Cloyes has been a highly respected manufacturer of timing system parts for 98 years. Cloyes timing parts are available from RockAuto individually, but Cloyes has always encouraged people to replace complete Timing Sets to avoid mixing new and heavily worn parts. Timing sets help save time and money and prevent frustration by providing all the parts needed to ensure a successful repair. Cloyes carefully matches the parts in its timing sets to meet diverse needs. Need a new timing set for the V8 in a '55 Chevy? RockAuto currently has several Cloyes timing sets to prepare that Chevy engine for everything from cruising to racing. The thoroughness of Cloyes timing sets extends to modern vehicles as well!

VVT sprocket for the 3-valve Ford 4.6 and 5.4L

Cloyes' newest timing sets for late-model vehicles can include variable valve timing (VVT) sprockets (camshaft phasers), water pumps and/or whatever parts are needed for complete repair solutions. (The water pumps on engines such as the GM 2.0, 2.2 and 2.4L are driven by the timing chain and should be replaced with the timing system components.)

Cloyes' expertise in modern timing systems, combined with the latest manufacturing and quality standards, enables Cloyes to develop VVT sprockets that work as good as or better than original equipment (OE) units and withstand abuse. For example, Cloyes built a VVT sprocket for the 3-valve Ford 4.6 and 5.4L motors with 20% less frictional drag and 10% more torque at a given oil pressure compared to OE. (Tightly-toleranced, long-duration rotor vanes do not contact the stator; eliminating wear and drag while preventing oil hemorrhage.)

Find complete Cloyes Timing Sets and individual Cloyes timing parts for everything from the '13 Nissan Altima, to the '07 Ford F-250, to the '75 Jeep Wagoneer under the "Engine" category for your specific vehicle in the RockAuto.com catalog.

Optima Forums is a community to discuss the Kia Optima with other owners; everything from general chit chat about tips and features, to interior and exterior modifications, to discussions about engines, transmissions and other technical subjects. All this and more can be found on this popular website.

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 the mid-90s, when I was a full-time mechanic, I prided myself in troubleshooting driveability problems, check engine lights, emissions failures and such. That became my primary role in the shop. Instead of spending most of my day spinning wrenches, I was typically armed with an OBD scanner or DVOM. So when a customer came in with a sweet little 1966 Mustang (a recently purchased retirement gift to herself), complaining of poor gas mileage and lackluster performance, it seemed like a break from the doldrums of checking engine codes and a return to a time when things were simpler...or so I thought.

She dropped the car off, and I took pleasure in driving it a number of times to replicate her issue, except that I could not; it always ran great. But when I pulled the spark plugs, they were pretty sooty, but would clear up after I drove it a few times. I hated to waste her money replacing parts, but every few weeks she would be back with the same complaint. I even drove the car home a few times and calculated the gas mileage, which at about 15 MPG, seemed reasonable for a V8 with a 4bbl and no overdrive. I ended up rebuilding the carburetor, adjusting valves, replacing points and condenser, etc... and the problem continued, except I had never experienced it.

Finally, I asked her to take me for a ride so I could pinpoint the exact moment she experienced the issues. Well, it took less than a minute to realize the problem. When she got in the car, the first thing she did was pull out the handle for the manual choke and hang her purse on it. Then I understood why she said it ran fine at first, then worse the farther she drove. The word “choke” had worn off the handle over the years and she mistakenly thought it was the fresh air vent. At her request, I put a new choke cable on it, and we laughed about it whenever she came in for work on one of her other cars.

Cedric in Illinois

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!

The average age of vehicles in the USA is 11.6 years. Match the vehicle average age to the correct state.

Answer below

Last week, my tallest daughter arrived home after her high school homecoming dance barely able to crawl out from behind the steering wheel of her 2005 Ford Mustang (V6). She had moved the power seat forward to help a backseat passenger climb in, but then the seat refused to slide back.

The power seat motor did not make any sound when the slide-back end of the Power Seat Switch was pressed. That told us the seat motor probably was not getting power. If gears were stripped then we would have heard grinding sounds. The motor ran fine when asked to move the seat in any other direction. Repeated jiggling/pressing finally coaxed the power seat switch to work one last time and the seat slid back. (Find new Power Seat Switches under "Electrical-Switch & Relay" in the RockAuto.com catalog).

"Seat-O-Matic" (aka Dial-O-Matic) Switch

Almost being unable to drive because of an ornery power seat made me think of potential problems with the memory seats that are increasingly common in new vehicles. While working with my daughter on her Mustang, I lamented the passing of good old reliable mechanical seats and hand-crank windows, but power seats and even memory seats are really nothing new. Just ask the owner of a 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser about that car's "Seat-O-Matic" (aka Dial-O-Matic) memory power seats. Pick your favorite seat settings using a dial on the dash. When the car is turned off, the seat automatically slides all the way back so you can exit easily. The seat returns to your preferred seating position when the car is turned back on. Instead of using Hall-effect Power Seat Memory Position Sensors, potentiometers and computers, Ford's mid-century system relied on rotating wafer switches, lots of electrical contacts and clock-like gears.

Seat Memory Position Sensor &
Connector (Ford) and Control Module (GM)

Having the seat slide all the way back when the car is turned off is still a feature of many modern memory seats and the root of some of the most hard to diagnose problems. Sending power to the seat motor after the car is turned off opens up the possibility that a seat system will remain powered-up and slowly drain the vehicle's battery. If the ignition switch is loose and worn out, the computer might be tricked into unexpectedly sliding the seat backwards and then forwards because it thinks the engine has been turned off and on while the engine has actually been running continuously. (This is another reason not to have a bunch of heavy baubles hanging from your ignition key's key ring.)

Complex control modules and sensors can fail, but be sure to check for simple "old car" problems first. A control module and/or wiring located under a seat or behind a door panel can be exposed to kicking feet, water, abrasion and other hazards. Getting the memory seat option might mean additional wires are spliced into the vehicle's stock wiring harness, creating opportunities for loose or corroded connections. Find parts for power seats under "Electrical-Connector," "Electrical Switch & Relay" and "Interior" 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.

This is my 1977 Chevrolet Corvette L-48 that I purchased in July of 2016. The car was driveable when I bought it, but needed a lot of work. The engine smoked, the brakes squealed and almost every bushing in the front and rear suspension required replacement. I turned to RockAuto because they had all the parts I needed, and a good selection to choose from.

The car currently boasts a professionally built 406 cubic inch Chevrolet small block backed up by a TH350 transmission. No more smoking or squeaking, and it stops great. The car is a blast to drive, and it turns heads. Who does not love a vintage Corvette? Thanks RockAuto! You guys rock!

Matt in Indiana (RockAuto customer for over six years)

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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.

The average age of vehicles in the USA is 11.6 years. Match the vehicle average age to the correct state.

Answer: (source: autoalliance.org)

    In California, the average age of vehicles is 11.2 years
    In Montana, the average age of vehicles is 16.3 years
    In Oklahoma, the average age of vehicles is 10.1 years
    In Vermont, the average age of vehicles is 9.7 years

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