So I'm driving the 914 from San Jose to 29 Palms (my new duty station) at the end of the month. The trip is about 450 miles or so--Is there anything special I should know/bring (besides a credit card!) for the trip?
This is my father-in-law's old car (first owner; 77k miles)-mechanically sound and well-maintained.

The only problem I've noticed it that the right rear brake seems to "drag" at times, which requires pumping the pedal to stop--I'm going to look at it this week--any suggestions on what the issue may be?

Scott

QUOTE (scottz0369 @ Oct 17 2005, 12:55 PM)

...anything special I should know/bring (besides a credit card!) for the trip?

Triple-A card, cell phone, and all the phone numbers of people along the way you will undoubtedly acquire between then and now.

Brakes are important. Having to pump them to stop is a Bad Thing. I would at a minimum flush the brakes out before trying the drive; you don't want to have some big-rig pull out in front of you on I-5 (or whatever route you take) when you have to pump the pedal a couple of times to slow down...

--DD

Yup, fix the brake problem before you drive that far. Email me for my phone #. If you're going down 101, I'm on your way & can help out if you have problems. If you're going down 5, you bypass me, so I can't help.

29 Palms.....garden spot of America ....One kinda bright side is you're almost halfway to Parker, AZ (Colorado River) and the playground of California.

You'll be passing me on 1-10 as you go thru San Bernardino....problems...give a call.

Need the emergency contact list.....PM a fax number..

Good luck..........(no, not the driving part....putting up with 29 Palms )

Thanks for the tips!
Does anyone know of a place here in the San Jose area that will look at my brakes without charging me 911 prices?
Also, do I need to use a lead additive or anything like that? How about octane recommendations---

Thanks again for the great support!

Scott

No lead additive needed. 1.8s and 2.0s use regular-grade fuel just fine; the earlier 1.7s need super. In theory, at least.

Bugformance in SJ might be able to deal with the brakes. Not sure, though.

--DD

Yup, Bugformance on Capitol in San Jose. Good suggestion.

For the dragging brake, perhaps a wheel cylinder hanging up, or a bad rubber brake hose. I had a brake hose that was going bad inside that acted like a check valve, caliper would grab okay, but sort of stayed grabbed.

I'd replace the rubber brake lines, esp. if you have no idea when they were last replaced. A dragging brake AND having to pump the pedal is a pretty classic sign of a brake line that's swelled nearly shut internally. If that didn't fix it, you may have to rebuild one or more calipers (send 'em to Eric Shea).

If you're heading down I-5 and need anything let me know. I have a few parts but tons of tools and a lift.

I could think of worse places than 29 Palms to get stationed. If you rock climb or hike, J-Tree is right there. And Vegas and LA are each a couple of hours east/west of you if you want some night life on leave. And there are great hotsprings around. And being the desert, you can run around most of the winter with the top off your teener...

I miss California terribly sometimes...

If you have time, take the 101 to LA. Nice drive. This time of year watch for flash floods in the desert and check the weather before you leave. If you take 210, make sure you are driving "off" hours as traffic is a bear in the inland empire. Lots of twisty roads near the palms that are fun. Good luck!