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There are 13 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Clutch slipping
From: rbrogren@xxxxxxx
2. Deja-Vu: A frightning experience
From: Jan van de Wouw <Jan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
3. Headlight switch fixes (was A frightning experience(Part 1))
From: "Walter" <Whalt@xxxxxxx>
4. Gullwing Watch
From: "Claude " <CBL302@xxxxxxx>
5. Re: Re: A frightning experience(Part 1)
From: "Fronzel Neekburm" <MIst_hunter1@xxxxxxxxxxx>
6. Re:Deja-Vu: A frightning experience
From: deloreanernst@xxxxxxx
7. Re: Deja-Vu: A frightning experience
From: "B Benson" <delornut@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
8. Re: hydraulic fluid on frame (was A frightning)
From: "Dave Swingle" <dswingle@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
9. Re: Fire-Extiguishers (was Deja-Vu: Frightening Experience)
From: "Jan van de Wouw" <Jan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
10. Restoring Your Steering Wheel
From: "Doc" <doctor280@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
11. Bleeding Clutch.
From: "Robert Rooney" <DMCVegas@xxxxxxxx>
12. delorean at El Molino and Del Mar
From: bluevelvet420@xxxxxxx
13. Delorean services in Seattle area
From: nbrommer@xxxxxxxx
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Message: 1
Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2000 16:44:41 EST
From: rbrogren@xxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Clutch slipping
Dave Swingle wrote "I've never heard of anyone being able to "clean up" an
oily clutch disc, even off the car but especially on the car".
I would definitely not try it on a DeLorean, but I have done it on an Austin
Mini Cooper that I was ice racing years ago. The Mini was notorious for a
tiny oil leak through the rear oil seal on the crank and that happened to me
at a couple of races. The temporary "fix" was to push the car up against a
wall (or some other firmly planted object), put it in second or third gear,
rev up the engine and slowly release the clutch. In essence you burned the
heck out of the clutch plate, but the times I tried it I could drive the car
again for a while. At least to get home. THAT clutch was easy to replace, the
engine was not vey powerful and I would certainly not recommend the process
today, except maybe in an extreme emergency!
Sounds like you have to bite the bullet!
Roger
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Message: 2
Date: Fri, 08 Dec 2000 22:10:50 +0100
From: Jan van de Wouw <Jan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Deja-Vu: A frightning experience
This was TOTAL deja-vu for me! I had this happen to me 6 weeks ago;
take a look at message 12482 <http://www.egroups.com/message/dmcnews/12482>
> the switch shorts out. It sparks.
> No problem. As the smoke clears I drive.
[snip]
> At this time, flames start coming from the dash.
[snip]
> My girlfriend and I can manage only two words: Fire Exinguisher!
> The manager comes out, give two quick bursts in the dash to put the fire
> out.
[snip]
> Damage to the car looks minimal, since the fire burned for 30-60sec. max. No
> damage to the dash I can see. Biggest problem is the Fire Extinguisher
> material(a white dust) that covers the interior. I hope we can vac that out.
You have got to get the powder out as soon as you can!!!
The powder is "Hygroscopic"; it attracts moisture.
My car was "saved" with a powder-extinguisher too, filling my complete interior
in a thin white coat (look at < http://www.vdwouw.demon.nl/fire/powder.jpg>
for a picture of my interior after my fire)
I vacumed the car the moment I got it home, but due to insurance-claims and
such this was two weeks later; when I pulled out my radio, the casing had
specs of rust on it from the moisture collected in the powder.
I even found a thin sheet of white on the INSIDE of the display of the radio!
> The moral of the story: BUY A FIRE EXTINGUISHER!!
> We were lucky the whole car didn't burn.
A fireman told me that when the flames hit the roof-lining you can allmost
allways kiss your car goodbye, I'm glad this didn't happen to me either.
Even if my Escort isn't even worth 1/5 of my D, it's still a part of me...
> I plan to buy one today for every car I own.
Do this as fast as you can! When my Escort caught on fire I was actuallty
running some errants; on of them was getting two extinguishers, I had planned
to do this after two more errants... Guess I was too late!
When you do buy any, buy the powder-variety; they're the best for engine-fires
since they leave a retardant coat of the mess on the materials...
I wanted to get a CO2-kind, but the same fireman as above told me I'd be
better off with powder. Also get a big one; 1kg is too small to put out
most fires once they're really burning. Go for 2kg at least!
Only problem I have to get over now is where to put the damn thing:
what good is an extinguisher if it's locked away in the trunk!
Greetings from a fellow-victim,
JAN van de Wouw
Thinking Different... Using a Mac...
Living the Dream... Driving a DeLorean...
#05141 "Dagger" since Sept. 2000
check out the Delorean-Files at:
http://www.deloreanfiles.nl/
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Message: 3
Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2000 15:01:12 -0500
From: "Walter" <Whalt@xxxxxxx>
Subject: Headlight switch fixes (was A frightning experience(Part 1))
A bit of headlight switch etiquette I've learned from Rob at PJ Grady: When
pressing the button, don't stab it with one finger in the center. This will
wear away the little headlight switch symbol, and it will look even worse
while the backlight is on. Instead use two fingers to press the switch on
either side to give a balanced force so it doesn't tend to jam. The same
goes for the hazard switch.
Some helpful hints when servicing light switches:
Mount it in the dash so that the white tab faces the passenger side of the
car. The effects of gravity will help the mechanism to latch/unlatch
properly instead of working against it.
If the spade lug sockets are too tight or misaligned in the plastic holder,
they will push the lugs into the light switch body. This doesn't damage the
switch, but is still something to consider.
The switch can be replaced without removing the center console. Remove the
backlit plastic panel and pull the switch out using an IC extractor tool.
The wires are long enough to reach through the hole to do anything you need.
But first disconnect the battery!
My original headlight switch socket had a poor electrical connection.
Vibrations caused blinking lights and a potential fire hazard, and there was
nothing I could do to get the socket to seat better. I tried removing the
wires one at a time to clean and tighten each spade lug socket as you would
do with a relay socket, but I had no luck doing this without destroying the
metal. I tried picks, drill bits, paper clips, etc. Each spade lug socket
came out destroyed. I tried in vane to find replacements locally, but
nothing would fit the plastic socket properly. So I ended up not re-using
the original plastic and instead used individual ones which I crimped then
soldered and covered with heat shrink. I labeled each wire with
electrician's numbered tape bought at Home Depot and scratched corresponding
numbers on the plastic light switch body. I originally stuck the number
tape on the switch body as well, but there wasn't enough clearance to put
the switch back in the dash without the sheet metal scratching the numbers
off.
Sure, this is not an 'original' looking repair and perhaps it lowers the
value of the car, but I know the connector is not going to catch fire. I
may have been able to purchase OEM replacements from a Delorean vendor, but
I prefer to see that each connector is seated individually even though there
is now a higher risk of confusing the wires should it ever be disassembled
again.
On the subject of headlight switches, I would like to publicly apologize to
the vendors involved for saying that I was sold a used DMC headlight switch
as new. My mistake. The headlight switch was actually new, it just sat on
the shelf for so many years that it accumulated a lot of dust. Someone
wiped the dust off but left a residue under the switch cap and lip which
made it appear to have been installed in a dash at one time where air
circulating around it would deposit the characteristic dust print which I
thought I saw.
I bought my NOS headlight switch from DMC Joe who dropped shipped it through
PJ Grady who got it through DMC Houston (I think.) It's nice to see such
co-operation among so many people. Anyway, once I had a new headlight
switch in hand, I decided to do an autopsy on my old switch. I disassembled
it and found NOTHING wrong with it. I expected to see a broken mechanism or
burned contacts, but everything looked new.
The problem was that the switch wasn't latching most of the time. It uses
something like a wide staple looking wire which finds its way through a maze
as you press the button. On mine, it just didn't want to catch even though
the parts inside had no wear. It seems that it was a stroke of luck which
way the wire moved every time I pressed the button. I think it is just a
bad design from the start. Anyway, the only rhyme or reason I could come up
with for the problem was that the movement of the wire may be adversely
affected by gravity. If the switch is mounted in the dash 'upside down'
then gravity will tend to make the wire feed through the maze the wrong way
causing the switch not to latch.
Sorry to be so long winded, but I'm sure some of you will benefit from my
experiences.
Hey Mr. Flames,
Glad to hear that it didn't get any worse than it did. I hear that the
white powder is very hard to clean up. People say that the longer it stays
on, the harder it is to get off. When my headlight switch went flaky, I
jumpered it out at the relay until I got a new one installed.
Walt Tampa, FL
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Message: 4
Date: Fri, 08 Dec 2000 22:06:37 -0000
From: "Claude " <CBL302@xxxxxxx>
Subject: Gullwing Watch
Take a look at this watch ,That I put a picture of in the DMC vault
(files)doesn't this watch speak Delorean all over it,it has its
own "gullwing door"and a torsion bar and little mini (real)hydrialic
struts (to lift open its little gullwing door,just like our beloved
Delorean,and has that gun metal Stainless Steel look,this watch is
geared more towards The Delorean than that "Expensive" DMC Trinket
watch, at $49.95,you can spend the leftover $3150 on the car itself..
located at WWW.edgeco.com
Claude
000570
Ps.I have nothing to do with that company or the watch,just happened
to spot it surfing the web.
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Message: 5
Date: Fri, 08 Dec 2000 22:46:19
From: "Fronzel Neekburm" <MIst_hunter1@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Re: A frightning experience(Part 1)
>One at a time - The smoke was probably clutch fluid on the crossover
>exhaust
>pipe. The squeeling noise is the now-wet clutch disk. Sounds like time for
>a new clutch and slave. You may even have a larger leak in the hydraulic
>tubing, judging from your description of the "soft" clutch pedal.
------I have afew pictures of the engine/trans in a frame, and the frame it self isn't too close to the clutch area, but doesn't the brake fluid harm the frame eploxy?
John
__ __
\____/
/____\
0 0
DeLorean
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
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Message: 6
Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2000 18:05:43 EST
From: deloreanernst@xxxxxxx
Subject: Re:Deja-Vu: A frightning experience
In a message dated 12/8/00 5:12:23 PM Eastern Standard Time,
Jan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
<< Only problem I have to get over now is where to put the ....thing:
what good is an extinguisher if it's locked away in the trunk! >>
I keep mine on the parcel shelf in back of the seats. Not real scenic... but
accessable. I've seen plenty mounted in plain sight inside of classic cars.
I've thought of making up a black or gray flip open case for it, but no time.
Maybe someday.
-Wayne
(Still driving in the cold... but not snow!)
vin 11174
The New DeLorean Manuals Project
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Message: 7
Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2000 17:19:34 -0800
From: "B Benson" <delornut@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Deja-Vu: A frightning experience
Use a Halon fire extinguisher. The Halon displaces the oxygen and leaves no
mess afterwards. I keep mine in the mounting bracket attached to the floor
just ahead of the emergency brake handle where I can get to it in any
situation. When I got mine several of us approached the manufacturer and
asked if they ever gave club discounts when several were bought at one time.
They did. I can't remember the price but I remember it was quite reasonable.
Bruce Benson
> When you do buy any, buy the powder-variety; they're the best for
engine->fires
> since they leave a retardant coat of the mess on the materials...
> I wanted to get a CO2-kind, but the same fireman as above told me I'd be
> better off with powder. Also get a big one; 1kg is too small to put out
> most fires once they're really burning. Go for 2kg at least!
>
> Only problem I have to get over now is where to put the damn thing:
> what good is an extinguisher if it's locked away in the trunk!
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Message: 8
Date: Fri, 08 Dec 2000 23:26:41 -0000
From: "Dave Swingle" <dswingle@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: hydraulic fluid on frame (was A frightning)
Yep - takes it right off. Brake fluid is great paint remover, even
epoxy. The good thing is that the engine oil that usually leaks from
the rear main seal in the same place keeps the frame from rusting
there (ask me how I know).
Dave Swingle (who spent a weekend in the middle of a clutch
replacement project scraping and painting a particular section of the
frame)
--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxx, "Fronzel Neekburm" <MIst_hunter1@xxxx>
wrote:
> ------I have a few pictures of the engine/trans in a frame, and the
frame it self isn't too close to the clutch area, but doesn't the
brake fluid harm the frame eploxy?
> John
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Message: 9
Date: Sat, 09 Dec 2000 00:03:45 -0000
From: "Jan van de Wouw" <Jan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Fire-Extiguishers (was Deja-Vu: Frightening Experience)
--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxx, "B Benson" <delornut@xxxx> wrote:
> Use a Halon fire extinguisher. The Halon displaces the oxygen and
> leaves no mess afterwards.
I know, I'd rather have bought Halon too...
Unfortunately it's a poisonous gass and therefor it's
not allowed to make, fill and sell them anymore over here...
> I keep mine in the mounting bracket attached to the floor
> just ahead of the emergency brake handle where I can get
> to it in any situation.
Great idea, I'll check that out next time I drive my car;
I have it garaged 10 miles from my house, so I can't
judge if mine will fit there without getting my feet
entangled in the bits of the handle and/or pressure-meter.
I had thought of mounting it against the back-wall, between
my new speakers and free of the carpeting on the parcelshelf.
But when I do this and use the luggage-net I can't get to the
damn thing quick enough!
Letting it lay around on the shelf behind your head isn't a great
idea
either; it slides around (like it does in my trunk at the moment,
making me thing my front suspension was on the fritz) and in a
collision it becomes a heavy projectile. No Thanks! I'll pass on that!
I got mine through my fathers' business; for about $80,-
but that's including an annual checkup for the first 5 years.
At least I can say my car has seen some sort of snow this year ;-)
Best regards,
JAN van de Wouw
Thinking Different... Using a Mac...
Living the Dream... Driving a DeLorean...
#05141 "Dagger" since Sept. 2000
check out the Delorean-Files at:
http://www.deloreanfiles.nl/
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Message: 10
Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2000 19:09:35 -0500
From: "Doc" <doctor280@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Restoring Your Steering Wheel
If anyone is interested in having their steering wheel recovered in fresh
leather, please check out my site.
http://stainlesssteel.freeyellow.com/index.html
I have had mine done with black and gray leather and it looks like it came
from the factory this way.
Robert Starling
Vin#05252
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Message: 11
Date: Sat, 09 Dec 2000 01:00:14 -0000
From: "Robert Rooney" <DMCVegas@xxxxxxxx>
Subject: Bleeding Clutch.
Last night I put the D up onto ramps. Durring which the clutch
slipped and a huge puff of white smoke shot out of the drivers side
of the engine compartment. The clutch didn't squeal, but the nasty
burned smell was noticeable for quite a while afterwards. I can reach
the bleeder screw with my fingers, and I can get a socket around it
to loosen it. But I'm having an extremely difficult time opening and
closing the valve when I need to. The cause of this is I only have a
very small space to move my arm and hand around in because of the
cross-over pipe on the exhaust manifold. On top of this the water
hose for the heater is laying on top of the bleeder screw. Every time
I wedge something in place to hold the hose up, it ends up partialy
blocking my hand. If I could remove the cross-over pipe This whole
process would be a snap because as it is now I can only fit my right
hand in, so I'm doing this totally one-handed (on the + side I now
know how it truly feels to be a one-legged man in an a$$ kicking
contest!). Has anyone here ever removed the cross-over pipe? And if
so, is this something I can do with a socket and some extensions, or
would I end up having to drill the bolts out?
-Robert
vin 6585 (The DeLorean from hell!)
p.s. After I loosend the bleeder screw last night and attempted to
bleed some of the DOT-4 out, I noticed that the fluid was black and
smelled almost burned. After doing this the clutch still slips, but
my car does accellerate a little faster.
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Message: 12
Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2000 20:11:12 EST
From: bluevelvet420@xxxxxxx
Subject: delorean at El Molino and Del Mar
hey i work in pasadena and keep seeing a delorean parked in a really small
lot at the corner of el molino and del mar, near a brick building. anyways i
was just wondering who it was. sorry for cloggin up the list.
-greg
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Message: 13
Date: Sat, 09 Dec 2000 06:30:00 -0000
From: nbrommer@xxxxxxxx
Subject: Delorean services in Seattle area
Hello,
I was wondering if there were any shops in the Seattle area that
specialize in servicing D's. I live in Spokane, and am fortunate that
my mechanic can do regular day-to-day work on it, but I don't think
that he is familiar with some of the nuances of the machine.
I wish Darryl Tinnerstet would open up a shop a little closer, that
would be the best!
Nick
VIN #3092
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