Re: [DML] my first real drive (not without its problems)

[Mike Substelny <msubstel@xxxx>]

Todd, you said:

> . . . it's probably not normal for the car to feel like
> it's going to shake apart if you go over 40. My girlfriend compared
> the overall feeling to being in one of those vibrating massage
> chairs, although they can't hold a candle to my DeLorean. The
> vibration was *very* strong (my headlight beams were wiggling like
> crazy), its frequency increased with our speed, and it sounded
> remarkably like a helicopter.

Immediately check your lugnuts, especially on the rear wheels. One of them
may be loose! This is common if the last person to put the wheels on the car
was not accostomed to aluminum wheels, which require extra care. I assume
the drive home you describe was from getting your brakes fixed . . .
improperly tightened lugnuts may have worked their way loose during the first
few miles of the drive!

After tightening the lugnuts properly, jack the car up and try to wiggle the
wheels. Driving on one or more loose lugnuts might have destroyed a wheel
bearing, allowing the wheel to flop around on the axle. If this has
happened, replace it before you cause an accident!

Whatever the problem, the type of repetetive stress you describe might also
contribute to premature failure of you trailing arm bolts, which might cause
another accident a few months later. Stop driving the car until you diagnose
and solve your "helicopter" problem.

> Aside from this, the car made it about 10 miles from home without
> major incident. It was after I turned around and started heading
> back home that the engine decided to die four times:

My bet: this is neither an engine nor a transmission problem. As others have
said, you have a problem inside your fuel tank. To make sure, fill up the
tank and drive around (after solving the dangerous helicopter problem).
Everything will probably be fine as long as the tank is completely full.

This will give you a diagnosis and relieve your stress about costly
transmission or engine problems.

There could be a pinhole leak in your fuel inlet line, causing your car to
run fine as long as the leak is submerged but sputter any time the leak is
not submerged. Or maybe the inlet baffle assembly at the bottom of your tank
is loose, allowing it to wander around in the tank. Whenever it wanders
above the current fuel level your engine will sputter. Both of these are
very common and relatively easy to repair.

You can access the fuel tank through the panel below the spare tire. Search
the backissues for tips on removing the fuel pump, an operation which
requires safety precautions but few tools.

Best case scenario: tightening a lugnut and replacing a little rubber hose
might put you in business. Good luck.

- Mike Substelny
VIN 01280, 8 years