AP Emissions has been serving the exhaust aftermarket for more than 90 years. They design and manufacture “built to fit” exhaust and emission parts, including Mufflers, Exhaust and Tail Pipes, Catalytic Converters and related installation parts.

AP's Challenge mufflers are made of 100% aluminized components for extended life and feature minimum back-pressure and maximum sound control to perform like OE.

AP Emissions also offers a full line of catalytic converters, including California Air Resources Board (CARB) compliant converters for states with strict emissions standards.

Whether you are looking for a Muffler for a 2009 Ford Escape, or a C.A.R.B. Compliant Catalytic Converter for a 2001 Kia Sportage, or a Pipe for a 2010 Dodge Charger, AP Emissions has you covered.

Find AP Emissions parts for your specific vehicle in the "Exhaust & Emission" category of the RockAuto catalog.

SilveradoSierra.com is a truck enthusiast site specifically geared towards Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. The mission of this site is to avoid overwhelming you with information on every make and model under the sun by focusing exclusively and comprehensively on these two popular GM trucks.

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.

Back in 1979, I was only 17 years old and trying one of those coolant “Flush & Fill” kits where you splice a “T” into the heater hose to hook up a garden hose to flush the cooling system, engine, radiator and heater core. I carefully read the directions as I performed each step on my 1973 Pontiac Grand Am.

As I hooked up the garden hose to the “T” adapter and turned on the water, I was still reading the steps, and by the time I read that a radiator hose was supposed to be removed...I heard a loud “bang” as the water pressure blew the tank off my radiator! As I started the disassembly to get the old brass and copper radiator out to be repaired at the local radiator shop (remember those?), my dad came over and grabbed the fan and said, “Son, may as well replace the water pump on this Pontiac while you have the radiator out.” So a simple coolant flush turned into a radiator repair, a new water pump, hoses, belts, etc.

The moral of the story was: #1) Read ALL the directions BEFORE attempting any repairs. #2) Whatever the anticipated repair or preventative maintenance procedure, it may become more complicated than expected.

Douglas in Delaware

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!

Today Kia is partners with Hyundai, but thirty years ago Kia was partners with which vehicle manufacturer?

A. Ford (Kia assembled the Ford Festiva and Ford Aspire. The Festiva was designed by Mazda, another Ford partner at the time.)
B. Geo/Chevrolet (Kia designed and assembled the Geo/Chevrolet Metro.)
C. Toyota (Kia assembled the Toyota Tercel for Australian and North American markets.)

Answer below

Nearly twenty years ago, I bought an '89 Ford Country Squire station wagon. A new fuel pump had been installed in the gas tank by the previous owner. Driving around town, the sound of that noisy fuel pump whirring away was always present. Sometimes that fuel pump would keep on noisily pumping even when the engine was turned off and the ignition key was in my pocket. When that happened, I knew the fuel pump's excessive electrical current draw had destroyed the fuel pump relay in the engine compartment.

High quality well designed fuel pumps

Excessive current draw is actually a symptom of a failing fuel pump. Tired original equipment (OE) fuel pumps struggling to build enough pressure sometimes draw enough current to melt their electrical connectors. The fuel pump in my '89 Ford was only designed to meet specifications that mimicked the performance of a worn-out OE pump.

Remarkably cheap, low quality electric fuel pumps are still out there in the marketplace, but it is even riskier to install them on today's cars. Instead of burning up $10 fuel pump relays on an '89 Ford, an inferior electric fuel pump might burn up a $40 relay or an expensive control module on a '13 Ford.

One of RockAuto's parts manufacturers recently analyzed samples of the remarkably cheap, low quality electric fuel pumps. These are some of the problems they found:

Safety Problems:

• Defective rollover valve may not close and stop the flow of fuel after a vehicular crash.
• Fuel outlet port that does not meet SAE specifications may result in high pressure fuel leak.

Hard-to-Diagnose Driveability Problems and/or Damage to Other Parts:

• A fuel level vent valve (FLVV) that is defective and/or the wrong valve for the vehicle prevents proper fuel tank venting and allows overfilling of the fuel tank, potentially flooding emissions system components such as the carbon canister.
• Residue from a not fully cured fuel level float may coat fuel level sender electrical contacts.
• Poor fuel priming performance means the engine will not start when the level of gasoline in the fuel tank is low.
• Parts not made to spec were forced to fit together resulting in damage including a torn fuel filter that would allow unfiltered fuel to reach the engine.
• Longer term testing would be necessary to see what ethanol, pressure and other routine gas tank hazards do to the epoxies, rubber seals, connectors and other parts used in the cheap pumps.

Endurance testing is just one of the things RockAuto's manufacturers do to ensure their pumps restore rather than hurt a vehicle's performance. High quality, well designed fuel pumps made by RockAuto's manufacturers (many make OE parts) normalize current draw, prevent excessive noise and meet or improve upon OE specifications.

Visit the “Fuel & Air” section of the RockAuto.com catalog to see the Fuel Pumps (Fuel Pump & Housing Assemblies) available for your specific vehicle. Visit the pumps' “Info” pages to see all the thought and care that goes into designing and building the fuel pumps RockAuto sells.

A good fuel pump should not cost less than the pump circulating water in your kid's aquarium, but it does not have to be wildly expensive either. My family outgrew that '89 Ford station wagon, and I replaced it with a '92 Dodge Ram B-250 van. I personally have installed the least expensive fuel pumps RockAuto carries in the Dodge van and my wife's '93 Ford Tempo. Those new pumps work quietly and flawlessly. It is nice never having to tell passengers not to be alarmed by the loud whining coming from under their seats!

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

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

The car is a 1991 Chrysler LeBaron LX V6, one of the few built to that specification in 1991. Featuring power adjustable leather seats with adjustable lumbar and bolsters, the new and much more powerful fuel injected 3.0L V6, 6-button Electronic Vehicle Information Center, factory CD player, Infinity 6-speaker premium stereo system, 16" lightweight alloy wheels, and airbags; it is equipped with nearly every available factory option. It has a little over 65,000 original miles, and I purchased it from the estate of the original owner as a reward for myself when I graduated from college in 2013.

I have participated in car shows several times and won awards for originality (the car still has the original top, in excellent condition, nearly 30 years since new), for presentation (I have the leather key chain that the long since closed dealership gave to the original owner when he purchased the car new, the first registration documents and the salesman's business card), and for sheer rarity.

My favorite thing about the car, though, is sharing it with my friends and family. My sister took it to prom, my cousin used it as a photo prop for his wedding, and my nieces and nephews love going out for ice cream or to the park in it. The kids are just the best. They think I am the coolest uncle in the neighborhood and ride around with their arms in the air, laughing themselves silly!

For all the love and attention it has received over the years, the LeBaron is still a 30 year old sports touring car, and even the best kept parts wear out eventually. I have purchased a myriad of difficult to source parts from RockAuto, including but not limited to new KYB suspension components for both the front and rear, brake rotors and pads, a timing belt, water pump & component kit and a radiator.

Thank you,
Dave in Virginia

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 your vehicles history, interesting details, your favorite images (tips for taking pictures of your car) and what parts from RockAuto you have used.

Today Kia is partners with Hyundai, but thirty years ago Kia was partners with which vehicle manufacturer?

Answer: Ford (Kia assembled the Ford Festiva and Ford Aspire. The Festiva was designed by Mazda, another Ford partner at the time.)
B. Geo/Chevrolet (Kia designed and assembled the Geo/Chevrolet Metro.) Suzuki built the Metro for GM
C. Toyota (Kia assembled the Toyota Tercel for Australian and North American markets.) Toyota built the Tercel.

Back up to trivia question