Hmm, the car just died because we had too many things turned on. We (very quickly) turned off the stereo, A/C, driving lights, and phone chargers and it thankfully started running again. I don't think this alternator is quite adequate for us. 
Hmm, the car just died because we had too many things turned on. We (very quickly) turned off the stereo, A/C, driving lights, and phone chargers and it thankfully started running again. I don't think this alternator is quite adequate for us.
Are you guys going up through Ohio only, or through Indiana?
Tom Suddard wrote: Hmm, the car just died because we had too many things turned on. We (very quickly) turned off the stereo, A/C, driving lights, and phone chargers and it thankfully started running again. I don't think this alternator is quite adequate for us.
It was the phone chargers. Poor old car thought it has been kidnapped and probe by aliens.
-Rob
I just spent the last 2 hours driving by the light of my Surefire flashlight... we're 45 minutes away from Milledgeville and my dad is now driving. We do have dim lights on low beam if we keep the engine revving, so we're cruising in 3rd.
Also-every hotel so far has been booked, so we're stuck with our current reservation.
In reply to Tom Suddard:
Ugh, that sucks! Good luck tomorrow, can you guys get up early and drive during the day to avoid using lights? Or is the alternator just done?
I have a few spare alternators but A. they are for Alfas and B. they are in Portland. But it's the thought that counts right? 
And we're here safe and sound. More to come in the morning.
you do know that these days it's child endangerment to take your kids in a car without ABS, traction control, and dvd screens in the back of the headrests..
Tom Suddard wrote: Katie wasn't talked into anything. She's pretty much here against her will.
Sounds like perfect recipe for any successful epic family vacation!
How long are you all going to be up there? I am going to be up there this coming weekend.
Curmudgeon wrote: How many times have the words 'Don't make me pull this car over!' been said so far?
How about "Are we there yet?"
Nice shot of the patio. Note the fairly new concrete...
Sounds fun !
Sooo... Does that Benz have a generator? If so, find a set of brushes and keep rocking...
I'm officially jealous. Good luck with the trip! My buddy has a house up near Traverse City that I go to occasionally. It's a really nice area. Have fun!
That's a seriously cool road trip car. TC is popular, I guess. I plan to be there in July.
The big PCA gig for the year is in TC this summer too. I was trying to figure out how to drag the kids down to see the cars but I don't think it's going to happen.
Benz has a newly rebuilt alternator, and we've seen a pretty good failure rate with these.
Since most of the tools and spares got jettisoned after the overweight/tire-rubbing incident yesterday afternoon, Katie and I are hanging out at the Hampton Inn while Tim and Tommy hitchhike back with the giant battery they just bought at the K-Mart a few miles away. Tim's got a lunch meet-up planned with some Merc guys, so hopefully they'll be able to help us toward a more permanent fix.
Ride 'em in! Ride 'em out! (For some reason, I have the theme from "Rawhide" stuck in my head.)
Margie
Want to stop by Beverly Hills (Northern suburbe of Detroit) for a BBQ on your way North?
"Tell him Ray."
"K-Mart sucks."
Bungee old battery to front bumper for a balance stone
So... to make a long story short, we didn't manage to get a ride.
It wouldn't start, but it also didn't burn any oil.
We killed a few interesting bugs last night....
After trying to push start it, we realized that we'd either need a jump start or a new battery. We didn't have any cables and our battery was 3 years old, so we walked to K-Mart (the closest store that carried car stuff) and bought a battery, a few tools, and some jumper cables.
Then, we tried to hitch-hike back to the hotel–we failed. Turns out two sweaty people carrying a black tool bag and a car battery are intimidating to little old ladies. So we walked.
Once we got back to the parking lot, we installed the new battery and threw the shopping cart in the trunk so we could return it to K-Mart.
We told the K-Mart lady we'd pushed their cart all the way to the hotel, and all the cashiers broke down laughing.
Then, we checked the voltage at 2500 rpm. 12.77 volts. Hmmmm, today will be interesting....
That's some serious bonding right there.
Wow! Epic!
You guys know there are some SERIOUS STORMS heading your way?
Like hurricane on land type storms.
Make sure you get some extra food and flashlights just in case.
Good Luck!
Rob R.
Do you have any alternator output at all?
E36 M3 may be breaking, it that is a really clean engine compartment. At least your hands stay clean.
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