Next stop, home.

September 26, 2006, 11:20:01 PM

I honestly don't know which is better.. finally getting this trip started, or finally being finished (for now) working on the car.

Wish the ol' LSC luck. I'd say wish me luck, but the car needs it more.. especially after I worked on it.

:hick: :pbb: :wtf:

Taking my laptop along so I can torment you folk from up there, too. :p

October 22nd

Reply #1 – October 01, 2006, 09:28:27 PM

Drive to 87th and Harlem Ave. on Sunday the 22nd at 1:00 and join the October meeting at Lindy and Gertie's.

Next stop, home.

Reply #2 – October 01, 2006, 10:34:53 PM

I won't be up here at that time.

Next stop, home.

Reply #3 – October 02, 2006, 12:40:25 PM

So I guess I'll fill in a little more now that I have a few minutes.

Car ran fine for the trip. The trip computer shows an average of 21.5 mpg, but that's taking into account about a thousand miles of driving before the trip as well. We have to calculate actual usage from our records.

Lost about a quart of oil over the first day, so the Check Oil light was on the next morning. Filled that up with the rest of the first bottle of Auto-RX and a quart of 10w30, and all was good. Didn't lose much of anything the second day. The power steering leak seems to have gone away with some clamp tightening. Brakes worked fine. Have to do the Auto-RX rinse phase oil change tomorrow with some non-synth 5w30 and a fresh filter. So would I say the Auto-RX worked out? Too early to tell.. but the oil is definitely a lighter color than I expected it to be after all that. Maybe on the rinse phase.. or maybe I need to cut the current oil filter open and take a couple pics.

Only significant problem with the car was that the rear view mirror fell off on the first day. Fixed it in the parking lot of an AutoHole in Dothan, AL.

Taking the route up through Alabama instead of Georgia was a nice change of pace. The only significant stretch on a non-Interstate was on US 231, and that road was just as good as many Interstates.. with proper rest areas and 65 mph speed limits most of the way. We'll be taking that route again on the return trip. The only parts that really sucked were Birmingham around 4 PM, I-57 all the way up the middle of Illinois, (right lane is in very bad shape from all the truck traffic) and the last bit of driving getting through Chicago to the Schaumburg area. Anyway, the people along the way were decent, and it was nice to throw a few dollars towards the economy of one of the other states that got hit with all the hurricanes over the last couple years, like we did.

Would I do it again with this car? Sure, with one change. I definitely want to pick up a 2-speed electric fan from an early 3.8 Taurus, and a 35A DCC controller for it. I'd use a Mark VIII fan, but I only have a 95A alt. Not going to change alts again just for the fan.

Did the timing change and premium work out? I can't say yet, to be honest.

Next stop, home.

Reply #4 – October 09, 2006, 10:01:23 AM

Time to head for home tomorrow morning around 5 AM Central. I'm somewhat worried about leaks being a problem, since I seem to have found a few new ones while I was underneath it the other day. Looks like I'll be chasing down a coolant leak, in addition to oil and power steering leaks, when I get back. At least I tightened up the valve cover bolts I could get to.. one of them was loose enough to turn by hand.

Except for the trip to the Illinois Railway Museum on Saturday, this has been a pretty boring trip. Good thing I brought my guitar for some practice to fill in the dead spots.

You folks try not to kill each other before I get back home. :p