Daytona to New Hampshire in a '69 911E

[ChrisBennet]

Hi guys,
I got a chance to write up my little adventure so far. Daytona Adventure

Here's an excerpt:
Thursday Aug 19th: Leaving Daytona

The plan was to leave Daytona drive to me brother's in Sumter SC. When I stop the car want's to idle at 4000rpm. I try calling my MFI knowledgable friends without success.

At some point I go to pull up the emergency brake or the hand throttle and accidently pull up the heater lever. I push it back down but it's too late. It doesn't close all the way. My day becomes even hotter.

When I filled up somewhere in northern Georgia or SC the car wouldn't start. Dead battery. I push it away from the pump down a gentle incline and jump start it. After this I notice that I was lucky - this country is really flat and that was the only gas station with and incline for probably a 100 miles.

I make it to about 100 miles from my brothers and manage to coast part way up an off ramp.


My brother arrives in a couple of hours with a fresh Optima. He has a cool rescue vehicle.


The next day we (OK, my brother ) figured out that one of the female spade connectors to the regulator had pushed back out of the connector so the field wasn't energizing. (No Power Captain!). The nice color wiring diagram the previous owner included with the car was key to solving this. I take the opportunity to push the heater valve all the way closed and check out the throttle linkage for binding. I notice the engine is remarkably dry.

[bell]

so you're still "in-route", pick up a cheap volt meter so you can keep an eye on if the car is charging. cycling a battery can be harsh on it....and can kill an optima (non-servicable).
check the voltage when you stop for fuel, or stick it in the cig lighter (make a plug) and you can check it when rolling.
good luck and godspeed

[ChrisBennet]

Originally posted by bell
so you're still "in-route", pick up a cheap volt meter so you can keep an eye on if the car is charging. cycling a battery can be harsh on it....and can kill an optima (non-servicable).
check the voltage when you stop for fuel, or stick it in the cig lighter (make a plug) and you can check it when rolling.
good luck and godspeed

I brought one but I didn't want to believe it wasn't charging. Reality intruded eventually...
I got the charging system tested today and it's good.
Now I'm trying to figure out that high idle...
-Chris

[Par911]

Chris, let me know if you stop in the MD/NoVA area.

[hoosierdaddy]

Cool Cuda!!!!!!!

[Rouxzy]

Chris,
Now if you were home working on that 3.6 in your garage then you never would have gotten stranded. Just Kidding! That is a sweet looking ride, both yours and your brothers. Take your time and enjoy the good weather, Lord nows we're still waiting for summer to start back home in New Hampshire.
Tom

[ChrisBennet]

Originally posted by Rouxzy
Chris,
Now if you were home working on that 3.6 in your garage then you never would have gotten stranded. Just Kidding! That is a sweet looking ride, both yours and your brothers. Take your time and enjoy the good weather, Lord nows we're still waiting for summer to start back home in New Hampshire.
Tom

Now I feel guilty having fun while you are motorless. After 9 months without a 911 and no prospects of getting another for a some time I've become weak. When I had the chance to drive a 911 for a few days I couldn't pass it up.
-Chirs

[KALLGREN]

Chris,

You are a bold man making making a bold statement. Great pics and great story so far. Can's wait for the next update.

BK

[ChrisBennet]

Friday we (OK, my brother ) figured out that one of the female spade connectors to the regulator had pushed back out of the connector so the field wasn't energizing. (No Power Captain!). The nice color wiring diagram the previous owner included with the car was key to solving this. I take the opportunity to push the heater valve all the way closed and check out the throttle linkage for binding. I notice the engine is remarkably dry.

Saturday the brothers Bennet worked on figuring out the high idle. I found that the microswitch wasn't working and my brother was able to repair it. That helped some with the popping but the idle was still on the high side.
My brother noticed that the linkage between the throttle linkage and the MFI pump was such that the pump wouldn't fully turn off. We adjusted that and the idle seem OK now. We'll see if it works once it gets really warmed up.

-Chris

[ChrisBennet]

Sunday Aug 23: Back on the road again

Here I am leaving my brother's. He ran down the driveway and gave me my camera back before I really left.


The car is running great. It still wants to idle at 2000 and snaps and pops a little but that's better than idling at 4000 rpm like before. It's a cool day and the temp gauge doesn't reach 100 centigrade until afternoon

It looks like it is going to be a boring day - and a boring trip update. I'm actually hoping to get pulled over by the cops so I can take a picture of it. That would spice things up.

I consider stopping someplace "interesting" for lunch. The earlier billboards for this place said "Great Food".


I stop at a Cracker Barrel store to get another book on CD and when I come out the car won't start. I check the battery and it is fine. I push the car backwards up the slight incline of the diagonal parking space, let some cars drive around my nose and then push the car back into the parking space. I'm thinking "If I don't hit the brakes in time I'm going to cream the front spoiler on the curb at the end of the parking space." The car starts.

I drive down the street to a Burger King and park the car. I try to start it and it won't. I push start it again and park it out back where there is more room to push start it next time. I check battery voltage and charging. Ironically, now that I want it to idle at 2000 rpm to test the charging system, it wants to idle at 1100. I get it close with the hand throttle. I call my brother and pick his brains.

I eat my lunch and study the wiring diagram. I push the car and start it. I'm getting pretty good at it now.

I drive over to the gas station, park on an incline, grab a drink and come out. It starts fine. I drive to the pumps, gas up and it starts fine again. I'm thinking it is an ignition key switch problem or one of the starter relays. I don't have enough hands to start the car and check the relay voltages at the same time.

With an idle of 2000 rpm there has been no way to check the oil. I've been watching the oil level gauge all week and I've detected a change in it's bouncing level so I think it is safe to add some now.
Remind me to put oil in the car in the morning. :-)

G'night,
Chris

[}{arlequin]

Chris, nice to see you in a *right-engined* car. When I saw Per's offer in one of the threads I couldn't believe how reasonable Grassroots' price was (or Per's.) I'm glad it's a Pelican picking up that car. I always lust after their project cars, most anyway (they seem to have good value, practicality, and effectiveness), and I'm curious how they turn out "in the real world." Keep us posted on those MotorMeister parts too

[ChrisBennet]

Originally posted by }{arlequin
Chris, nice to see you in a *right-engined* car. When I saw Per's offer in one of the threads I couldn't believe how reasonable Grassroots' price was (or Per's.) I'm glad it's a Pelican picking up that car. I always lust after their project cars, most anyway (they seem to have good value, practicality, and effectiveness), and I'm curious how they turn out "in the real world." Keep us posted on those MotorMeister parts too

Yes, it's nice to be in a 911 again if only for a few days. I'm just delivering it for a friend.
-Chris

[ChrisBennet]

The friend I'm staying with in Virginia (right next to DC) has a truck that's not working so well so we spend some time working on it in the morning bofore I leave. We go to the store for oil and a mirror and I put in a quart.
I don't leave until almost noon.

I stop at a rest stop and when I come out the car won't start. I take the opportunity to tap the starter relays and retry. No dice. I push start it and resume my journey.

I hit traffic at the George Washington bridge and inch along for an hour while the temp gauge climbs. This was the hottest it ever got during the trip. I think the plugs are loading up so whenever I get the chance, I try to let it clear it's throat with a burst of throttle before I hit traffic again like some demented ricer.



I make a few more stops and one more push start on the way home. Fortified by Mt Dew and food that should have a Surgeon General's warning on the label I push on.

Once my book on CD ends I drop some acid and the Little Red Porsche and I speed on through the night towards home.


The End

[}{arlequin]

that's a funny finish, glad you made it back. It IS a boring drive.

[Wrecked944]

Originally posted by ChrisBennet
Once my book on CD ends I drop some acid and the Little Red Porsche and I speed on through the night towards home.

Glad to see you've finally gotten your meds sorted out.

Originally posted by ChrisBennet
Yes, it's nice to be in a 911 again if only for a few days

There are two more AutoX events scheduled for September and I could use a co-driver.

[hoosierdaddy]

Chris
Please take a trip again soon , that was a good read .

Jim

[KALLGREN]

I owe Chris a huge thanks for making this trip. After a hard day at the track, I was eager to check out the new ride.

Chris had huge gumption to contemplate the trip and even bigger cojones to embark from Florida in an essentially unknown car, now approaching 35 years old. Indeed, Per (the seller) had advised that this might be too much of a trip when originally proposed. I believe that his longest trip had been a few hundred miles, and this likely in a convoy with ready support at hand.

With some hurdles overcome, Chris comes through again and proves that he is a MAN amoung men.

With the greatest thanks,

BK


now the conversion to a track machine can begin...

[rcm]

Chris, glad your back ready for that free lunch?

[GRMPer]

Glad it made it back ok!

Per

[ChrisBennet]

Originally posted by rcm
Chris, glad your back ready for that free lunch?

Hey Rick,
I've got a free lunch lined up for this Friday, Saturday and Sunday so far but after that I'm going to be too busy getting a motor out the door to do any long distance lunches for a while.
-Chris