RockAuto now offers remanufactured Hybrid Batteries from Dorman! Replacement options for these sophisticated hybrid battery packs are no longer limited to expensive dealerships or salvage yards. RockAuto has Dorman batteries for 74% of Hybrid vehicles in the United States, at a fraction of the cost from the dealership.

Many Dorman batteries are "OE FIX" products specifically
designed to correct common failure points in the OE design

All Dorman batteries from RockAuto will be delivered fully charged and ready to install. Battery cores (your old battery) are returned directly to Dorman using the original shipping container. Battery core returns are paid for by Dorman.

Dorman's thorough remanufacturing process at their state-of-the-art facility helps ensure the reliability and longevity of each hybrid battery pack. On-vehicle test simulations are performed to confirm real-world performance in the most demanding conditions. All Hybrid Battery Packs are Plug & Play, requiring no flash programming or scan tool, and come complete with a wiring harness and battery electronics. Installation videos and troubleshooting tips are often available from Dorman, and can be found on RockAuto.com's pages for applicable batteries.

Find Dorman Hybrid Batteries for specific hybrid Toyota, Lexus, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Mercury and Nissan models in the "Electrical" category of the RockAuto.com catalog, and extend the life of your hybrid vehicle!

FordMuscleForums is a forum dedicated to Ford performance owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about popular models such as the Mustang, Galaxie, Falcon, Fairlane, Torino, Shelby and many more!

This comprehensive and easy to navigate website has topic and model specific forums. From a general question about a C4 transmission, to a specific question about the rarest Ford paint code, you will most likely find the answer there.

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.

In high school I had a ’69 Dodge Dart which needed rear brakes. Though not being entirely sure how to tackle the job, I went at it with all the zeal of a teen with car dreams.

The first order of business was to remove the rear tire. As I recall, I started on the driver’s side first, using the Mopar provided tire iron. Struggle, grunt and strain; as much as I tried to loosen the lug nuts, I could NOT get them loose. Eventually, I liberally applied a popular spray on stuck-nut solvent. With a LOT of effort, I finally got the first lug nut to begin to turn. However, just as soon at it began to turn, I noticed the wheel lug stud itself was breaking in the process. I could not believe how stuck on these nuts were! I moved on to the second, which was just as stuck. Again, with a considerable amount of effort, it began to turn, only to break that lug off as well. Same with the third and then the fourth. Stepping back, looking over the situation and considering how I was ever going to fix this dilemma, I began to wonder, “Was it possible the nuts could be reverse thread?”, a concept that up to that point I had never heard of.

Sure enough, with just a bit of effort (which is all I had left at that point!), the fifth and final lug nut easily spun free, lug fully intact. Later, someone told me that Mopar made the driver’s side wheel lug nut and stud threads reverse (left hand) thread so that “the wheel tended to want to tighten the lug nuts as it rolled down the road” to prevent it from inadvertently coming loose. After installing four new lugs, and completing the brake job, I was back on the road.

Lesson Learned: at the first hint something does not seem entirely right, it is probably time to stop and seek out more seasoned help.

Larry in Maryland

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!

Ford Broncos and 4-wheeling have been in the news lately. Off-roading discussions often mention that monotube shocks are great, but they usually do not explain why. What is an advantage of monotube shocks compared to twin-tube shocks?

A. Monotube shocks are less expensive so they can be affordably replaced after every off-road adventure or mishap.
B. The damping oil and gas in monotube shocks are physically separated so foaming will not disable the shocks no matter how rough the trail is.
C. Monotube shocks weigh a lot less, reducing unsprung suspension mass (and improving fuel economy).
D. all the above

Answer below

In the future, think twice before marrying a robot programmed by a car manufacturer. A human spouse might grumble when you leave the cap off the toothpaste tube. A robot spouse will complain that you left off the cap, used 0.25 gram too much toothpaste, quit brushing 13 seconds too soon and stored the toothpaste in a drawer that was 3 degrees too warm.

Electrically Assisted Thermostats

Perfectionist engine computers now even micromanage the operation of the humble thermostat. Thankfully, the new "map-controlled, electrically assisted thermostats" are typically not overly complicated. A heating element is added to the wax core inside what resembles a conventional thermostat. The "map" is the data and algorithm the computer uses to decide how far to open the thermostat under various driving conditions.

The wax expands and opens the thermostat at higher temperatures so a cold engine warms up faster; thereby reducing emissions, using less fuel and heating up the vehicle's interior quicker. If various sensor inputs (temperature, accelerator pedal position, etc.) tell the computer the engine is or soon will be stressed, then the computer can quickly direct current to the heating element to melt the wax and open up the thermostat sooner. Once the stressful race up the mountain is over, then the computer shuts the heating element off and the wax cools. On the ride down the mountain, the wax may even contract enough to partially close the thermostat again; helping maintain the optimum engine temperature.

Map-controlled thermostats have been used on BMW engines since early this century and will likely become increasingly common on other brand engines. Relevant computer trouble codes will often include "map cooling" in the description. There will typically be an electrical connector on the thermostat housing for the heating element. The heating element is usually a resistor with a two-wire connector. If an ohm meter shows an open circuit (infinite resistance between the two wires), then the heating element may have burned out. All the problems of a conventional thermostat may occur as well; the wax material may have deteriorated, corrosion and debris may have jammed the mechanism, etc.

Temperature sensors also often have two wires. Sometimes temperature sensors are mounted on thermostat housing assemblies. The RockAuto.com catalog can help you figure out if the connector on the thermostat housing is for a map-controlled thermostat's heating element or for a temperature sensor.

Find Thermostat and/or Thermostat Housing / Water Outlet under "Cooling System" for specific vehicles. Watch for "Electric=Yes" and/or "Map-Controlled" on the part's page to know your thermostat is map-controlled. RockAuto.com's new thermostat housings frequently include the thermostat, map-controlled heating element, temperature sensor and other necessary components so that the part is easy to replace as an assembly; helping ensure the repair is a complete success.

Computers now control just about everything, but occasionally they back off a bit. My wife still wrestles with the automatic electric shoulder belts in her '93 Ford Tempo, but owners of newer vehicles get to buckle their own seatbelts like big girls and boys.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

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

I purchased this truck between my sophomore and junior year of high school (1989), barely running and severely rusted. Being a young kid I thought I would grind all the paint off and throw on some body filler, and it would be a show winner. When reality set in, I decided to spray primer on it to protect my perfect body work (right).

Over the years, it has been every color of primer you can imagine, and sometimes not always the same color. Life got in the way of my dreams so it was simply my daily driver. After high school, I joined the Marines, and it traveled the country with me, clocking in well over 140,000 miles. I had focused mainly on the mechanical aspects of the truck by upgrading the suspension components, rebuilding the engine and transmission with many performance parts and replacing the brakes too many times to count over the last 31 years. As time and money permitted, I slowly started replacing body components starting with the front fenders, doors, hood, tailgate and bed sides, but the truck was still perpetually in primer.

Finally just a little over three years ago, I needed to replace the rear leaf springs since they were tired after 43 years of use, and it just did not carry heavy loads like it used to. Since I had the bed off of the truck, I decided that I would clean up the rear frame and paint it. Well, one thing led to another and before I knew it my truck was completely in pieces for a complete frame off restoration.

When it was apart, I completely restored the frame and suspension. Parts from RockAuto I used included Brakes, Body, Cooling, Electrical, Suspension, Steering and lots of other little random parts like a Parking Brake Release Handle and Hood Springs. I sanded the body components back down to bare metal again, and since I had gained the wisdom of how to properly do bodywork since my earliest attempts, I think it actually turned out well. It will never be a trailer queen, and I plan on driving the wheels off of it for as long as I can.

Michael in Kentucky (RockAuto customer for over four 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.

Ford Broncos and 4-wheeling have been in the news lately. Off-roading discussions often mention that monotube shocks are great, but they usually do not explain why. What is an advantage of monotube shocks compared to twin-tube shocks?

A. Monotube shocks are less expensive so they can be affordably replaced after every off-road adventure or mishap.
Answer: B. The damping oil and gas in monotube shocks are physically separated so foaming will not disable the shocks no matter how rough the trail is.
C. Monotube shocks weigh a lot less, reducing unsprung suspension mass (and improving fuel economy).
D. all the above

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