long summer trips

[greenwood]

I am planning on going to NC from VA on 4th of July weekend. This will be my first long trip in my 914 so looking for your thoughts and experiences on how the car will handle a 5 hr trip in 90+ degrees. It tends to run a bit hot according to the temp gauge but I don't know if that the fact or if it isn't accurate.
thanks in advance!

[Germain]

Things I've learned.

1) Temp guage location means nothing. Know where the needle normally is and if it get higher, worry.

2) A long cruse on the road is easier then a bunch of short ones in town. If your not haveing any problems with the car in normal conditions, you prob won't have any on the road.

3) Bring tools...

4) Due to my personal lack of faith in out 914, I will not be driveing from MI to CA in it. I will be taking my new Jeep.

5) Sign up for AAA or something of that sort (free towing and roadside assistance). I can make a bad day a bit better.

6) Don't expect to make it to your destination and plan money for a hotel on the way. This way you won't get upset if the car breaks.

7) If your going 140 instead of 70 your 5 hour trip will only take 2.5. I don't recomend this approach, but its a thought.

8) Lifes too short to worry about everything... Have fun and if it breaks, it breaks.

good luck
Germain

[BenI]

Ive driven my 914 from FL to CO 5 times now, and have learned MUCH from these experiences! A five hour trip is a bit different from a 24 hour trip, but if something is about to fail, 5 hours could be all it needs. Still, have fun! These cars are great, and parts are relatively easy to come by through chain auto parts stores. My advice is this:
1)Adjust valves before trip
2)Bring tools-sockets, open end wrenches, pliers, jackstands...I have an almost complete tool kit in my trunk.
3)The part(s) that will most likely fail are those that you do not know thier history-everything that Ive had to fix on the road has been a part that I had not repared or replaced yet.

This is not meant to scare you, just some notes from my experience. Good luck! And have fun, because thats what these cars are about.

PS-On the road Ive had a wheel bearing go at the grand canyon, a starter begin to fail, an accelerator diaphram on a Weber fail and I got a dirty gas tank in Eastern Colorado that took me 1000 miles of playing with the ignition system, timing, and carbs (rebuilt both in a motel room due to the pump failing) before realizing that it must be a clogged sock filter in the gas tank. The symptom was that I could only drive a couple hundred miles before the car would lose all power and Id have to wait 6 hours or so before I could move again. These were all exciting experiences that worked out fine in the end!

[JP Noonan]

Things that stop you cold and things that are hard to find.

Points, condensor, should be new. Plugs cap, rotor, wires the same.

Put in a new clutch and throttle cable and keeps the old ones as spares.

Spare alternator belt, I switch mine by pulling off the belt while pushing the car, the same to re-install it. Be caredul not to catch your fingers or fall under the car.

Relays and fuses, if the wipers are working slow noe find out now before the trip. Mine were slow because of rust in the assembly, but sometimes the motor slows before dieing.

Fuel pumps usally get loud before dying.

[Germain]

JP, hes going on a 5 hour drive. I wouldn't replace the clutch unless it failed. 5 hours isn't that far. Same with the cable, you might want an extra one around.

Alternator belt is a good idea.

As for the ignition system, a tune-up only hurts the pocket book.

The way I look at it, I could tow a parts car behind me. Or I could just make sure everything is in good working order before I leave and deal with it if it breaks.

[jabb]

5 hours should not be a big deal if the car is in good working oder. If it is running
hot make sure all the seet metal is installed. On the lower side of the engine there are some small pieces that are sometimes left off by PO. Also make sure
the plastic plugs are in place on the top side of the sheetmetal. where the adjusments are for accessing the alternator. These shuld be plugged. If not this can contribute to cooling problems. Also make sure that the fins on the cylinders and heads are clean this can also help to keep the car running cool. A trip of 5 hours / few hundred miles should not be a big deal.
Have fun Good Luck !

Joe A

[JP Noonan]

"There's a Red under my bed. There's a little green man in my head." Kinks

"I'm not paranoid, it's all true." Dr. Hunter S. Thomson

I didn't mean to suggest replacing the clutch, but the cable is a fairly easy one to do, and a hard part to find in FLAPS. Granted hignsight is 20/20 and it seems that my cable did give me some warning, but if it brakes where mine did you not only loose the cable but you get to spend hours looking for the trunion on the side of the road.

I agree you should be fine, if you've had the car for 6 months- a year as a daily driver all the catastrophic things would have already gone wrong.

FWIW my experience:

Things that have inconvienenced me. Blown fuel pump fuse. Sliping alt belt (had spare).
Overheating head light circut. Chafted wires causing small fire in passenger compartment, completely killing ignition (found short and drove on home). EGR tube unscrewing from head, sounds like dropped valve seat. Rust in tank clogging fuel filter, could only drive a few miles then sit for 3-4 minutes.

Things that have stopped me cold: Broke clutch cable. Jammed fuel pump, (took it apart removed small chunk of metal, drove next day). Ruptured fuel lines causing 1" of gas on floor pans. Concrete block chunk fell off truck in front of me and ripped deep oil sump off engine. Windsheild wipers frozen with rust.

So add to the list a new fuel filter and a fire extingusher and fuses, and a tarp to lay on.

I also carry a 15' long peice of 12 gauge wire with an inline fuse so I can rig any neccesary items like the fuel punp directly to the battery.

[Robert Helt]

The sky is falling, the sky is falling!
All you need is.....
1. A good looking babe that can suck the chrome off your bumper!
2. Full tank of gas both in your car and you!
3. Top down, girl up and going 80 mph!
4. VISA or MASTERCARD with an 5000 available credit between here and there!
Have a fun trip!!

[joncdeke]

1. Top up!
2. You and Girl doing 69 at 0 MPH!
3. What a ride!