My daughter was going to college and needed reliable transportation to use to/from school and around campus. Reliable transportation in this context means “a vehicle dad can reliably repair whenever something breaks.” I ended up buying her a mechanically sound 2009 Toyota Camry with 217,000 miles on it.
It performed flawlessly for the first year and then, as happens to cars that have been “enjoyed” this much, the radiator began to leak. I immediately jumped onto RockAuto to get a replacement radiator, upper and lower hoses and a thermostat. My motto is, if you are taking the time to drain and replace the radiator and fluid, may as well replace the inexpensive ancillary parts too while it is disassembled rather than waiting for them to fail. The parts came shortly thereafter and I got to work.
While the manual calls for disassembling the front end, I am always willing to give something less extensive a try, and lo and behold, I was able to sneak the radiator out with the front end intact (time saving win!). The rest of the disassembly went well, and I began reassembly. When it was finally time to put the upper radiator support back on, I found that it did not appear to fit properly. It would not bolt down evenly across the top of the radiator. Assuming it simply needed more oomph to “seat” properly, I got my son for reinforcement and we applied more down force…even having him stand on the top of it at one point. After fighting this piece for what seemed like an eternity, I decided to give up for the day, get some rest overnight and come back fresh in the morning.
The next day, I came back out to the car and decided to think through the problem before attempting to apply additional force. I looked over the area and it hit me. Did I replace the rubber lower isolators in the correct orientation? I quickly loosened everything back up, pushed up on the radiator, turned the isolators upside down (actually upside right) and tightened everything back up. To my amazement, the upper support fell right into place! There is probably a couple of morals to this story. First, pay attention to the orientation of parts when you remove them. Second, when you are tired and nothing seems to be going well, it might be best to take a break and come back with a fresh mind. Since then, I have replaced the brakes and struts on the car with parts from RockAuto and these repairs went smoothly!
Bill in Minnesota
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!
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Automotive Trivia
According to Acura, what does the Acura logo represent?
A. a stylized letter "A"
B. calipers for precise measuring
C. a stylized letter "H" (celebrating parent company, Honda)
My second car was a green '68 Plymouth Roadrunner. Under the hood was a 383 with no radiator fan shroud. I liked it that way because it complimented the clutter-free engine compartment. I guessed that a radiator fan shroud's only purpose was safety. I was willing to risk losing a finger or nose if it meant that awesome V8 could run cooler; airflow unfettered by a restrictive safety shroud.
Typical Cooling Shrouds
Luckily, I survived my youthful stupidity. The Roadrunner survived too. I came across its VIN while cleaning out a file cabinet a few years ago. I searched for the VIN online and was surprised to discover the Roadrunner was currently for sale near Detroit for $55,000. (That is about $50,000 more than I sold it for decades ago. Now I have another reason to never let go of cars...) The car survived but it no longer had its 383. A subsequent owner probably had just decided to upgrade to a big crate engine with a lot more power. However, I still cannot help but wonder if that 383 would still be soldiering on under the hood if it had not somehow lost its Radiator Fan Shroud.
You see, I was 100% wrong about fan shrouds restricting cooling airflow. It is just the opposite. Radiator fan shrouds are carefully designed to optimize airflow through the engine's radiator to maximize cooling system performance. With a shroud, more of the fan's air is concentrated to be pushed or pulled through the radiator and more of the radiator's surface area is cooled. Helping keep noses/fingers from the twirling fan and protecting the radiator and fan from road debris are secondary benefits of a radiator fan shroud. (If the exposed steel fan blades on that 383 had lopped my nose off, I probably would have discovered that like fan shrouds, human noses act like funnels channeling air exactly where it needs to go.)
Summer is a great time to help restore the performance of your engine's cooling system by replacing its missing or cracked/crumbling plastic radiator fan shroud. Find new Radiator Fan Shrouds for specific cars, trucks and SUVs under "Cooling System" at RockAuto.com.
Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com
To read more of Tom's articles, click this link and choose from story titles on the Newsletter Archives page.
Kelly's 1978 Chevy Malibu Classic
We have owned this 1978 Chevy Malibu Classic since 1980. It is the vehicle we brought each of our four children home from the hospital in after their birth. Having sealed itself into our family emotionally, I had no choice but to try to keep it as well maintained, drivable and as safe as possible. I have used RockAuto extensively to acquire tune-up parts, electrical wiper relays, and filters with great satisfaction on quality, delivery, and prices delivered right to my door in northern Canada. We are very grateful to have a resource in RockAuto to make enjoyment of owning and driving an old vehicle possible.
Thank You!
Kelly in the Yukon Territory, Canada
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Automotive Trivia Answer
According to Acura, what does the Acura logo represent?
