heinrich

Ed, how about a little get-together and introduction to the new family member this Sunday eve?

F451

Hey Adam,

Just getting caught up here and sorry to have missed this post. Everything was pretty up in the air so would have been tough to coordinate, plus I was eager to get home asap to get some rest.

But thanks for the thought and we'll have to get the NW 928's together soon.

Ed

F451

Hey H,

Perhaps we can get the local NW 928's together soon. Been very busy since I got back, just getting caught up now.

Ed

atb

No problem Ed. Post when you free up.
Man, you hauled!

F451

Hey gang, I just wanted to post some closing thoughts on this mad road trip now that I've had a chance to get a bit caught up here at home.

Road Trip Closing Thoughts #1: '88 S4 5 speed impressions.

I have to say, I love the '88 S4 5 speed. I love my '85 automatic, but the 5 speed is so much more fun to drive for me. I can't wait to get the car sorted out and get it out on the track for a DE and perhaps the Track Attack days that are hosted out here in the PacNW.

A couple of other things that I loved about the S4: the lights on the car are awesome, especially the brights. The cruise control works flawlessly. It was amazing to me that I could set it on this 19 yr old car, and it would hold the speed seamlessly. It also seemed like I could set the cruise control very precisely and I loved that.

And as I previously noted, the car is very comfortable for extended trips, it really surprised me. I would not hesitate to hop in the car and drive pretty much anywhere in it.

Some things that need to be done on my car that Earl and I diagnosed, but did not have the time to deal with:

TB/wp rr.
Brakes are completely shot: rotors are worn, pads barely have anything left on them.
Basic tune up: plug wires are history. Plugs, cap, rotor, etc, all need replacing.
Rear axle boots are torn. The axles themselves seem in good shape, but I will have to look them over again and confirm that they just need boots and not new axles.
Alignment: camber is way off. Front tires have uneven wear.
ABS warning light is on - we think its the relay.
One brake pad wear sensor is gone.
Heater fan only works on highest setting.
Motor mounts are going and pan gasket is leaking.
Paint is faded, needs polishing and waxing. I may have a professional do this just the once.

I'll aslo be looking at replacing all the fuel lines, the vacuum hoses and getting the intake off to clean up everything under there.

Overall, I've very happy with the car, and I'm looking forward to bonding with it further as I work on it. -Ed

F451

Road Trip Closing Thoughts #2: I've added a few more pics to my smugmug site and also added captions to many of the pics if anyone is interested.

See pics here...

F451

Road Trip Closing Thoughts #3: Some facts and figures:

1988 928 S4 Road Trip: NJ to Seattle, January 2007.

The trip consisted of two phases. In Phase 1, I visited with my brother in Clinton, NJ, and picked the car up there. I did a quick check of the car. From there I travelled to Manasquan, NJ for a wake service for a good friend's father who had just passed away. From Manasquan, I drove to visit my mother and brother's family in Goshen, NY. From Goshen, NY, I then drove down to Earl Gillstrom's place in Glen Mills, PA (outside of Philly) to do some work on the car to get it ready for the cross country trip.

Phase 1 consisted of 3 legs:
1. Clinton, NJ to Manasquan, NJ. Sunday 1/14 : 72 miles
2. Manasquan, NJ to Goshen, NY. Sunday 1/14: 118 miles
3. Goshen, NY to Glen Mills, PA. Monday 1/15: 162 miles

Total miles for Phase 1: 352

At Earl's place in Glen Mills, PA, we worked on the car together. We replaced the buzzing fuel pump, put in a new fuel filter, adjusted the timing belt tension, changed the oil and filter, adjusted the alignment, checked the cam timing on the passenger side, checked the gear oil in the transaxle, and generally checked the car over.

Phase 2 of the trip began when I left Earl's place outside of Philly on Monday January 15, around 2:00 pm, and arrived home in Duvall, WA, at 11:30 am Saturday, January 20th, 2007.

Phase 2 from Glen Mills, PA to Duvall, WA consisted of 4 legs totalling 3720 miles:

1. Glen Mills, PA to Knoxville, TN. Tuesday 1/16: 607 miles. Rested for about 5 hrs in Knoxville that night in the car.
2. Knoxville, TN to Sallisaw, OK. Wednesday 1/17: 700 miles. Stayed overnight in a Motel 6 for about 8.5 hrs.
3. Sallisaw, OK to Flagstaff, AZ. Thursday 1/18: 1023 miles. Stayed overnight in a Days Inn for about 10 hrs.
4. Flagstaff, AZ to Duvall, WA (Seattle). Friday 1/19 - Saturday 1/20: 1390 miles. Rested in the car for about 4.5 hrs.

Total hours from Glenn Mills, PA to Duvall, WA including stops (Tuesday 1/16, 2 pm - Sat 1/20, 11:30 am): 93.5 hrs.
Total rest stops: 28 hrs.
Total net time on the road: 65.5 hrs.

Approximate average driving speed (does not include rest stop hours): 57 mph.

Direct roadtrip miles from Earl's place in Glen Mills, PA to home in Duvall, WA: 3720

Total hours from 2 pm Tuesday, 1/16 - Glen Mills, PA to 11:30 am Saturday 1/20 - Duvall, WA: 93.5 hrs.

Total miles for the entire trip in the S4: 4072 miles

The S4 did great on the ride home. Not a single problem!

Mike Frye

Ed,

When you were in Manasquan you were less than 3 miles from my house. I wish I had known. I'm sorry the reason was a sad one, but I could have swung by to meet you somewhere and check out the new car.

Damn!

This is a pretty impressive 'test drive'!

F451

Road Trip Closing Thoughts #4: Closing Thoughts.

In summary, the single biggest thing that sticks out in my mind about this whole adventure is how great the people on this list are. I was really amazed at the outpouring of support, and offers of help that I recieved.

Many people joined in on this thread to wish me well and to offer their contact info, and offered to help me out if I needed it on my trip. Many others PM'd me directly with similar offers.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. Hopefully I can return the favor someday to a fellow 928 owner.

A few people deserve special mention though. Ernest (ew928) got me in touch with Earl (Earl Gillstrom) so we could do some work on the car before I headed out. This was huge! And it was all last minute.

Thanks Ernest!

And rixter called me back about my fuel pump dilema to offer to help out and then gave me his personal cell phone number in case I needed any help on the way down south.

Thanks rixter!

And of course a huge thanks to Earl!



I can't say enough about how much Earl helped me out. He is one tough "retiree", and at 71 years old, was putting me to shame with his work ethic. And his knowledge of 928's is impressive.

This road trip really showed me the good in people and it was really refreshing. It was an unexpected bonus and nice to see in these times when many are so cynical, myself included.

And while I did not get to stop enjoy the many sites that I drove right by, the road trip was a great time and a huge success in that the S4 is home safe and sound, and so am I.

Thanks for sharing it with me everyone.

Ed

F451

Hey Mike,

I was thinking about giving you a call, but my schedule was crazy tight the whole trip. Looking back on it, I can't believe it all worked out. At the wake, I just had enough time to pay my respects to the family and friends, and then I had to bolt north to go see my mother for an overnight visit in NY state.

Maybe the next time I travel back east to pick up a 928 I'll budget in a bit more time to meet up with some of the listers!

Ed

Shane

Congrats ED!!

Glad you have the 5speed, and your right they are much more enjoyable then the autos.

That said I still really really miss my auto...

ew928

Great trip, Ed.

And don't forget swapping in fresh coolant hoses as well as all the other stuff.
First thing I did when I got my S4 5speed was TB/WPump and fresh coolant hoses.

Congratulations on getting the 5-speed.
Earl's the best. He's gone through 928's enough to know all the gotchas.

Ernest (NYC)