RockAuto has compiled some of the best Japanese original equipment (OE) part manufacturers including brands like Koyo, Aisan, Yec, Tama, Nippon Reinz, and more! Their parts are available in the RockAuto.com catalog listed as "JAPANESE OE."

RockAuto also now offers the 555 line of high quality replacement control arms, ball joints, tie rod ends and sway bar links built for Japanese brand vehicles by Japanese manufacturer Sankei.

Find these parts listed in various categories (Steering, Suspension...) under your specific vehicle in the RockAuto.com catalog!

My 17-year-old son bought a 2000 Audi TT 1.8L recently using money he earned from his car detailing business. At 110k miles there was no record of a timing belt change, so that’s the first job we tackled. We bought a Continental Timing Belt, Water Pump, and Tensioner kit from RockAuto and got to work. I had come down with a cold at the time and wanted to put off the job, but my son was adamant about getting it done. Even though the timing belt looked OK, I explained that the engine was the interference type and what bad things could happen if the timing belt broke.

Working on the little Audi wasn’t easy. I thought I had every tool imaginable until I started working on that car. We eventually reassembled everything and turned the engine by hand. Me underneath with a breaker bar and my son above watching to make sure the belt was tensioned properly and not skipping teeth on the gear. After about a quarter turn he yelled “STOP!” ... and my heart sank. He pointed to the “Audi" label on the timing belt. We had mistakenly put the old belt back on!

The 1.8L Audi engine uses a hydraulic tensioner. Once you pull the pin it expands and applies tension to the belt. At that point it’s difficult to take the tensioner off without removing or potentially ruining it. It took a bit of brainstorming while looking through all my tools, but I finally found a small forked C-clamp that we used to compress the tensioner in place and get the new belt on. We laugh about that blunder to this day and now always double check that old parts are not re-installed.

Timing Belt Tensioner shown with pin that holds tension until removed

Craig in Massachusetts

Cartridge style oil filters fit into an oil filter housing that is sealed with a threaded oil filter cover. Original equipment (OE) housings and covers are most often plastic. There is usually a large (~23 mm) bolt head molded into the top of the cover to use for unscrewing and reinstalling the cover. The big bolt head necessitates use of a big wrench or socket/ratchet. Even dainty hands can easily accidentally apply too much torque and crack the plastic. Replacing the oil filter cover is typically as simple as screwing on a new one, but it may take significant labor and part cost to remove and replace the oil filter housing. Depending on the engine, the upper intake manifold may need to come off.

Using a torque wrench to tighten the oil filter cover is a good solution. However, it takes effort to pull out the torque wrench with the right torque range, adjust it to the specified torque setting and then return the torque setting to zero before putting the wrench away. I know I have been tempted to wing it and hope my hands could magically judge what 25 Newton meters (N-M) feels like.

Torque adapters are more likely to be used because they are convenient. Torque adapters look like a short socket extension and snap in place between the ratchet wrench and the socket. Lisle has made mechanical torque adapters that are permanently calibrated to start clicking at one fixed torque setting. They make them for the most common oil filter cover torque specifications: 25 N-M (18 ft. lbs.), 35 N-M (26 ft. lbs.), 40 N-M (30 ft. lbs.) or as a set of all three. They can be tightened using a 3/8 inch drive or with a 21 mm socket or wrench. Grabbing the torque adapter out of the toolbox or off the "oil change stuff" shelf becomes routine.

Torque Adapter & Oil Filter Cover

25, 35 or 40 N-M also often matches the oil drain plug torque specification on many engines. Use one of these torque adapters to avoid overtightening the drain plug and damaging the fitting in the oil pan. It is also a good idea to periodically check to make sure the oil drain plug has not loosened. This is especially true if the vehicle goes the maximum allowable distance between oil changes according to the engine manufacturer or if the vehicle has its oil changed at a professional shop that uses a suction system to suck the oil out from the top of the engine (dip stick hole...). A never-touched oil drain plug may eventually rattle loose, especially with modern engines that have lightweight oil pans. A quick twist with the correct torque adapter proves the oil drain plug is still tight without the risk of overtightening.

The torque adapters often match the torque specifications for other parts of the engine as well (spark plugs...). Since they work with all sorts of ratchet wrenches, they make it possible to control torque in spaces where a conventional torque wrench may be too big to fit.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

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