12-16-2005, 03:03 PM
I haven't posted much due to the lack of a 968 and/or experience with one. As you all should know, i'm the proud owner of jeff's MO30 968 (formerly known as Eric's). There were many preemptive problems prior to picking the car up. Once those were settled, it was just a matter of flying up to Denver and driving home (which so happens to be in New Orleans). Only 1350 miles approx. For a car that has newish belts and only 56,500 miles that shouldn't be a problem. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> (oh..the car is beautiful...)
Arriving to Denver was very stressful: Leave New Orleans at 10:00 arrive in Denver at 1:30. That seemed simple enough. Unfortunately, the flight was delayed for 5-6ish hours due to "inclement weather." Once i arrived in Houston, where my layover was, my second, and last plane, was departing while i was landing. Great..... Many people are angry.. blah blah blah. I run to the customer service line to find that it's about 100 people long. The next flight according to the departure screen was an hour later. 100 people... one hour.. right. So, i decided to phone continental to change my flight. Five minutes later.. done. I go to my new gate to find that the flight was delayed for another 3 hours. Awesome, just what i need, three more hours of Houston. Eventually, everyone is about to board the plane when they announce that "they no longer have a crew for the plane and that all of the reserves have been used for that day." Lo and behold, they reschedule the flight for 6:30 in the morning. I'm TIRED OF WAITING. Every hotel in Houston is booked. Fortunately, i find some skanky Quality Inn. 140 dollars later, including a 40 dollar cab ride, i get about 4 hours of sleep: which was much needed for i was driving 11-12 hours the next day.
I arrive in denver, Eric picks me up in the most beautiful 968 i've seen ever, granted i've only seen a few, and we drive back to his house. ..... Paperwork..... ect ect.. i depart for a 20 hour ride home. The car is amazing; you can't help but smile while looking at it. About 300 miles away, it's close to night, i notice when i stop smoke/steam is emitting from the front headlights. I pull over... can't really see much, and it looks like it's just condensation evaporating from the headlamps. Temp gauge fine... fluid levels fine... no emergency lights on. I pull over in Oklahoma to notice that there seems to be a coolant fluid leak. Not the heater control valve... it's towards the front. By now i have driven 600+ miles, and i assume that if it was a hose it would have failed. Not the head gasket. coolant looks fine... so does the oil. So there is steam emitting from my engine... temp gauge is fine... the thermostat is opening. Eventually i get out of Oklahoma City heading south when the temp gauge starts to rise a little under the red. The Thermostat kicks and it lowers back down to the first bar. Does this a few more times, and i notice that it stops cooling down so i pull off to a gas station not harming the engine at all. Reservoir is empty... it takes more than a gallon of anti-freeze and water, once the engine is cooled of course, and i start her back up. I limp her to the nearest hotel and that's where i am as we speak.
I believe it to be a hole in the radiator. Perhaps it was a pinhole leak that with 700+ miles of pressure it widened? Couldn't be from any hoses. If the waterpump gasket was leaking... wouldn't the car overheat quickly? This sucks, but in the end it will be worth everything. I'll also have a great story to tell the grandkids (i really don't have any grandkids).
So now i'm waiting for my Dad to come with a flatbed trailer to haul my car back the reminding 600 miles. For attaching the car the the flat bed.. would those heavyduty fabric straps be the best way.. have two pulling from the front and two from the back? Where would the best place be to attach them.
BTW.. Oklahoma sucks... not because i'm pissed with the current situation.. it just does.. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />
Has anybody ever notice that even though your car doesn't work or somehow unoperable, just looking at it makes you smile... i've noticed that several times from prior porsches.. and now this one
Well, ultimately, i hope that everything goes smoothly for the remainder of the trip. This has been a crazy adventure for Eric, Jeff, and myself. Hopefully, i'll get home in one piece and can asess the damage.
CAN ANY BODY SAY INSTANT KARMA?!?!?
Arriving to Denver was very stressful: Leave New Orleans at 10:00 arrive in Denver at 1:30. That seemed simple enough. Unfortunately, the flight was delayed for 5-6ish hours due to "inclement weather." Once i arrived in Houston, where my layover was, my second, and last plane, was departing while i was landing. Great..... Many people are angry.. blah blah blah. I run to the customer service line to find that it's about 100 people long. The next flight according to the departure screen was an hour later. 100 people... one hour.. right. So, i decided to phone continental to change my flight. Five minutes later.. done. I go to my new gate to find that the flight was delayed for another 3 hours. Awesome, just what i need, three more hours of Houston. Eventually, everyone is about to board the plane when they announce that "they no longer have a crew for the plane and that all of the reserves have been used for that day." Lo and behold, they reschedule the flight for 6:30 in the morning. I'm TIRED OF WAITING. Every hotel in Houston is booked. Fortunately, i find some skanky Quality Inn. 140 dollars later, including a 40 dollar cab ride, i get about 4 hours of sleep: which was much needed for i was driving 11-12 hours the next day.
I arrive in denver, Eric picks me up in the most beautiful 968 i've seen ever, granted i've only seen a few, and we drive back to his house. ..... Paperwork..... ect ect.. i depart for a 20 hour ride home. The car is amazing; you can't help but smile while looking at it. About 300 miles away, it's close to night, i notice when i stop smoke/steam is emitting from the front headlights. I pull over... can't really see much, and it looks like it's just condensation evaporating from the headlamps. Temp gauge fine... fluid levels fine... no emergency lights on. I pull over in Oklahoma to notice that there seems to be a coolant fluid leak. Not the heater control valve... it's towards the front. By now i have driven 600+ miles, and i assume that if it was a hose it would have failed. Not the head gasket. coolant looks fine... so does the oil. So there is steam emitting from my engine... temp gauge is fine... the thermostat is opening. Eventually i get out of Oklahoma City heading south when the temp gauge starts to rise a little under the red. The Thermostat kicks and it lowers back down to the first bar. Does this a few more times, and i notice that it stops cooling down so i pull off to a gas station not harming the engine at all. Reservoir is empty... it takes more than a gallon of anti-freeze and water, once the engine is cooled of course, and i start her back up. I limp her to the nearest hotel and that's where i am as we speak.
I believe it to be a hole in the radiator. Perhaps it was a pinhole leak that with 700+ miles of pressure it widened? Couldn't be from any hoses. If the waterpump gasket was leaking... wouldn't the car overheat quickly? This sucks, but in the end it will be worth everything. I'll also have a great story to tell the grandkids (i really don't have any grandkids).
So now i'm waiting for my Dad to come with a flatbed trailer to haul my car back the reminding 600 miles. For attaching the car the the flat bed.. would those heavyduty fabric straps be the best way.. have two pulling from the front and two from the back? Where would the best place be to attach them.
BTW.. Oklahoma sucks... not because i'm pissed with the current situation.. it just does.. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />
Has anybody ever notice that even though your car doesn't work or somehow unoperable, just looking at it makes you smile... i've noticed that several times from prior porsches.. and now this one
Well, ultimately, i hope that everything goes smoothly for the remainder of the trip. This has been a crazy adventure for Eric, Jeff, and myself. Hopefully, i'll get home in one piece and can asess the damage.
CAN ANY BODY SAY INSTANT KARMA?!?!?
