What have you done to your DeLorean today?

[TheStoot]

I drove my car for the second time this year. Moved it about 25 feet forward out of my garage so I could get my riding mower out, and then reversed back into place.

So if I've got my math right, I've got around 100 ft so far this driving season.

Why aren't you driving your car??

[Helirich]

I drove my car for the second time this year. Moved it about 25 feet forward out of my garage so I could get my riding mower out, and then reversed back into place.

So if I've got my math right, I've got around 100 ft so far this driving season.
]

I hope you use non ethanol with "stable".

Edit, you really should at least warm it up to operating temp every few months.

[Mark D]

Why aren't you driving your car??

It's a combination of things really. My daily commute to work is around 130 miles round trip, so I've got my daily driver car(s) for that. It doesn't make sense to put a bunch of highway miles on the DeLorean and let it bake out in a parking lot all day.

It's parked in that detached garage in my back yard so getting it out is inconvenient for random trips to the store or wherever. I've got to open up the gate in my fence, make sure the dog doesn't escape, etc.

I've got two young kids and my free time has been booked with projects and other stuff lately, so I don't have much down time to go for a pleasure drive.

My wife also works the night shift on the weekend. So while she sleeps during the day, I'm hanging out with the kids and driving Mom's car w/ the car seats if we go anywhere.

The main time I would be free to drive it is on weekdays after the kids are in bed but at that point it's dark outside.

Or I could drive it on the rare weekends when my wife doesn't work, but then we're typically all hanging out as a family. I'd be gong for a solo drive to take it to run an errand or something, or just a point A back to point A trip.

In years past my wife and I would take it out on date night when the grandparents were watching the kids, but then COVID happened.

I'm cool with the situation though and I do take the kids for a drive every once in a while. They're getting older and starting to take interest. Last year I did drive it to work a few times and put a couple hundred miles on.

[Mark D]

I hope you use non ethanol with "stable".

Edit, you really should at least warm it up to operating temp every few months.

Yeah I'm running premium non-ethanol gas with sta-bil. Yesterday I let it run for probably 20 minutes between pulling it out and backing it in. It has to come out every time I get out the riding mower, so typically I'll take it for a drive as a reward for finishing the lawn. I'll drive through town and do a hot lap up and down the freeway to get it up to temp, turn on the the A/C, and get all the other fluids moving. I just didn't have time yesterday.

It gets used frequently enough during the summer to keep it reasonably maintained and then during the winter months it's in hibernation mode.

[Michael]

In short Helirich, Mark has priorities and there are a lot of things more important to him than a stupid little plastic car.

[Mark D]

LOL yeah, i guess that's a simpler way of putting it.

[Helirich]

Yeah I'm running premium non-ethanol gas with sta-bil. Yesterday I let it run for probably 20 minutes between pulling it out and backing it in. It has to come out every time I get out the riding mower, so typically I'll take it for a drive as a reward for finishing the lawn. I'll drive through town and do a hot lap up and down the freeway to get it up to temp, turn on the the A/C, and get all the other fluids moving. I just didn't have time yesterday.

It gets used frequently enough during the summer to keep it reasonably maintained and then during the winter months it's in hibernation mode.

It sounds like you use it enough to not be an issue.

[TheStoot]

LOL yeah, i guess that's a simpler way of putting it.

That all sounds good. I didn't mean to sound like a dick when asking why you don't drive it. I'm just trying to figure out why people have certain things, especially cars that require maintenance and upkeep and storage sometimes and don't drive them. Your story makes complete sense. I also have 2 small kids, but my oldest one is now 6 so we literally take the Delorean anywhere and everywhere we go together as I give him the choice of the car he wants to go in. It's always the DeLorean. I hope you get to spend more time with it this summer and I hope covid dies down so we can all get out more and enjoy!

[TheStoot]

So yesterday I got home and went back to trying to diagnose my faulty lambda system/non functioning frequency valve issues. I got a spare Lambda ecu from a new Delorean friend of mine in the town next door and swapped it out. Bam, I now got a working lambda system and frequency valve! I did also have to swap out the O2 sensor as mine had been toasted from running the car so rich. Hooked up the dwell meter and dialed in the dwell just between 15-20 on the 8cyl scale and took it for a drive around town and down the highway a few miles. My car hasn't performed this well since i've owned it. I've never had a problem with it running or starting or anything, but the lambda system just never worked at all so i figured i'd see what happened when and if I got it going. I can say it literally feels like I got 15-20 more horsepower now. Highway driving is night and day. Lower rpms, say 2k, would feel like a struggle to go anywhere in 5th gear. Now it just pulls and shows even power throughout the rpm range. I am quite pleased by this little car now that everything is running the way it should have been. I had driven the car almost 3000 miles like this before I fixed it and just figured it was what it was. Now that it's back in shape I love it. My idle did Jump up a bit after I come to a stop so I gotta figure out why that is happening. It almost seems like that idle motor isn't closing down all the way or slow to respond. I got dave mckeens idle ecu so i'll have to diagnose it a bit but holy hell, I can now say this is a pretty quick little car buzzing around town, especially with a 5 speed.

This afternoon she goes in for an alignment seeing how I changed out the tie rods over the winter. Hopefully my little shake around 70mph will get sorted a bit with a proper alignment!

[Mark D]

That all sounds good. I didn't mean to sound like a dick when asking why you don't drive it. I'm just trying to figure out why people have certain things, especially cars that require maintenance and upkeep and storage sometimes and don't drive them. Your story makes complete sense. I also have 2 small kids, but my oldest one is now 6 so we literally take the Delorean anywhere and everywhere we go together as I give him the choice of the car he wants to go in. It's always the DeLorean. I hope you get to spend more time with it this summer and I hope covid dies down so we can all get out more and enjoy!

No worries, glad to hear you're getting out with your kids too for some fun drives. My oldest daughter is also 6. Just curious what you do in terms of car seats... We usually only go for short drives through the park behind my house or around the neighborhood so I'm not really concerned about her just riding in the seat without a booster. Do you do anything in particular with your son for a car seat?

Edit:

Funny story about that actually, one time I was taking her for a ride and when we got back she narked me out to my wife for speeding. She told my wife I was going 15mph and the sign in the park said Speed Limit 10.