During May 2018, AutoLine Products is offering RockAuto customers an Exclusive 10% Instant Rebate on select fuel injectors. AutoLine is a family-owned parts remanufacturer based in Winnipeg. They have been making parts better than new since the '60s. On average, their employees have twenty years of experience with AutoLine.

AutoLine Products specializes in remanufacturing fuel injectors, carburetors, throttle bodies and other crucial fuel system parts. All AutoLine products are precision remanufactured using original equipment castings. Only premium quality replacement parts are installed. Throughout the remanufacturing process, components and sub-assemblies are continuously tested prior to final assembly. Finished part assemblies are completely tested under simulated operating conditions before being carefully packaged.

The AutoLine May rebate is instant. While shopping, put the select AutoLine parts in your cart to immediately save 10% off RockAuto's already reliably low prices.

More Rebates & Promotions
Go to the Promotions and Rebates page to see details for all the current rebates.

From the vintage 6-cylinder Camaro of the late '60s to the controversial redesign of the 2019 Camaro - go to CamaroV6.com to discuss everything 6-cylinder Camaro related! This free forum has been around since 2001 and has some of the most comprehensive technical data on the 4th generation and earlier V6 platforms. There is a growing community focused on the 5th and 6th generation body styles. From modification guides to recalls and regional events, join the discussions and share your knowledge with CamaroV6.com today.

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 megant@rockauto.com.

In the '70s, I owned, and operated a service station. One of the most unusual mechanical problems I encountered was with a late model pickup truck. The customer told me that when she would turn on the windshield defroster, the truck would accelerate to 80 plus miles an hour! I had never run into that before, but I told her if I could find out why, we should both be featured in Motor Trend magazine the following month.

I asked her to pull into the bay, unlatch the hood and leave the engine running in neutral, with her foot on the brake pedal (driving through my bay walls was a concern). Standing off to the side of the truck like a matador, I asked her to turn on the defroster, while I closely watched the carburetor. She turned on the defroster, and the engine immediately raced to 5,000 RPM. Wow...she was not kidding! But, I luckily had also spotted the cause. It was a one second diagnosis, and a one minute fix.

In the '70s, most carburetors were equipped with an electrical dashpot actuator. Its purpose was to slowly release the accelerator cam in the event of a hard, quick stop, preventing the engine from suddenly stalling, a danger in heavy traffic. When the metal lever on the firewall was moved to defrost, it moved near enough to allow a spark to arc from the actuator to the lever, serving as a ground for the actuator to activate to full-on, max open throttle position, scaring the devil out of the driver, with the vehicle abruptly changing from Driving Miss Daisy to Dukes of Hazzard speed!

Some electrical insulation added to both surfaces to act as a shield fixed the problem. Not really Motor Trend article worthy though. I was hoping for a bronze statue of me holding a roll of electrical tape.

Don in Texas

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 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 original DeLorean sports car came from a factory in Northern Ireland powered by which engine?

A. Citroen "BiRotor" Wankel
B. Ford "Cologne" V6
C. Peugeot-Renault-Volvo "Douvrin" V6
D. All of the Above

Answer below

The owners manual for the 2011 Mercedes E-Class says, "Depending on the driving style, the vehicle consumes up to 0.9 US qt (0.8 l) of oil over a distance of 600 miles (1000 km)." The 2011 Audi A3 owners manual states, "Depending on the way the vehicle is driven and the operating conditions, oil consumption can be up to 1/2 quart per 600 miles (0.5 liter per 2000 km)." With no further explanation in the owners manuals, I might assume that neither Mercedes nor Audi has yet achieved the tight tolerances built into the cast iron V8 that powers my 1971 Ford LTD. Its old 351 does not burn a 1/2 quart of oil every 600 miles, at least with my gentle "driving style."

"Burning oil" has long been associated with heavily worn engines that blow clouds of blue exhaust smoke and need expensive engine rebuilds. It is no surprise that car manufacturers carefully avoid the words "burning oil," but it is odd that they make no effort to explain why some engines now come from the factory designed to "consume" oil. With a little clarification, a car manufacturer could avoid having an owner believe the engine in his/her new car was not as well built as the engine in the car he/she traded in.

A description of modern engine/oil technology could also emphasize the increased importance of regularly checking/adding engine oil. The owners manual for the 2011 Honda Civic says, "Engine oil level - Check every time you fill the fuel tank." Is that a relic left over from 1950s era owners manuals, or do Honda owners really need to check their oil "every time" they stop at a gas station?

Modern engine designs have been achieving better fuel economy by reducing the amount of energy needed to keep the internal pieces moving. This might mean making engine parts out of lighter weight metal alloys. It could also mean allowing pistons to move more freely in the cylinders, which unfortunately also lets more oil slip by the piston rings and be subsequently burned. The move to lower viscosity oils (ex. 0W-20 instead of 10W-30) and higher revving engines further encourages increased oil consumption.

But wait, I thought engines that burned oil wrecked catalytic converters. Zinc and phosphorous in engine oil are good for reducing valve train friction but bad for catalytic converters. Zinc and phosphorous levels in motor oil were quietly reduced as part of the new ILSAC GF-5 motor oil standard in 2010. The new oil standard meant new engine designs could send more oil residue out the exhaust without damaging catalytic converters.

Hopefully, the money spent on buying more engine oil is offset by less money spent on gasoline. Increased oil consumption is just one more reason owners of new cars need to be extra careful to use the correct oil for their engine. That old bottle of 10W-30 sitting on a garage shelf may not only clog various solenoids and orifices, but it could also damage the catalytic converters. Look under "Engine" in the RockAuto.com catalog to find the right "Motor Oil" for your specific car or truck.

One of these newer oil-consuming motors may still have problems (gasket leaks, etc.) if oil consumption increases over time. For example, it consumed 1.5 quarts between previous oil changes but now it is consuming 3 quarts.

I would follow those Honda owners manual instructions that say to check the engine oil level every time you stop for gas. Just ignore the dashing 1971 Ford owner using the neighboring gas pump. He may not bother to open his car's hood, but remember he has to stop at gas stations much more frequently than you do.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

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

Here is my 1966 AMC Rambler Classic Rebel. My grandpa worked at AMC in Kenosha, WI in the 1960s and after his passing, I inherited this car from him. I like to think that he helped create it when he was at AMC, so I have decided to begin the restoration in his memory. Doing so would almost be impossible without RockAuto. You guys have everything from the rare 4-piston Bendix front calipers and engine components to rebuild the original AMC 327 engine, to small odds and ends type parts for the suspension and rear drum brakes.

I always default to RockAuto, whether it is for my Rambler, my WS6 or my Monte Carlo. I know you guys have the best pricing for the best parts and I know that it will always arrive in a timely manner.

Thanks RockAuto!
Mitchell in Wisconsin

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 or RockAuto social media. New, old, import, domestic, daily driver, trailer queen, classic, antique, we want to see them all! Please email flamur@RockAuto.com with your vehicle's history, interesting details, your favorite images (tips for taking pictures of your car) and what parts from RockAuto you have used.

The original DeLorean sports car came from a factory in Northern Ireland powered by which engine?

A. Citroen "BiRotor" Wankel
B. Ford "Cologne" V6
Answer: C. Peugeot-Renault-Volvo "Douvrin" V6
D. All of the Above

Back up to trivia question