The TN DeLorean Club had their first meet of the year on the first weekend of April in Pigeon Forge, TN. 11 DeLoreans, 18 people, and lots of fun and laughs.
The group met at Calhoun's for lunch on Saturday and then went to the Titanic Museum, Star Cars, Ole' Smokey Moonshine Distillery, Mellow Mushroom Pizza, the Island, and many more places over the course of 2 days!
With the ceramic window tint, the entire trip was enjoyable for both my wife and I even without working AC!
TNDMC goes to the Timeless Steel Garage Open House Party & Tech Weekend! Date: 04/22/2022 - 04/24/2022 Mileage: 41,398 - 42,634
Timeless Steel Garage had their Grand Opening Party and Tech Weekend on the weekend of April 23, 2022. Many people from all over, as far as Wisconsin, drove and flew down to Southside, TN to hang out, turn wrench, offer tech tips, and simply have a good time.
The weather could not have been better for this weekend. Flame Throwers, Beer, Whiskey, DeLoreans, Bonfires, Burgers, Dogs, Laughs, Friends, and Wrenches had by all
With the help of Kyle, I was able to get the AC System working again via a new Low Pressure Switch. I had previously troubleshot this part and it was known to be bad. Unfortunately on the way home, I noticed that my engine temps were creeping up to 220 while on the interstate running the air conditioning. I monitored it and ran without AC for the rest of the drive without issue however this had spawned me to post about it here: https://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?1...l=1#post271436
(We will come back to the Cooling System soon!)
New Thermostat.... Stat! Date: 05/05/2022 Mileage: 42,634
After the fiasco with the Automatic Transmission, I really want to keep the A/T as cool as possible and it was recommended that a lower temp thermostat may assist. With the help of Daniel, one of the TNDMC members, who pointed me to this Gates Thermostat on Amazon (a 180F thermostat), I replaced it and bled the system prior to a successful test drive.
After venturing off for lunch in #628 and returning into the sub-division.... Cut. Yes, the motor just cut. Upon coming over the rail road tracks in front of our subdivision, the motor simply cut out. I coasted into the entrance of our subdivision and attempted to start the car with no success. I slowed down and read through the PJ Grady Glove Box Book and checked everything that I could visibly check. Unfortunately within a couple of minutes, I was fairly certain that it was fuel pump related. With the help of a couple of neighbors, we pushed the car into the sub division and down the road to my drive way.
I am thankful that I did not break down anywhere else other than 200ft from the house.
Upon inspection of the car in the drive way and the hot May sun, I was able to get the car started after unplugging and plugging in the connectors at the Fuel Pump and Sender unit. YES! I drove it up the drive way and into the garage to the solace of shade, a box fan, and music. Upon closer inspection and while making a video for a few buddies (IE group chat), I uncovered a REALLY hot wire and connector at the fuel pump... specifically the 2-pin connector going to the Fuel Sender.
The wires and connector for the 2-pin connector at the Fuel Sender were very hard, oxidized, and overall just not in great condition. This was completely cut out and replaced with a 2-Pin Weatherpak connector and new 16ga wire. All connections were made with either solder or butt connector and followed up with dielectric grease and heat shrink.
The inertia switch was also completely replaced with a NOS unit as a precaution. The wires going into the 3-pin connector into the inertia switch had seen WAY better days as well and needed to be completely replaced. I was unable to save the female spade connectors for the inside of the inertia switch connector so I used my own and replaced the poor wiring as well.
After putting several miles on the car and letting it idle for over 2 hours, the car did not shut off by itself nor were the new wires getting hot. The ultimate test would be the road trip that is the following day...
TNDMC visits the National Corvette Museum Date: 05/14/2022 Mileage: 42,741 - 43,068
TNDMC visited the National Corvette Museum of Bowling Green, KY where we got to tour the facility, get some pretty awesome pictures made, and meet the new Kentucky members of the TN Club.
During this trip, #628 did well with all of the Fuel Pump electrical issues without a single electrical related hiccup. Unfortunately this did not mean that she was out of the woods as she is now experiencing higher than normal temperatures without running the AC system. Though she made it home in one piece, she is about to get torn into soon in order to diagnose and resolve this cooling system.
Finalizing the Fuel Pump Fixes Date: 05/21/2022 Mileage: 43,097
Now that the Kentucky trip was done, it was time to go back and fix the new wiring now that it was proven. I used Flex Tubing (AKA to me as 'loom') from Lowes... specifically 1/2" and 3/8". Going back into everything, I verified that there was no signs of distressed wires or melted tape, insulation, or anything. The Flex Tubing was used to replace the wrap on the DMCH Digital Fuel Sender as well as additional sheathing everything down the line. From there, I did the same thing with the Inertia Switch and the new wires.
Getting Car Show Ready! Date: 05/18/2022 - 05/25/2022 Mileage: 43,097
There's a car show that I have always loved, always wanted to take my DeLorean to one day.... The Heritage Day Car Show hosted by the Middle Tennessee Regional AACA at Granville, TN.
I originally went to this car show 2 years ago (this post) and it was a great experience. Now that it is car show season, that time is upon us once again.
Well, how many hours did you put into cleaning the silly car? I didn't keep track but probably ~30 hours. I have a laundry hamper full of car towels and were all washed 3 times before I called the car done.
This car hasn't been this clean in years and now I don't want to take the car cover off, haha!
Car Show Day! Date: 05/28/2022 Mileage: 43,097 - 43,168
The Heritage Day Car Show, hosted by the Middle Tennessee Regional AACA, at Granville, TN was on May 28th, 2022 from 9a - 3p. Learning from past experiences, apparently folks like to start rolling in two hours prior so that was my plan.... I ended up getting into the car show registration around 730a to find around 30 cars had already moved through and found their spots in the field. I was able to secure a spot up near the road, again, where foot traffic was entering the car show. What Luck!
I had overhauled my car show box for this year to include framed Window Sticker, Original Owner Cert, and a TNDMC and DMC FAQ flyer that I made, a few props such as Tales from Space and Gray's Sports Alamanc, Hoverboard, Flux Capacitor, and least we forget... Alf. At the end of the day, I ended up scoring 2nd place in my class of 'Designated Sports Car'. This was also a record show for Midd-Tenn AACA as this was the biggest show at this location for them with 361 cars!
What better way than to enjoy a DeLorean than some evening cruises with some good 80s rock, AC on, and windows up? Nothing! I decided that I was going to enjoy the car on a few evening cruises prior to work commencing on the cooling system... 'nuff said.
The Cooling System Grind: Part 1 Date: 06/06/2022 Mileage: 43,231
This came out of no where - what's up? Well here's the thing... since discovering that my engine temperature rises under load (interstate driving - above 75F), doing some research, and discussing with friends, I believe that there are two paths forward right now.
Water Pump: The Water Pump is not circulating like it used to and is in need of a rebuild or replacement
Rust/Deposits: There are deposits in the engine block's water jackets that are caked in and effecting cooling performance
We have a TNDMC event coming up on June 19th and again on June 25th. The goal is to have the car back on the road by the 19th....Here we go.
Starting with the idea of rust and sh*t in the engine block, I used Prestone Cooling System Cleaner and emptied about 24oz of cooling from the radiator bleeder and then dumped the bottle in the tank. I ran the car up to temp for 3 cycles before shutting her down. The idea here is to let this breakdown any rust in the system over 24-30 hours and then do a complete cooling system flush.
That looks like quite a car show. I take it, you had the only Delorean? Good luck on the cooling system. I’m too lazy to look back, but didn’t you replace the water pump a year or so ago?
That looks like quite a car show. I take it, you had the only Delorean? Good luck on the cooling system. I’m too lazy to look back, but didn’t you replace the water pump a year or so ago?
Thanks! Yes, I had the only DeLorean there.
As for the WP, negative. I have not replaced it - it's a rebuilt volvo water pump and have only had it out of the car when I did a VOD project a little over two years ago
With the Prestone Citric Acid in the system and having ran the car for 3 cycles, I took the car out to run down to get lunch as well as a Walmart run before she goes up on jack stands for the next couple of weeks. I picked up a pair of cheap cat litter boxes as well as a larger one at Walmart for use with emptying the Coolant and doing several flushes since I do not want the car to p*ss coolant and water everywhere.
Seriously folks, if you do not want a mess and do not have enough buckets and things laying around... I spent around $17 on those 3 litter boxes while a 5 gallon bucket at Walmart was $11.98!
With the car on jack stands and cooled down, I went to work pulling hoses, pipes, and drain plugs to empty out the entire system. Once all of the coolant was poured into a 5 gallon bucket from the litter boxes, I performed a lengthy coolant flush with the garden hose and allowed everything to pour into those litter boxes. I put the drain plugs back in with their old crush washers and put the hoses and pipes back together (but not clamped). The system was filled as much as possible and the car started, burped, water added, burped, etc until she ran a couple of fan cycles with just straight water.
Afterwards, I pulled those drain plugs, pipes, and hoses to allow everything to drain and once more, flushed the system one last time. The end result was clear with not much deposits.
I assume that if there is still an issue after this flush and after a new Water Pump, then it is probably hard deposits that would have to be manually scrapped out. That'll be later if needed.
The Vents Date: 06/08/2022 Mileage: 43,235
Knowing that I was going into the VOD again, I placed a DGo order with new Banjo Bolts, crush washers, and some odds and ends. I like to throw a few things in every order I place in order to work towards fixing those 'minor cosmetic annoyances' and this is one of those things.
My door ducts have been blocked off using those caps that fit into the Duct to Door Seal and those seals have barely been retaining the caps due to their air and wear. These were replaced as well as the Door Duct Retainer on the Passenger side. Now these look new, great, and will now stay!
The Valley Date: 06/08/2022 - 06/09/2022 Mileage: 43,235
There is not a lot to say about this other than just a normal valley job in order to get down to the Water Pump! During the course of this project, I will also be doing a few extra things such as new DPI Fuel Injector Retaining Clips, Checking Spark Plugs, refreshing rear main harness connections, etc.
With the oil changed and the rest of the plumbing buttoned back up completely, I moved onto pulling the Water Pump off and examining it. At inspection, the impeller is rocking it at 4.28mm. While I am going to rebuild the existing one that I have, this will be replaced so that I have the rebuilt Volvo unit ready to go on the shelf at a later time.
After my panic attack during the Timeless Steel Garage Grand Opening Tech Weekend where my #2 injector popped out, I ordered Josh's Fuel Injector Retaining Clips pretty promptly. Unfortunately, I am simply just now getting to them. One of my injectors were unable to fit so this one will need to be replaced however in the mean time, 5 of 6 are now installed into the car. The remaining item will be to reinstall the fuel lines but not until a new injector arrives and I putting her together again.
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Originally Posted by Helirich
