Road Trip!

Finished the timing belt and water pump replacement a few weeks ago on my 82 Mondial 8 (which went off without a problem). This weekend I decided to push the limit with my car and drove it to cape cod, a 500 mile trip.

The trip went off with little problem. It was a little hot with no AC, and the rain was a bit of a nuisance (as the wipers are super slow). But she acted as you would want her to. I even got 18 MPG! The only issues I had was:
1) tachometer still continues to jump (problem since I have owned it)
2) lights dim and brighten
3) when it rains a lot, the "brake failure" light comes on dimly (problem since I owned it).

I think issue 2 and potentially issue 1 are related. Im thinking perhaps a bad ground or bad contact. I am going to rebuild my battery shut off, this acts a little squirrely and when I repositioned it, the lights only dimmed twice the whole ride home, compared to about once every 30 seconds on the drive up. If not, I am thinking I should test my alternator and possibly get a rebuild. When I drive the car, the charge doesn't go above 13.1 which feels low.

At the end of it, though, I am pumped. Not bad for a long trip with a family of 3 and a bunch of bags.

Happy Driving!



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My car only had about 24000 miles when I bought it, it had sat for a LONG time before the owner I bought it from did a bunch of sorting. He ran into financial problems and that became my opportunity to take ownership. I like to drive my classics and put a little mileage on them, so I almost have 30k on it after 4 years. To that end you are right. Since I purchased her, she continues to run smoother and smoother. I am also slowly sorting little issues here and there that have really made her quite reliable. So I have driven 2 hours to altantic city and 2 hours and 4 hours to montauk and now the 4 hour trip to cape cod. The engine just sings, almost like she's been tired of sitting around so long!

I also cannot deny, I love the thumbs up I get while driving her.

 

Thanks, i'll take a look!

 

All excellent questions. the drive up was 4 hours. The mondi seats are hard...like they were carved from wood and covered with leather! After 2 hours my back was sore, the last 2 hours was making me rethink my decision. As a reference, I dont have back problems but I am in my early 50s. The way back I did 2 things to help, 1) put a rolled towel on my lower back, it made a very big difference. 2) I stopped half way for a 2 hour break to visit my brother and grab dinner. That made a big difference. My back was a little sort, but not nearly as bad as the ride up. From Chicago, I would be concerned at that distance if I were frank. For 2 hour trips, I only feel a slight tinge in my back, after that it starts to act up.

For my next long trip, I am going to seek out a car cover...I wonder if temperpedic makes car seat covers!