78 Turbo Refresh

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Chouan
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Re: 78 Turbo Refresh

Postby Chouan » Thu Feb 12, 2015 1:06 pm

Last time I forgot to mention Geoff who come through like a wizard for me on some non blistered interior panels! So those went in as well before I set out west.

I planned to give myself 7 days to drive from Rhode Island to Redmond OR. The morning of my departure I had a few things to wrap up on the car. I installed the wiper arms (freshly painted). The worn out chrome lock strip on the windshield and hatch was replaced for new stuff. Finally, I installed the rear spoiler. My parents and I had lunch and started driving. I got about 15 minutes away and my AMP warning light came on and stayed on. Great way to start! I drove home tested the charging system and discovered the alternator wasn't working. The armature shop had already closed so I went to sleep and brought the part in the next morning. Thankfully it was a simple fix, so I was back on the road that afternoon.

The car drove really well, it's really a highway machine despite the 4 speed. I never had a problem passing anything. Running at 80 mph or above for extended periods created a drone that was like working in a diesel submarine engine room. 75mph was bliss. I would sleep in the passenger seat, wake up with the sunrise, drive until I was tired (usually 1am) and repeat.

In Ohio I stopped for gas and as I was pulling into the station noticed my temp was climbing and not cooling down. I pulled into the only shaded area and popped the hood. The fans were not coming on. I checked the fuse, it was clearly tourtured and bent but not broken. I tried jumping the fans and got nothing. Clearly there was resistance building up in the circuit somewhere, I hoped the motors were ok. I bought a nail file at the gas station and cleaned all the contacts I could find in the circuit and jumped the fan again. The fans fired right up. I replaced the fuse for good measure and never had another problem running hot.

When I first started out and the car was freshly waxed and looking great people would come right up to me and start talking about the car. As it got dirtier I got less interest.

Somewhere in Idaho I wa doing my check of the car after filling up and noticed the front tires were wearing very strangely. The inside 1.5" of both tires showed little tread, and the rest of the tire was new. Hmmm, I guess I need an alignment! I was pretty close to OR and the tires were still safe so I figured I'd keep going. By the time I got to Bend OR, the tires were no longer safe. I was two days early and only about 45 mins away from the convention hotel. I called the local Saab shop in Bend and got the name of the alignment shop they used. While I was waiting to get squeezed in for an emergency alignment I called around for tires. It turns out the the only place that would order the matching tires was right across the street from the alignment shop and there was a pub next door!! So I spent the night in Bend. The next day I got to the hotel and slept in a real bed.
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Shining new rectififier plate in there.
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That fuse was actually still unbroken!
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Potatoes!
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Pushing the limits here. :-/
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¡Emergency Alignment!
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Success!

DeLorean
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Re: 78 Turbo Refresh

Postby DeLorean » Fri Feb 13, 2015 11:24 am

Wow, that alignment was way off there! Did you get a print-out of the before & after measurements?

In both my 99's, I have that fan fuse by-passed, and a conventional blade fuse in it's place. I tested the fan draw, and it was in specification. Even after cleaning and re-tightening the ceramic fuse terminals, that sucker was still getting hot, so away it went. The blade fuse doesn't get hot anymore. The actual problem I think is the fuse board in these cars... They are riveted together and years of use and corrosion causes high resistance in the higher load / frequently cycled fuses like the fuel pump, headlights, and fans especially. The heat source is the resistance between the rivet and the board, and the plug. This heat causes the fuse to not hold on as tightly, and that makes yet another heat source. Eventually that fuse gets red hot, but doesn't blow, and then loses connection. You go back in, clean, and tighten up the fuse, and it works again for a while but the cycle will happen again because the higher than normal resistance is still there.
Less brake more gas!

Chouan
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Re: 78 Turbo Refresh

Postby Chouan » Sat Feb 14, 2015 4:34 pm

I'll probably do that fuse mod this summer. Garry's car has it as well. Very discrete for originality.
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Geoff
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Re: 78 Turbo Refresh

Postby Geoff » Sat Feb 14, 2015 5:40 pm

Chouan wrote:Last time I forgot to mention Geoff who come through like a wizard for me on some non blistered interior panels! So those went in as well before I set out west.


We only had to dig through five floors of two different barns to find them! Any pictures of them installed?

Looking at the alignment report I can see why the tires were wearing! It looks like the shop knew what they were doing with the camber they set (going more negative than spec). I usually aim for about -1.25 degrees.

Reading though your adventures is inspiring!
The kind of dirty that doesn't wash off :eyebrows:

TurboBudapest
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Re: 78 Turbo Refresh

Postby TurboBudapest » Sun Feb 15, 2015 4:17 am

What a fantstic thread. Thanks so much. I have your sister car here in Budapest. Exactly the same but with Euro style headlights and the turbo sticker down the side. I hear what you say about all the turbo decals already on the car, but believe me that the silver version on cardinal red really makes the car really pop! And remember this car is more disco than board room ao the 70s flair suits the car well. I am also so glad that you kept it original. This is the only car I have ever had which I felt absolutely no urge to hot rod. There is something so right about it-the sum really is equal more than the parts. The most fun I have had going at alower speeds, although once the turbo spools, all hounds are truly let loose! My experience is much like yours on the highway. Very relaxed despite the 4speed, and I have comfortqbly cruised at 100 mph no problem (this is Europe after all). Thanks again for posting and I look forward to reading updates! Ed

DeLorean
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Re: 78 Turbo Refresh

Postby DeLorean » Sun Feb 15, 2015 4:54 pm

2 degrees negative camber, someone did a "performance alignment" on that car at some point. I would have kept that, but between that and the toe, that's why you tore through the tires on the highway.
Less brake more gas!

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SwedeSport
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Re: 78 Turbo Refresh

Postby SwedeSport » Sun Feb 15, 2015 7:15 pm

I have been running 2+ with 0 toe on my tan 86 for years. Never noticed any odd wear on my tires.

Drove one car with the toe out of whack for about 100 miles and noticed it...
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DeLorean
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Re: 78 Turbo Refresh

Postby DeLorean » Sun Feb 15, 2015 9:36 pm

I have the same on my SPG actually, and so far have noticed no significant abnormal tire wear, and HAVE put a lot of miles on it. I do know toe being out will really eat through tires at an alarming rate, however typically it eats through them quickly, not so abnormally on an edge (as shown in the pic)
Less brake more gas!

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Geoff
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Re: 78 Turbo Refresh

Postby Geoff » Wed Feb 18, 2015 11:00 pm

DeLorean wrote:2 degrees negative camber, someone did a "performance alignment" on that car at some point.


It was an autocross car at one point...
The kind of dirty that doesn't wash off :eyebrows:

Chouan
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Re: 78 Turbo Refresh

Postby Chouan » Thu Feb 19, 2015 10:31 pm

Geoff wrote:
DeLorean wrote:2 degrees negative camber, someone did a "performance alignment" on that car at some point.


It was an autocross car at one point...


Yes, and DSP99t put shorter springs on before he sold it to me. That probably put the camber further negative.


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