RockAuto is proud to carry Walker Products ThunderCore™PRO Spark Plug Wire sets, manufactured in their own ISO certified plant in the USA! Each vehicle manufacturer designs the ignition system in a particular way, so that all components work together to achieve optimum performance and fuel economy. This is why Walker Products' ThunderCore™PRO Spark Plug Wire program breaks the trend of "one size fits all" wires. Their program includes Suppression, Mag & Copper core wires, each specifically engineered to match the vehicle and manufacturer requirements, for a 100% OE-style replacement every time. All wire sets are made with superior materials -- from the cable cores, to the high temperature resistant outer jacketing, to the terminal ends. Premium corrosion resistant snap lock terminals even click into place to ensure easy installation and removal.

RockAuto now also carries Walker Products Thunderspark Ignition Coils and Spark Plug / Ignition Coil Boots! They offer ignition parts for a broad range of vehicles, from 1960 to today -- each precision manufactured to meet or exceed OEM standards.

Now is the perfect time for an Ignition System tune-up! During the month of September, 2022, Walker Products is offering RockAuto.com customers an exclusive 10% Instant Rebate on their Ignition Coils, Spark Plug / Ignition Coil Boots, Spark Plug Wire sets and many of their other products too! Find Walker Products Fuel Delivery Components, Emission Control Products, Engine Sensors, Spark Plug Wires and more in the RockAuto.com catalog. Watch for the for savings off of RockAuto.com's reliably low prices!

Has it been awhile since you updated your RockAuto gear? RockAuto has many branded products available to refresh your look. Wear a RockAuto Hat or T-Shirt with pride. Add to your RockAuto magnet collection with a Magpack! Easily dispense fluids and reduce the mess with a RockAuto Funnel. Keep your keys secure and close by with a RockAuto lanyard.

All RockAuto branded products ship together and can be found in the "Apparel & Gifts" category of the "Tools & Universal Parts" tab.

Many years ago, the blower fan on my 1984 Ford F150 failed. In our climate, heat and defrost are not optional, but the replacement factory part was outrageously expensive so I opted for an aftermarket fan at a fraction of the cost. The installation was completed in minutes, but the first cold morning the windshield never cleared. I found myself scraping the inside of the glass all the way to work, with only a small amount of air coming out the vents. Not having a lot of time to troubleshoot, I bought an auxiliary heater/fan that plugged into the cigarette lighter and used that the rest of the winter. It was not until months later that I was under the hood, glanced at the replacement motor, and slapped a greasy hand to my forehead in disgust.

Yup, I had wired the blower backwards, and like a good DC motor should, it was sending air the wrong direction. A minute later and I had all the hot air I could have ever wanted.

Steve in Vermont

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!

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.

Which 1984 model was the first car sold in the USA to have composite headlamp lenses with replaceable bulbs rather than sealed-beam glass headlight bulbs?

A. Lincoln Mark VII
B. Nissan 300 ZX
C. Pontiac 6000 STE

Answer below

Nearly every year, I learn about some new idea for cars that actually is not new at all. The technology may be new, but the idea was first implemented in early cars using lots of ingenuity and the relatively primitive technology available at the time. After reading my August newsletter article about modern engine oil level sensors, Jere Gauss provided me with detailed information about the engine oil level sensor and the $35.55 warning lights option on 1958 Edsels! (Jere is a 45+ year member of the International Edsel Club (internationaledsel.com) and moderator of the Facebook group, Edsel Restoration and Preservation.)

The Edsel design works by supplying a limited-flow vacuum (~½ in. Hg) from the intake manifold through a normally-closed vacuum switch to a special hollow dipstick. As long as oil covers the opening near the tip of the dipstick, the retained vacuum pulls the switch open. Any oil that happens to get sucked up the dipstick is recovered at a small reservoir located near the top end of the dipstick and eventually drains back into the crankcase. When the oil drops to about a quart low, the hole near the tip of the dipstick is exposed, vacuum is lost and the switch closes, illuminating an “OIL LEVEL” warning light in the instrument cluster.

Dash image from original Edsel sales brochure

The vacuum normally pulls oil about 8 inches up the dipstick, and any additional oil that makes it higher is held in the small reservoir on the dipstick until it slowly drains back into the crankcase. All this oil retained in the dipstick hopefully keeps the low oil level warning light from immediately coming on if the opening in the tip of the dipstick is briefly exposed during spirited acceleration or cornering.

The low oil level warning light was only an option on 1958 Edsels and was not made available on other Ford or Lincoln models. It would take nearly another half century before engine oil level sensors became commonplace.

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 is my 1992 Toyota Land Cruiser in the mountains in the Alaskan Interior. It is an imported Japanese/JDM FZJ80, right hand drive with the 4.5 liter L6. I bought this truck last year in Tennessee, making me the first US owner. I drove it home from there in the dead of winter all the way up to Fairbanks, Alaska, facing -40°F temperatures on the drive up through Canada in December. This vehicle took the beating like a champ! Only a foglight went out.

I have purchased plenty of parts from your website, including spark plugs, an air filter, a radiator, universal joints, pinion seals, wheel hub bearings, brake pads and rotors, a windshield wiper motor, a repair manual, idler pulleys, an alternator, radiator hoses, and a power window motor. RockAuto is always my go to parts website for all my vehicles (my other Toyota Land Cruiser, Saturn SL1, Jeep Cherokee, Subaru Forester and Ford Ranger).

Kyle in Alaska

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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! For submission instructions and tips for taking pictures of your car, please visit our Photography Tips & Submission Info page

Which 1984 model was the first car sold in the USA to have composite headlamp lenses with replaceable bulbs rather than sealed-beam glass headlight bulbs?

Answer: A. Lincoln Mark VII (Source: https://www.hemmings.com)
B. Nissan 300 ZX
C. Pontiac 6000 STE

Back up to trivia question