Keep your gasoline in the fuel tank where it belongs and help avoid those frustrating "evap" trouble codes that turn on the check engine light by replacing your Fuel Tank Cap! Over time, the seals on your original fuel tank cap can deteriorate, develop microscopic cracks and begin to leak.

Fuel Tank Caps should be replaced as part of routine maintenance. The time interval depends on factors such as how hot/cold it is where you live and how often you screw the Fuel Tank Cap off and on.

RockAuto offers Fuel Tank Caps for nearly all vehicles on the road today. Choose from Standard Replacement or Locking Replacement options from respected brands like Gates, Motorad, and more. All caps meet or exceed OE specifications, and many have added features to help resist leaks, cracks and contamination. Replacement is easy and inexpensive with RockAuto's reliably low prices. Find the correct Fuel Tank Cap for your vehicle under the “Fuel & Air” category in the RockAuto.com catalog.

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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 had ordered in late June and promptly received new brake pads. I had procrastinated all day until about 8 p.m. I then decided I had enough time to put them on before the last Alone episode of the season in which the survivor/winner would be announced.

So I hastily set about doing the job. I jacked up my Sonoma truck and took the tire off. I typically turn the tire in a way that enables me to get to the retaining bolts/guide pins more easily. Well, in hurrying I neglected to do this step. Wouldn’t you know that these bolts were more difficult to remove than typical?

I was sitting on a milk crate in my driveway since I had stuff in the garage that I did not want to move. Well, while hitting on the Allen wrench with a brass hammer, I saw the truck start to move forward and yes, off of the jack. No, I had not put a jack stand under the truck. I cannot remember the last time I did not take that precaution. Well, because of how I was having to work, I found that my foot was farther under the truck than usual. Yep, it did pin my foot to the driveway as the entire truck came down, and the brake/caliper assembly, still firmly attached to the rest of the truck, struck my foot.

I was unable to pull my foot free. I was on the wrong side of the truck for a passersby to see me, and in my haste I had changed pants and left my cell phone in the pants I had changed from. It took some doing, but I was able to get the jack handle and finally maneuver the jack into a spot where I could jack up the truck enough to finally release my foot. It was a challenge to jack because I was at the wrong angle to have much leverage to jack. I only jacked it up enough to get my foot free.

Well, it turns out that the tip of my great toe was broken, and there were a few other fractures. I feel very fortunate about this limited amount of injury.

The real rub in all of this after rushing and ignoring the safety precautions is that this turned out to NOT be the final episode announcing the Alone winner. That show did not air for two to three more weeks. I guess you are never too old to relearn how to safely do your auto repairs.

Reginald in Indiana

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!

What might limber up old, yellowed nylon parts and make even new nylon parts easier to install/remove?

A. Place the nylon part in an oven heated to 180 deg. F (82 deg. C) for an hour.
B. Put the nylon part in boiling water for a few minutes or let it soak in water overnight.
C. Drench the nylon part in gasoline and then immediately wipe it off.


Answer below

Typical Brake Light Switches

A more comprehensive name for "Brake Light Switch" could now be "Switch for Every System that Needs to Know When the Driver's Foot is on the Brake Pedal." Brake lights, cruise (speed) control, transmission shift interlock, ABS and hill descent control are just some of the systems that rely on input from the Brake Light Switch.

A Brake Light Switch typically includes a spring-loaded plunger or lever that is released when the driver's foot pushes on the brake pedal. Releasing the plunger usually connects the electrical terminals (closes the switch) that turn on the brake lights while disconnecting other terminals (opening the switch) to turn off systems like cruise control.

For many years, the evolution of the Brake Light Switch seemed to lean towards adding more electrical blade terminals/pins. The Brake Light Switch had two terminals for the brake lights, got two more terminals for cruise control and got two additional terminals for the transmission shift interlock (brake pedal must be pushed to put the transmission in gear).

Mercifully, computers came along and made it unnecessary for car manufacturers to turn the Brake Light Switch into an expensive mechanism bristling with electrical terminals. A simple, inexpensive switch could signal the computer that the brake pedal was being depressed, and then the computer could use that info to decide what other switches, relays, etc. to activate to turn various systems on or off. Many Brake Light Switches on newer vehicles actually have fewer electrical terminals than cars built during the prior century.

Worn out Brake Light Switches are usually easy to replace on both old and newer cars; find the switch near where the brake pedal arm hinges, turn the switch to pop it out of its bracket and unplug the electrical connector.

Vehicles with manual transmissions may have a separate Cruise Control Release Switch mounted on the clutch pedal to turn off cruise control when the clutch pedal is pushed. Be careful not to confuse the similar looking switches mounted on the brake and clutch pedal mechanisms. I know I sometimes get a little disoriented when working under the dash and may accidentally mix up things like clutch/brake, right/left and up/down.

See the Brake Light Switch and other mechanical switches prone to wear for your specific vehicle under "Electrical-Switch & Relay" in the RockAuto.com catalog.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

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

This 1990 Bronco II has been in our family for 30 years. Last year, my dad was reducing the size of his fleet and gave it to me for our teen drivers. It "only needs a couple things" he said...

In addition to replacing the full air conditioning system and the fuel pump, I have repaired and replaced the full cooling system, brakes, steering and suspension components as well as assorted body and other parts using an extensive list from RockAuto. My daughter and I continue to get great comments about the Bronco from friends, people at gas stations, and most importantly, my dad.

Dave in North Carolina (RockAuto customer for over six years)

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What might limber up old, yellowed nylon parts and make even new nylon parts easier to install/remove?

A. Place the nylon part in an oven heated to 180 deg. F (82 deg. C) for an hour.
Answer: B. Put the nylon part in boiling water for a few minutes or let it soak in water overnight. (The boiling water does not melt the nylon. Soaking nylon in room temperature water for a long time has the same impact as a short bath in boiling water. The moisture releases tension between polymer molecules that was created when the part was first made (molded, extruded, etc.) or that built up over time as it was exposed to sunlight, heat, chemicals or otherwise aged.)
C. Drench the nylon part in gasoline and then immediately wipe it off.


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