DaraSue and 10907's excellent adventure [Archive] - DMCTalk Forum

DaraSue

08-23-2016, 01:59 PM

When I missed the first bus to the airport by literally two seconds I thought I was doomed, but I guess I was just getting all my bad luck out of the wau early! I caught the next one and still got there in plenty of time, the TSA agent I thought was going to be She-Wolf of the SS didn't even confiscate any of my tools (she was actually fairly jovial) and I didn't get murdered on the L from the airport. Hooray!

Suzy picked me up at the train station and we went to meet my new ride. I told her, "this is like every prom night I never went to, all at once !" (Only about ten million times cooler, let's be real.) The car looked fabulous. Maybe it was just my imagination but it might have been the shiniest one in the shop. We went over all the maintenance stuff and did a last-minute lighter swap (the original wasn't charging my phone) and then it was time to hit the road!

DaraSue

08-23-2016, 02:10 PM

(Doing this in multiple posts b/c I don't trust my phone not to screw it up)

The drive to the Wal-Mart to pick up the stuff I couldn't take on the plane was honestly the most terrifying driving experience I've had since the time I drove down an 8000 ft mountain in the CRX in the winter. The gears were... more difficult than I was used to, stopping took longer, (must be the extra 1000 lbs of inertia) and even the steering took some practice. I made some dudes' night when I stopped for gas, though! These two probably junior-high kids were totally awe-struck and had to take their pictures with it. When they were done I heard one tell the other "man, aren't you glad we decided to stop at a gas station?" :biggrin:

DaraSue

08-23-2016, 02:17 PM

A couple of nerve-racking moments on the way to the freeway. I called Suzy and Mike in a panic when I heard a squeaking noise 10 miles out, but he said it was probably just a brake noise but nothing dangerous. Then I noticed my oil pressure was really high and pulled over in some random person's driveway for another panic-call. Mike said I shouldn't have to worry unless it was too low. Another tense moment when I thought I smelled burning hydraulic fluid but I'd missed my turn for the 88 anyway and by the time I circled around it was gone. No recurrence so I'm blaming that on the car carrier that was in front of me.

DaraSue

08-23-2016, 02:32 PM

Once I got on the interstate it was smooth sailing. The car seems to like being let loose. I was so psyched I felt like I could drive all night but finally stopped in Iowa City b/c my knee was stiffening up. I still barely slept but I took a break from tossing and turning long enough to get some good shots at sunrise, which I'll post if my dumb phone cooperates.

Rich_NYS

08-23-2016, 02:41 PM

:rock_on:

DMCTek

08-23-2016, 04:17 PM

DaraSue

08-23-2016, 04:49 PM

Now that my tablet 's playing nice with the Hardee's wifi, let's see if I can finally post some pix!

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Well, I think I got one of them to attach. Blocked some traffic in the Travelodge parking lot to get that one but nobody seemed to mind too much ;)

DaraSue

08-23-2016, 05:05 PM

It was very cool to see how excited you were to finally see the car. Before our eyes you were transformed into a giddy 10 year old girl. Glad we could be a part of this adventure! Keep us posted on the rest of your trip.

Best,

Mike

Big thanks to all of you for getting all the work done so fast! This is way better than sitting around the house waiting for a trailer to pull up, LOL...

DMC-81

08-23-2016, 08:17 PM

Very cool! Congratulations!:driving1:

Farrar

08-24-2016, 01:30 AM

The car seems to like being let loose.

I've experienced the same with #2613 over the years. It's not fast off the line, but it absolutely loves to cruise on the highway.

dvonk

08-24-2016, 02:28 AM

i got to meet DaraSue (http://dmctalk.org/member.php?87532-DaraSue) and 10907 tonight. nice to finally see a DeLorean again after 4 years... DaraSue was nice enough to snap this Polaroid of me sitting in the driver's seat. :driving1:
Godspeed on the rest of the journey!

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DaraSue

08-24-2016, 08:09 AM

Well, yesterday was... interesting. Had the first freakout moment somewhere in Iowa when I noticed my temp gauge hovering just below the 220 mark. It had done that before and then cooled off but when it was still up there after a couple more miles and worse, started creeping up onto the line, it was time for another panic-pitstop. When nothing was obviously amiss I called Mike at the shop and he talked me through checking the fans with car stationary. I guess I could have done that by myself but I was paranoid about overtemping it and wanted a second opinion. He assured me that I didn't need to worry as long as it didn't get into the 230+ range at low speeds and at freeway speeds there should be enough airflow to cool it even without the fan running. As it turned out my worries were groundless because the fans kicked on and everything was apparently groovy. Crisis averted!

...or so I thought. As it would turn out, a different crisis was waiting up the road.

I rolled into Omaha without any further issues, had the standard one-person car show at the gas station and headed to Denny 's to meet up with Dvonk. As you can see above, a good time was had by all. :) It was fun chatting irl with a fellow enthusiast!

I was planning on going another couple hours west, but it was at this point that things went awry. The westbound on ramp was closed and at this point I was pretty tired and the weather was getting stormy so I took it as a sign and made a (legally questionable) U-turn back to the Motel 6. By the time I got into the parking lot it was pouring so hard I got soaked just trying to get in the lobby. There were already two cars under the canopy thing who both had the same idea I did, i.e to sit there until the rain let up but then more cars started coming in. I nearly had a heart attack when it looked like an SUV was barreling right at me and I got to test the D's horn but then it turned out he was just going for the handicap space.

I figured I better move my car but it was still pouring and my windshield was covered in condensation. I cranked the defroster on and managed to find what I thought was an out of the way parking spot (I would later realize I'd been quadruple parked for like an hour - sorry anybody else who wanted to use those spaces!). I sat there, still waiting for the rain to let up, and then I noticed water dripping onto the clutch boot. I didn't think there was anything much I could do about it at that point because it was still pouring too hard to try to tape my trash bag to the roof, I assumed the hotel entryway was still a traffic jam and I was afraid to try driving to a gas station because just trying to make it around the parking lot had been nerve-racking enough.

I put a towel over the dash and console and sent Suzy a text about what was going on. Mike called me back and said it was probably a badly-installed headliner soaking up the rain and breaking the seal. I was worried that it was going to rust my roof out or something but he said it should dry out. He too suggested trying to cover the roof but by then it had stopped dripping. There was some leaking around the front of the door, too - I could feel rain drops on my toes where I had my foot next to it.

It had rained earlier when I was in Des Moines but I didn't notice any of this. Lesson learned: don't take your DeLorean out in a supercell thunderstorm! In hindsight maybe I shouldn't have stopped as long as I did in Omaha but looking at the map it looked like the precip went at least as far as Lincoln so if I couldn't outrun it, who knows if something worse would have happened.

Onward... (after a nap...)

DaraSue

08-24-2016, 08:26 AM

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This morning. The worst of the storm must have been over because it didn't seem like there was any more water inside than there was last night. I've been running with the windows open and the a/c off whenever it's not raining so hopefully it dries out today, if I can get someplace sunny.

Dangermouse

08-24-2016, 08:28 AM

A truly devoted owner would have thrown him/herself over the T panel and used their body to shield it from the rain :)

j/k

I would quickly check the door seals that run down beside the windshield and make sure there is a good clean path for water to escape. My seal is a bit wavy (or more accuraly, the fibreglass lip is a bit wavy) and sometimes leaves and debris get stuck there, effectively creating a bit of a dam for water that has entered at the T panel especially during a heavy storm. In normal rain it is fine as the amount of water getting in isn't too bad, but in a deluge it can fill up a bit and spill over :)

Farrar

08-24-2016, 11:27 AM

louielouie2000

08-24-2016, 12:49 PM

I had a similar problem with headliner/water -- at the top, the headliner is not supposed to protrude beyond the inner door seal. Mine does in a few places. As a result, when it rains I get creeping dirty stains around the edges of the headliner. The solution, I'm told, is to remove those inner seals, cut the extra material from the headliner such that it will not protrude from beneath the seals once re-installed, and then re-install the seals.

This did the trick for my first DeLorean. I just pulled the inner door seals off, trimmed back the excess headliner fabric with a straight razor, and returned the door seals. Took like 10 minutes for both doors, and no more leaks!

I'm not sure what you're supposed to use as an adhesive for those inner door seals, but I'm sure someone on this very popular thread will know. :)

The inner seals are held on by compression. Or do owners use adhesive for them now as an added layer of protection?

dn010

08-24-2016, 01:15 PM

DPI's inner door seals come with a paste "adhesive" inside the channel.

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?13193-Door-Seal-Choices

Farrar

08-24-2016, 03:49 PM

Thanks for the info, Louie and Dan! Obviously I haven't fixed this problem on my car yet. But now that the outer seals are totally gone, maybe I should...

Anyway, didn't mean to hijack the thread. Sorry!

David T

08-24-2016, 04:35 PM

Also check the outer door seals, especially the ones at the tops of the doors. They close the gap between the doors and the Tee panel keeping a lot of the water from getting into the channel in the first place. Yes, things will eventually dry out but at some point you should remove the Tee panel and inspect the inner box for corrosion. When you get the chance you should also do ST-33-12/81 and make sure everything is all sealed up.

DaraSue

08-25-2016, 01:37 AM

45693

Here's the excess fabric I chopped off the edges of my headliner at a rest stop today. It would appear Mike's theory about yesterday 's leakage was correct. My first roadside repair! (Un)fortunately I successfully avoided getting caught in another Biblical deluge so I didn't get to test my work but hopefully that did it.
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And of course, the reason I was killing time at that particular stop was because there was another temperature incident. This time it got up to 230, at which point I pulled over on the shoulder and sat there waiting for enough of a break in traffic to jump out and make sure nothing important was leaking. When everything looked to be in working order, I gave it another few minutes and then nervously drove to the next exit. I called Mike again just to make sure he didn't think I'd done any damage. He said I did the right thing by pulling over and shutting off right away. Since the issue 's been intermittent we couldn't really pin it down but he suggested staying in 5th gear even on upslopes to keep the rpm lower. I think I might have been in 5th the first time but I'd been in 4th between 3500-4000 this time. The only thing that might be consistent both times is, I think they both happened after I'd driven about 50 miles, stopped for about 30 mins- an hour and then driven another 30- 40 miles.

I decided to see what happened if I kept going for a couple hundred miles without stopping. When I got back on the road, I went from Waco, NE to Ogallala (about 230 miles). The temp stayed between 160 and 210 the whole time. I thought about stopping there for the night but figured if I could drive I probably should so I took a rest in my car for about 45 minutes (wherein I discovered that if I put my feet up against the... what would be the firewall in a regular car, I can rest my head fairly comfortably on the center console. Well, comfortably if I use my hoodie as a pillow.) And then headed back out.

I made it to Cheyenne (about another 175 miles) without stopping. No temperature problems. Managed to avoid any more thunderstorms.

45695

And the sunset was awesome!

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Oh yeah, and I made the Motel 6 clerk's night. He said he'd never seen a DeLorean in person before! :D

David T

08-25-2016, 09:34 AM

If you are overheating when moving slow and the fans are running (or should be) the problem is something to do with the fans. Some things to check include:
The circuit breaker for the fans is popping
Check that the fans are both working
Check that both fans are secured to the motor shaft
Check that both fans are pulling in air from the front and blowing it out the back
The otterstat switch could be bad
Verify the otterstat switch is on the bottom of the pipe (early cars had it on the top)

dn010

08-25-2016, 10:18 AM

Coolant level?

Edit - while you're at it, check the condition of the expansion tank cap.

Farrar

08-25-2016, 12:10 PM

Yeah, it sounds like there may be a bubble of air in the coolant system somewhere, or you may even have lost some coolant. I'd fill it up with coolant the next time it's been sitting overnight. You can't do any damage by overfilling the system -- any extra will be dumped out by the vent tube onto the road behind you (unless your cap isn't working properly, but I assume DMCMW checked the cap as part of their inspection).

DaraSue

08-25-2016, 07:56 PM

The weird thing is, it doesn't do it when I'm moving slowly. If I'm parked the fans come on and everything seems normal. Every time it's done it it's been at highway speeds. Maybe Farrar's onto something because it seems related to the angle the car is at - pretty sure I've been on an uphill grade every time it's happened, and this morning when I came down a steep slope west of Medicine Bow, the temp dropped down around 160 and stayed there for a while.

Hopefully Mike is reading this because I have no cell service here for my daily check in, LOL. It did it again today but there was a parking pull-off right there so when the needle started scraping the 220 line I just stopped for a bit. I've moved on to thinking of it as a brief inconvenience rather than something to freak out about, because it seems to be running fine other than that, and I'm not in such a hurry that I can't afford to stop and cool off.

DaraSue

08-25-2016, 08:27 PM

I expected today to be fairly uneventful since I was only going to Rock Springs, another 250 miles or so. And for the most part it was.

A couple of interesting things happened, though. I stopped in Sinclair to get something to eat and take a nap. While I was parked, a retired couple pulled up next to me in a Vixen and said they'd seen my car from the ramp and just had to take a look. The husband told me about how Bill Collins designed the Vixen so there was a DeLorean connection there, which I vaguely recall hearing about once upon a time. Neat! We took pictures of each other's cars.

45931

The other "interesting" thing I already mentioned. On the bright side I'd been wanting to stop and get some pix of my car with the storm in the background anyway.

45932 45933

Oh yeah, and my odometer rolled over to 22000. Alas I didn't capture the exact moment like I did at 21. I think I might have put more miles on it in the last 3 days than it's gotten in the last 10 years :D

45930

I'm within towing distance of home now. I could have made it if I drove another few hours but I guess I'm not quite ready for the adventure to end yet. Or at least, this particular adventure... JB

DMCMW Dave

08-25-2016, 08:37 PM

A couple of interesting things happened, though. I stopped in Sinclair to get something to eat and take a nap. While I was parked, a retired couple pulled up next to me in a Vixen and said they'd seen my car from the ramp and just had to take a look. The husband told me about how Bill Collins designed the Vixen so there was a DeLorean connection there, which I vaguely recall hearing about once upon a time. Neat! We took pictures of each other's cars.

I'm within towing distance of home now. I could have made it if I drove another few hours but I guess I'm not quite ready for the adventure to end yet. Or at least, this particular adventure... JB

The Vixen actually uses the same manual transmission as your DeLorean. That's about the only shared part though. Occasionally we sell a clutch kit to a Vixen owner.

I've got a theory or two on the cooling issue, but I'd start with bleeding the system as everyone else has said. This typically won't cause the problem you are seeing but it could. If there's a bunch of air trapped in the radiator, it's very inefficient but would cool the car fine at low speeds/idle.

David T

08-25-2016, 09:38 PM

The Vixen actually uses the same manual transmission as your DeLorean. That's about the only shared part though. Occasionally we sell a clutch kit to a Vixen owner.

I've got a theory or two on the cooling issue, but I'd start with bleeding the system as everyone else has said. This typically won't cause the problem you are seeing but it could. If there's a bunch of air trapped in the radiator, it's very inefficient but would cool the car fine at low speeds/idle.

If it is overheating when moving at speed it *could* be an air bubble but my guess is some kind of airflow problem with the grill, the inlet, the ducting, or the radiator. Are there any emblems, license plate, etc that could be blocking the grill? Another thing that could cause overheating under load is if the timing is not correct or the mechanical or vacuum advance is not working. Last thing to check is if a hose on the suction side is collapsing and starving the pump. Feel if the hoses are soft and/or kinked.

DMCMW Dave

08-25-2016, 09:48 PM

I agree, it sounds more like a flow restriction in the cooling pipes. Maybe a kinked hose?

DaraSue

08-25-2016, 10:43 PM

I checked the overflow bottle after it had been sitting for an hour or two and it was about half full. To bleed it I need the pressure tester as referenced here, correct? http://www.dmcnews.com/Techsection/cooling.htm

Arrgh, the one thing I couldn't find at Wal-Mart. I understand auto parts stores will sometimes lend them out?

The seller said he replaced the radiator so maybe something's screwy with the lines. There's nothing on the front end that 's not supposed to be there, except the plate holder, but that was installed at DMC MW so it should be kosher (and it doesn't have the plate on it yet.)

Rich

08-26-2016, 12:43 AM

To bleed it I need the pressure tester as referenced here, correct?

Arrgh, the one thing I couldn't find at Wal-Mart. I understand auto parts stores will sometimes lend them out?

You can bleed it without a pressure tester, it's just simpler and faster with one.

Yes, some auto parts stores will loan them out. Department store auto sections won't have them. NAPA or another major auto parts place will.

I advise owners to invest in a good one, like the kit made by Stant. It's good for troubleshooting, saves the trouble of trips to get/return the loaner. Also, with the rad cap adapter you can check the radiator cap.

LINK: Stant test kit (https://www.amazon.com/Stant-12270-Cooling-System-Pressure/dp/B0002SRGWU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472185735&sr=8-1&keywords=stant+pressure+tester)

Remember, you'll want to drain-refill the coolant every 2-3 yrs. And then bleed the system.

DaraSue

08-26-2016, 01:06 AM

You can bleed it without a pressure tester, it's just simpler and faster with one.

Yes, some auto parts stores will loan them out. Department store auto sections won't have them. NAPA or another major auto parts place will.

I advise owners to invest in a good one, like the kit made by Stant. It's good for troubleshooting, saves the trouble of trips to get/return the loaner. Also, with the rad cap adapter you can check the radiator cap.

LINK: Stant test kit (https://www.amazon.com/Stant-12270-Cooling-System-Pressure/dp/B0002SRGWU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472185735&sr=8-1&keywords=stant+pressure+tester)

Remember, you'll want to drain-refill the coolant every 2-3 yrs. And then bleed the system.

What's the ideal way to do it without one on this car? http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-bleed-air-from-your-cooling-system These instructions talk about running it with the cap off but I thought the manual specifically said not to do that?

Just checked and there's a NAPA her so maybe I can get over there tomorrow.

whocruiser

08-26-2016, 10:07 AM

Regarding possible trapped air and bleeding the system - Dave or Dara Sue - do you know if the car has a cooling system auto-bleeder modification on it? Either the old "basic" thermostat housing only version or the "new & improved" thermostat housing & radiator version that Toby at DMCNW makes and shares with the other DMC outlets? It won't stop an existing leak, but it usually WILL keep you going by automatically blowing out any air that does come through the system, whether previously trapped in a sealed but not fully bled one, or a not too badly compromised leaky one. Has saved my butt on a few occasions, and was one of the only aftermarket mods that I actually moved over to 1150 from 1662 when I traded her in to Tony at DMCFL (the other two being the Dashmat Velour Mat, and the Hervey reissue of Bauerle's original hot air deflector that goes between the fans & the fuel tank.) Dara Sue, if you have it, it looks like this on my car. But you'll probably also have a metal ice shield in front of the throttle spool & bleeder valve nipple, and almost certainly have the two BIG black rubber main coolant hoses, not the hard metal piping that us early-car owners have.)

45942

dn010

08-26-2016, 10:16 AM

DaraSue

08-26-2016, 01:30 PM

David T

08-26-2016, 01:32 PM

I had a very similar issue. Temp would be normal on the back roads but as soon as I hit the highway it would raise to a concerning level. I changed my expansion tank cap (rubber disk was broken and not sealing) and haven't had a problem since.

That is very possible. If you have a bad cap and it isn't pressurizing the system when it gets hot, you can suck the hose flat on the suction side of the water pump. The other thing you can do is put a spring inside the hose. Most pressure tester kits have an adapter so you can also test the cap.

DaraSue

08-26-2016, 01:37 PM

That is very possible. If you have a bad cap and it isn't pressurizing the system when it gets hot, you can suck the hose flat on the suction side of the water pump. The other thing you can do is put a spring inside the hose. Most pressure tester kits have an adapter so you can also test the cap.

The cap looked ok, I think. The seller replaced the bottle so it should be fairly new.

dn010

08-26-2016, 01:42 PM

DaraSue

08-26-2016, 01:43 PM

45950

Here's what I've got (more or less, this pic is one the seller sent before I had it work done at DMC MW)

DaraSue

08-26-2016, 01:48 PM

If you're overheating and can't make it, then I could see a parking lot repair here. However if you're close to home and you can coast along with good gauges, get it there and make it a garage repair instead - messing with the cooling system far away could be dangerous.

I've got another 200 miles. The issue isn't consistent but I've got a mountain range to cross. I saw quite a few bubbles while attempting to bleed it so hopefully that made it better instead of worse. Might still try to get the pressure tester. I'm looking for 14 psi, yeah?

DaraSue

08-26-2016, 04:59 PM

45951

Well, I tried using the pressure tester (with some help from a passing mechanic in the NAPA parking lot) and everything seemed fine, and then half a mile up the road the gage went up to 230 so I pulled into a Walgreen's parking lot. Another good Samaritan stopped to give me a hand, and he noticed that the radiator intake line wasn't even hot. At this point I figured I better give up and take it to a real mechanic so my new buddy helped me find one (since I had no bars and no internet).

Just drove it onto the lift now so we'll see what happens...

Rich

08-26-2016, 06:40 PM

....Another good Samaritan stopped to give me a hand, and he noticed that the radiator intake line wasn't even hot. At this point I figured I better give up and take it to a real mechanic so my new buddy helped me find one (since I had no bars and no internet).

Just drove it onto the lift now so we'll see what happens...

Let us know. Good move on checking the rad hose temps.

Cold rad hose with engine running and hot means that hose is empty (low coolant level) or coolant's not flowing thru it (any number of causes including stuck-closed thermostat, bad water pump, missing belt [looks OK in pics], radiator internally blocked/clogged, kinked or collapsed coolant hose or pipe, low coolant level [lower than the water pump]).

Earlier reports are that the coolant level is OK, that you can see it in the header bottle.

There's not a lot that's special about a D's cooing system in general so a decent mechanic can likely sort it out. Let us know how it goes.

DaraSue

08-26-2016, 06:44 PM

Rich

08-26-2016, 07:38 PM

Apparently the thermostat was bad. Just road tested it and it stayed around 190, which isn't necessarily conclusive since it's been intermittent but it's a good sign. Gonna try to grab some lunch and wait for the rain to let up and then get back on the road.

If they removed a stuck-closed thermostat then you are almost assured that your cooling problems are over for now.

It sure picked a bad time to pack it in. It's in the range of normal things that happen with old cars at some time or other.

Happy travels.

David T

08-26-2016, 08:30 PM

If the line to the rad isn't getting hot you might have a bad thermostat (it sticks closed). If necessary to get home, remove the center section of the thermostat. You need to leave the plate because it holds the gasket in place. To remove the thermostat you will have to let the motor cool off.

DMCMW Dave

08-26-2016, 11:51 PM

Apparently the thermostat was bad. Just road tested it and it stayed around 190, which isn't necessarily conclusive since it's been intermittent but it's a good sign. Gonna try to grab some lunch and wait for the rain to let up and then get back on the road.

Were you carrying a spare or did they just remove it? Suzy told me that you left there pretty well-equipped!

DaraSue

08-27-2016, 01:00 AM

Were you carrying a spare or did they just remove it? Suzy told me that you left there pretty well-equipped!

They found an acceptable substitute somewhere! Of course, the one thing I didn't think to take an extra one of, lol.

45961

The source of all my troubles. After they changed it out, I don't think it went over 190 the whole way home, and there were some pretty steep hills to climb in western Wyoming and eastern UT. Yay! Now I can drive it to Vegas on my next 3-day weekend! :partyhat:

I had the coolest car at the repair shop...

45962

Home safe and sound!

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Farrar

08-27-2016, 11:16 AM

Welcome home to DaraSue and your new car! Glad the problem was easily diagnosed and solved!

Lwanmtr

08-27-2016, 09:03 PM

Awesome that you made it...and definately an adventure...lol.

That garage looks a lil small...hehe. I hope she'll spend more time outside than in?

One of the things I plan (when I finally get mine all good n ready) is a nice long trip (cause Im crazy that way).

DaraSue

08-28-2016, 10:52 AM

Some higher-res pictures from the road...

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I'm so glad I got to do this! Even with all the freakout moments, it was still the trip of a lifetime and I couldn't be happier with my car. Thanks everyone for reading and commenting with your advice and support, and special thanks to the crews at DMC Midwest and Rock Springs Auto Repair for helping me get and stay on the road!

David T

08-28-2016, 01:21 PM

Now that you are home and have things somewhat under control, you should consider getting a proper replacement thermostat. Also test the coolant to make sure you still have a 50/50 mixture. I should have earlier suggested you keep track of your mileage and gas consumption so you can check your MPG. That is a very important indicator of the general health and efficiency of the car. Also check the accuracy of the odometer and speedometer against the mileposts. A long trip is the ideal time to do it, the longer the measurement the more accurate the results.

Lwanmtr

08-28-2016, 03:36 PM

Some higher-res pictures from the road...

I'm so glad I got to do this! Even with all the freakout moments, it was still the trip of a lifetime and I couldn't be happier with my car. Thanks everyone for reading and commenting with your advice and support, and special thanks to the crews at DMC Midwest and Rock Springs Auto Repair for helping me get and stay on the road!

Some lovely shots. My phone was pretty much dead when I was towing mine home, so I didnt get those shots..but then it woulda been a buncha shots of a car on a trailer at various rest stops...lol. And icouldnt have gotten the low light ones light that either.

DaraSue

08-29-2016, 03:53 PM

Some lovely shots. My phone was pretty much dead when I was towing mine home, so I didnt get those shots..but then it woulda been a buncha shots of a car on a trailer at various rest stops...lol. And icouldnt have gotten the low light ones light that either.

Welcome home to DaraSue and your new car! Glad the problem was easily diagnosed and solved!

Thanks! I hope you guys can both get your cars back on the road soon and have some adventures of your own! This was seriously so awesome. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Although maybe not quite that long of a trip, lol...

If they removed a stuck-closed thermostat then you are almost assured that your cooling problems are over for now.

It sure picked a bad time to pack it in. It's in the range of normal things that happen with old cars at some time or other.

Happy travels.

Heh, in retrospect I feel like it actually worked out pretty well that it happened to crap out when I was someplace where I could find a mechanic that could fix it. I might have put more miles on the car in the last week than it had gone in the last decade or two. Hell of a road test! Glad I didn't try to make it over the mountains between WY and UT with the old one...

Now that you are home and have things somewhat under control, you should consider getting a proper replacement thermostat. Also test the coolant to make sure you still have a 50/50 mixture. I should have earlier suggested you keep track of your mileage and gas consumption so you can check your MPG. That is a very important indicator of the general health and efficiency of the car. Also check the accuracy of the odometer and speedometer against the mileposts. A long trip is the ideal time to do it, the longer the measurement the more accurate the results.

4602346024

This is what I got out of it yesterday, although the tester I have doesn't show the concentration. I'll probably have it flushed again soon because they had to put a solvent in it to break up rust in the block at DMC MW. (Although I think I left most of the really cruddy stuff in the Motel 6 parking lot.)

I got an average MPG around 25 on the highway. Strangely between Crystal Lake and Rock Falls it was about 19 and then between Waco and Ogallala, NE is was up to 30. I assume I did something different like driving in 5th more or topping it off differently.

I emailed the shop that did the thermostat to see if I could get the part number. The guy who got it said he looked it up on line so it should be compatible and it seems to be running fine. I kind of feel like if it's working I should leave well enough alone but I'll double-check with Mike and/or Dave.

46025

The parking lot at work last night. I've spent most of my breaks for the last two days putting on a one-person car show. :cool:

Lwanmtr

08-29-2016, 04:21 PM

David T

08-29-2016, 10:04 PM

Those testers are not very accurate. The reason I suggest replacing the thermostat is just because it fits does not mean it is correct. For example there is supposed to be a rattle pin so air can pass when bleeding. The correct gasket fits around the circumference of the thermostat. With the overheating and your adding coolant you have to figure you do not have a 50/50 mix so it is worth dumping it and refilling with fresh. After this shake-down ride you can have a high confidence level now in the car. 25 MPG is good, a lot has to do with your driving technique and of course the mountains and speed. The more you can stay in 5th and if you keep it under 70 on level roads, you will get the highest MPG. With a 5 speed you can get as high as 30 but anything consistently over 25 is good. You did check the tire pressures and have them set as per the label in the glove box, right?

DMCVegas

08-30-2016, 11:48 AM

I'll second checking that Thermostat to ensure it's a proper PRV equivalent. The bleeder hole up top that Dave mentioned is imperative to help bleed the car properly. Though the other thing I was concerned with is that you said it ran at 190 on the way home. From my experiences, that's just a tad bit too cold. You don't want the engine to run too cold, as that causes less efficient burning of fuel, and that leads to excessive internal carbon buildup on your pistons and valves. I usually like to see my own gauge hovering past the halfway point between 220 and the 2nd mark on the gauge.

Otherwise, congratulations on not just your new car, but your big journey!

You've already done more with your car in that single trip than some people have after years of ownership. For that alone, as well as keeping your head together through all those hiccups along the way, you've earned my respect for sure!

DaraSue

08-31-2016, 01:21 AM

Are you using the orange anti-freeze?

25-30 sounds about right. Friend of mine told me thats what he got in his (i was surprised, but then that was before I was even close to getting mine).

Have you gotten the flux capacitor question yet? or rather..how many times, so far? hehe.

Only a couple... hundred :tongue_stick: So far it's still more amusing than annoying, though :biggrin:

The antifreeze is supposed to be green but it's still got some of the rust and crud in it, I guess. I think it's not as bad now as what I was dumping into my Motel 6 ice bucket but Mike and Dave said it might take a few more flushes to get all the crud out.

46029

Hope there weren't any EPA inspectors hanging around Wyoming last week...

Those testers are not very accurate. The reason I suggest replacing the thermostat is just because it fits does not mean it is correct. For example there is supposed to be a rattle pin so air can pass when bleeding. The correct gasket fits around the circumference of the thermostat. With the overheating and your adding coolant you have to figure you do not have a 50/50 mix so it is worth dumping it and refilling with fresh. After this shake-down ride you can have a high confidence level now in the car. 25 MPG is good, a lot has to do with your driving technique and of course the mountains and speed. The more you can stay in 5th and if you keep it under 70 on level roads, you will get the highest MPG. With a 5 speed you can get as high as 30 but anything consistently over 25 is good. You did check the tire pressures and have them set as per the label in the glove box, right?

I'm planning on taking it back for a flush next week (they want to let it sit overnight). The tire pressures are a little higher than the label says (front ones are around 30, rear a little over) but the tires themselves said max 51 so I left them alone so far. The tires themselves were replaced recently by the seller.

The thermostat I got was this one: https://www.napaonline.com/napa/en/p/THM280/THM280 although it says it doesn't have a jiggle pin. I'm ordering one from DMC too so if this one isn't good enough I'll get it swapped out when my mechanic does the flush.

I'll second checking that Thermostat to ensure it's a proper PRV equivalent. The bleeder hole up top that Dave mentioned is imperative to help bleed the car properly. Though the other thing I was concerned with is that you said it ran at 190 on the way home. From my experiences, that's just a tad bit too cold. You don't want the engine to run too cold, as that causes less efficient burning of fuel, and that leads to excessive internal carbon buildup on your pistons and valves. I usually like to see my own gauge hovering past the halfway point between 220 and the 2nd mark on the gauge.

Otherwise, congratulations on not just your new car, but your big journey!

You've already done more with your car in that single trip than some people have after years of ownership. For that alone, as well as keeping your head together through all those hiccups along the way, you've earned my respect for sure!

Aw, thanks! :blush: I still feel like a big n00b but I'm trying to learn :)

I had it at the shop today for my safety & emissions and an oil change. While it was on the lift I figured I'd get some pictures of the underside just in case I ever need them, or anybody's interested...

46030460314603246033460344603546036460374603846039 46040460414604246043460444604546046460474604846049 46050460514605246053460544605546056460574605846059 4606046061460624606346064

Don't worry, I already ordered a replacement for that folded hose...

Lwanmtr

08-31-2016, 01:41 AM

Looking pretty clean under there. Nothing weird hanging down?

DaraSue

08-31-2016, 01:19 PM

Looking pretty clean under there. Nothing weird hanging down?

Not that I've noticed. Caught one of the caterpillars trying to make a break for it, though...
46076

Dangermouse

08-31-2016, 01:29 PM

Were you transporting pupae across state lines?

DaraSue

08-31-2016, 01:49 PM

Were you transporting pupae across state lines?

Look, one of them hatched... (http://www.pearsonsrenaissanceshoppe.com/stainless-steel-butterfly-pendant.html)
46081

dvonk

08-31-2016, 02:20 PM

DaraSue

08-31-2016, 02:24 PM

been out of town for a few days, so just catching up on this thread... glad to hear you and 10907 made it back in one piece. thanks again for stopping over in omaha and sharing a bit of your adventure with me! :biggrin:

No problem... it always make me smile when my car can make somebody else as happy as it makes me! :biggrin:

Lwanmtr

08-31-2016, 03:37 PM

Look, one of them hatched... (http://www.pearsonsrenaissanceshoppe.com/stainless-steel-butterfly-pendant.html)
46081

Hehe..thats funny.

DaraSue

09-06-2016, 12:26 PM

46164

Waiting to get the right thermostat and hose in before my next weekend road trip, but really, just driving to work is an adventure :biggrin:

Lwanmtr

09-06-2016, 03:56 PM

Havent had any more mishaps or niggles happen?

DaraSue

09-06-2016, 06:32 PM

Havent had any more mishaps or niggles happen?

Nah, but I've only been taking it on short runs (to work/the shop/joyride a few exits up the freeway). My buddy wanted to take it out to Wendover for a photoshoot tonight but I figured I better not push it until I get the cooling system 100% sorted out (or as close as I can get right now). Caught the temp gauge creeping up toward the 220 mark the other day (it usually stays between 160-190) but by then I was where I was going so I didn't watch it further. Hopefully it was just normal fluctuation (IIRC I was on surface roads at the time).

Lwanmtr

09-06-2016, 08:23 PM

Nice. Sounds like once you get the correct parts in there, you'll be all set.

Looked at the pictures you posted and I may be mistaken..but your exhaust looks different than mine..is that a stage 1?

DaraSue

09-06-2016, 11:09 PM

Nice. Sounds like once you get the correct parts in there, you'll be all set.

Looked at the pictures you posted and I may be mistaken..but your exhaust looks different than mine..is that a stage 1?

The seller said it had a DPI exhaust so I assume it's this one http://www.deloreanindustries.com/spec-i-exhaust/

Somehow mine's not quite that shiny, lol...

DMC5180

09-09-2016, 02:54 PM

Just some observations that could or should be corrected.

46036 The Radiator Shroud end flap is supposed to be on the other side of the A/C HP switch Adapter block.

46053 Obviously replace the kinked hose as you mentioned.

46055 The bolts through the fuel tank closing plate should be replaced with ones that are flush in the nut. Especially where the A/C lines lay on them to prevent potential chaffing.

46059 It would be a good idea to Double Nut the TAB

46064 You might want to find out what the blue scotch lock wire tap is doing there. It's not Normal and they are a despised little device. If you car has the Eagle style hi-torque lightweight starter, it's possible that tap is attaching the Starter trigger wire (W/R) with the ignition by-pass relay circuit (BL/Y). It works, but it's a less than Idea way to do it. I it were me I'd change it.

Glad to here you had an overall Excellent Adventure.

DaraSue

09-11-2016, 03:47 PM

Just some observations that could or should be corrected.

Attachment 46036 The Radiator Shroud end flap is supposed to be on the other side of the A/C HP switch Adapter block.

Attachment 46053 Obviously replace the kinked hose as you mentioned.

Attachment 46055 The bolts through the fuel tank closing plate should be replaced with ones that are flush in the nut. Especially where the A/C lines lay on them to prevent potential chaffing.

Attachment 46059 It would be a good idea to Double Nut the TAB

Attachment 46064 You might want to find out what the blue scotch lock wire tap is doing there. It's not Normal and they are a despised little device. If you car has the Eagle style hi-torque lightweight starter, it's possible that tap is attaching the Starter trigger wire (W/R) with the ignition by-pass relay circuit (BL/Y). It works, but it's a less than Idea way to do it. I it were me I'd change it.

Glad to here you had an overall Excellent Adventure.

Sorry I'm a total n00b but I want to make sure I understand what I'm looking at. 46241 Is the black metal part supposed to be positioned differently in relation to the gold square part? Is it a matter of moving the existing stuff around or would I need a different part?

Re the bolts, you mean I need shorter ones, that don't stick out as much on the top?

The seller said he put in a DMCH low-draw starter. What's the preferred configuration for it? (Not going to try and mess with it myself, but I'd still like to know...)

DMC5180

09-11-2016, 04:39 PM

The black flap is the plastic radiator shroud. It's supposed to be up against the radiator tank. You should be able to flex it enough to get it around the A/C high pressure switch. It may require removing a few of the shroud bolts on that side.

Yes, the bolts should be shorter so that the threads are flush to the top side of the nut when tight.

You have the light weight hi-torque starter. The original starter had an extra wire coming out of the starter solenoid, it provided power the the ignition resistor by-pass circuit. The new upgraded starter does not have this extra lead. The factory engine harness used a single pin bullet connector that plugged into the OEM starter wire. Some folks will cut the end of the engine harness wire and replace it with a ring terminal. Then attach it to the starter with the small W/R wire at the solenoid. I prefer not to cut the harness connector off, but rather make a short 5 inch harness with a ring terminal on one end and male bullet connector on the other. Install the small lead with the W/R wire and plug the other end into the factory harness connector. The important thing is to get rid of the blue scotch lock wire tap. You will need to put some heat shrink over the spot on the W/R wire where the tap cut into the insulation.

Dennis

DaraSue

09-14-2016, 05:17 PM

Waiting to get it back from the shop (cooling system flush & incorrect hose replacement, oil pressure sender replacement) so I can take another look at the stuff DMC5180 was talking about, but I had them do a compression check while it was in there, and the mechanic discovered that it had three different kinds of sparkplugs. :confused2: Just... why? Are they that expensive? Is there some other reason somebody would replace them two at a time?

At least the compression check came back good...

Lwanmtr

09-14-2016, 05:29 PM

Maybe they wanted different color plugs? lol. Really doesnt make sense why they wouldnt do all at one time.

DMC5180

09-14-2016, 06:58 PM

the mechanic discovered that it had three different kinds of sparkplugs. :confused2: Just... why? Are they that expensive? Is there some other reason somebody would replace them two at a time?...

Expensive? NO, just pure laziness.

The question is, do they all crossover to each other. I'm curious what brand plugs they are?

Dennis

DaraSue

09-16-2016, 01:43 PM

Expensive? NO, just pure laziness.

The question is, do they all crossover to each other. I'm curious what brand plugs they are?

46290
Three different kinds of Bosch and two of the same Denso. :huh:

Some good news, I poked around some more and found that the fuel tank closing bolts are the short ones under where the lines run, just the longer ones at the front where they're not touching anything.

DMC5180

09-16-2016, 01:59 PM

46290
Three different kinds of Bosch and two of the same Denso. :huh:

Some good news, I poked around some more and found that the fuel tank closing bolts are the short ones under where the lines run, just the longer ones at the front where they're not touching anything.

Wow, that's F'd up. They're not even the same thread depths. Get a fresh set of the correct plugs.

you can leave the long bolts if that's the case.

DMCMW Dave

09-16-2016, 02:59 PM

46290
Three different kinds of Bosch and two of the same Denso. :huh:

Some good news, I poked around some more and found that the fuel tank closing bolts are the short ones under where the lines run, just the longer ones at the front where they're not touching anything.

I moved those when the car was here. Originally the two long ones were hitting the hoses. No charge!

DMCMW Dave

09-16-2016, 03:01 PM

46290
Three different kinds of Bosch and two of the same Denso. :huh:.

Wow. We don't generally pull all the plugs when doing a checkout unless it needs a compression test. I'd certainly change them all, should be Bosch HR6DS for OEM.

David T

09-16-2016, 09:29 PM

Wow. We don't generally pull all the plugs when doing a checkout unless it needs a compression test. I'd certainly change them all, should be Bosch HR6DS for OEM.

About the only reason I can think of for that kind of mix is someone wanted to change the plugs and the parts store couldn't put together a full set of 6 of the same type and talked the guy into buying them saying they are "all the same". This is just another reason why you want to patronize the D vendors and get the right parts to do a good job. Doing work and using the wrong parts is just a sign of sloppy work and when you see that you wonder what else is "screwed up". Sometimes you just can't get what you need when you need it but when you can, you get the right parts and you go back and put them in.

DaraSue

09-18-2016, 01:51 PM

I moved those when the car was here. Originally the two long ones were hitting the hoses. No charge!

Thanks! :thumbup2: You guys are the best!

Don't worry, everybody, I got a fresh set of spark plugs put in on Thurs. and the mechanic called DMCMW to make sure he got the right ones and the right gap settings. They were only like $7 each so there was really no excuse for not doing them all at once. The seller said the PO had never had it properly serviced. Obviously. :rolleyes1:

My compression check said #1 - 112, #2 - 125, #3 - 120, #4 - 120, #5 - 128, #6 - 127. A smidge over 10% variance but the mechanic thought it was OK considering the altitude we're at (around 4500 ft. MSL).

I've started noticing some short-lived idle RPM fluctuation on startup but I hear it's a fairly common quirk so I'm trying not to freak out too much about it. Other than that, everything seems good. Hoping to get down to Vegas at the end of the month!

Lwanmtr

09-18-2016, 03:36 PM

I've started noticing some short-lived idle RPM fluctuation on startup but I hear it's a fairly common quirk so I'm trying not to freak out too much about it. Other than that, everything seems good. Hoping to get down to Vegas at the end of the month!

Yep, searching at startup is normal. But yeah, a lil hard to get used to at first, specially after driving modern cars...hehe.

DMC5180

09-19-2016, 09:19 PM

Idle hunt is also more noticeable as the startup temps drop with the change of season. IE: takes longer for the engine to warm up at idle.

Dennis

DaraSue

09-20-2016, 11:40 PM

Well, as those of you who have been following my other thread (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?14259-Oh-crap-(-Water-pump-leaking-temp-and-amp-gauges-dead) know, this week's adventure wasn't so excellent. There were still some good moments, though.

46325

The drive out, probably about 20 minutes before I stopped and discovered the latest coolant problem. While I was stopped that time, I met a couple who were also going to Wendover and ended up following me there to make sure I made it. I ended up running into them later when I went out to get dinner and we decided since fate had brought us together again, we should become Instagram friends. The wife is a photographer and wants to do some shots with my car. :biggrin:

46326

Another cool shot I got pretty much completely by accident, lol...

46327

As close as I wanted to get to the salt flats...

I completely forgot to take any pix of it on the tow truck, haha...

Lwanmtr

09-21-2016, 12:28 AM

Dang...I wanted to see the tow truck...

DaraSue

09-21-2016, 12:33 AM

Dang...I wanted to see the tow truck...

The poor guy took forever to get to me because despite telling the dispatchers twice that I was on the eastbound side, they still sent him to the WB stop, and I'd borrowed somebody else's cellphone because mine had no service and the pay phone was out of service too so he couldn't even get a hold of me. At least they got the flatbed right. :rolleyes1:

Lwanmtr

09-21-2016, 12:45 AM

DaraSue

09-21-2016, 01:00 AM

Yeah, they can sometimes be a little slow in understanding....when I had to get mine towed, I gave them specific mile marker and even the sign on the bridge that was right where I was and that i was on the southbound side....not to mention how many deloreans are sitting on the side of the road? lol

I'm just glad he didn't decide he'd been punked and take off, LOL...

He said he'd never seen a DeLorean in person before. Nice to know my car can still brighten somebody's day even on a tow truck. :biggrin:

Lwanmtr

09-21-2016, 01:10 AM

Hehe...yeah, when I had mine towed from home to dmcnw, the driver took a picture...I guess they have a board at their station where they post pictures of strange cars they tow...hehe.

DaraSue

10-21-2016, 02:31 AM

Well, I failed an eye exam and can't work until I get glasses, and when they still hadn't arrived this afternoon I took sick leave and took another shot at driving to Wendover. This time went better than last time in the sense that I made it home under my own power instead of on a tow truck. Had the dead volt/temp gauge thing (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?14259-Oh-crap-(-Water-pump-leaking-temp-and-amp-gauges-dead&p=207793&viewfull=1#post207793) again but no coolant issues so it's looking like the gauge thing is more of a gremlin than something to panic about (although I panicked slightly anyway).

It was totally worth it though, because I got some sweet pictures out by the salt flats. There were quite a few photographers swarming around my car, so I guess everybody else did, too. :biggrin:

467874678846789467904679146792467934679446795

Lwanmtr

10-21-2016, 03:50 AM

DONT PANIC! Read that in a book somewhere....

Those are some really nice pictures. Ya know, I never seen a picture of a delorean under a disco ball (random thought)

iflights

10-21-2016, 08:18 AM

The orange sunset sky photo should be on a calendar or poster. It's great.

DaraSue

10-21-2016, 11:08 AM

The orange sunset sky photo should be on a calendar or poster. It's great.

DONT PANIC! Read that in a book somewhere....

Those are some really nice pictures. Ya know, I never seen a picture of a delorean under a disco ball (random thought)

Thanks, you guys. If there's another DeLorean calendar next year, hopefully these are high-res enough to get one in there. Meant to take the DSLR camera but forgot it, as I usually do.

Got a few decent ones with my cellphone for Instagram. This isn't one of them, but still documented another milestone in my car's life :D

46796

DMC5180

10-21-2016, 11:31 AM

You caught the 23000k mini milestone[emoji106]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DaraSue

11-15-2016, 05:24 PM

Gonna hit 24000 on this trip. I'm halfway to Vegas right now. So far no massive issues, except I was getting a whiff of gas fumes intermittently, but talking to Stephen @DMCH just now it sounds like it's just cause my gas cap is old and crappy. ItWas most noticeable when I was going through the passes in central UT and that's when it was running the hottest so if the cooling fans were drawing fumes into the cabin, that would make sense.
47393

Lwanmtr

11-15-2016, 05:39 PM

Cool. Dont get too high on them fumes...hehe

DMC5180

11-15-2016, 06:10 PM

If you are at highway speed your radiator cooling fans don't run unless the A/C is on or it's hot and your going up a long incline. The cabin fan fresh air inlet is about 8-10 inches from the fuel fill area. If you ever get a small spill from filling up, your guaranteed to smell fumes in the car till they evaporate.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DaraSue

11-15-2016, 07:17 PM

I was going up some pretty sustained grades. It was the first time I've seen the temp go up over 180 without being in traffic since replacing the thermostat.

...and now I've got bigger problems, b/c 30 miles after I posted that, I heard something pop and my RPM started dropping. Coasted off the freeway, gas smell was really bad and there was a puddle under the car. AAA had to send a fire truck, they looked underneath and said it was a loose clamp. Too much of an incline to try to jack it up myself. I've got chocks and stuff but it's pretty windy. Tow truck out of Cedar City should be here soon. Good thing I didn't make hotel reservations in advance,LOL...

47394

DMC5180

11-15-2016, 07:25 PM

Oh boy, loose clamp under the car. Is the puddle under the middle accumulator area or up front by the tank? What's that white circle in the photo?

Make sure the tow truck driver hooks the winch cable to the frame loops, not the sway bar or lower control arms.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lwanmtr

11-15-2016, 07:26 PM

Ooh..ouchie...glad you got it off the road and didnt get any fire. Which clamp was loose?

Lwanmtr

11-15-2016, 07:37 PM

Im guessing the ring is one of those breakaway fire suppression things.

DaraSue

11-15-2016, 08:01 PM

Im guessing the ring is one of those breakaway fire suppression things.

Yep, it's a Blazecut. Figured I could use a little extra insurance, heh.

The leak looked like it was closer to the center of the car. I told him to make sure not to hook
it around the suspension components and he said he'd use the loops.

I got a hold of a AAA shop that said they could look at it tomorrow morning. At least there was an awesome sunset while all this was going on...

47395

47396

Lwanmtr

11-15-2016, 08:15 PM

I'll prolly get one of those too...when I get close to being able to drive..hehe.

Those are some nice sunset pics...even the tow truck one...

DaraSue

11-16-2016, 11:55 AM

I'll prolly get one of those too...when I get close to being able to drive..hehe.

Those are some nice sunset pics...even the tow truck one...

Heh, thanks. With a view like that, I couldn't even be mad about breaking down :cool:

I just picked the car back up and I'm going to take a nap and then get back on the road. The problem was a clamp that was the wrong size and had worked itself loose. Doesn't look like it lost much gas so I guess the leak was just bad enough to starve the engine. He recommended getting all the other clamps checked too so I'm debating leaving it in Vegas and getting it when I go back in a couple weeks.

DaraSue

11-16-2016, 02:15 PM

47400

Made it to St. George. I could practically see the Stratosphere from here, LOL. I've gone 85 miles since my last fillup and I'm still down less than 1/4 tank so I don't think I even lost that much last night.

Lwanmtr

11-16-2016, 03:54 PM

Nice picture...but shame...using your phone while driving...hehe.

DMCVegas

11-16-2016, 04:03 PM

Nice picture...but shame...using your phone while driving...hehe.

Oh, that is a damn good point. Using a mobile device of any kind while driving is illegal in Nevada. Be careful.

Lwanmtr

11-16-2016, 04:33 PM

Oh, that is a damn good point. Using a mobile device of any kind while driving is illegal in Nevada. Be careful.

Isn't a car technically a mobile device? Just things to ponder.....hehe

DMCVegas

11-16-2016, 05:39 PM

Isn't a car technically a mobile device? Just things to ponder.....hehe

The specific clarification of the law is that you cannot operate a mobile electronic device of any kind inside of your car. It's not even limited to just phones.

Immobile electronic devices which are permanently attached to the vehicle however are excluded from this rule. So hands free calling and Sat Nav systems that are either factory equipped or aftermarket are fine so long as they cannot just be removed any time you step out of the vehicle. But no iPads, iPods, tablets, phones, laptops, or things of that nature.

Dangermouse

11-16-2016, 05:50 PM

Really?

So you can't use GoogleMaps on your phone if it attached to the windscreen with a suction cup?

DaraSue

11-16-2016, 06:26 PM

I was stopped when I made the post, but I can neither confirm nor deny using the camera while the car was in motion. :evil3:

I made it into Vegas with no more disasters, now everyone cross your fingers that I make it home :biggrin:

refugeefromcalif

11-16-2016, 07:09 PM

I made it into Vegas with no more disasters, now everyone cross your fingers that I make it home :biggrin:

Fingers, toes and eyes crossed... Good Luck!

George

DMCVegas

11-16-2016, 07:33 PM

Nope. Aside from the laws on mobile electronics (http://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-484b.html#NRS484BSec165), it is separately illegal to attach anything to the windscreen that is non-transparent and obstructs your view (http://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-484D.html#NRS484DSec435). So that would net you 2 tickets.

The exemptions to this rule for non-law enforcement & utility personnel, or amateur radio operators in time of an emergency, is if it is emergency related, or you have both an autonomous vehicle which is under the control of an artificial intelligence system and a "G" endorsement to operate it.

CB Radios however are fine.

refugeefromcalif

11-16-2016, 08:10 PM

it is separately illegal to attach anything to the windscreen that is non-transparent and obstructs your view (http://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-484D.html#NRS484DSec435). So that would net you 2 tickets.

So, I take it that dash cams are illegal in Nevada?

George

Dangermouse

11-16-2016, 08:29 PM

I guess everyone gets lost a lot then :)

DMCVegas

11-16-2016, 08:48 PM

So, I take it that dash cams are illegal in Nevada?

George

Not entirely, no. There is an exemption area of a 6" square at the bottom corners of the windshield. Also given that a dash cam is not a communication device, nor does it connect to a wireless data network, as per the law it does not fit into the same description.

DaraSue

11-17-2016, 01:56 AM

Met up with a couple of local owners (including our own Bob635 and his Mrs.) tonight. It was at a meeting of their Star Trek fan club so there were a lot of other people I didn't know, but some of them were interested in the car so we found something to talk about. Another one of the attendees was Andy S from rentdelorean.com, who knew the guy who knew the guy who sold me my car, so he was excited to see it too, and he brought me a copy of the Hagerty magazine with the D on the cover and some other memorabilia. I'd post a pic but it's still in the car and this hotel is such a maze I'm not sure I'll find my way back to the room before 1 am if I go out there. After the club meeting a bunch of us went out and everybody checked out my car. It attracted some passers-by, too. :biggrin:

Lesson learned today: Do not park in garage 1 at the Circus Circus. Speed bumps approximately the height of Mt Everest that aren't differentiated from the pavement in any obvious way. Ugggghhh.

I've got an appointment at that Lost in the 50s place tomorrow morning to give it another once-over before I go home. I originally only wanted the hoses double checked, but I've been hearing some squeaking from the brakes, and a kind of tapping noise when I pass close to a solid object (like a concrete barrier). I drive through a maze of those going home from work and I don't remember hearing that noise before, although I usually don't have my windows down at night. Does anyone know the kind of noise I'm talking about?

Lwanmtr

11-17-2016, 02:23 AM

Sounds like you're having a great adventure still..meeting folks and exploring new speed bumps...hehe.

Nate88

11-17-2016, 09:27 AM

DMC5180

11-17-2016, 08:09 PM

+1

Its a subtle nuisance, but fairly normal with the delorean. The real annoyance is brake pad squeal when braking to a full stop.

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DaraSue

11-18-2016, 01:46 AM

Well, my car is taking an extended vacation, because when I took it in the shop today they found a leaking brake line on the front passenger side and I didn't feel great about driving 400 miles with it like that. The good news is, I was coming back in a few weeks anyway. Hopefully this winter stays mild until mid-Dec.

The other good news is I spent the day hanging out win Bob and Gail and we took the electric D and V8 time machine out for a spin, which was the first time I've ever ridden in a D that I didn't own, and the first time I've sat in a time machine since I was a kid. :biggrin:

Lwanmtr

11-18-2016, 02:25 AM

Too bad about the brakes...

Cool that you got to hang out when them...I never seen a time machine up close.

DaraSue

11-29-2016, 09:06 PM

Telling myself it was a blessing in disguise that the brake issue manifested when I was someplace where I already had a plane ticket home and not in the middle of nowhere with no cell service, or coming down the back side of Cajon Pass, heh.

Got the call today that it was done. I had them replace all the rubber brake lines and check out the gas fume smell I'd been getting on the way down. They said it was just another loose clamp and not the gasket so that saved a couple hundred bucks in repairs.

Going down to get it on Monday and visiting SoCal so maybe I'll get some pix by the beach. Here's hoping I make it back home, one way or another...

Here's some more shots from the last (half) trip...

47543 Waiting for the tow truck

47542 The tow truck arrives

47541 Somewhere south of Cedar City on the way down

47544 Another thousand miles

47545 27 years into the future...

Lwanmtr

11-29-2016, 09:12 PM

Very nice...how many miles you put on her so far?

DaraSue

11-30-2016, 01:15 AM

Very nice...how many miles you put on her so far?

Thanks. :) When it went in for its post-buy inspection at MW, it had 20719, I think it had around 20800 and change when I picked it up (they had one of their mechanics drive it home to road test it) and I think I took that shot about an hour north of Vegas so it probably has around 24100 now. So a little over 3,000, or an average of 1000 a month since I bought it. Not too bad considering it's spent half that time in the shop. :wink:

If I drive it home from San Diego I might get another 1000 before I put it away for the winter...

DaraSue

12-06-2016, 01:49 AM

Got it back today :biggrin: The gas smell is gone and the brakes are working so I'm calling that repair job a success, hooray!

Some scenes from the drive back to the hotel (don't worry, the car was stopped when all of these were taken)

47681
47682
47683
47684

Lwanmtr

12-06-2016, 02:42 AM

No more gas smell? so no getting' high while drivin? hehe.

Back to the Hotel ....a new spinoff movie?

DaraSue

12-06-2016, 10:37 AM

No more gas smell? so no getting' high while drivin? hehe.

Back to the Hotel ....a new spinoff movie?

Hahaha... I feel like there's an opportunity for some off-color humor here.. :tongue_stick:

Anyway, I woke up unpleasantly early this morning but I made the best of it...

47687 47688 47689

Timeless

12-07-2016, 10:50 PM

Great trip thread and nice photos. I love long road trips! MI-NV, CA-MI, MI-NY, more....

DaraSue

12-08-2016, 03:06 AM

Great trip thread and nice photos. I love long road trips! MI-NV, CA-MI, MI-NY, more....

Thanks! It's always an adventure, LOL.

Speaking of which, today started off all right...
47717

I headed down from Vegas to Oceanside and stopped for a photo op in Baker...
47718 47719

Stopped by my old office and caught a nice sunset...
47720

Everything was more or less OK, I avoided hitting some jackass with a fifth wheel trailer loaded with appliances who pulled onto the 15 from a dead stop on the shoulder, I only got stuck in traffic for about 20 minutes getting past a multi car wreck in which one of them ended up 10 feet up on the embankment, and I was thinking this might have been the most miles I'd gone in one day without any disasters...

... and then 5 minutes from my cousin's house, my temp gauge crept up about a needle width over the 220 mark again. It hadn't gotten that high during the traffic jam but I'd been driving uphill most of the way from the freeway to her house. I forgot to idle check the fans before I shut it off but the radiator was stone cold. To be continued...

Gregadeth

12-08-2016, 03:39 AM

I headed down from Vegas to Oceanside and stopped for a photo op in Baker...
47718 47719I always stop at Alien Fresh Jerky on the road to/from Las Vegas. :thumbup:

Lwanmtr

12-08-2016, 05:06 AM

Very nice pics again.

Where did you get the shot of the lil cone ship? Wondering, cause I think that guy owes me money.....

DaraSue

03-11-2017, 12:47 AM

Very nice pics again.

Where did you get the shot of the lil cone ship? Wondering, cause I think that guy owes me money.....

It was at Alien Fresh Jerky in Baker, CA. Stopped there again on my way back, did the usual one-person car show for a couple who were super excited about seeing a D in person. :rock_on:

I drove from DMCCA to Vegas on Wed. night and Vegas back to SLC today. Altogether it was about 700 miles, and I didn't have to make any panicked phone calls to Mike, Danny or AAA so it might have been my most successful road trip yet.

The trip included two hours of stop & go traffic trying to get to the 15 from Huntington Beach and quite a few 6,000' mountain passes, and I'm happy to report my car stayed nice and cool the whole time. Hooray!

While I was in Vegas I got to spend some more time hanging out with Bob & Gail, and Bob let me help him replace the header seals on his V8 time machine. Mostly I just unscrewed bolts, picked up dropped tools and tried not to screw anything up, lol. It was a really cool thing to see, though. One thing I'll say for this car, for all the money I've spent on it, it's brought a lot of priceless experiences into my life. :biggrin:

49431
Seen in Huntington Beach.

49432
Made it up the hill to my cousin's house.

4943349434
Seen on the way to Vegas.

49435
Another mileage milestone.

49436
Chilling out at Bob & Gail's.

49437
Visiting another friend in Moapa.

49438
On the road again.

49439
Back at our new home.

Lwanmtr

03-11-2017, 01:12 AM

Lotsa fun. Hoping I can get some trips in there soon.

DMC5180

03-11-2017, 11:27 AM

25k [emoji41]

At about 30k mi, your Lambda light should come ON. Don't panic, it's just a reminder indicator to replace your O2 sensor. The light will stay ON until the LAMBDA counter is reset to "zero" and the counter starts all over again for another 30k interval. There was at least one thread topic on here with photos that shows you the procedure for resetting it.

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DaraSue

04-12-2017, 09:45 PM

Test drives count as adventures, right? I wanted to take it out for a run longer than my commute, in the hopes that if anything important was going to shake loose it would do it before I was 200 miles into Wyoming. By the time I got my door put back together, stopped by the shop to get the idle checked and finally got on the freeway it was rush hour, so the path of least traffic, was heading west. I had some notion to drive to Wendover and back to see if I'd broken the curse, but I forgot Tooele was the last gas station before leaving civilization and I was down to 1/4 tank so I ended up turning around at the Dugway exit so as not to risk wasting my 3rd of 4 free AAA calls on that. Which was just as well since right afterward my gas warning light came on. It only ended up taking between 11 and 12 gallons so I might have made it but I would have been running on fumes and prayer.

I was pretty exhausted by the time I got home, having exerted myself more than probably should have been necessary while putting the door panels back on this morning (the grab handle was the worst), so in retrospect I'm glad I didn't try to go all the way to Wendover (and back tonight, since it's supposed to rain tomorrow.) It was a nice drive, anyway. I took the back roads home and missed the worst of the traffic, and got to see some scenery I hadn't seen before.

508705087150872

The car seems like it's running decently aside from its reluctance to start, so as long as nothing catches on fire or blows a gasket between now and Monday, I'm calling it all systems go for another epic road trip :biggrin:

Lwanmtr

04-12-2017, 09:55 PM

Glad things seem to be working fine, finally...hehe.

DaraSue

04-13-2017, 01:36 AM

Glad things seem to be working fine, finally...hehe.

Heh, well, "fine" is a relative term but it's been like 4 months since I've had to call a tow truck so I'm cautiously optimistic. Of course it did spend approx. 3-1/2 of those months in the shop so maybe my optimism is still not completely warranted, hahah...

Lwanmtr

04-14-2017, 06:37 AM

4 months thats good..been over a year since i called a tow truck (pretty easy when she's in pieces in the garage).

DaraSue

04-17-2017, 10:39 PM

4 months thats good..been over a year since i called a tow truck (pretty easy when she's in pieces in the garage).

Well, that's one way to save money on maintenance :-P

I'm back on the road again, Chicago or bust!

50951
Spent all day going through Wyoming.

50953
Stopped for lunch in Green River, made some friends.

50954
Hit the big 26 in Rock Springs.

50955
Beautiful Sinclair.

50952
Just before sunset.

No major disasters yet, although another electrical gremlin manifested - when I turned my headlights on, my left turn signal indicator lit up too. Not a huge deal yet, but I was glad to get off the road before full dark.

400ish miles down, 900ish to go...

Lwanmtr

04-18-2017, 12:19 AM

Dont worry about the turn indiciator, people will just assumed youre a senior and forgot your turn signal...which amy also mean they wont drive in your blind spot...hehe.

DaraSue

04-18-2017, 12:42 AM

Dont worry about the turn indiciator, people will just assumed youre a senior and forgot your turn signal...which amy also mean they wont drive in your blind spot...hehe.

Haha... I don't think the signal was actually on, just the green indicator lighting up steadily. Another weird gremlin for MW to check out, assuming I make it there without the car catching on fire or anything...

Lwanmtr

04-18-2017, 12:55 AM

Lets hope that dont happen..lol.

Did you stop and look to see if the indicator was on all?

DaraSue

04-18-2017, 01:31 AM

Lets hope that dont happen..lol.

Did you stop and look to see if the indicator was on all?

Yeah, I looked at it when I stopped for the night, details here: http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?15109-Another-weird-lightswitch-gremlin

It's always something, lol. hopefully this is the worsf problem I have on this trip ...

Lwanmtr

04-18-2017, 01:55 AM

I think as long as a gang of prius driving smurfs dont find you, you should be fine.....

DaraSue

04-18-2017, 11:40 PM

Into the badlands of Nebraska today.

50976

Stopped for lunch in Sidney, faced my most daunting challenge yet...

50977

After about 5 minutes I got it somewhat straight and parallel to the curb. When I came back out from lunch there was a kid taking pictures, he started to run guiltily back to his mom's car when he saw me coming but I flagged him down and let him get one with the door open. I think he might have gotten one with me in it so I hope I don't have some terrible celeb-on-their-day-off pic floating around Facebook or something now, lol. Another lady came up to talk to me about it after they left, and she said they had a Doc Brown there, too. :biggrin: The best one was when I was driving around looking for a restaurant and I passed this cop, he followed me down the whole main drag and then pulled in behind me when I stopped at mini-mart. I looked over at him and he was just like "Hey, cool car!" I opened the doors so he could get a pic of it b/c he said his buddies would never believe it without photographic evidence. :cool:

The daily gremlin (http://http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?15119-Gremlins-in-the-radio-now) struck just outside North Platte so I drove the last hundred miles without the radio. Fortunately I had a pair of airline freebie headphones in the car so I could at least listen to my "DeLorean Mega Mix" playlist.

I forgot about the time change so I only made it 300ish miles before sunset but I'm halfway to Crystal Lake so no turning back now...

Lwanmtr

04-19-2017, 01:13 AM

Seems like a fun trip so far...and if you get feeling lovely, you have your gremlins to keep ya company ;)

I try to avoid parallel parking.

DaraSue

04-19-2017, 09:52 AM

Seems like a fun trip so far...and if you get feeling lovely, you have your gremlins to keep ya company ;)

I try to avoid parallel parking.

Definitely beats being at work :biggrin:

That town didn't have too many actual parking lots. Maybe I could have just parked at one of the businesses and hoped they were too busy oohing and aahing over the car to call a tow truck. :cool:

iflights

04-19-2017, 10:39 AM

I'm so glad to see you on your way to DMCMW. They will make it right. I'm assuming you are having the comprehensive review completed by them, and if not it is strongly recommended.

SamHill

04-19-2017, 01:48 PM

I highly recommend this:

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-SoundCore-Bluetooth-Dual-Driver-Distortion/dp/B016XTADG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492624067&sr=8-1&keywords=anchor+bluetooth+speaker

After you get done, you'll want it for your deck/bathroom/garage anyway.

DaraSue

04-19-2017, 11:05 PM

I'm so glad to see you on your way to DMCMW. They will make it right. I'm assuming you are having the comprehensive review completed by them, and if not it is strongly recommended.

Yeah, they did a bunch of work on it when I first got it, and now I'm just taking it back for the stuff that's shaken loose since then. Weird startup issues and electrical stuff, mostly.

I highly recommend this:

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-SoundCore-Bluetooth-Dual-Driver-Distortion/dp/B016XTADG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492624067&sr=8-1&keywords=anchor+bluetooth+speaker

After you get done, you'll want it for your deck/bathroom/garage anyway.

Thanks for the recommendation! I'm going to pick it up in early May for another 3000 miles of driving so I might want to get one of those.

Made it to Iowa City today, so another few miles and I'll be within AAA towing distance of MW.

50986

Had another occurrence of the ignition gremlin when I stopped for gas and this time clicking the light switch didn't fix it. I just kept taking the key out and putting it back in and after about 5 tries it started.

A more sensible person probably wouldn't have made any more unnecessary stops but I finally got some interesting weather for photo ops.

50983 5098450985
The last two were taken in the parking lot of the Iowa Rural Water District a few miles past Altoona. That place has a nice unobstructed view to the west and there wasn't anybody around to tell me to get lost. :cool:

Another issue found while stopping for gas: somehow I'd lost one of my front license plate screws. Fortunately this was more easily fixed than all the other ones I've been having.

50987

Also ticked off another thousand miles.
50988
Note to self: pick up a new lambda sensor at MW, because you're going to need it by the time you get home :biggrin:

Lwanmtr

04-20-2017, 12:22 AM

Nice pics again. hopefully you can get one with lightning in it...

Zip tie? sacrelidge...your front plate shoulda been fixed with duct tape

DMC5180

04-20-2017, 07:01 AM

When you do get the lambda light, take a photo of the mileage. It will be interesting to see how close to 30k it is.

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refugeefromcalif

04-20-2017, 05:00 PM

When you do get the lambda light, take a photo of the mileage. It will be interesting to see how close to 30k it is.

Mine was close to 30k.

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31980&d=1417892283

Actually, it came on at 29,976. ( I didn't get a pic though).

George

DaraSue

04-20-2017, 09:03 PM

51009

Made it! I got to hang around and watch while Mike and Dave chased down my various start-up and electrical gremlins. What I expected to be a week-long (or more) wild goose chase actually might have gotten resolved in a couple of hours with a new idle motor, some replacements bulbs and tightening the knob on my cutoff switch. They're going to finish up the LEDs in the a/c panel and clean all the connections tomorrow. I'm going to leave the car here for a week so they can test drive it and check the cold starts but it's looking promising. I've got the next 3 weeks off work and if I didn't have cats who would disown me for leaving them alone with my roommate that long, I'd be tempted to just take the car and go driving aimlessly all over the east coast :biggrin:

DaraSue

04-21-2017, 09:49 PM

They finished up cleaning the grounds and tuning it today. I took it out for a drive to the Volo Auto Museum. Lots of fancy cars there, but my favorite was still the one in the parking lot. :biggrin:

Somebody either picking up or dropping off: 51041

Replica BTTF2 car, the sign said it was built for promotional purposes:51042 51043

The car is running good, and when I went out for frozen custard around sunset the headlights didn't give me any aggravation. I'm going to drop it back off at MW tomorrow before I fly out so they can test drive it a little more before the next segment of my epic road trip, but things are looking good :)

Lwanmtr

04-21-2017, 09:53 PM

Cool. Glad the gremlins have taken a break from your car today.....wonder who's they're visiting? hehe.

DMC5180

04-21-2017, 09:55 PM

The Volo is a really cool car museum.

Glad to here it's running like it should.

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Lwanmtr

04-22-2017, 01:56 AM

Do they have a yugo at the Volo museum?

DMC5180

04-22-2017, 08:58 AM

Do they have a yugo at the Volo museum?

Hard to say, I have not been there since 2004. I did see one in a museum once. I just don't recall which museum or car collection it was. I knew a guy that had one in the early 90's it was the sport model with two tone paint with pin strips. I rode in it once and it was Okay for what it was. Quite the Square cracker box though.

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DaraSue

04-26-2017, 12:03 PM

I didn't see any Yugos but they had this pimpin' snowmobile :biggrin:

51139

I took about a zillion pix there, I'll post some of them in the picture forum...

Lwanmtr

04-26-2017, 04:23 PM

lol..the leopard skin seat really completes the look.

Kevin 02530

04-27-2017, 03:49 PM

Had the chance to check out your car at DMCMW on Monday.. fun to see after reading so much about it, good luck on the rest of your road trip!

DaraSue

04-28-2017, 02:50 PM

lol..the leopard skin seat really completes the look.

If I were going to buy a snowmobile, that's the one I'd get, NGL... :cool:

Had the chance to check out your car at DMCMW on Monday.. fun to see after reading so much about it, good luck on the rest of your road trip!

Woohoo, I'm famous! Or at least my car is. :biggrin: I'm going back to get it next week and continuing on to Philly and then back home, so watch this space for more updates...

SS Spoiler

04-28-2017, 06:25 PM

DaraSue

05-02-2017, 11:34 PM

Dara Sues excellant adventures points out the need for
a thread that we can post our trips to share with others.
It's always fun to tag along digitally. Posting routes would
allow us to join in the fun or offer places to stay. Also if
repairs were needed help could be available....jus' an idea
.

This sounds like a great idea! We could have a mini-DCS at various stops along the way :)

Speaking of which, I'm back on the road again. It was a rainy, kind of blah day but the rain wasn't bad enough to slow me down too much. Left MW this afternoon and made it to somewhere around Akron before I ran out of daylight. The worst problem I had was running over a plastic bag just outside of Chicago. I didn't see it come out the back so I pulled over to make sure it wasn't fusing to my exhaust or something but fortunately I stumbled off at a low-traffic exit, didn't find anything and got back on my way. The rush hour traffic hadn't even really started yet but it was still slow going past the city, and only slightly faster going through the maze of concrete death corridor construction zones in IN and OH.

Got a couple of atmospheric shots...

51258 512595126051261

There were some good photo ops of the Chicago skyline but too much traffic to mess with my phone. If you don't mind sitting in the traffic and have a passenger to take pictures, it's kind of an interesting drive past the city.

Lwanmtr

05-03-2017, 12:13 AM

Dang those rogue plastic bags...a menace...otta be plastic bag police to arrest them and deport them back to bagsilvania.

DaraSue

05-03-2017, 09:48 PM

Dang those rogue plastic bags...a menace...otta be plastic bag police to arrest them and deport them back to bagsilvania.

Maybe I should have caught it and taped it over my roof last night, because there was a puddle on my center console this morning. Remember the time I got caught in the monsoon in Omaha and I thought I fixed my leaky roof the next day? Apparently I didn't do as good of a job as I'd hoped. :banghead:

Other than that it was a fairly uneventful day. When I first started up there was a screeching noise from the back that I'd never heard before but it went away fairly quickly, and I called MW just in case and Jason confirmed that it was probably just a wet belt. I'd checked to make sure they were still attached and everything looked OK back there so I continued on into PA.

5127151272

Got to 28k today, too. 51273
At MW they said they thought my lambda sensor was newish and had probably been changed when the exhaust was replaced so maybe I'm good until 50k on that one. Hopefully they reset the counter when it was changed, we'll see what happens.

A funny thing happened when I stopped for gas in the middle of nowhere, this guy had a Darth Vader action figure that he was taking pictures of on his road trip from Maine to Ohio. I let him take a pic of it on my hood and he said he was going to post it on his Snapchat with the caption "Darth Vader wants to go back in time because he had friends on the Death Star” :biggrin:

I'm at the cheapest motel in the Poconos for the night, visiting my mom's cousin who lives close by. One weird thing I noticed tonight was that my a/c panel lights went out when I turned the headlights on. Not sure if they were doing that last night so hopefully the rain didn't short anything out.

DMC5180

05-03-2017, 10:06 PM

Did you cycle the switch to see if they come back ON with the Headlights off.

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DaraSue

05-03-2017, 10:09 PM

Did you cycle the switch to see if they come back ON with the Headlights off.

Yeah, I did see them come back on when I got back to the motel and turned the headlights off.

DMC5180

05-03-2017, 10:20 PM

Lwanmtr

05-03-2017, 11:34 PM

Could be that seal on the top of the door is bad? But then again, maybe them gremlins made the puddle.. :hihi2:

You didnt get a pic of Darth Vader? shame.....

Electrical gremlins can be the most difficult to catch..specially if its not consistant.

DaraSue

05-04-2017, 09:44 PM

Wiggle the Red by-pass resistor module in the aft relay bank. I've never heard of one failing, but anything is possible.

The other possibility is a bad A/C illumination relay. (Weak energizing coil or burned contact). You could try swapping relays (use the relay to the Right of the White module) to see if you get a change in results.

Of course, today it didn't do it. Although I would have vastly preferred this particular gremlin to what I got, which was two more recurrences of the "dummy lights come on and relay clicks but nothing else happens" gremlin, arrrgh. Both times it took about 6-7 tries to start, but then the other 3 times I started up, everything was fine. I called Mike and he said if the relay is clicking it shouldn't be anything in the steering column causing it. he suggested checking the connections on the underside of the relay holder but I didn't feel anything obviously amiss and it was getting late by then. I took it out to check if the update was done a while back and didn't see anything blatantly wrong then, either. Arrrgh.

Could be that seal on the top of the door is bad? But then again, maybe them gremlins made the puddle.. :hihi2:

You didnt get a pic of Darth Vader? shame.....

Electrical gremlins can be the most difficult to catch..specially if its not consistant.

It might be the seal, I do remember noticing it looked a little warped. I'd tried trimming the excess headliner fabric after the monsoon in Omaha the last time and I hadn't seen it leak since but maybe I just hadn't been in heavy enough rain. I bought a tarp at Wal-Mart because it was supposed to pour tomorrow but my uncle's MG is back in the shop (shocking!) so they let me park in their garage. I ended up doing about an hour of mathematical finagling and junk-rearranging to clear enough space for it and then another half an hour trying to actually get it in there from their outside parking space. I ended up with some paint on the plastic but no other significant damage. Apparently these cars are sturdier than their reputation. Still, probably should have just used the tarp. :banghead:

I only had to go about a hundred miles today so not a lot to report. I was visiting my mom's cousin in the Poconos and her car rusted out so I took her on some errands. She was pretty entertained by all the people coming up to take pictures of the car. She waited in it while I was in Walmart and she said a guy was taking pictures and gave her a thumbs-up. I told her I bet nobody else in her retirement home ever got to ride in a DeLorean :biggrin:

There was a parking lot by her place with a bunch of old cars in it. I had to stop for a photo op (although I left the engine running since it was right after back-to-back startup gremlins. 51294

I think I took a wrong turn somewhere... 51295

Finally got where I'm going... 51296

The weather is supposed to be crummy the next few days so I'll probably give the car a rest. I briefly considered running up to Grady's but in East coast traffic it's a 4+ hour drive and it would probably function perfectly while they were looking at it, so I guess I'll keep crossing my fingers that it always eventually starts.

DaraSue

05-09-2017, 09:18 PM

Took a ride down to visit a friend in Baltimore on Sunday, then up to visit another friend in Jersey on Monday. Not a lot of pictures because too much traffic and construction, but on my way to the turnpike I stopped to get some pix at an abandoned tavern whose decline I've been observing over the last few years.

51425

My one friend's husband has an Alfa Romeo that we had to get some shots with...
51426

Got a decent sunset shot...
51427

One of the toll plazas specified "oversized and unusual vehicles use lane 12". I dutifully pulled into the appropriate lane. :biggrin: Different toll plaza, the guy in the booth was like "wow, I've never seen one of these before!" In the booths where you have to take the ticket, I can't quite reach it through the window so I always have to open the door. I hope I at least entertained the cars behind me.

Yesterday it was making this metallic scraping sound at idle which I'd noticed occasionally before except it was doing it more consistently and at higher speeds/rpm than I'd heard it at before. I was thinking I should possibly try to run up to Tom's garage in central NJ but I did some troubleshooting this morning with the help of Mike and Jason at Midwest and finally figured out that it was a bolt that had come out of the heat shield and was making it rattle. The bolt was completely gone and I couldn't find a replacement at the auto parts store so I got some stainless locking ties and threaded one through the hole. It wouldn't cinch tight but one of my uncle's neighbors was passing by to gawk and he helped me twist it on there like a metal twist tie. I had to take the car out for a test drive anyway so I let him ride along, which made his day. If only my ignition gremlin were this easy to track down, LOL...

Oh, another thing, when I was stopped at the abandoned tavern it rained more than I expected and I figured out that the leak wasn't actually coming from the door, it was up by the windshield. Something else to have MW check out on the way back...

Lwanmtr

05-10-2017, 12:15 AM

Hehe...unusual vehicle....hope they didnt charge you more...lol

Nice pics...I'd have expected that fiat to be smaller...hehe.

Always carry duct tape for when bolts fall off....just a thought..lol

DaraSue

05-11-2017, 05:56 PM

Hehe...unusual vehicle....hope they didnt charge you more...lol

Nice pics...I'd have expected that fiat to be smaller...hehe.

Always carry duct tape for when bolts fall off....just a thought..lol

Haha, I've got some in the trunk but was afraid it would melt from the exhaust. Might need to use it on my windshield leak though, lol.

Today my uncle needed their car so I took my aunt out to run some errands. Nothing too exciting, just cruised down main street in my crappy home town.

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Saw this old Corvair on the way home: 51457

It was for sale, a steal at $4300. If anybody wants it, tell me by tomorrow and I'll go back and get you the number.

There was a clock repair place called "Back in Time", maybe I should have offered to rent them my car for an ad, haha...

51456

The weather is supposed to be crappy this weekend, crossing my fingers that I get enough of a break in the rain to drive home...

Lwanmtr

05-11-2017, 06:12 PM

Lol....yeah you shoulda offered to let them have a pic....

DaraSue

05-15-2017, 12:11 AM

51491
Made a fuel stop, then got back on the road again. :biggrin:

Seriously though, I stopped to get some pix on the way to my cousin's house in Reading PA. I couldn't resist that photo op. I was originally going to head home last night after her bridal shower but southeast PA was getting drenched yesterday and in addition to my leaky roof I didn't feel great about driving on back roads with a lot of standing water. It turned out to be a good choice (except for when I cracked my head getting into the van while carpooling to the shower) b/c it was much better weather today, and while I was showing the car to my relatives it had another recurrence of the ignition gremlin and with the help of my mechanically-inclined uncle and cousins I think we might have narrowed it down to the wiring by the starter. There's another one of those blue scotch-locks in there so I'm going to see if either DPI or MW had time to solder it on the way back. It's in a place I could probably get to so if I don't have it done along the way I might take a stab at it myself when I get home.

Other than that, a mostly uneventful drive through Western PA.

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Finally stopped for the night near Akron, planning on going over to DPI tomorrow to get some bolts for my exhaust shield. There was another one missing today and one of my license plate screws was loose too so I hope whatever keeps shaking these things loose isn't going to make anything important fall out. :paranoid:

Pretty exhausted tonight, hopefully it's just from driving and not a sign that I have a concussion. But it was nice to get back on the open road. The east coast's narrow roads and heavy traffic made for a lot of white-knuckle driving. At least now that I've shown my car to all my family and friends within a 3-hour drive of Philly I can pretty much call this trip a success even if I have to finish it on a flatbed, lol.

While I was chilling in my room I heard some guys outside looking at my car so I went out and talked to them for about 20 minutes. They were all super excited and had never seen one in person. The one-vehicle car show continues its nationwide tour tomorrow...

Lwanmtr

05-15-2017, 12:24 AM

DaraSue

05-16-2017, 09:33 AM

Something a lil disturbing and very 80's about the pic with the car and the nuke....hehe.

You mean you havent gotten the obligatory door-based concussion yet? Mine continually likes to bite my head with the exposed grab handle mount bracket..hehe.

Haha, I've only bumped my head on the door once, and it wasn't anywhere near as bad as this. Being short probably helps, LOL.

Didn't get around to posting my write-up last night because I was hanging out with some friends and chitchatting about DeLorean stuff until the wee hours.

I stopped by DPI yesterday morning to get replacement bolts for my heat shield on the way out of Akron, and while I was there he changed out my starter which was barely hanging on and the likely culprit of my random ignition gremlin.
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I hung out to watch them work on it and Josh's assistant brought me a mat to sit on because I was the first customer who'd ever laid down on the floor to look under the car while they were working on it. It was definitely an informative lesson about how starters should be installed (and how they shouldn't be) (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?15005-Now-it-won-t-even-attempt-to-crank/page4).

After my car had started up about 10 times successfully I continued on into the Chicago area, mostly uneventful.

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Pro tip: if you're in Indiana and think you might need to pee sometime in the next hundred miles, stop at the next rest stop you find because it might be a while before you find another one that's open and not trucks-only.

Due to the lack of rest stops I unintentionally drove what might have been the most miles I've done in one shot, about 230 between stopping for gas about 90 miles west of Akron and the IN/IL border. Finally found a rest stop, whew! That stop was notable for the rarity of a pair of women approaching me to take pix of the car. One of them insisted I pose with it and said her son would probably be in love with me, lol.

I was catching a whiff of gas fumes in the cabin again as I was heading west. I stopped for gas (while I was waiting for my friends' son to meet me at the travel plaza and lead me to their house, because apparently Google thinks I should be able to pull off the freeway into their backyard) I noticed a couple drops spritzed out when I took the cap off so I'm hoping it's just that I didn't have it on tight enough or something. Weirdly it seemed more noticeable when the sun was out. Probably going to run up to MW and have them check it just in case.

Had a few looky-loos at the gas station, one guy was following me to take pictures as I went to meet my buddy in the parking area. He was driving his D too and he said that guy's jaw hit the floor when he saw both of us together. Always fun to make somebody's day like that. :rock_on:

Caravanning with another D was a new experience for me too, I'd never just watched one drive IRL before and it was so cool.

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Pictures of a DeLorean taken from another DeLorean with a sunset in the background are pretty much the most epic thing ever. :biggrin:

I think I brought some residual bad luck with me though because when we went out to dinner my buddy's car sprung a fuel leak.:ohcrap: Fortunately it wasn't bad enough to need a tow truck but I felt like I should apologize for jinxing him.

Being a passenger in a D is an experience I haven't had often so it was fun to just chill and enjoy the ride :)

Lwanmtr

05-16-2017, 03:22 PM

Citizen

05-16-2017, 07:10 PM

Caravanning with another D was a new experience for me too, I'd never just watched one drive IRL before and it was so cool.

Pictures of a DeLorean taken from another DeLorean with a sunset in the background are pretty much the most epic thing ever.

Yep, that's pretty cool alright. It's been a few years, but have a look Here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oM514THv-g) for some multi-DeLorean fun...

The first car in the line up (the last on the video), is mine. We were running 75-80 coming back to Houston from a show in Austin.

Thomas

...

DaraSue

05-17-2017, 12:36 AM

Hehe...yeah get a map and chart out rest areas on your route...I got into the habit of generally stopping at any along the way when I been taking trips, wether I needed to or not..if nothing else just to get out n walk a little since most are usually 60-90 miles between them.

Yeah when a friend of mine was here (before I had mine) it was a lil trippy looking when I watched him pulling out to leave..somehow different than a normal car...but then these aint normal...hehe.

Musta been fun caravaning and watching his right blinker on all the time (hehe...looks like its on in your pic).

Figure out what the gas smell was?

I spent the afternoon at MW and when they pulled out the plug that covers the space where the old fuel sender was in the original pump, there was some swelling and iirc deformation of the gasket on it. So they swapped it out and I drove it around a few miles with some apparent improvement. They're going to take another look at it in the morning. They also found the windshield leak without taking the t-panel apart - there was a gap where the windshield was attached at the top (some signs that a previous owner had attempted to repair it, obviously with less than stellar results) and they were able to reseal it. Hopefully that'll be the end of that because it's supposed to be a stormy week in the Midwest. :nervous:

Yep, that's pretty cool alright. It's been a few years, but have a look Here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oM514THv-g) for some multi-DeLorean fun...

The first car in the line up (the last on the video), is mine. We were running 75-80 coming back to Houston from a show in Austin.
...

That's badass! I'm looking forward to DeLorean Weekend in Vegas this fall so I can go on more outings with the cool kids club :rock_on::cool:

Lwanmtr

05-17-2017, 12:53 AM

Hopefully that'll be the end of that because it's supposed to be a stormy week in the Midwest. :nervous:

Yeah, gotta be careful in them storms...Dont wanna get hit by lightning :hihi2:

DaraSue

05-18-2017, 01:00 AM

Yeah, gotta be careful in them storms...Dont wanna get hit by lightning :hihi2:

Well if it sent me two days into the future when it was no longer storming, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. :p

Speaking of storms, I went through the worst weather I've ever driven more than a block in today. (Well, in the D. I've been in worse in other cars, I'm sure, but it was pretty bad.) There were a couple minutes when the rain was bad enough that I could barely see I thought I was going to have to pull over on the shoulder but maybe it's a good thing I didn't try to because there were already a couple of cars over there. Happily, the roof didn't leak. I felt a couple of drops on my left foot (I wear sandals) so there's still another leak somewhere but the worst of it is fixed at least. The rubber seal that goes around the door frame has a rip in the top so IDK if that was a factor but it wasn't bad enough to worry about right now. I'm more worried about the snow that's forecast in the Cheyenne area the next couple days. Not sure whether to try and detour north or south or just try and plow through and call in sick to work on Sat if I have to wait it out.

I got to Lincoln, NE from Crystal Lake today which was also the most miles I've gone in one day. Feels like I should have gotten farther along considering I left before 11 and stopped at 9 but at least all the weather made for a pretty drive when it wasn't pouring.

5157051571515725157351574

Lwanmtr

05-18-2017, 01:22 AM

Sounds like a fun section...and nice shots....you should invest in a dash cam..might be safer than cell phone...lol.

Myself, I'd be tempted to hit the snow, but then I like snow...hehe.

DaraSue

05-18-2017, 10:45 PM

I fought the snow...
51590

And the snow won.
51591

Currently in Cheyenne, hoping it clears up enough that they re-open the 80 tomorrow. The drive in was better than I expected, mostly because there wasn't much traffic, but I passed some poor bastard getting loaded on a tow truck. Compared to them, I guess my day was pretty good. I did almost get creamed by a Fed Ex truck getting back on the freeway from some weird access road detour from exit 401 in WY. Hopefully I haven't used up my allotment of luck for this trip, because my heater fan was making a weird noise when I had the defroster on, and I heard a noise from the back as I was parking at the motel. Crossing my fingers that it was just a wet belt or something. Fortunately I'd remembered to grab another throttle splash guard at Midwest after having taken mine off during the coolant system shenanigans last summer and forgetting to put it back on before I left. That might have been the best $10 I've spent lately.

Today was also notable for hitting the big 3-0.
51593

The lambda light didn't come on so hopefully that means the sensor got changed and the counter was reset when the exhaust was replaced. We'll see if it comes on when I hit 50,000...

Lwanmtr

05-19-2017, 01:18 AM

Yaay snow!

Fed ex drivers are crazy...them and bus drivers.

really putting the miles on there...at this rate you'll have more miles than mine by the time i get it all doine

DaraSue

05-19-2017, 09:16 PM

Yaay snow!

Fed ex drivers are crazy...them and bus drivers.

really putting the miles on there...at this rate you'll have more miles than mine by the time i get it all doine

Heh, well I don't plan on taking too many more 9-state road trips (at least until I'm retired and can take two months to do it) but I might wander around the west coast a little next year. Gotta make up for all the years it spent being badly stored by the original owner somehow :biggrin:

Didn't get any driving done today, though. I had the car all cleaned off (lessons learned: bring snow boots even if it's May, get your ice scraper out of the trunk before the car has a foot of snow on it :banghead: ) but WYDOT was reporting the freeway wouldn't open until at least 5 or 6 so I just stayed put. It did finally open around 6 and I'm kicking myself a little for not waiting it out but it's still literally freezing and only going to get colder overnight and there's a lot of nothing between Laramie and Rock Springs so it's probably for the best.

At least I've got a room with a view.
51643

Here's hoping nothing important froze off...

Lwanmtr

05-19-2017, 09:28 PM

Thats awesome camoflage...no one will ever know whats parked under all that snow....hehe.

Delorean Industries

05-19-2017, 09:42 PM

Heh, well I don't plan on taking too many more 9-state road trips (at least until I'm retired and can take two months to do it) but I might wander around the west coast a little next year. Gotta make up for all the years it spent being badly stored by the original owner somehow :biggrin:

Didn't get any driving done today, though. I had the car all cleaned off (lessons learned: bring snow boots even if it's May, get your ice scraper out of the trunk before the car has a foot of snow on it :banghead: ) but WYDOT was reporting the freeway wouldn't open until at least 5 or 6 so I just stayed put. It did finally open around 6 and I'm kicking myself a little for not waiting it out but it's still literally freezing and only going to get colder overnight and there's a lot of nothing between Laramie and Rock Springs so it's probably for the best.

At least I've got a room with a view.
51643

Here's hoping nothing important froze off...

Why does it stick in my mind that you don't have a throttle shield... might be wrong..

Lwanmtr

05-19-2017, 09:52 PM

Why does it stick in my mind that you don't have a throttle shield... might be wrong..

Throttle sheild?

Delorean Industries

05-19-2017, 09:53 PM

Covers the spool so water doesn't go down through engine cover and cause havoc.

Lwanmtr

05-19-2017, 10:02 PM

Ahh ok...adds to my list of things to get...hehe.

Delorean Industries

05-19-2017, 10:03 PM

Definitely a requirement in wet weather.

DaraSue

05-19-2017, 10:04 PM

Thats awesome camoflage...no one will ever know whats parked under all that snow....hehe.

After I cleaned the snow off I saw a guy taking pictures. I would have gone out and talked to him, but it was still snowing, ugh.

Why does it stick in my mind that you don't have a throttle shield... might be wrong..

I didn't when I was there, but I got one at Midwest. Probably one of the better decisions I made this trip. Good thing I remembered or I might have been trying to improvise in the parking lot at Home Depot, lol...

Ahh ok...adds to my list of things to get...hehe.

I've got an extra one at home I'll sell you for $10 ;)

Lwanmtr

05-20-2017, 02:04 AM

After I cleaned the snow off I saw a guy taking pictures. I would have gone out and talked to him, but it was still snowing, ugh.

I didn't when I was there, but I got one at Midwest. Probably one of the better decisions I made this trip. Good thing I remembered or I might have been trying to improvise in the parking lot at Home Depot, lol...

I've got an extra one at home I'll sell you for $10 ;)

Awe...snow is nothing to be afraid of...unless you're out there in a bathrobe..in which case you might wanna seek some professional help...hehe.

Hehe...sure (so many things on list to get....lol) ;)

DaraSue

05-21-2017, 02:44 AM

Awe...snow is nothing to be afraid of...unless you're out there in a bathrobe..in which case you might wanna seek some professional help...hehe.

Hehe...sure (so many things on list to get....lol) ;)

My apologies to the motel for using their washcloths as socks, trying not to get frostbite while cleaning off my car in sandals, lol.

Next year I'll bring it to you when I tour the west coast... ;)

Good news today, my car started up even after sitting in the cold and snow all day yesterday. I was a little nervous because this might have been the first time it's ever been out in freezing weather at all, let alone buried under a foot of snow.

Of course, right when I was about to get going, the freeway was shut down again because somebody couldn't stay in their lane. I took the opportunity to go back to Perkins and pick up the cookie I'd bought 2 nights earlier and forgotten to take with me during all the confusion of their credit card machine not working. On the way I swung by the Guard base to get a pic with this C-130. Wish I'd have noticed how badly composed this shot was while I was still there, arrrgh. Maybe I'll get a better one on the way to DCS next year...

51669

Stopped for gas at the skankiest gas station ever on the west end of Laramie. No pix of the bathroom, fortunately for all of you. The one working stall did have a bunch of graffiti from travelers saying who they were and where they were going, which was kind of cool. Would have been tempted to add to it if I'd had a Sharpie. Maybe something along the lines of "my car is the best thing in this nasty-ass truck stop", haha.

Still some scattered clouds...
51670

Passed under some stormy skies, but didn't get worse than a little light rain.
516715167251673

Things cleared up a little around Rock Springs. I was tempted to try and find the shop that worked on my car the first time I was bringing it back from Chicago and say hi, but since my phone had no service I skipped it.
51674

I went the wrong way off the ramp and had to turn around to get to the Flying J. Fortunately their sign didn't say "no DeLorean turn around."
51675

The clouds move back in...
51676

Uneventful drive through the western half of WY.
51677

The sky continued to be threatening...
51678

...and less so.
51679

Finally made it back into my state...
5168051681

...where because I'm clearly mentally disturbed, I decided to go to work for half a shift.
51682

Four hours later, both car and owner are ready for bed. :biggrin:
51683

Altogether, I think I put almost 5000 miles on my car in the last month, had a lot of fun showing it off to friends and family and total strangers and just driving around (even if it was exhausting). This has truly been the road trip of a lifetime, and my tremendous thanks to Mike and Dave at DMCMW, Danny at DMCCA and Josh at DPI for all their hard work that kept me from getting stranded!

Lwanmtr

05-21-2017, 03:51 AM

My apologies to the motel for using their washcloths as socks, trying not to get frostbite while cleaning off my car in sandals, lol.

Next year I'll bring it to you when I tour the west coast... ;)

Good news today, my car started up even after sitting in the cold and snow all day yesterday. I was a little nervous because this might have been the first time it's ever been out in freezing weather at all, let alone buried under a foot of snow.

Of course, right when I was about to get going, the freeway was shut down again because somebody couldn't stay in their lane. I took the opportunity to go back to Perkins and pick up the cookie I'd bought 2 nights earlier and forgotten to take with me during all the confusion of their credit card machine not working. On the way I swung by the Guard base to get a pic with this C-130. Wish I'd have noticed how badly composed this shot was while I was still there, arrrgh. Maybe I'll get a better one on the way to DCS next year...

Stopped for gas at the skankiest gas station ever on the west end of Laramie. No pix of the bathroom, fortunately for all of you. The one working stall did have a bunch of graffiti from travelers saying who they were and where they were going, which was kind of cool. Would have been tempted to add to it if I'd had a Sharpie. Maybe something along the lines of "my car is the best thing in this nasty-ass truck stop", haha.

Altogether, I think I put almost 5000 miles on my car in the last month, had a lot of fun showing it off to friends and family and total strangers and just driving around (even if it was exhausting). This has truly been the road trip of a lifetime, and my tremendous thanks to Mike and Dave at DMCMW, Danny at DMCCA and Josh at DPI for all their hard work that kept me from getting stranded!

Id suggest investing in these nifty inventions called shoes..hehe

Lol...at this rate I may not be done by then.

Didnt document the skankiest gas station? Thats the whole point of a road trip...lol

5000 miles is alot in one month, one heck of a shakedown cruise also.

SS Spoiler

05-21-2017, 09:07 AM

See post 164

DaraSue

06-03-2017, 01:28 AM

See post 164

So if any of us make it to Montana, can we sleep on your couch? :)

Once my roommate and his girlfriend and kids move out, I'll have more space to run a DeLorean-themed air-b-n-b if anybody else ever visits the badlands of Utah...

Lwanmtr

06-03-2017, 01:31 AM

for people or just deloreans?

DaraSue

06-03-2017, 02:00 AM

for people or just deloreans?

Haha well I guess if the people come with the DeLorean, they can stay too...

Lwanmtr

06-03-2017, 02:15 AM

Hehe..well ya know, wanted to be sure before making a reservation...Im still on track for sometime in late 2027...lol

Neat idea though and good way to get to know other owners

DaraSue

06-03-2017, 04:21 PM

Hehe..well ya know, wanted to be sure before making a reservation...Im still on track for sometime in late 2027...lol

Neat idea though and good way to get to know other owners

Heh, I'll be retired by then so I'll be home to babysit your car if you want to go skiing. :biggrin:

Today I got to drive my car in a parade. I'm not even sure what the parade was for, but our club pres asked last night if I wanted to be in it and I said on the 1% chance that I was awake before 9 am, maybe. I accidentally woke up a 7:00 and couldn't go back to sleep so I figured I might as well do something productive, LOL.

5193551936

It didn't end up being an actual DeLorean caravan b/c his wife had their Marty truck in between our cars, but it was definitely a new and interesting experience. I had to stay vigilant not to run over his assistants who were running around handing out candy to the kids and chiropractor coupons to the parents. It made me smile how many little girls were waving and cheering. Hopefully they were inspired to get their own DeLoreans someday. :giddy:

Lwanmtr

06-03-2017, 04:25 PM

Cool.

Love those leopard skin seat covers...lol

DaraSue

06-04-2017, 12:46 PM

Cool.

Love those leopard skin seat covers...lol

Well, you know, I had to do something to make it stand out... ;)

Lwanmtr

06-04-2017, 03:45 PM

I may have to look at seat covers til I can afford to get mine fixed...they're all cracked n aged...hehe.

DaraSue

06-04-2017, 04:22 PM

I may have to look at seat covers til I can afford to get mine fixed...they're all cracked n aged...hehe.

Mine were in pretty decent shape but I figured I should keep the sun off them and keep my pants-rivets from scuffing them up. I couldn't bring myself to spend $700 for the really nice ones so I got the cheap ones on clearance at Wal-Mart. So far, so good :biggrin:

Lwanmtr

06-04-2017, 04:58 PM

Walmart? ewwwwwwww..

Yeah, when I can I'll spend the money on new ones...seats are kinda low on my list of things that need doin..hehe.

DMC5180

06-05-2017, 11:11 PM

A former original owner I know had Sheep skins on his seats for 30 years. One day he showed up at an event and I asked if he had gotten new seat covers. He said, they were the originals. They looked brand new very soft and supple. All those years under the skins kept them out of the sun. The car had over 100k on it too. No garage queen.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lwanmtr

06-06-2017, 12:11 AM

Hehe..If I do go with seat covers, Im gonna have to find something...unique...perhaps a cheshire cat or something...lol

SS Spoiler

06-06-2017, 07:19 AM

Bet that was Bruce Benson?

DMC5180

06-06-2017, 07:21 AM

DaraSue

08-22-2017, 11:45 PM

Rich

08-23-2017, 12:27 AM

.....it's noteworthy for being the one-year anniversary of the day I picked it up from DMCMW. This time last year I was driving west in my dream car for the first time and it was just the beginning of 11,000 miles of awesomeness. :biggrin:

Congrats of your first year of D awesomeness!

Lwanmtr

08-23-2017, 02:20 AM

Yaay..congrats on a year of having her...awesome way to celebrate...overtime at work...hehe.

I think I celebrated 2 years by fixing my speaker panels and getting some bits back on my car...lol

Alex Brooks

09-07-2017, 12:14 AM

Today's adventure was really pretty mundane (driving to work for 10 hours of overtime) but it's noteworthy for being the one-year anniversary of the day I picked it up from DMCMW. This time last year I was driving west in my dream car for the first time and it was just the beginning of 11,000 miles of awesomeness. :biggrin:

53008 53009

Yesterday morning while driving through Sinclair Wyoming I stopped to get gas and the guy that work there came running and said that mine was second Delorean he had seen there and showed me a Picture of your car w the plate "In Flux" he was disappointed with the Mississippi plate I was still running on they way home, I told that my plate on first DeLorean was 88N GON.

DaraSue

09-07-2017, 01:58 AM

Congrats of your first year of D awesomeness!

Yaay..congrats on a year of having her...awesome way to celebrate...overtime at work...hehe.

I think I celebrated 2 years by fixing my speaker panels and getting some bits back on my car...lol

Thanks, you guys! It's been the greatest adventure of my life (mostly in a good way, LOL)

Yesterday morning while driving through Sinclair Wyoming I stopped to get gas and the guy that work there came running and said that mine was second Delorean he had seen there and showed me a Picture of your car w the plate "In Flux" he was disappointed with the Mississippi plate I was still running on they way home, I told that my plate on first DeLorean was 88N GON.

Woohoo, I'm famous! :rock_on: That would have been on my big cross-country trip a couple months ago. My most epic adventure so far...

The adventure continued today as I hit the road for the DOA Expo in Vegas.
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Naturally, I had just washed my car last night so I got rained on all through central Utah.

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Finally getting out of Utah...

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I stopped for the night with a friend in Moapa. She and her husband use a black light to hunt scorpions in their backyard so I got this psychedelic pic of my car.

53296

A few not-so-excellent moments, starting 100 miles out of SLC when my tach suddenly started bouncing up to 4500+ rpm and back down to it's normal 3000-ish. I was about to pull over when I realized that the engine didn't actually feel or sound different when it was happening, so I called DMCMW en route to the next service area. Mike was off today but Jason thought if the engine was still functioning normally it probably wasn't anything catastrophic. He suggested checking all the connections on the white/slate wire at the coil and ballast resistor, which I did at the rest stop. I also checked the big ground wire by the starter but nothing looked visibly amiss. I continued on and it didn't do it again for the next hundred miles, and then it was only a small blip (up to about 3500). Another gremlin for the collection...

Stopped for gas in St. George and got about the bitchiest I've ever gotten with a looky-loo. But I'm pretty sure the guy had it coming, because he walked up to me and said "Hey, funny story about that car, when the company started failing the guy started selling drugs!"

At which point I gave him the talk-to-the-hand and snapped "No, he didn't! It was the government's deal and the government's coke!"

Guy: "Well, that was the rumor."

Me: "The bust actually happened, but it was a setup. A government agent solicited him."

Guy: *mumbles something unintelligible*

Me: "And he was acquitted!"

I would have kept going but I guess he figured out that wasn't going to get to mansplain JZD's coke bust to me and wandered off. I guess I was nicer than some people would have been, but I usually try be more jocular about explaining the actual facts to people who aren't malicious in their ignorance. The guy just really rubbed me the wrong way. Like, why on earth would you think an acceptable way to start a conversation with someone who's driving an exotic classic car is to tell them unflattering "facts" about it as if they've never heard them before? :fu:

The other and possibly worst thing that happened was that I tripped over the curb at the first rest stop and did some pretty painful damage to my right pinky toe. I think it might be broken but I can still hobble on that foot and driving is bearable so idk whether to waste $100 going to the ER just so they can wrap some tape around it. So much for my plans to wander around the Strip tomorrow...

Lwanmtr

09-07-2017, 02:13 AM

Love the anit-grav garage ya got there...I guess lit by black light, it makes sense...hehe.

Broke toe...hmm...guess you'll have to give the car away now...hehe.

DaraSue

09-07-2017, 03:02 AM

Love the anit-grav garage ya got there...I guess lit by black light, it makes sense...hehe.

Broke toe...hmm...guess you'll have to give the car away now...hehe.

Hahaha, IDEK what happened with that pic. It looked normal on my phone. It's probably aliens. :confused2:

And nah, it's not nearly as hard to drive with a broken toe on my gas foot as it was with one on my clutch foot. Last time it was the 2nd toe on my left foot and getting to the hospital (in my CRX, which has a much lighter clutch) was... not pleasant...

Lwanmtr

09-07-2017, 03:15 AM

DaraSue

09-08-2017, 01:11 AM

Still love the tiger skin seat covers...the black light really makes 'em pop.

Yeah...'nother reason I like my automatic..less pedals to worry about...hehe.

Wish I coulda made it down there...and completely forgot it was this weekend, so couldnt even fly down, gawk at the running cars and come back...hehe.

Well, you've got another chance, because DeLorean Weekend is next month... :woot:

Today I made it into Vegas, no observed recurrence of the tach gremlin. Wondering if my temp gauge is ok because even sitting in traffic it barely got above 170. Met up with Bob, Gail and Ryan B. for lunchtime trivia and then went to check into the hotel. Skip and Gordon happened to get there at the same time I did and I got a shot of our cars in the garage before we figured out we were actually supposed to be on the next floor up.

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I found a couple of DeLorean buddies from home who had shown up too and a group of us went to the Mob Museum, then came back and picked up our badges and stuff. They had one sparkly DeLorean silhouette t-shirt left, so of course I bought it. :partyhat:
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We went to dinner and spent the next 2 hours talking about DeLoreans, as one does... I showed everybody my Instagram pix of my car until their eyes glazed over, lol.

Now to attempt to get enough rest to go drive out to Red Rock tomorrow...

Lwanmtr

09-08-2017, 01:21 AM

Thats a nice picture of the Deloreans...but whats that white car in the background, Im more interested in hearing that one's story....hehe.

Yeah, considering weekend....kinda 'spensive..figured about $1500 with flight, hotel and rental car (which I doubt they have a delorean to rent..so a fusion?)...hehe.

Cute shirt..lol

DaraSue

09-09-2017, 02:01 AM

I got to be in another DeLorean caravan today, as we drove through Red Rock Canyon. Woohoo!
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There had been some concerns about temperature, but it actually stayed pleasantly cool-ish and partly-to-mostly cloudy.

We saw some Lamborghinis and a Ferrari by the visitors center. Apparently you can rent them for $600 for 4 hours (+ $200 insurance).
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We would encounter them again down the road...
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(There were actually 4 cars here, but I was trying to snap this shot in a hurry and half the front one was out of the frame.)

Caught this shot at precisely the right moment:
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We stopped for lunch at Bonnie Springs, watched the Wild West show and then drove home in the rain. Note to self: never wash your car before any event that's more than 20 minutes from your house...

The obligatory :banghead: moment: I accidentally drove for a couple miles with my e-brake on. I remember thinking, "man, that brake rattle is loud today, must be some weird acoustics out here" and then I looked down and realized my borrowed charging cable had a tag on it that was obscuring my brake light. :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: Fortunately we hadn't been going very fast but there was a distinct smell of what I thought was burnt hydraulic fluid but everyone else identified as burnt Bakelite. The brake didn't seem to work horrifically worse than usual when I checked it in the hotel garage, but I guess we've got a topic for our tech session tomorrow...

DaraSue

09-10-2017, 12:35 AM

Today was pretty laid back. Some of the other people went to the Shelby museum in the morning but I was kind of tired so I went back to bed and then drove to Caesar's to get lunch from Gordon Ramsay. Another near-miss on the 15 when I was in a lane-changer's blind spot but at least I stayed on the road this time. In the afternoon we had Mike Sheffe give his talk about automotive design and the different cars that led up to the D, as well as showing up some long-lost BTTF concept art and some of his other drawings, which was neat. He ended up staying and talking to us for almost 3 hours, with a break in the middle where Gordon had us all stand up and talk about our cars in front of the camera. I kind of wanted to hide in the corner b/c for somebody who talks for a living I'm pretty terrible at public speaking, but I ended my speech with the line "I'm way over my original budget, but the experience has been priceless!" and everybody clapped so I didn't do too bad.

Another fun thing was, we all got a set of washcloths and these shop aprons with the Expo logo and our names embroidered on them. Patty V. handed them out but I think Gordon's wife Linda might have made them? They're pretty nifty, and it was nice of those guys to do that for us.

We went up to the garage to get a group photo and some random guy who liked DeLoreans volunteered to be the photographer so we could all be in it. Everybody kind of milled around for a while looking at each other's cars. I got a couple of half-decent phone pix just before we went to dinner (although once again I'm short a car because Ron had to take Mike to the airport).

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The one on the right was testing my camera app's HDR setting. Not too bad...)

Dinner was good, probably the most people we've had all in one place so far. Everybody had a story to tell (about DeLoreans or life in general). That was the last big event, although a few people are going up to Hoover Dam tomorrow. Not sure if I'll go because I have a long drive ahead, but maybe...

DaraSue

09-11-2017, 01:01 PM

Well, I went up to Hoover Dam after all, just because I'd never been there. Here we are up on one of the overlooks.

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That was the last official event of the Expo, and then I headed home. One the way out of the park I heard I weird grinding noise that sounded like it could be from the transmission while idling at a stop sign. It went away when I jiggled the shifter a little but I never heard it before or since so maybe it was something underground that just happened to make noise while I was parked over it. :nervous:

The drive back was uneventful. Didn't see any more instances of the RPM jitters.

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Hit the big 33 somewhere in central UT.

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It was a fun trip, I'm glad I went! Can't wait to go back again for DeLorean Weekend next month... :partyhat:

DMC5180

09-11-2017, 01:05 PM

What was the overall turnout for the event if you had to guess?

DaraSue

09-11-2017, 02:51 PM

What was the overall turnout for the event if you had to guess?

Probably around 14 or 15 people, 5 cars. There were a couple people and I think another car that were supposed to go, but things came up. I know it ended up being a smaller scale than was originally planned, but it was still fun. Having less people made it easier to get to know everybody. Maybe for the next one the organizers should plan smaller from the get-go and try to keep the up-front costs to attendees down, since from commentary here and on facebook it seemed like that was a big thing that turned some people off.

Lwanmtr

09-12-2017, 07:44 PM

Seems like it was a great time. Nice pics (specially the ones while you're driving...hehe)

DaraSue

10-08-2017, 01:42 AM

Another trip to Vegas, woohoo! I didn't have any panic moments on the drive down, knock on wood that it stays that way. Haven't seen the tach gremlin since last time. Caught some butterflies, though...

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I drove down on Wed, got practically no sleep that night due to making the mistake of staying at Circus Circus again and getting a room next to a bunch of drunk fratboys. :rant:

Still managed to drag myself out to the DeLorean Weekend meet-n-greet Thursday night, where I was one of the most DeLoreans I've seen all in one place outside of a repair shop, lol.

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Friday we met up at the Bass Pro at Silverton, which was under the flight path to McCarran.

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We had lunch at Railroad Pass in Henderson, then drove to El Dorado Mine, near Searchlight. If any of you get the chance, you should check it out, because there's a lot of funky buildings and old cars and weird antique stuff to see. We did the mine tour and some of us stayed after to look around and take pictures.

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After that some of us got dinner in Henderson and then I went back to Fremont for the Defending the Caveman show. That was fun, and as a bonus a couple of us poked into the toy store at Neonopolis and discovered fridge magnets with the old Consolidated "Vanishing Breed" ad on them. Score!

Today I got going early so I could bake the cookies for the bbq and get my car looked at by Rob Grady. He didn't find any showstoppers but pointed out some relays that could use upgrading and mentioned that the clutch I have is known for being heavier than standard so I'll keep that in mind for next time it needs replacing. He looked at my gas tank a little and spotted some seepage near the fuel pump clamp which might account for the gas vapor smell every so often.

The bbq and the dinner were fun, a lot of good speakers, but the highlight of the evening was when I won the DeLorean trivia game (with a little help from my friends)! :partyhat::rock_on:

The lowlight of the evening was when I got out of the car and noticed I'd parked in a space full of broken glass so everyone cross your fingers that I don't wake up to 4 flats tomorrow...:paranoid:

Lwanmtr

10-08-2017, 02:08 AM

Sounds like it was a great event. Only 3 pictures this time? hehe

I wanted to go, but couldnt swing it.

DaraSue

10-08-2017, 10:50 AM

Sounds like it was a great event. Only 3 pictures this time? hehe

I wanted to go, but couldnt swing it.

Yeah, it's been a blast. Hope you can make it next year!

For some reason all my through-the-windshield pix came out blurry. Probably a sign that I need to clean my windshield, lol...

Lwanmtr

10-08-2017, 03:56 PM

Or maybe a sign to get something to hold your camera, rather than taking hands off the wheel....hehe.

DaraSue

10-13-2017, 02:26 PM

Or maybe a sign to get something to hold your camera, rather than taking hands off the wheel....hehe.

Don't worry, I kept at least one hand on the wheel at all times. :p

My tires still appeared intact the next morning so I was able to join in the drive around Red Rock and to the ice cream parlor afterwards.

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Unfortunately, I didn't end up making it home that night after all, because some road-raging idiot shithead(s) had caused a fatality crash on I-15 just south of Moapa and the freeway was completely closed until around 9 at night. At which point I didn't think I was up to driving until 6 am to get home and then going to work afterward so I ended up leaving the car at my buddy's house and flying back, which naturally I regretted as soon as I got home. Telling myself it's for the best b/c the road probably would have been full of more pissed-off tourists trying to get home and nighttime is when the road deer come out, plus last time I drove all night I was pretty much in an altered state of consciousness by the time I got home and that was 10 years ago, but I'm still going through withdrawal already. Another week and a half til I can officially finish my last big road trip of the year (hopefully)...

Lwanmtr

10-13-2017, 04:30 PM

Oooh..a cliffhanger... Will Dara get her car home? Will the ringing in her ears ever stop? Tune in next time......

Dangermouse

10-24-2017, 01:12 PM

I assume you just gave up and decided to sell up?:shock:

At least based on the listing for your car out of Fort Worth on craigslist over the weekend.

Which absolutely wasn't a scam. No siree.

Part of it is still on the FB D Fanatics group if you are interested, Dara

Lwanmtr

10-24-2017, 04:28 PM

Everything on the internet is true

DaraSue

10-24-2017, 07:05 PM

Oooh..a cliffhanger... Will Dara get her car home? Will the ringing in her ears ever stop? Tune in next time......

And now, the thrilling conclusion!

Ryan B. from Vegas wanted to visit SLC so our other DeLorean buddy and chiropractor Dr. Jay could take a look at his back, so he volunteered to ride shotgun with me on the trip home. I'm proud to say we managed to fit a week's worth of his luggage and my overnight bag (75% full of car parts) in the car with my usual collection of stuff, and we only had to jettison the tarp and a couple jugs of distilled water.

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The car started on the first try even after sitting for two weeks so we grabbed lunch and then hit the road.

I put him in charge of taking pictures. He caught the rollover to the big 3-4 30 miles north of Vegas: 54230

And the sun setting over the mesas in St. George: 54231

He also earned his keep by successfully getting my door open after I accidentally closed it on the seat belt and jammed the latch. :banghead: Other than that, no disasters, although there was a rattle from somewhere in the vicinity of the driver's side back of the trunk/dashboard so maybe I should put an angle drive on order. We also got some gas fumes in the cabin again although it went away when we poked the little metal flap inside the filler with a pen so maybe that's where the problem is.

I'd never taken a trip that long with a passenger before. Having somebody to chat with made the time go by faster, that's for sure. He kept expressing amazement at how well my car ran (minor quirks aside) and I was like "yeah, for what I spent on it, it damn well better" :tongue_stick:

I assume you just gave up and decided to sell up?:shock:

At least based on the listing for your car out of Fort Worth on craigslist over the weekend.

Which absolutely wasn't a scam. No siree.

Part of it is still on the FB D Fanatics group if you are interested, Dara

:wow: The listing had been deleted by the time I went to check it out, but I was ready to give the "seller" an earful. If I were going to sell my car, it sure as hell wouldn't be for $18,000, haha...