parts. I searched high and low. I could not find that nut anywhere. It had vanished.

It was getting late so I decided to call it quits for the evening. Still puzzled by it the next day, I looked around some more, but the nut was nowhere to be found. I was stumped. I had to admit defeat. So I went through my box of nuts and bolts and found a suitable replacement. I installed it and was all set. I needed to take the car for a test run, but I thought I would make sure that everything was secure and tight first. When I went to check the nut on top of the sway bar link, I noticed there were two nuts on that bolt! How in the heck? Did gremlins play a trick on me? Did I miss seeing a nut already there and install a second one? Was I losing my mind? Nope. None of those things. What must have happened is that when I pulled the nut off the bracket it must have gotten stuck in the socket. When I used the socket to install a nut on the sway bar link, the nut stuck in the socket got screwed into place there as well.

I am usually careful about keeping track of nuts and bolts as I pull them off to make reinstalling them a snap, but apparently this time I missed one. Anyway, check your sockets to be sure nothing is stuck inside!

Paul in California

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!

The Vintage Mustang Forum is a community dedicated to vintage Ford Mustang owners and enthusiasts. Join the discussion about restoration, modifications, troubleshooting, VIN codes and more!

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Where was the soft, fine, rich Corinthian leather that upholstered the seats in Cordobas and other Chrysler/Dodge models of the 1970s manufactured?

A. Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece
B. León, Guanajuato, Mexico
C. Newark, New Jersey, USA

Answer below

In the seminal, groundbreaking 1980s TV series "The Dukes of Hazzard," Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane frequently calls his deputy, Enos, a "dipstick" to imply Enos is a simpleton. Maybe that inspired budding automotive engineers to spend the next decade creating a complex sensor that could do the job of the simple engine oil dipstick. By the late 1990s they were done, and the Oil Level Sensor was born.

Oil level sensors were first installed on luxury brands including BMW, Lexus and Mercedes. Oil level sensors really became commonplace when GM started mounting them on the oil pans of countless Chevy LS V8s.

Typical Oil Level Sensors

Early oil level sensors use a float. When the engine oil level is too low the float drops, turning on a dash warning light. The float sensor typically only works when the engine is turned off, and the oil level in the oil pan is stable. Later, more advanced sensors use changes in electrical resistance or ultrasonic signals to detect the presence or absence of oil even when the engine is running.

When a low-oil warning message illuminates on the dash and/or a computer trouble code is stored, usually the trusty oil dipstick is the best way to confirm that the oil level is indeed low or that the oil level is normal, and it is the oil level sensor that is failing.

Oil level sensors typically screw into or bolt onto a hole in the oil pan. To minimize mess, the engine oil usually needs to be drained before the oil level sensor is pulled out which means it is a good time to also change the oil (and oil filter). To help prevent leaks, make sure that no old o-ring or gasket material is stuck to the oil level sensor hole in the oil pan.

Oil level sensor designs vary widely in cost; from less than $20 to hundreds of dollars. Find the correct Oil Level Sensors for specific vehicles under "Engine" in the RockAuto.com catalog. If your engine's dipstick disappeared while you were reenacting a Dukes of Hazzard corkscrew jump scene, then find a replacement dipstick under the "Tools & Universal Parts" tab in the "Engine" section.

Tom Taylor
RockAuto.com

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

This 1999 Ford Crown Victoria has been a fun project, and pretty much everything that I needed to get it back on the road came from RockAuto! The car sat non-running under a carport for several years after the previous owner passed away. My father (also a huge Crown Victoria enthusiast) and I rescued the car after bumping into the previous owner’s son. We purchased the car in August of 2020, and I got to work restoring it.

I was able to get the car running after purchasing all new filters, spark plugs, coil packs, etc. from RockAuto. I also sourced new catalytic converters since the originals had been stolen while the car sat. I then freshened up the look of the car with a new set of headlight housings purchased from RA to complete the look. I have many more modifications and repairs that I need to perform on the car, but it has become a reliable daily driver and a head turner wherever I drive it.

Jim in South Carolina (RockAuto customer for over six years)

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Where was the soft, fine, rich Corinthian leather that upholstered the seats in Cordobas and other Chrysler/Dodge models of the 1970s manufactured?

A. Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece
B. León, Guanajuato, Mexico
Answer: C. Newark, New Jersey, USA (Radel Leather Manufacturing Co. in Newark supplied Chrysler. Source: https://www.libertyleathergoods.com/... )

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