What have you done to your DeLorean today?

[DMC5180]

I put in a new starter relay Friday night. The original relay gave out on Thursday - I had been driving home, and had to stop at a parts store. Came back and and no starter - at all. Danny thought it might be power from the relay to the starter, or even a bad starter solenoid. I had a feeling it was the relay, but unfortunately the parts place, manned by people who have zero car knowledge (thanks AutoZone), didn't know how to find a 12volt, 30 amp relay. The Kragan's I called, while in the AutoZone lot, did however by asking one simple question, but they were about a mile away and I wasn't in the mood for a walk, plus the store I was at was in a not so great area. So I had to get towed home. Got a new relay at a Kragans the next day, and she fired right up when I put it in.
Now to replace all the relays, followed by an electronic ignition (I have a Chevy 350 small block in mine).

FWIW: in your particular case you could have temporarily swapped in one of your non critical relays like the high beam. Then you could have driven to kragens or home for that matter.

[bfloyd]

My first night off from work in over a week, me and my 8 year old decided to get a little adventurous and daring with the DeLorean. "We'll just drive it around the block".... We made it 3/4's way around the block and the front wheels locked up. Now matter how much gas I gave it, it wasn't moving another inch. Neighbor across the street saw us and offered to help. I walked back to the house to get my truck and tow strap and he and my son stayed with the car. Slowly towed it back to the house and the front wheels locked up again. It felt like wrestling a pit bull on a leash... I was pulling, the car wasn't moving. Went and got my floor jack out of the garage and we jacked up the front end about an inch off the ground and I drove the car on the rear two wheels and the wheels of the floor jack the rest of the way up my driveway and into the garage.

With the front wheels up in the air, they will not spin at all. I'm thinking it's either brakes, wheel bearings, or all of the above. Pretty sure I'm getting ready to replace all of the calipers, master cylinder, rotors and wheel bearings.

[DavidProehl]

With the front wheels up in the air, they will not spin at all. I'm thinking it's either brakes, wheel bearings, or all of the above. Pretty sure I'm getting ready to replace all of the calipers, master cylinder, rotors and wheel bearings.

Both front wheels won't turn? That is odd. They turn independently, so it would be very strange if both bearings went at the exact same time. Sounds like the brakes aren't releasing to me.

[bfloyd]

Looking back at the skid marks on my driveway, it looks like the right front wheel was the culprit.

[novadmc]

Looking back at the skid marks on my driveway, it looks like the right front wheel was the culprit.

still on the original brake lines? maybe just a collapsed line? if you open the bleeder valve, can you then spin the wheel freely (or at all)? if you can with the valve open, then the line may have just collapsed internally. if the wheel still wont budge, then seized caliper is the next likely culprit.

[berickson926]

Did various tests/air bleeding on the car over the weekend to ensure I had finally sorted out my cooling system issues after the water pump install.

Since the car appeared to be running well at this point I decided to go through with my plans to drive up to the Hollywood Bowl for the BTTF in concert event last night.

It ran like a champ even in bumper to bumper traffic!

[Timebender]

FWIW: in your particular case you could have temporarily swapped in one of your non critical relays like the high beam. Then you could have driven to kragens or home for that matter.

Yeah I know.. I thought so after I had it towed home and found out they're all the same kind of relay.

Live and learn.

[Jonathan]

Went to a cruise night about an hour away and all was well.

Seemed like something was not quite right with the throttle on the drive home, not all of it, but the first part for sure.

My theory was that when I was kinda climbing into the "back" to prop up the flux capacitor against the cargo net, my elbow leaned too much weight on the centre console and pinched the throttle cable a little bit. Until I realized it or it finally relaxed enough and wiggled itself some slack, it was getting caught and keeping the throttle at something other than what my foot was trying to do with it.

Is this even possible? Anyone ever had experience with a throttle cable getting pinched accidentally under the ashtray/armrest area in the middle?

It seemed to smooth itself out later on in the drive, but maybe I still need to go looking for some other cause...

[DMC5180]

Seems highly improbable to pinch the steel coiled jacket. It might be coincidental that perhaps the inner cable is fraying internally. There is a lot of system friction in the throttle cable return springs. Concider spraying some lubrication on all the throttle return springs.


Dennis

[Jonathan]

Seems highly improbable to pinch the steel coiled jacket. It might be coincidental that perhaps the inner cable is fraying internally. There is a lot of system friction in the throttle cable return springs. Concider spraying some lubrication on all the throttle return springs.


Dennis

Thanks Dennis.

Any particular type of lubricating spray you recommend?

(boy, that line could get misread if you didn't know you were on a car forum...)