2016 hrpt
- Thread starter Lvnmarks
- Start date
See post 18
driller
El Presidente
LOL... probably so.
All good things must come to an end. We finished the Power Tour and became official members of the Long Haul Gang. Joe should be home this morning.
I will update the thread later this week with a log of events and some pics. :wink2-green
driller
El Presidente
Day 1
Saturday, June 11th
In the wee hours of the morning the CE rolled out of WV headed on an 1,070+ mile trek to Louisiana. Our destination was the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, LA to register by 6PM to qualify to become part of the infamous "Long Haul Gang" for the first time. It was raining by the time we arrived.
We picked up our official credentials at the registration building and proceeded to make our way to the check-in station to "clock-in". The rain had successfully scattered the crowds so we were able to park relatively close to the venue and the stage where the time clocks were located.
Not much time was spent at the venue since we knew we would have a week of opportunity to take in whatever sights we wanted and we were somewhat anxious to find the hotel and settle in for the evening. We did stop long enough to take a few pics of the CE on our way out.
Saturday, June 11th
In the wee hours of the morning the CE rolled out of WV headed on an 1,070+ mile trek to Louisiana. Our destination was the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, LA to register by 6PM to qualify to become part of the infamous "Long Haul Gang" for the first time. It was raining by the time we arrived.
We picked up our official credentials at the registration building and proceeded to make our way to the check-in station to "clock-in". The rain had successfully scattered the crowds so we were able to park relatively close to the venue and the stage where the time clocks were located.
Not much time was spent at the venue since we knew we would have a week of opportunity to take in whatever sights we wanted and we were somewhat anxious to find the hotel and settle in for the evening. We did stop long enough to take a few pics of the CE on our way out.
driller
El Presidente
Day One continued...
On the way to the hotel, our first gremlin of the trip appeared... the AC suddenly became unresponsive as the cold air quit blowing. No fear, it came back on and we proceeded on our way. Once we were checked in and settled down for a couple cold beers, we opted to find out what the issue with the blower motor was. I had figured it was the legendary control harness malfunction and would be an easy fix. Alas, it was not evident there was any burnt connection and we decided to remove the blower motor control module to see what was wrong.
The module was "wet" and once removed, we discovered ominous signs of corrosion inside the module.
Taking a gamble, we cleaned the corrosion off the circuit board with a complimentary toothbrush from the front desk.
The logic was the water and corrosion was compromising the circuitry and once clean and dry it would function once again. :wink2-green
Crawling back under the dash, I reconnected the module to the blower motor and harness and started the car. Success! :love-it:
The cold AC air was blowing once again. It was a welcome sign as we did not want to think about a week long road trip in the heat with no AC. The forecast was near record breaking heat all the way to Kansas City! :eek-large:
(Pardon the double post of some pics but I wanted to start the story from the beginning. )
On the way to the hotel, our first gremlin of the trip appeared... the AC suddenly became unresponsive as the cold air quit blowing. No fear, it came back on and we proceeded on our way. Once we were checked in and settled down for a couple cold beers, we opted to find out what the issue with the blower motor was. I had figured it was the legendary control harness malfunction and would be an easy fix. Alas, it was not evident there was any burnt connection and we decided to remove the blower motor control module to see what was wrong.
The module was "wet" and once removed, we discovered ominous signs of corrosion inside the module.
Taking a gamble, we cleaned the corrosion off the circuit board with a complimentary toothbrush from the front desk.
The logic was the water and corrosion was compromising the circuitry and once clean and dry it would function once again. :wink2-green
Crawling back under the dash, I reconnected the module to the blower motor and harness and started the car. Success! :love-it:
The cold AC air was blowing once again. It was a welcome sign as we did not want to think about a week long road trip in the heat with no AC. The forecast was near record breaking heat all the way to Kansas City! :eek-large:
(Pardon the double post of some pics but I wanted to start the story from the beginning.
)
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driller
El Presidente
Day 2
Sunday, June 12th
Now the fun begins. :cool-blue:
The drive from Gonzales to Baytown, TX was mostly uneventful. The one thing I remember was the one bridge which had to be 20 miles long!
I also believe this was the day we decided to instate a new rule for the Power Tour. The rule states any Hot Rod Power Tour participant first in line at a stop light while on the Power Tour has the obligation to express his enthusiasm for the trip by leaving with a burnout when the light turns green. :laugh:
It was pretty cool the first time or two but soon we seemed to be drawing more than our fair share of red lights. We quickly began to wonder if we might need to buy tires by Wednesday. LOL
The clouds kept the heat somewhat at bay but the humidity was a killer. We arrived at the Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown just before the rains started (again).
Sunday, June 12th
Now the fun begins. :cool-blue:
The drive from Gonzales to Baytown, TX was mostly uneventful. The one thing I remember was the one bridge which had to be 20 miles long!
I also believe this was the day we decided to instate a new rule for the Power Tour. The rule states any Hot Rod Power Tour participant first in line at a stop light while on the Power Tour has the obligation to express his enthusiasm for the trip by leaving with a burnout when the light turns green. :laugh:
It was pretty cool the first time or two but soon we seemed to be drawing more than our fair share of red lights. We quickly began to wonder if we might need to buy tires by Wednesday. LOL
The clouds kept the heat somewhat at bay but the humidity was a killer. We arrived at the Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown just before the rains started (again).
driller
El Presidente
Day 3
Monday, June 13th
We started the morning looking for a car wash as it appeared it was going to be a rain free day for the trip up to Austin, TX. Apparently, southern Texas has little interest in washing cars as it took us an hour to find a functioning car wash.
One of the things to love about the Power Tour is the countless impromptu "car shows" along the route at virtually every eatery or gas station.
The venue at the Circuit of the Americas was a sprawling facility. Thousands of cars awaited and there was a steady stream in and out. The heat was stifling on the asphalt tarmac.
On our way to the hotel we started getting "Low Coolant" warnings, another anomaly to deal with. After leaving the car cool in the shade in the hotel parking lot, it took a couple 12 ounce bottles of water to satisfy its thirst. We went shopping for some necessities and hit up a local sports bar for dinner. It was during that outing we started receiving "Check Traction Control" warnings on the message center. On the way back to the hotel, it became obvious we were having electrical issues but we managed to get back to the hotel parking lot despite the "Check Charging System" warning.
The car was obviously not happy. :mad-tilt:
Monday, June 13th
We started the morning looking for a car wash as it appeared it was going to be a rain free day for the trip up to Austin, TX. Apparently, southern Texas has little interest in washing cars as it took us an hour to find a functioning car wash.
One of the things to love about the Power Tour is the countless impromptu "car shows" along the route at virtually every eatery or gas station.
The venue at the Circuit of the Americas was a sprawling facility. Thousands of cars awaited and there was a steady stream in and out. The heat was stifling on the asphalt tarmac.
On our way to the hotel we started getting "Low Coolant" warnings, another anomaly to deal with. After leaving the car cool in the shade in the hotel parking lot, it took a couple 12 ounce bottles of water to satisfy its thirst. We went shopping for some necessities and hit up a local sports bar for dinner. It was during that outing we started receiving "Check Traction Control" warnings on the message center. On the way back to the hotel, it became obvious we were having electrical issues but we managed to get back to the hotel parking lot despite the "Check Charging System" warning.
The car was obviously not happy. :mad-tilt:
driller
El Presidente
Day 4
Tuesday, June 14th
Started the day by giving the car a thorough going over checking all the vital fluids. Topped off the AC system with about 1/2 can of freon from our trip to WalMart the evening before. Found the cooling system about 16 ounces low and topped it off with water. Everything else was good except the battery. After jumping the car with a lithium battery portable jump starter, we drove back to the local Wal-Mart to buy a battery. After installing the battery, we tested the standing voltage and verified the charging voltage was higher indicating the car was charging. I wrote it off as a bad cell in a 2 year old battery and pushed it to the bottom of the list. Our goal was to get our Long Haul credentials punched at the next venue, Trader's Village in Grand Prairie, Texas just outside Arlington, 228.9 miles away according to the official route directions.
The weather on the drive during the day became progressively hotter with very little cloud cover. We made a quick pit stop and purchased a bluetooth OBD2 monitor to keep a close eye on the engine temperatures. The engine temperatures held steady between 215* and 220* throughout the drive. The planned entry to the venue was backed up out onto the highway and an alternate route took us around the back to a long slow line snaking across the hot asphalt. By this point I found myself wishing I'd paid extra for a VIP package to take advantage of preferred parking on the grounds of the venue. :confused-red:
Upon our return to the car after an hour or so, Joe was the first to point out the front end had slammed indicating yet another problem with the car - the air suspension!
This Power Tour was beginning to be one challenge after another. :mad-tilt:
Tuesday, June 14th
Started the day by giving the car a thorough going over checking all the vital fluids. Topped off the AC system with about 1/2 can of freon from our trip to WalMart the evening before. Found the cooling system about 16 ounces low and topped it off with water. Everything else was good except the battery. After jumping the car with a lithium battery portable jump starter, we drove back to the local Wal-Mart to buy a battery. After installing the battery, we tested the standing voltage and verified the charging voltage was higher indicating the car was charging. I wrote it off as a bad cell in a 2 year old battery and pushed it to the bottom of the list. Our goal was to get our Long Haul credentials punched at the next venue, Trader's Village in Grand Prairie, Texas just outside Arlington, 228.9 miles away according to the official route directions.
The weather on the drive during the day became progressively hotter with very little cloud cover. We made a quick pit stop and purchased a bluetooth OBD2 monitor to keep a close eye on the engine temperatures. The engine temperatures held steady between 215* and 220* throughout the drive. The planned entry to the venue was backed up out onto the highway and an alternate route took us around the back to a long slow line snaking across the hot asphalt. By this point I found myself wishing I'd paid extra for a VIP package to take advantage of preferred parking on the grounds of the venue. :confused-red:
Upon our return to the car after an hour or so, Joe was the first to point out the front end had slammed indicating yet another problem with the car - the air suspension!
This Power Tour was beginning to be one challenge after another. :mad-tilt:
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driller
El Presidente
Day 5
Wednesday, June 15th
The morning ritual found the front end slammed to the ground again and the cooling system low (again). Upon closer diagnosis, it was concluded the heater core was leaking. In anticipation of this I had already purchased a section of heater hose, so it was decided to find a shady spot to locate the car in the parking lot of the hotel for the heater core bypass operation.
It didn't take long to discover that the heater hose on hand was not the correct size. As luck would have it, we just so happened to be next door to a Ford dealership. A few minutes later we were on the road with a section of 3/4" hose from their parts department. :cool-blue:
The drive of the day was mostly rural following US 81 North towards Oklahoma City through several small towns. Somewhere along the way, I noted a noise which sounded like I had run over something and kicked it up under the car. I did not recall anything laying in the road but looking in the mirror, something small was definitely bouncing down the roadway. However it wasn't long before I noticed something not quite right. Soon it was evident anytime the brakes were applied, the noticeable grinding noise progressively got worse. :eek-large:
A couple attempts were made to stop and locate the problem. Then this was found:
We happened to find a small shop in Duncan, OK that went above and beyond the call of duty to get us back on route. Even though their schedule was backed up, they squeezed us in once they discovered we were part of the Power Tour. Of course there were no replacement hardware to be found anywhere in town but the manager himself went to several stores to match up a bolt that would be a suitable replacement for the missing caliper bracket retaining bolt. :love-it:
Now with the heater core bypass delay and the caliper bracket bolt delay, we were beginning to be pressed for time to arrive at the venue in time to get clocked in to validate our Long haul status. But we were assured we weren't that far away and soon we arrived at the venue at the Remington Park in Oklahoma City.
Wednesday, June 15th
The morning ritual found the front end slammed to the ground again and the cooling system low (again). Upon closer diagnosis, it was concluded the heater core was leaking. In anticipation of this I had already purchased a section of heater hose, so it was decided to find a shady spot to locate the car in the parking lot of the hotel for the heater core bypass operation.
It didn't take long to discover that the heater hose on hand was not the correct size. As luck would have it, we just so happened to be next door to a Ford dealership. A few minutes later we were on the road with a section of 3/4" hose from their parts department. :cool-blue:
The drive of the day was mostly rural following US 81 North towards Oklahoma City through several small towns. Somewhere along the way, I noted a noise which sounded like I had run over something and kicked it up under the car. I did not recall anything laying in the road but looking in the mirror, something small was definitely bouncing down the roadway. However it wasn't long before I noticed something not quite right. Soon it was evident anytime the brakes were applied, the noticeable grinding noise progressively got worse. :eek-large:
A couple attempts were made to stop and locate the problem. Then this was found:
We happened to find a small shop in Duncan, OK that went above and beyond the call of duty to get us back on route. Even though their schedule was backed up, they squeezed us in once they discovered we were part of the Power Tour. Of course there were no replacement hardware to be found anywhere in town but the manager himself went to several stores to match up a bolt that would be a suitable replacement for the missing caliper bracket retaining bolt. :love-it:
Now with the heater core bypass delay and the caliper bracket bolt delay, we were beginning to be pressed for time to arrive at the venue in time to get clocked in to validate our Long haul status. But we were assured we weren't that far away and soon we arrived at the venue at the Remington Park in Oklahoma City.
driller
El Presidente
Day 6
Thursday, June 16th
The drive from Oklahoma City to Wichita was non eventful save for the heat and traffic. At one point we kept seeing Power Tour Cars going the opposite direction and after a while we discovered why.
For as far as I could see both ahead and behind me was a line of bumper to bumper traffic. For over 3 miles the pace was stop and go. I nervously kept an eye on the engine temps as the heat was almost unbearable. What had been normally 215*-220* was now pushing 230*-235* in the traffic backup. The CE marched on like a trooper and the AC thankfully never faltered.
The Kansa Pavilions just north of Wichita was the site of the venue and the heat was off the charts. We kept well hydrated and enjoyed the showfield just the same.
Thursday, June 16th
The drive from Oklahoma City to Wichita was non eventful save for the heat and traffic. At one point we kept seeing Power Tour Cars going the opposite direction and after a while we discovered why.
For as far as I could see both ahead and behind me was a line of bumper to bumper traffic. For over 3 miles the pace was stop and go. I nervously kept an eye on the engine temps as the heat was almost unbearable. What had been normally 215*-220* was now pushing 230*-235* in the traffic backup. The CE marched on like a trooper and the AC thankfully never faltered.
The Kansa Pavilions just north of Wichita was the site of the venue and the heat was off the charts. We kept well hydrated and enjoyed the showfield just the same.
driller
El Presidente
Day 7
Friday, June 17
The final leg of the long journey...
From Wichita to Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas.
No drama, just hot! But it was a cool drive through some of the more scenic areas of Kansas, which I did not expect. :wink2-green
The route directions tallied 1,316.8 miles. Tracking mileage with the trip meter failed because of the battery issues but I figure all in all it was probably close to 1,500 miles (including burnouts) for us to take in the "7 cities in 7 days". If you count the 1,100 miles to the start and the 900 mile return trip home, the CE racked up 3,500 miles on the odometer for the trip. :roll_over:
It was definitely a challenge but perserverence paid off and I am finally an official member of the Hot Rod Power Tour "Long Haul Gang". :cool-blue:
If you are a car guy (or gal) and enjoy car shows, cruises, old cars, new cars, muscle cars, show cars and all things Hot Rod, you owe it to yourself to do the Hot Rod Power Tour! I can't wait until next year!! It's a blast!!! :love-it:
Friday, June 17
The final leg of the long journey...
From Wichita to Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas.
No drama, just hot! But it was a cool drive through some of the more scenic areas of Kansas, which I did not expect. :wink2-green
The route directions tallied 1,316.8 miles. Tracking mileage with the trip meter failed because of the battery issues but I figure all in all it was probably close to 1,500 miles (including burnouts
) for us to take in the "7 cities in 7 days". If you count the 1,100 miles to the start and the 900 mile return trip home, the CE racked up 3,500 miles on the odometer for the trip. :roll_over:It was definitely a challenge but perserverence paid off and I am finally an official member of the Hot Rod Power Tour "Long Haul Gang". :cool-blue:
If you are a car guy (or gal) and enjoy car shows, cruises, old cars, new cars, muscle cars, show cars and all things Hot Rod, you owe it to yourself to do the Hot Rod Power Tour! I can't wait until next year!! It's a blast!!! :love-it:
driller
El Presidente
The saga was not over. :rolleyes-green:
After the day's events at the Speedway, we left the venue and proceeded to the hotel. After checking in at the front desk we went to park the car and it almost didn't start! But it was not going to ruin our evening so we parked it and decided we would deal with it in the morning.
So we began our trip back Saturday morning with a jaunt to the nearest WalMart to exchange the battery we had just bought four days earlier in Texas. Oh, by the way, did you know Texas has a "battery fee"??? It took the manager to figure out how to zero out the fee in the exchange transaction. After some smooth talking at the counter we walked out with a new battery, installed it in the car and proceeded to head east.
We had planned to stop in the Indianapolis area and meet up with Rene and Brad for dinner. We were navigating our way through the traffic in St. Louis when we began to get the by now all too familiar signs of low voltage... again! We literally googled a WalMart at the next exit and within a couple minutes we were in the parking lot when the car died from lack of electrons. Luckily we coasted to a stop off to the side of the store under a nice shade tree. Unfortunately, this particular WalMart did not have an Auto Center and they also did not have a matching battery. As luck would have it, there was a National Tire and Battery literally across the parking lot. Of course no one around had an alternator but we were able to find a battery. An inordinate amount of time later we had a brand new Interstate battery under the hood and were back on the road. We then enlisted Rene and Brad to search the Indy area for an alternator for the '04 Cobra mill in the CE.
Less than 90 minutes later we had to stop again, this time in Vandalia, IL for yet another WalMart battery exchange! :eek-large:
By now our dinner plans had been changed and Rene and Brad had found an alternator and were heading west with it while we proceeded eastwardly with our 3rd battery of the day. We were to meet up somewhere around the state line (presuming we had enough electricity to get there).
Over 2 hours later we were within minutes of meeting up when... you guessed it... we were low on power again. Struggling to get to yet another WalMart, the car managed to get within 1-1/2 miles of our destination in the little hamlet of Clinton, IN.
I had managed to pull off onto a side street and parked the car along the curb. We had talked about possibly swapping the 'dead' battery for the other 'dead' battery thinking it maybe had recovered enough juice to start the car and get us going a little bit further. Then we decided to try another trick.
We had with us a lithium battery jump starter which had proven itself quite useful. It was theorized we could try to start the car with it but instead of disconnecting it, we could leave it connected and perhaps it would have enough juice to get us to the local WalMart. The diminutive size of the unit allowed it to be connected to the battery and then tucked on top of the battery to allow the hood to close.
It worked! :laugh:
The car started and we immediately headed off into the sunset. :love-it:
Less than 2 miles later on the other side of Clinton, we pulled into the parking lot of the local WalMart with juice to spare. LOL
We had exchanged the battery (again) and were pushing the buggy out the door when we saw Rene and Brad had arrived and were parked next to the disabled CE. After a couple cold beers from the cooler, we began the operation of replacing the alternator.
In most any other Mark VIII, this would've been a 5 minute job... but on the '04 Cobra the alternator is not at 12 o'clock but is down around 5 o'clock on the drivers side. Now I don't know how the access is on the Mustang, but on the Lincoln... let's just say there is no access. The engine and accessories were obviously shoe-horned into place from the bottom with the k-member removed. Once the car was up on jackstands, it was immediately apparent the alternator was not coming out the bottom and would have to somehow be removed from the top.
Five hours later we were connecting the battery cables up to the new battery. We took a standing voltage reading and crossed our fingers and started the car. Success!!! The voltmeter indicated the car was charging! :wink2-green
Now, having come this far and still six hours or more to drive ahead of us, we decided it would be best to go ahead and swap out the leaky drivers side front air strut with the unit Lvnmarks had shipped us earlier in the week. Less than an hour later we were lowering the car back down off the jack and started to car and watched the suspension rise in all its glory! The Lincoln gods were finally pleased!! :big-grin:
At long last, we bid farewell to our good friends and drove on through the night.
In summary... our journey included a blower motor controller repair, a heater core bypass, 1/2 can freon, one brake caliper bracket bolt, crossover plug o-ring, front drivers side air bag, 5 batteries, one alternator and lots of tire tread from excessive burnouts along the way. The experience was... priceless! :big-grin:
After the day's events at the Speedway, we left the venue and proceeded to the hotel. After checking in at the front desk we went to park the car and it almost didn't start! But it was not going to ruin our evening so we parked it and decided we would deal with it in the morning.
So we began our trip back Saturday morning with a jaunt to the nearest WalMart to exchange the battery we had just bought four days earlier in Texas. Oh, by the way, did you know Texas has a "battery fee"??? It took the manager to figure out how to zero out the fee in the exchange transaction. After some smooth talking at the counter we walked out with a new battery, installed it in the car and proceeded to head east.
We had planned to stop in the Indianapolis area and meet up with Rene and Brad for dinner. We were navigating our way through the traffic in St. Louis when we began to get the by now all too familiar signs of low voltage... again! We literally googled a WalMart at the next exit and within a couple minutes we were in the parking lot when the car died from lack of electrons. Luckily we coasted to a stop off to the side of the store under a nice shade tree. Unfortunately, this particular WalMart did not have an Auto Center and they also did not have a matching battery. As luck would have it, there was a National Tire and Battery literally across the parking lot. Of course no one around had an alternator but we were able to find a battery. An inordinate amount of time later we had a brand new Interstate battery under the hood and were back on the road. We then enlisted Rene and Brad to search the Indy area for an alternator for the '04 Cobra mill in the CE.
Less than 90 minutes later we had to stop again, this time in Vandalia, IL for yet another WalMart battery exchange! :eek-large:
By now our dinner plans had been changed and Rene and Brad had found an alternator and were heading west with it while we proceeded eastwardly with our 3rd battery of the day. We were to meet up somewhere around the state line (presuming we had enough electricity to get there).
Over 2 hours later we were within minutes of meeting up when... you guessed it... we were low on power again. Struggling to get to yet another WalMart, the car managed to get within 1-1/2 miles of our destination in the little hamlet of Clinton, IN.
I had managed to pull off onto a side street and parked the car along the curb. We had talked about possibly swapping the 'dead' battery for the other 'dead' battery thinking it maybe had recovered enough juice to start the car and get us going a little bit further. Then we decided to try another trick.
We had with us a lithium battery jump starter which had proven itself quite useful. It was theorized we could try to start the car with it but instead of disconnecting it, we could leave it connected and perhaps it would have enough juice to get us to the local WalMart. The diminutive size of the unit allowed it to be connected to the battery and then tucked on top of the battery to allow the hood to close.
It worked! :laugh:
The car started and we immediately headed off into the sunset. :love-it:
Less than 2 miles later on the other side of Clinton, we pulled into the parking lot of the local WalMart with juice to spare. LOL
We had exchanged the battery (again) and were pushing the buggy out the door when we saw Rene and Brad had arrived and were parked next to the disabled CE. After a couple cold beers from the cooler, we began the operation of replacing the alternator.
In most any other Mark VIII, this would've been a 5 minute job... but on the '04 Cobra the alternator is not at 12 o'clock but is down around 5 o'clock on the drivers side. Now I don't know how the access is on the Mustang, but on the Lincoln... let's just say there is no access. The engine and accessories were obviously shoe-horned into place from the bottom with the k-member removed. Once the car was up on jackstands, it was immediately apparent the alternator was not coming out the bottom and would have to somehow be removed from the top.
Five hours later we were connecting the battery cables up to the new battery. We took a standing voltage reading and crossed our fingers and started the car. Success!!! The voltmeter indicated the car was charging! :wink2-green
Now, having come this far and still six hours or more to drive ahead of us, we decided it would be best to go ahead and swap out the leaky drivers side front air strut with the unit Lvnmarks had shipped us earlier in the week. Less than an hour later we were lowering the car back down off the jack and started to car and watched the suspension rise in all its glory! The Lincoln gods were finally pleased!! :big-grin:
At long last, we bid farewell to our good friends and drove on through the night.
In summary... our journey included a blower motor controller repair, a heater core bypass, 1/2 can freon, one brake caliper bracket bolt, crossover plug o-ring, front drivers side air bag, 5 batteries, one alternator and lots of tire tread from excessive burnouts along the way. The experience was... priceless! :big-grin: