RockAuto now carries Motive Gear products. Motive Gear offers drivetrain parts of the highest quality, everything from ring and pinion gearsets, installation kits and differential components to axle shafts and transfer case parts. Motive Gear is a proud partner with top racing teams, manufacturing driveline products capable of withstanding extreme horsepower applications, even when operating in punishing environments. Motive Gear offers unmatched value with a wide selection of gearsets and axles that are engineered to meet or exceed original equipment manufacturer specifications.  Find Motive Gear parts for your Chrysler, Ford, GM, Toyota vehicles and Dana components under the "Drivetrain" category in the RockAuto catalog. | |
RockAuto now offers Schrader's new TPMS Sensor Retrofit Kit at a reliably low price! This retrofit kit is a sleek, solar powered, and wireless solution to monitor tire pressure in vehicles built prior to 2008 that do not have a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) originally installed. A properly functioning TPMS has many proven safety benefits, including improved handling, fuel economy and braking distance, as well as decreased tire wear, blowouts and hydroplaning caused by low tire pressure. You can now rely on a Schrader TPMS Sensor Retrofit Kit to detect and warn you when your tires are under-inflated by at least 25%, while monitoring and displaying pressure and temperature for all four tires. Also monitor a full-size spare tire with the separate purchase of a fifth sensor (Schrader 29015).  This TPMS kit is ideal for off-road applications where tire pressure requirements may be different than on-road tire pressure. Drive safer and protect your passengers with a Schrader TPMS Sensor Retrofit Kit, found under Tools & Universal Parts > Wheel > Tire in the RockAuto catalog. |
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 It was the early 1970s and my older brother had acquired his first car, a baby blue four door Plymouth Fury, with a push button automatic transmission paired with Mopar's mighty (mighty reliable, that is!) 225 Slant Six engine. I was probably more excited about that car than my older brother was, and eager to dive in and help him maintain it. My brother decided it was time to replace the spark plugs one morning. So while he was retrieving the new plugs, I decided to get a head start by removing the spark plug wires. My brother came back, closely followed by our father, who no doubt imagined where the morning's adventure was headed. Our father had been an aircraft mechanic in the Navy, a mechanical engineer and at least in my eyes the king of DIY, including auto maintenance. As the two approached I enthusiastically volunteered that I had already pulled the plug wires. My brother looked a bit bewildered, and my father, who usually managed to keep his cool no matter what boneheaded stunt my brother or I pulled, calmly asked "So did you label them?", "Umm, No." I replied. "Then how will you know which wires go to which plugs?" At that moment I sensed that his question was probably an important point. My father proceeded to explain how an engine functions and the magical (to me at least) concept called "firing order." Fortunately, the spark plug wires on that inline six cylinder engine were just the right lengths to reach the plugs they belonged to, so sorting out which went where was not a problem. However, I'll never forget the valuable lessons that I learned from that one boneheaded blunder. I hope this helps others avoid a silly mistake. Mike in Missouri Share Your Story |
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 Engine oil pump manufacturers usually emphasize that their oil pumps directly deliver oil volume rather than oil pressure. An oil pump pushes a volume of oil out into the passageways that make up the engine's oil gallery. How open or restricted those passageways are is what determines what the maximum oil pressure can be. Maybe think of a funnel with a large mouth at the top and a small stem at the bottom. The large mouth represents the oil pump, and the small stem represents the engine's oil gallery. Slowly pour a small volume of oil into the funnel mouth and a low pressure stream of oil will dribble out of the funnel stem. Rapidly fill the funnel mouth with a large volume of oil and the stream squirting out of the funnel stem will increase in pressure until quickly reaching a maximum pressure determined by the diameter of the funnel stem. Keep dumping more oil into the funnel mouth, and oil will eventually overflow onto the floor. An engine's oil pump delivers an increasing volume of oil as engine RPMs increase. More oil volume increases the oil pressure in the engine's oil gallery. As the oil pressure moves closer towards the maximum allowed by the size of the gallery passageways, the back pressure at the oil pump increases as well (the funnel mouth is filling up). When the back pressure rises too high, a pressure relief valve will open on the oil pump and the excess oil volume will pour back into the oil sump/pan (funnel mouth overflows onto the floor). A worn out engine oil pump may not be able to pump a large enough volume of oil to adequately raise engine oil pressure, especially at low engine RPM. A valvetrain starving for oil may make noise, especially when the oil is cold and harder to pump. Systems that require oil pressure (camshaft actuator/phaser, hydraulic tensioners...) may start generating trouble codes. A new Standard Volume oil pump will restore oil volume to original equipment (OE) specifications and help normalize oil pressure. OE oil volume may not be enough to adequately generate oil pressure in some high-mileage engines because internal parts are worn, loose and/or leaky (bearings, seals...). (Think of a funnel stem that a dog chewed on. Oil pressure is lost as oil leaks out the tooth holes on the sides of the stem.) A High Volume oil pump that generates a larger volume of oil (compared to OE) for any given engine RPM may give the engine enough oil to generate adequate pressure in spite of the internal leaks. Engines that have been modified (turbocharger, remote oil filter, oil cooler...) to have a larger capacity oil gallery may also benefit from a High Volume oil pump that can deliver more oil volume throughout most of the engine's RPM range. It takes more oil volume to build oil pressure because the oil gallery has more passageways to fill up and pressurize. High Performance and High Volume oil pumps may provide the option of increasing maximum oil pressure by using a pressure relief valve that opens at higher pressures (typically 10 to 25 PSI higher than OE). Maybe this higher maximum volume/pressure is needed for an engine that has been modified to run at higher RPM or that needs higher pressure at the gallery inlet so that adequate oil makes it to the deepest corners of an expanded oil gallery system. High Performance and High Volume oil pumps often include the choice of installing an OE pressure relief valve spring or a higher maximum pressure relief valve spring.  2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 5.3L Oil Pump Choices High quality, high flow rate oil filters typically have a lofty burst pressure greater than 200 PSI. On some engines there is a chance a higher maximum pressure oil pump pressure relief valve might generate an oil pressure related trouble code. The trouble code may occur whenever the oil pressure is outside a window (for example, 20 to 70 PSI), but the trouble code description may always be "low oil pressure" regardless. Consult your mechanic, service manual, spouse, doctor, religious leader and other authorities before modifying your engine, including its lubrication system. See the Oil Pumps, Oil Filters and other lubrication system parts for your vehicle under "Engine" in the RockAuto.com catalog. Open a part's "Info" page to see more detailed specifications. Tom Taylor, To read more of Tom's articles, click this link and choose from story titles on the Newsletter Archives page. |
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We regularly issue batches of new magnets in limited quantities so more customers get a chance to have their cars in the magnet limelight. We hope all customers have fun receiving the magnets with their orders and expanding their magnet collection!  Expect to see magnets from this new batch in your orders soon! | |
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In the heart of a dusty graveyard for forgotten vehicles, a once-mighty 2000 Jeep Cherokee (XJ) lay dormant, its engine silent and its body rusting away. But beneath the layers of neglect, a spark of hope lingered. Enter a team of dedicated enthusiasts armed with nothing but determination and a catalog of RockAuto parts. They saw beyond the decay, envisioning a resurrection that would defy the odds. With precision and care, they selected the necessary components from RockAuto's vast inventory, each piece meticulously chosen to breathe new life into the XJ. From engine internals to suspension upgrades, every part held the promise of revival. The XJ's worn-out components were replaced one by one, each new part fitting seamlessly into place like a missing puzzle piece. The once-silent garage echoed with the sounds of progress as the Jeep XJ surged back to life, its engine growling with renewed vigor. With every bolt tightened and every wire connected, the resurrection neared completion. Finally, the moment arrived. With a triumphant roar, the refreshed Jeep emerged from the graveyard, a testament to the power of determination and the quality of RockAuto parts. From the depths of neglect, it had been brought back to its former glory, ready to conquer the trails once more. Hunter in California |
Share Your Hard Work And Stories | |
 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 or other commercial use. New, old, import, domestic, daily driver, trailer queen, classic, antique, we want to see them all! For submission instructions and tips for taking pictures of your car, please visit our Photography Tips & Submission Info page. Your Most Infamous Auto Repair Blunder Use your woe to help others avoid similar mistakes. Please email your story to marketing@rockauto.com. Include your mailing address and if you would like a RockAuto Hat if we publish your story. See the 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! | |