Spyder Lighting Products

RockAuto now offers Spyder lighting products! Are you looking to set your Grand Cherokee, Mini Cooper or Integra apart from the rest? Spyder's OE Projector and LED headlamps, tail lamps and fog lamp assemblies are the answer. Spyder lighting products are often visually different than OE, but are still compatible with OE connectors and compliant with all applicable federal regulations. The assemblies are designed as direct bolt-on replacement parts making it easy to get a custom look for a low cost.

Look for Spyder lighting products in the Body-Exterior category of the RockAuto catalog and increase visibility while upgrading your vehicle's look today!

New RockAuto T-Shirts Have Arrived!

Just in are the new RockAuto Navy T-Shirts! With the same great vintage design as our black T-Shirts, the new RockAuto navy blue T-Shirts are sure to please!

The white RockAuto, "DO IT YOURSELF?" short-sleeved and long-sleeved T-shirts are nearly sold out. Only a few select sizes remain, now at a reduced price. Order today and get yours before we run out!

Don’t forget to check out the selection of other RockAuto logo gifts including Hats, Lanyards, Coffee Mugs, Decals, Re-usable Totes and Magnet Packs.

RockAuto attire and gifts can always be found in the RockAuto catalog under the "Tools & Universal Parts" tab in the "RockAuto Apparel & Gift" category.

Forum of the Month

MazdaForum.com is the unofficial Mazda enthusiast forum dedicated to all things Mazda. Find conversations regarding your specific Mazda model or general Mazda talk regarding exhaust, detailing, interiors, suspension, and much more. With thousands of discussion topics and knowledgeable members, you are sure to get the answer you are looking for. If you like to talk all things Mazda, register for free today and become a part of the conversation!

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

My first attempt at “real” mechanic work was on a '77 Jeep CJ-5 I bought from a man at church for $1,500. When I took the Jeep to a mechanic for a tune-up, I was told I would be wasting my money because it had several issues, from burnt valves to the carburetor hanging onto the intake manifold with only a single bolt.

I pulled it into a warehouse my employer had that housed his small engine repair shop. This gave me access to some tools and a parts washer. I went to work pulling off the cylinder head so that I could rebuild it. After the rebuild, putting it back on and getting everything buttoned back up...it wouldn’t start! After much colorful language, I called a local repair shop and told them to, “Come get it, call me when it is ready and I’ll never try to be mechanic again.” It cost me about $100 to find out that the fuel line had collapsed, I had put the head gasket on upside down or backwards and I had damaged a bolt hole enough to cause a leak.

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 marketing@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

What is Panhard?

A. The French automobile company founded by Rene Panhard and Emile Levassor in 1892.
B. A historic and current French manufacturer of armored, military vehicles.
C. The Panhard rod (also called a Track Bar) is a diagonal control arm or track rod designed to restrict side to side axle movement.
D. All of the above.

Answer below

Plenty of Places for a Leak or Sensor Failure to Occur

If the Check Engine light comes on, then check first to see if the gas cap is loose or cracked. Most people may know that now, but they may not know why. How does the computer find out that the fuel tank cap is not screwed on tight and why does it care?

Since the 1970s, cars have had evaporative emissions systems that prevent gasoline vapors from escaping the fuel tank and contributing to air pollution. Vapors from the gas tank are trapped in a container called a carbon vapor canister and then sucked into the engine air intake and burned. The early evaporative systems usually seemed to last forever and be maintenance-free because the car owner had almost no way of knowing if there was a leak in the system. I can leave the fuel tank cap for my 1979 Chrysler sitting stranded on top of the pump at a gas station and still never hear any complaints from the car’s evaporative system.

Computers on newer, OBDII equipped cars receive feedback from the evaporative system and light the Check Engine light if a leak is detected. A typical system includes a vapor canister, a vapor canister purge valve, a vapor canister vent solenoid and a fuel tank pressure sensor. The vapor canister purge valve controls the flow of gas vapors into the engine. The vapor canister vent solenoid controls the flow of fresh air into the vapor canister. When the engine is running, gasoline vapors leave the canister through the purge valve and are burned up in the engine. To avoid a vacuum from being created, fresh air is allowed into the canister through the vent solenoid.

The vapor canister purge valve and vent solenoid are both normally open when the engine is running. However, periodically the computer will seal the system by closing both the purge valve and vent solenoid simultaneously. The computer will then watch the fuel tank pressure sensor to see if the air pressure in the system drops over time. If a drop in pressure is detected, then that means there is a leak and the Check Engine light goes on.

A loose gas cap could cause the leak or it could be caused by a leaking purge valve or vent solenoid. Maybe the vapor canister itself is leaking or maybe the fuel tank pressure sensor is bad and sending erroneous pressure readings to the computer.

There are plenty of places for a leak or sensor failure to occur. The OBDII trouble codes and repair manual can help. The RockAuto catalog can provide clues too. For example, if ACDelco, Airtex, Dorman, Standard Motor Products and other manufacturers all make new vapor canister purge valves for a vehicle, then that could be a sign that the original part was failure prone. Little heart icons next to a part in the catalog indicate lots of other owners have purchased this part. The hearts could be another indicator that the original part often needs to be replaced.

For some cars, some part manufacturers can be sloppy and use the terms “purge valve” and “vent solenoid” interchangeably. They both let gases into or out of the evaporative system, but they are different parts. As always, it is helpful to compare the part images in the catalog with the part you are replacing.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

This is my 1968 Jeepster Commando convertible. I've tried to preserve it so that it's as original as possible. I've found some key parts at RockAuto to keep it in good shape mechanically and to keep it looking good. With RockAuto, I can always be sure that all of the parts are available, that your catalog is easy to use and that the shipments will arrive safely.

I've purchased wipers, brake parts and filters from RockAuto. The careful packaging and delivery of the parts has made it so that I always receive them in good shape and your invoices have always made the customs process easy.

Carlos in Costa Rica

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