Have you been considering upgrading your stock brakes to improve performance and appearance? Now is your perfect chance to upgrade! Power Stop is offering RockAuto customers up to $30 in savings on their performance upgrade brake kits. This rebate not only covers Power Stop's Rotor & Brake Pad kits, but extends to their Caliper, Rotor & Brake Pad kits as well! Kits feature custom-matched components designed for specific vehicles, providing increased braking performance coupled with the convenience of straightforward bolt-on installation.

Z23 Evolution Sport - Power Stop's Z23 kits are designed for drivers seeking a brake performance upgrade for their everyday vehicle. Each kit features Power Stop's low-dust, noise-free Z23 Ceramic Pads and silver zinc dichromate plated Drilled & Slotted Rotors for maximum heat, debris and gas dissipation coupled with excellent corrosion resistance.

Z26 Street Warrior - Power Stop's Z26 kits are designed specifically for muscle cars and other high horsepower, aggressively driven street vehicles. Each kit features Power Stop's silver zinc dichromate plated Drilled & Slotted Rotors and Z26 Carbon Fiber Infused Ceramic Pads designed to provide shorter stopping distances and less brake fade than stock OE pads. Z26 pads are thermal scorched for a fast break-in and chamfered and slotted like the OE pads to ensure noise-free braking.

Z36 Truck & Tow - Power Stop's Z36 kits are designed for Trucks and SUVs used for towing and hauling, or modified trucks with lifted suspension and/or larger tire/wheel upgrades. Each kit features Power Stop's silver zinc dichromate plated Drilled & Slotted Rotors and Z36 Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Ceramic pads that are formulated to provide severe-duty stopping power for Trucks and 4x4s. Pads are equipped with powder coated backing plates to extend pad life by resisting corrosion and rust-jacking.

RockAuto has the Power Stop brake upgrade kit you need. Find them in the "Brake & Wheel Hub" category of the RockAuto.com catalog under "Caliper, Rotor & Brake Pad Kit" and "Rotor & Brake Pad Kit." Do not delay, this offer ends July 15th, 2020!

Detroit Iron manufactures reproduction Repair Manuals and Parts Guides, both high-quality paper and CD versions, for vintage GM, Chrysler and Ford cars and trucks. They also reproduce sales brochures and other OE literature that is both informative and nostalgic. Detroit Iron is authorized and licensed by the OE manufacturers to reproduce these manuals in CD format.

Detroit Iron recently updated their CDs with a fun new bookshelf-style interface. The updated interface allows for easier searching and document printing for specific repairs. CDs now also include additional literature, like sales data, parts catalogs, and year specific nostalgia, that are easy to enjoy using the new bookshelf format, with the actual graphic art representation of the literature cover.

Find Detroit Iron products and other repair manuals in the “Literature” category of the RockAuto.com catalog.

Need a Father's Day gift in a hurry? A RockAuto Email Gift Certificate would make a fantastic last-minute gift! E-Gift delivery is immediate and free. Simply choose the Email format and dad will conveniently receive the E-Gift in his inbox. RockAuto Gift Certificates are available for any amount, are easy to purchase and even easier to use!

FiestaST.org is a forum dedicated to Ford Fiesta ST owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, racing, troubleshooting, maintenance and more! The Maintenance section is for those willing to turn a wrench; discuss everything from changing your oil to replacing the timing belt. There is even a section dedicated to Ford Fiesta ST owners in Australia and one where you can view and post Fiesta ST photos and videos.

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.

I used to own a 1972 BMW 2002 sport sedan in tennis ball yellow. It was a great car, but it started stalling out on a random basis, usually when zipping along the freeway. I checked the fuel pump and replaced the fuel filter, but that did not fix it.

I decided to try another approach. The fuel tank, which was mounted under the trunk, offered an unusual service hatch on top so you could replace the in-tank fuel strainer or fuel gauge sending unit. When I removed the trunk floor and cracked open the hatch, I discovered the trouble. In the otherwise perfectly clean tank, a well-preserved leaf was floating around in the gasoline! I realized that when the leaf floated under the flat fuel strainer, and when the suction was great enough, the leaf would be sucked up and caught against the strainer, blocking the uptake of fuel. When the car would die, the leaf would be released and float away, allowing the car to start.

Please do not tell my wonderful wife, but I simply took a pair of salad tongs from her kitchen drawer and plucked the naughty leaf out of the tank. The problem was solved, but I never did figure out how that pesky leaf got in the tank in the first place.

Stan in Oregon

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!

A Mercedes-Benz driven by Stirling Moss was in the lead at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1955 when Daimler-Benz executives decided to pull all their cars off the track. The race was ultimately won by Jaguar. Why did the Mercedes race team quit the race?

A. The Mercedes pit crew had tipped over oil drums and walked off the job soon after Stirling Moss rudely yelled, "Hurry up you French escargot!" during a pit stop.

B. People in the grandstands began throwing wine bottles onto the racetrack after word spread through the crowd that Mercedes team driver, Otmar Flusch had written an editorial in 1936 praising the performance of the German rowing team at the Summer Olympics in Berlin.

C. A Mercedes-Benz 300SLR driven by Pierre Levegh went airborne after hitting the rear of an Austin-Healey 100S at 155 mph (250 kmh). The Mercedes-Benz disintegrated and exploded, killing Levegh and 80 spectators.

Answer below

At idle, engines in '70s cars hesitate a bit when the A/C compressor turns on. Engines of the '80s and '90s automatically increase engine idle speed to make A/C compressor cycling less noticeable. Many cars built this century, even those with the smallest engines, provide almost no clues indicating whether the A/C compressor is on or off. The driver may only hear occasional faint clicks from under the hood. The least intrusive A/C compressors built in the last ten years often feature variable displacement controlled by an electronic A/C Compressor Control Valve (AKA Variable Displacement Compressor Solenoid).

The vehicle's computer uses the A/C compressor control valve to constantly adjust refrigerant pressure by increasing or decreasing the stroke of the pistons inside the compressor. Proper refrigerant pressure is maintained to keep the vehicle interior cool and avoid ice forming on the evaporator. There is less need to increase engine idle speed and the compressor is not running at maximum capacity whenever it is on; improving fuel economy.

Typical A/C Compressor Control Valve

Vehicle manufacturers, including Toyota, have used the A/C compressor control valve to eliminate the A/C compressor clutch on some compressors. The compressor runs continuously, but when the driver turns the A/C "off," the A/C compressor control valve maintains only enough pressure to keep refrigerant oil circulating through the compressor. If the compressor ever dies and seizes up, there are typically pins or a rubber plate that sheer off, allowing the A/C compressor pulley to spin freely; protecting the accessory drive belt system.

Solenoids and electronic valves often fail intermittently before failing completely. An A/C system that cools the interior intermittently may have a failing A/C compressor control valve or the control valve's wiring or electrical connector might be corroded or otherwise damaged. Compressors on many vehicles are mounted on the underside of the engine where wiring/connector damage is more likely to occur.

The A/C compressor control valve is usually on the end opposite the compressor pulley. Typically one snap ring or bolt is all that holds the control valve in the compressor, but the refrigerant must be evacuated from the A/C system before the control valve is pulled out.

Depending on vehicle (or compressor) mileage and how easy it is to access the compressor in the vehicle's engine bay, replacing only a failed A/C compressor control valve might be a choice that saves hundreds of dollars compared to replacing the entire A/C compressor. Find the most commonly replaced A/C Compressor Control Valves under "Heat & Air Conditioning" for specific vehicles in the RockAuto.com catalog.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

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

On the day of my son's 15th birthday (2017), I surprised him by flying us to Los Angeles to buy his first car. Our hope was to drive home a car he had been dreaming about for years, a 1991 Camaro Z28. The two-owner car featured Tuned-Port Fuel Injection and a 5-speed manual transmission. It needed work, but of course that is why I bought it. After a short test drive and check over, I made the deal and off we went on an almost 400 mile drive back home.

Right away the clutch quit disengaging, so I had to rev match to shift. The A/C was not working, and neither window would roll down. Then the car stalled right in LA traffic. We limped it to a shop and luckily it was just a plugged fuel filter. Halfway home the rearview mirror fell off. But my son had a smile from ear to ear all the way home.

Since then we have spent hundreds of quality hours together getting his Z28 back into shape with plenty of parts from RockAuto. He has learned a lot about auto repair, and I have enjoyed every minute of it. He's even won several local car show awards; memories for a lifetime.

Thank You RockAuto!
Jeff in Arizona (RockAuto customer for over five 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.

A Mercedes-Benz driven by Stirling Moss was in the lead at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1955 when Daimler-Benz executives decided to pull all their cars off the track. The race was ultimately won by Jaguar. Why did the Mercedes race team quit the race?

A. The Mercedes pit crew had tipped over oil drums and walked off the job soon after Stirling Moss rudely yelled, "Hurry up you French escargot!" during a pit stop.

B. People in the grandstands began throwing wine bottles onto the racetrack after word spread through the crowd that Mercedes team driver, Otmar Flusch had written an editorial in 1936 praising the performance of the German rowing team at the Summer Olympics in Berlin.

Answer: C. A Mercedes-Benz 300SLR driven by Pierre Levegh went airborne after hitting the rear of an Austin-Healey 100S at 155 mph (250 kmh). The Mercedes-Benz disintegrated and exploded, killing Levegh and 80 spectators. (There were approximately 300,000 spectators at the race. Officials thought completely stopping the race would cause panic and traffic that could hinder rescue efforts. Hemmings.com article about the1955 24 Hours of Le Mans)

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