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Preparing your Mopar for Long Distance Driving |
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Tuesday, 01 February 2005 |
By Michael Brinsden
For the last thirty five years or so I have had the privilege of
driving my Mopars across Australia, and in so doing have experienced
both the pleasure and the pain of encountering different sets of
driving conditions, in both the road and the weather, on these trips.
One thing these experiences have taught me is that vehicle preparation
before the trip commences is a vital part of arriving at the
destination safely and on time.
Most of us do not drive our vehicles very far from home and when a long
trip beckons we don’t prepare the vehicle for the conditions that
probably will be encountered at some stage on the way. If you are
considering a long trip to outback Australia, or even a long coastal
trip to Cairns or Adelaide, the following suggestions for the vehicle
preparation may save you some heartburn on the road.
Remember, that on these long journeys you will encounter many changes
in the road surface and probably many changes in the local weather
conditions along the way. So be prepared for all possibilities!
Tyres It goes without saying that your tyres (and the spare) should be
in good condition with plenty of tread remaining. As you will be
covering a lot of kilometres have the front wheel alignment checked
before departure.
Correct tyre inflation for long distance driving is very important. If
the vehicle is heavily loaded, say three adults and one child plus
their luggage, then tyre inflation should be at least 36psi when cold.
Under hot driving conditions (40 Degrees and above) this tyre pressure
will probably rise to well over 40psi and the tyre should be warm, but
not hot, to touch after you have covered about the first 100Km.
During the trip check the tyre pressure in the morning before getting
on the road. If a slow leak is detected then remove the tyre and
replace with the spare. Arrange for the tyre to be repaired at the next
available stop.
Cooling System For long distance traveling in hot conditions this
system is the most prone to failure so make sure that the whole system,
water pump, radiator, hoses and belt drives are in top condition. The
recent article on “Cooling Tips” by Mark Fletcher, published in this
magazine, is an excellent guide to ensuring that your cooling system is
in pristine condition for the journey.
Place in the boot of your car the following spares-:
- Spare Top Radiator Hose
- Spare Bottom Radiator Hose
- Spare Water Pump Bypass Hose
- Spare Drive Belt(s) for the Water Pump/Alternator
And, if you have Air-conditioning fitted
to the vehicle, a spare set of matched Belt Drives for the
Airconditioner/Alternator. Note: Nobody sells matched pairs of belts
anymore. To ensure that you have two belts that are nearly identical
check the batch numbers printed on the belt. If the numbers are within
a few digits of each other then you have a matched pair.
I also carry a spare Water Pump and Gasket Set when setting out on long
trips as experience has taught me that this type of spare is simply
unavailable when you are far from the city.
Generally I replace all of the drive belts before departure in order to
minimize potential failure of the cooling system from this source.
Before departure make sure that all of the drive belts mate firmly in
their respective pulley slots and check that there is no slipping
occurring under load. If slippage is occurring wipe the underside of
each belt with candle grease, tighten the belts and run the engine. If
slippage still occurs replace the faulty belt.
Check that the viscous clutch, located on the Radiator Fan drive shaft,
is engaging when the engine is warm. If this does not occur then
replace the viscous clutch as its failure to engage, when the engine is
hot, will cause the engine to overheat in hot driving conditions. This
is particularly important when Air-conditioning is fitted to the
vehicle. It is very frustrating to have to disengage the
Air-conditioning because the engine is getting too hot when the outside
temperature is 40 Degrees plus!
Fuel System Generally this system rarely causes trouble on long trips
but it is prudent to check that everything is performing satisfactorily
before departure.
Check that the Carburetor Bowl Float is behaving normally and that
there is no blockage at the Float Valve on the fuel inlet. Check that
the Fuel Pump is delivering fuel at the correct pressure and that there
are no leaks in any of the fuel lines leading to the Fuel Pump and the
Carburetor Bowl.
A fairly common problem, at outback fuel stations, is water in the
petrol which may lead to intermittent running and loss of power from
your engine. Unfortunately if this happens to you there is very little
you can do about it short of dismantling your fuel system, drying out
the lines and washing and drying out the fuel tank – a very long and
arduous task. I have found from experience that if the water content in
the fuel is low then the next time the fuel tank is filled the problem
goes away. If your vehicle can run on unleaded fuel then it is a good
idea to stick to premium unleaded fuel from the major suppliers during
the trip in order to minimse the risk of water in the petrol.
Ignition and Spark Control System Once again it is rare to experience
trouble from this system particularly if the vehicle is fitted with an
electronic spark control system. Even so on one trip I had a
Distributor collapse which brought the vehicle to a dead stop in the
middle of nowhere. Needless to say I did not have a spare Distributor
in the boot and our trip back to Sydney was delayed by three days while
a new Distributor was flown out at great expense. I now pack a spare
Distributor permanently in the boot.
Check that the spark is strong by holding the spark plug leads about 2
cm from the engine body. If the spark is weak and a yellow colour then
the Coil and/or the Spark Plug leads probably need replacing.
Check that the engine timing is set correctly for sustained high speed
driving and that the fuel/air mix is not too lean or too rich. If
timing, or the fuel/air mix, is not optimized then the fuel bill for
your trip will break the bank. If the fuel/air mix is too lean then
your engine will run hot and be useless in hot driving conditions.
I always insert new plugs into the engine before a long trip as
insurance against failure. It is a good idea to have a spare set in the
boot in case one of the cylinders starts to burn oil.
Weather and Road conditions On long car journeys it is very unusual to
experience the same weather conditions and road conditions along the
whole expanse of the trip. Always expect the conditions to change even
though you may be driving on bitumen roads for the whole journey. For
example on one trip to Perth we came across road maintenance
contractors who were repairing a section of road that was over 100Km
long. They had made a dirt road next to the main highway and all
traffic was diverted to this road. The road was in very poor condition
and the car received quite a battering from the rocks and the giant
potholes. It was as hot as Hades and progress was very slow behind the
road trains. We passed at least 15 vehicles that had overheated on that
stretch. Fortunately I had mounted a Car Bra on the vehicle nose cone
to minimse the ingression of bugs into the radiator so no damage was
received on the paintwork from flying stones kicked up by other
vehicles.
A Car Bra is a useful addition to the kit you may need on a long
journey. Unfortunately they are not bought off the shelf and the only
way to obtain one is to have it custom made.
Insect screens mounted in front of the grill are also useful on long
trips. They keep most of the bugs out of the radiator and they are easy
to clean after the bugs have dried out. They are particularly useful if
you are unfortunate enough to be caught in a grasshopper plague while
on the road. I have found that they are effective in stopping the bugs
from reaching the radiator core and causing the engine to overheat.
If you are driving at night in kangaroo country an essential addition
to your vehicle is the Roo-Bar. These can be custom made to replace the
Front Bumper or can be mounted on the front chassis rails to provide
protection to the vehicle front. If you will be driving at night I
recommend that long distance Halogen Spotlights be mounted on the front
bumper or the Roo-Bar. These should be adjusted to illuminate both
sides of the road at least 125 metres in front of the car. Of course it
goes without saying that your speed should be lower than when you drive
in daylight because, if you hit a big red kangaroo front-on, even the
Roo Bar may not be enough to prevent damage to the car.
I hope these notes provide some insight into the preparation of your
Mopar for that long distance trip. If you are like me, and look forward
to getting behind the wheel and just going, then the suggestions here
may help to make that long trip in your Mopar enjoyable and trouble
free.
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