AutoLine Fuel Injectors

RockAuto is excited to offer our customers an exclusive savings on gas and diesel AutoLine Fuel Injectors! AutoLine is a family-owned business founded in 1967 whose motto is "The Difference is Quality." That quality can be seen throughout their part lines, which include Carburetors, Distributors, Throttle Bodies and (of course) Fuel Injectors.

AutoLine Throttle Body & Multi Port Fuel Injectors Feature:

• All units are ultrasonically cleaned & back flushed.
• Units are electrical resistance tested.
• Units are flow and calibration tested.
• Fuel spray patterns are verified.
• Every unit is triple leak tested.
• New “O” rings, filters and pintle caps are installed.
• Installation instructions and technical bulletins are included with the product to aid in installation.
  

Forum of the Month

CustomTacos.com is a website dedicated to the Toyota Tacoma. The site contains a wealth of information on all models of the Tacoma. Four wheel drive, PreRunner and two wheel drive discussions cover all aspects of performance and maintenance.

Visit often for other topics like industry news and to chat about upcoming meets, shows, trail rides, etc.

Registration is FREE, fast and simple!

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.

Repair Mistakes & Blunders

Back in the summer of 1978, I owned a 1974 Chevy Impala with a 350 V8. It was not my car of choice, but it was affordable, since it was given to me.

Wild, young and dumb, a few friends and I decided to go swimming at a popular state park about thirty miles away. We piled in two cars and started our journey. Being young (and wild, and dumb) we drove faster than we should have, so it did not take us long to get there. When we arrived and pulled in the parking spots, I immediately shut my car off and KABOOM, steam went everywhere! I should have let the car cool down a bit first.

We opened the hood to see the radiator split down the side seam. Oh great, now what do we do? Being in a remote area with no phones, I was pretty much stuck. I knew I had to pull a miracle. I found a pair of pliers in my trunk full of junk. I pinched the seam back together the best I could. Alas, it was nowhere close to holding water. I dug around some more in the trunk, and I found a tube of Plastic Wood. You know, that stuff you fill holes and scratches in wood with. Anyway, I got the bright idea of patching my seam repair with it. I forced it in the cracks with a hefty dose on top. We then went swimming to give it a chance to harden.

About a hour later we were ready to test my "MacGyver" repair. We refilled the radiator with water from the swimming hole, and to our surprise, it held water! My Plastic Wood radiator repair allowed me to make the trip home.

Ron in Tennessee

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 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 was the first American car equipped with four-wheel hydraulic brakes?

A. 1922 Duesenberg Model A
B. 1934 DeSoto Airflow
C. 1939 Lincoln Series K

Answer below

Those Ingenious VVT Systems

While peering under hoods at classic car shows, I frequently have or overhear conversations about how uncluttered engine compartments used to be in the good old days. Engine compartments from the 1980s look like the "good old days" when compared to those from the 1990s. Every new model year seems to include some new system or adds additional parts to an old system.

Tone down the nostalgia and take heart! There is one automotive system, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) that not only has peaked in complexity but also has been disappearing from engines built in the last 10+ years. The EGR valve routes some exhaust into the combustion chamber to lower the temperature. This prevents engine knock and reduces nitrogen oxide emissions. After their debut in the early 1970s, EGR systems became steadily more complex as more motors, sensors, etc. were needed to fine tune the flow of exhaust back into the intake manifold.

Newer engines have variable valve timing (VVT) systems that adjust the opening and closing of the engine intake and exhaust valves. VVT helps engine designers improve performance, increase fuel efficiency, enable cylinder deactivation and do other good things including reducing emissions.

If VVT provides precise control over an engine's valves, then why not just use opening/closing of the intake and exhaust valves to retain some exhaust in the combustion chambers rather than tacking on a complex EGR system somewhere downstream in the exhaust system. Keep some exhaust in the combustion chamber by opening the exhaust valve later and/or opening the intake valve a little sooner. EGR valves were no longer needed and engine compartments became slightly less cluttered!

Typically the best way for a vehicle owner to protect one of those ingenious VVT systems is to religiously change the engine oil and use the oil viscosity (0W-20, 0W-40, etc.) recommended by the engine manufacturer. VVT systems typically use oil pressure for control. As can be seen in the photo of a Variable Timing Solenoid, small orifices and tight screens can easily be blocked by dirt or oil that is too thick (wrong viscosity).

Check to see if your engine has an EGR valve by looking under "Emission" in the RockAuto catalog. Mechanical and electromechanical VVT parts are found under "Engine."

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

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

Rob's 1940 Cadillac 60 Special Fleetwood

My Cadillac was delivered new in Cleveland, Ohio. It won a first place at the 1974 Spring AACA National Show in Florida. Then the car was in Louisiana for a while and later served as a service vehicle for a funeral home in Indiana. Eventually, it found its way to Wisconsin in the early '80s, sitting in storage for most of the thirty years before I found it two years ago.

After a cleaning, a refreshing and a repainting in the original two tone green, it has earned a first place at the Cadillac LaSalle Club 2015 Grand National along with two firsts and a second at smaller local shows. This year it will appear on a calendar and be the featured car at the Annual Milwaukee Cadillac Car Show. It is an original car with matching numbers and about 34,000 miles on the odometer. Because of the new paint (replacing a poorly done gray that was falling off), I can not call it a survivor. I will create a new category though - a refreshed survivor.

I have been able to find many parts at RockAuto to support the car: tune up parts (plugs, points, condenser, distributor cap), electrical parts, light bulbs and lots of weatherstripping and gaskets. Always happy with the price and the service!

Rob in Wisconsin

Automotive Trivia Answer
	What was the first American car equipped with four-wheel hydraulic brakes? Answer: A. 1922 Duesenberg Model A B. 1934 DeSoto Airflow C. 1939 Lincoln Series K Back up to trivia question

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