What mods would make the car more reliable?

[Ozzie]

Since when as the RPM relay been any sort of a "High Failure" Part? Even if it did fail, a jumper from the brown wire in the corner to the other wire diagonally across from it on the other end of the harness will get the fuel pump flowing again. Something you do anyway while testing the fuel system.

That is fails: I only write what I have discussed and observed with other owners with original RPM relays who this happened to, and to me after a 3 hour drive (fuel just cut off, came back on after original RPM relay cooled - I know owners who advise/give the original relay a whack to get it going again). The OEM relay heats up with use (touch it after a drive) as it is a mechanical relay in motion in continuous use, and as they are now 30 years old, they are having board delamination and solder failures and that's only going to get worse with time and usage. So, age + usage/heat (heat = premature death for electronics) + history tend indicate that it is a high failure rate part, as reliability is assessed in industry.
Once I put Dave's solid state version, you can feel after the same type of drive his version puts out much, much, less heat, and I have made that same 3+ hour trip (and back) w/o any RPM related issues.

That there is a work around, yes I agree with you I mentioned two others (jumpers and a spare). As you know, but others may not, jumpering the RPM relay's socket should be a temporary event only. The fact that a spare is a backup, again indicates to a part with a high potential for failure.

BTW: I have no interest in plugging Dave's product other than spreading the word that it is a great modern upgrade for our cars.

[DMCMW Dave]

Since when as the RPM relay been any sort of a "High Failure" Part?

Probably since about 1985. We see lots of bad ones, from just dead to intermittent.

[aludden]

Thank you all! I had read about most of these in various threads, but it's nice to get them all in one place. Let's keep adding to it!

[Farrar]

Install low-amp cooling fans and/or Dave McKeen's "Fan Fail Module" replacement; and replace incandescent bulbs with LEDs. Less strain on the car's electrical system, IMHO.

Farrar

[Chris Burns]

Those low amp fans are nice for sure. I was in a Delorean that overheated in a traffic jam once when the 30 yr old fans gave out. My mechanic did the work on the car and after a new set of fans and a radiator the car never overheated again (even on the hottest days!) One quick fix remedy I have been told is just to unplug one fan until you can do the major fix.

[jawn101]

Those low amp fans are nice for sure. I was in a Delorean that overheated in a traffic jam once when the 30 yr old fans gave out. My mechanic did the work on the car and after a new set of fans and a radiator the car never overheated again (even on the hottest days!) One quick fix remedy I have been told is just to unplug one fan until you can do the major fix.

With Dave's solid state fan fail box you can do that from inside the car - just pull one of the fuses. It's a nice little unit for a lot of reasons.

[Rich]

Two more items for the list of mods for reliability improvement. One is an adjustment, not a modification. Both have to do with the doors.

1. Mod: Reduce the probability of eventual door torsion bar failure by checking for contact between either of the torsion bars and the respective rear door hinges. If the torsion bar rubs against the hinge then insert some rubber or thick vinyl between them as a separator to prevent further rubbing and wear of the bar. Check it annually to be sure it's still there and isn't wearing thin.
2. Adjustment: Make sure the door torsion bars are not over-torqued. Many PO's mistakenly compensated for tired door struts by upping the door torque.