Beware of Napa!

[li Arc]

Hey guys, just a general warning: beware of getting parts from Napa! Ok ok, I know I shouldn't have bothered at all, but I was stuck in a different city, way past time I should have left, and I needed a clutch master cylinder ASAP. So I went to them, got it the next day, and had it installed (it was -32C there; even my ratchets were freezing up!). Lo and behold, the mechanic told me that somehow the shaft was short, but he installed it anyways. The shaft *just* cleared to let the clutch disengage! Here's what I found out after I got a junkyard replacement part:



The top one is from a junker cylinder, the bottom one from the Napa unit. Go figure!

But the more pressing problem is my CV boot I bought from them...6 months ago! And it's ripped already! No more Napa...they're good for other supplies, but definitely not for parts!

I got myself some good German GKN boots online now, and replacing both inner and outer boots, but beware!

li Arc

[TROLLhattenschatten]

Don't let Eric see this

[Matthew]

Originally Posted by li Arc

I got myself some good German GKN boots online now, and replacing both inner and outer boots, but beware!

GKN are British dude.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GKN

Best boots on teh netz.

[ArmySaab]

I've had great luck with Napa parts over the years sorry to hear your luck hasn't been so good.

[li Arc]

Originally Posted by Matthew

GKN are British dude.

Oh haha I guess I was misled by all the German labels on the box then! It does say "Made in Germany" though...hope I didn't get a knockoff!

At any rate, I'll pay for a good part because the labour in replacing the part most of the time just isn't worth it.

Originally Posted by ArmySaab

I've had great luck with Napa parts over the years sorry to hear your luck hasn't been so good.

I wish they were more reliable in their parts, but I just can't risk having to replace parts every 6 months. I'll still stick up for their convenience and their supplies...a Valvoline moly grease tube for $3, can't really beat that! But I say if you're buying a part from Napa, just make sure you know what you're doing! In the case of my master cylinder, know the dimensions!

li Arc

[16saabs]

practise driving/moving without a clutch,
warm engine up a bit. switch off. engage 1st gear. start engine. (with slight use of accelerator pedal,will kangaroo a fraction but then go. and off you go.
if you need/ want to change up, take foot off accelerator(revs drop) change from 1st -2nd and carry on each time up to fifth if required(or on motorway). to stop, just take foot of accelerator and knock out of gear and brake. to move off repeat process.
slowish gear/speeds are recomended in built up areas as you might have to brake quick(but you only stall at worse, can do that with clutch working )and jsut be a bit more observant, but that seems to go hand in hand with problem(brain engages quicker)
try this out on a country road, it is quite easy, and if you have done it previously, if your clutch ever fails, you will not panic about getting home if you miles away or local, and if you don't want to change gear again?, just drive home or to safety in first. just don't panic.
I once had this happen in a small lorry(cable went) worked a treat, and to put icing on the cake about 3mnths later the gear lever came out of the socket as i lifted to put it in reverse, so had to drive through town IN REVERSE and go down a one way street got some funny looks but i was going the right way but backwards.
P.S. it was a FORD TRANSIT

[TROLLhattenschatten]

Personally, i like NAPA - they always have the parts in stock, and if they don't they get them within 2 hours.

Parts plus is good too - i bought my coolant temp. sensor there for $13

[cghag1]

Originally Posted by 16saabs

practise driving/moving without a clutch,
warm engine up a bit. switch off. engage 1st gear. start engine. (with slight use of accelerator pedal,will kangaroo a fraction but then go. and off you go.
if you need/ want to change up, take foot off accelerator(revs drop) change from 1st -2nd and carry on each time up to fifth if required(or on motorway). to stop, just take foot of accelerator and knock out of gear and brake. to move off repeat process.
slowish gear/speeds are recomended in built up areas as you might have to brake quick(but you only stall at worse, can do that with clutch working )and jsut be a bit more observant, but that seems to go hand in hand with problem(brain engages quicker)
try this out on a country road, it is quite easy, and if you have done it previously, if your clutch ever fails, you will not panic about getting home if you miles away or local, and if you don't want to change gear again?, just drive home or to safety in first. just don't panic.
I once had this happen in a small lorry(cable went) worked a treat, and to put icing on the cake about 3mnths later the gear lever came out of the socket as i lifted to put it in reverse, so had to drive through town IN REVERSE and go down a one way street got some funny looks but i was going the right way but backwards.
P.S. it was a FORD TRANSIT

I've practiced this in an old VW I had many years ago. Never had to emply the technique myself, but came upon a stranded motorist (in a VW ) with a broken clutch cable. He looked at me funny when I told him that he didn't need the cable to get the car home and gave him instruction on what to do. He was near a long private drive so he gave it a quick practice run, liked the results, and got on his way. By the way, a strong battery is pretty much essential to make this work.

[li Arc]

I actually did this for a friend driving a Subaru...somehow his car was able to idle in 1st without stalling the engine! Then just basically heel-toe the whole way, and it worked like a charm. However, that wouldn't really work with our cars as there is no way to get the car to move if in a stopped position...I know I can't move the car with the starter alone, and it's also a very good way to blow your starter motor!

li Arc

[sebch]

My "unclutched run" story happened to me on an african track. The Toyotas of the NGO I was working for were anything but up to snuff, so I had to drive about 70 kms without clutch on a battered trail after the master said bye. Was plenty of fun, and the fact it was a Toyoya helped A LOT! You can practically drive these beasts w/o clutch without any trouble. And after this happened I actually continued driving the cars like that. Juste for the fun...

The Soviet UAZ-469 I also drove on a regular basis there was a different story, though. More... saabish !!

Cheers, Seb