Epic Road Solo Trip #2

troika · 10-17-2021, 01:04 PM

Seattle to San Diego and back - 2,800 miles.

She ran like a champ*. I am using about a quart of oil every 300 miles, which seems like a lot. It could be leaking, but there's not that much on my garage floor. The power curve is interesting, there seems to be a narrow band of killer pull, but if I plan my shifts right, I can mostly live in it. When it's there, it purrs and snarls.

The only mechanical issue I had was that the driver's side window got stuck down. i worked on it a bit, but I'm going to have to get deep in the door to find the broken part. I got lucky with the weather.

Took I-5 down (or "the 5" as the Californians say), but stuck to the beautiful coast on the way back. Big Sur in the dark ... and I mean DARK ... was exciting. Zero deer hit, 100% of corners owned.

I think that's probably it for us for the year. Time to start wrenching and keeping our drives shorter and localer.

darrin · 10-17-2021, 01:43 PM

300 miles per quart is indeed a lot -- I'd pull your plugs and see if any are oil-fouled, as that might give you a clue. Nice car!

computertom · 10-17-2021, 03:04 PM

That is a lot of oil. Seriously hows the bottom of the engine look? That much oil would have me thinking and oil is either actively leaking or you have a real seal issue which would be showing up on your plugs and in the exhaust.

pjm1 · pjm1's Garage

What an awesome trip - that sounds fantastic! Glad it was mostly trouble free.

Hi_Fi_Guy · Hi_Fi_Guy's Garage

I’ve done Big Sur at night. Not for the feint of heart.

troika · 10-17-2021, 05:12 PM

Thanks for the validation on the oil consumption. Seemed high to me too.

quattrorunner · quattrorunner's Garage

If you were actively leaking you would know it by the amount of oil on your decklid. You’re most likely burning oil.
But that sounds like a blast! The drive down PCH really is nice.

Coastr · 10-18-2021, 12:35 AM

Oil consumption of that level means burning - check around your exhaust for tell tale stains. Easy to suck past the valve guides on decel and burn on accel. You ull hardly ever see the smoke thanks to the low exhaust exit and general aero shape of the car.

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

Nice trip. I have driven out to California three times. The coast road is some beautiful areas to visit.

300 mile per quart is simple excessive. at that rate, you really need to do a top end at the very least. With valve guides and or rings that worn you are near the point of a major and very expensive failure. Valves can break and cause engine destruction.

troika · 10-20-2021, 06:52 AM

Thanks for the confirmation on oil consumption, guys. I'm building a winter work list.

47silver · 47silver's Garage

What can happen if guides get too worn?

proporsche · proporsche's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by 47silver

What can happen if guides get too worn?

white smoke in the morning or cold engine..
Ivan

proporsche · proporsche's Garage

troika..i did the similar trip as you but to Napa..only..Too bad you did not drive down south on the 1 at day time ,it is spectacular ...overall i`d bet nice feeling on the round trip;-)

Ivan

rokemester · 10-20-2021, 04:32 PM

So many questions! Please add more details about your lovely car! You’re a courageous maniac driving some of those roads at night. I struggle tooling around suburban Ohio at night. Great shot of your car! BUT you are in the roadway right? I live vicariously through your adventurous heart. Keep driving!!

fanaudical · fanaudical's Garage

Sounds like a fabulous trip!

How was your trip down I5? I have a '75 Targa - it just doesn't seem to find the right ruts to ride in on I5 around here...

proporsche · proporsche's Garage

somewhere midway on the 5 be careful there could sandstorms and it works like a sandpaper on your paint.I had a guy coming once for Sacramento and his whole front was kinda kaput.
Also be aware of the cow fields long drive through very smelly area;-))))

Ivan

troika · 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by proporsche

somewhere midway on the 5 be careful there could sandstorms and it works like a sandpaper on your paint.I had a guy coming once for Sacramento and his whole front was kinda kaput.
Also be aware of the cow fields long drive through very smelly area;-))))

Ivan

I went south on I-5 and it was an Oklahoma dust bowl hellscape. I don't even know what else to say about it. I feel so bad for the people who live there, I knew there were water issues and they are clearly indicated by the lake levels, but I had no idea how bad things were. Paint seems okay, but I was concerned about it and my car is not going to move until I refresh the air filter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rokemester

So many questions! Please add more details about your lovely car! You’re a courageous maniac driving some of those roads at night. I struggle tooling around suburban Ohio at night. Great shot of your car! BUT you are in the roadway right? I live vicariously through your adventurous heart. Keep driving!!

Not standing in the roadway. I shot the photo in a scenic turnout.

The car is a 1976 911S. I am the 3rd owner. The first owner was very meticulous dentist and the 2nd was my dad. I went with him to pick it up and this guy's garage looked like an operating room. My dad loved it and took similar trips in it (apple not far from the tree). He had it repainted the original color code, but he left the engine trouble to me. The 2.7 was end of life when I got it and I sort of fell into a known, reliable, but not yet rebuild 3.0 out of a '79 SC, which is what is still in there today. I have been working on the interior and moved the ride height to the theoretical Euro spec and backdated the exhaust with SSIs.

I know that it will need a full or partial engine rebuild and I'm studying those options and decisions now. If anyone has a strong Seattle area recommendation for that process, I will welcome them. I'd love to do it myself, but this is a special car to me and I'd like that job in the hands of a pro. I do want to pull a bit more performance out of it when that day comes. It may not be time, but the oil consumption is worth understanding and addressing.

I buried the punchline on the drive through Big Sur at night. The headlights have been acting weird for a while (go out when I signal a turn) and before my KC trip in August they wouldn't work at all. I spend a couple of days reading here and trying to rebuild that switch, but couldn't get it working. I ended up clamping all of those points together and then taking the high-beam fuse out so that they wouldn't be on all of the time. Solved my lowbeam problems, but no high beams!

I have a new switch and tried to replace it before the CA trip, but I gave up on connecting the wires at the light switch because there is a metal shield which made it virtually impossible to work under there.

I have a window gear issue on the driver's side and my radio went out and I've got this. I think that I'm going to pull the driver's seat and a lot of the interior out over the winter and will try again with less stuff in the way.