RockAuto is excited to announce the addition of Calorstat parts to our expanding catalog! Operating from its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Indiana since 1972, Calorstat by Vernet offers a comprehensive line of Thermostats, Thermostat Housings and Integrated Thermostat Assemblies, as well as Radiator Caps, Switches, and other vital components related to cooling systems. Calorstat is a brand under the Vernet Group, one of the largest OEM thermostat manufacturers in the world since 1927. Vernet Group supplies Audi, Mercedes, BMW, GM, Ford, Porsche, VW, Toyota and other vehicle manufacturers.  Find Calorstat Thermostats, Radiator Caps, Switches and more under the "Cooling System" category in the RockAuto catalog, and save with RockAuto's reliably low prices. | |
Enough money left for ice cream! |
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 .jpg) A. It is the "Harlequin" edition of the '96 Golf. This unpopular (at the time) $150 option used mismatched colors to highlight how many parts used by VW were interchangeable year-to-year. B. New IKEA stores will display colorful Golfs with IKEA boxes on top instead of the usual yellow VW Beetles. C. Inspired by Johnny Cash's "One Piece at a Time" song, a (former) VW line foreman stole and assembled all the parts to build this VW Golf over several years. It has been displayed at Ripley's Believe It or Not! locations in the US and Europe. Answer below | |
 A few years ago, I was working on my old worn-out daily driver 1996 Nissan Altima because the cruise control had stopped working, which was quite the inconvenience on my long daily commute. Not bothering to do any research, I looked for signs of anything that had come loose or had been damaged, when I found a split vacuum line next to the cruise throttle diaphragm. I replaced a small section of line and used a hose barb to connect the two...and still no cruise control. I found the other end of the line to also be loose and discovered a vacuum port with no hose. Obviously, this was the problem, so I reconnected it. I took it for a test drive, and before I could get up to speed to test the cruise, the engine began revving up uncontrollably even after I let off the throttle, so I had to shut it off. After limping home at low RPM, I removed components around where I had found the vacuum line, and came upon the small standalone vacuum pump for the cruise control. I realized that I had hooked the cruise throttle control vacuum line into the engine vacuum system, so when enough vacuum built up, it affected the throttle. Now, whenever I find a loose line or connection, I consult diagrams to make sure I am reconnecting the right thing. Chris in South Carolina Share Your Story |
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 Often, it is a minor error while performing a seemingly simple task that ends up adding the most time to a repair. A great example is the simple lock ring (snap ring) that should click into place when a CV axle is correctly inserted into the transmission or differential. Most CV axles have a groove cut into the splines at the transmission/differential end. A C-shaped piece of sturdy spring-steel called a CV Joint Lock Ring (or Axle Shaft Retainer) in that groove snaps into a matching groove cut into the mating splines on the transmission/differential. Sometimes the male/female spline fittings are reversed. In that case, the axle has a female fitting. The lock ring is in a groove on a jackshaft protruding from the transmission/differential.  CV Joint Lock Ring (top center) on male end of CV Axle, Transmission Jackshaft, and CV axle with a female fitting The lock ring should usually click into the mating groove with just hand pressure or a tap from a rubber hammer on the opposite end of the axle. After not feeling any click, attempting to pound the axle into the transmission with something like a sledge hammer is a mistake because it likely means the lock ring has come out of its groove and is being crushed between the mating splines. A mangled lock ring may prevent the axle from being fully inserted and/or make it extremely difficult to ever remove the axle. If the lock ring gets complete dislodged (or was never installed) then there will be excessive axle play which will eventually damage the mating splines and/or axle bearings. (Pounding on an axle with a hammer may also damage the CV joints and other parts of the axle/transmission/differential.) The two exposed ends of the opening in the lock ring's "C" is often what causes binding. The notch in the "C" is likely to snag on something while an exposed section of slightly protruding continuous wire is more likely to be guided smoothly into the mating groove. Turning the "C" so that the opening in the lock ring is pointed up at the 12:00 position uses gravity to pull the "C" notch/opening down into the groove where it may be least exposed and least likely to snag. An alternative or additional method is to use some light grease to keep the lock ring uniformly centered in its groove and help lubricate an easier "snap" into the mating groove. The opening in the lock ring's "C" can cause binding when the axle is being removed as well. Of course it is impossible to see the snap ring on an installed axle, but the axle can be slowly rotated and tugged on until hopefully, the opening in the "C" is pointing up at the 12:00 position and gravity helps un-snag the lock ring. Turning, tugging, pushing and coaxing usually gets the best results when installing or removing CV axles (rather than beating with sledge hammers). Find CV Axles and related parts for your specific vehicle under "Drivetrain" in the RockAuto.com catalog. 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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This is our 1969 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am tribute that started as a father/son project in 1998. New floors and a trunk pan were installed prior to my son’s high school graduation in 1999. College, work and a family became a progression for my son and a subsequent move in 2006 for me to a home with a second garage restarted the restoration process. I started buying parts and storing them. In 2015, I began working on it in earnest in the evenings. It was placed on a home built rotisserie with most sheet metal being replaced. A 2006 Pontiac GTO LS2 engine and a T-56 six speed manual transmission were transplanted as its driveline. Many additional custom features were added, but the factory look was maintained as much as possible. It was mostly completed in summer of 2021 but continues to be refined. All work except for an alignment and A/C charging was completed in our home garage. The list of parts purchased from RockAuto is extensive and includes rubber restoration, interior, fuel system, electrical, engine and drivetrain parts. Denny in Ohio |
 A. It is the "Harlequin" edition of the '96 Golf. This unpopular (at the time) $150 option used mismatched colors to highlight how many parts used by VW were interchangeable year-to-year. (source: https://www.motortrend.com...) B. New IKEA stores will display colorful Golfs with IKEA boxes on top instead of the usual yellow VW Beetles. C. Inspired by Johnny Cash's "One Piece at a Time" song, a (former) VW line foreman stole and assembled all the parts to build this VW Golf over several years. It has been displayed at Ripley's Believe It or Not! locations in the US and Europe. | |
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