What parts would you bring on a long trip?

[C A W]

Quick question.

 

Whats on everyones road trip shopping list?

 

I'm planing a long road trip in my 2002tii at the start of May. I'm going to be a long way from home and I'm thinking I should bring a few parts with me to reduce the chance of getting stranded.

 

I'm going to bring the usual extra oil, coolant, fuel and maybe brake fluid.

 

Though is there any common reasons for breakdowns? Anything that I shouldn't be without on a long trip? I'm not great when it comes to using a spanner but there's going to be a few of us going, and some of the other drivers are great home mechanics, so there shouldn't be many side of the road fixes out of reach.

Edited January 14 by C A W

[Son of Marty]

K-fish drive belt, fan belt, spare hoses and a few clamps, ( when I replace my hoses I put the old ones in the spare pile for road side emergency), dist cap & rotor, points and condenser and a guibo with bolts, I'm sure others will add to the list. Oh and a real jack.

[bergie33]

A roll of Flex Tape (by Flex Seal).  Depending on the age of your fuel pump, an extra is nice to have on hand. 

[tech71]

A spark plug or two and a spare spark plug wire, a long one.

Spare bulbs for tail, brake, turn signal is handy as well as a few fuses!

[chargin]

Triple AAA Platnum membership(200 mile Tow) 

 

[Lucky 7]

My very first drive in my car was the 1500 mile drive home after I bought it. I didn’t bring any spare parts, perhaps that was stupid but I made it home. I brought a ton of tools and used them… a lot.  Every gas stop was at least an hour of wrenching before we got under way again. 
 

Something I did not bring and wished I had was electrical supplies and tools. One of my biggest breakdowns was a wiring issue and, if not for some well equipped kind strangers, I would have been stuck for a few days. This guy (left) and his sons (center) saved my cheese in the middle of nowhere Idaho. 
 

 

edit:

 

To your question: at this age almost anything can become a breakdown problem. Depends on the car and how recently things have been maintained or fixed. Cooling problems can be devastating, so watch out for those, otherwise you know the car better than us. 
 

FWIW, I had these issues come up on my trip:

 

-throttle linkage fell apart requiring a rebuild of the linkage and top end of the carb

 

-starter solenoid wiring failed completely resulting in an unstartable car

 

-exhaust fell off 

 

-exhaust fell off again

 

-alternator tensioner snapped resulting in no-charge system and dead battery

 

-kick down on auto tranny went to shit resulting in weird shifts and surging revs

 

-gas pedal fell off constantly. I hate that goddamn nubbin design. I got used to it eventually, but those were unpleasant surprises at first. 
 

-locks got sticky and we were locked out of the car for awhile

 

-vaporlocked and stranded for a bit

 

I don’t know, there was more I’m forgetting. Like I said, we did a lot of wrenching at gas stations and the side of a few roads. Thankfully everything was fixable. My brakes completely exploded a few weeks after I got home, that would have been a trip ender. It’s sort of a leap of faith. 🤷‍♂️

Edited January 15 by Lucky 7

[adawil2002]

As one who regularly drives my 1973 2002Tii on long trips across the U.S. & spent September 2021 Touring The Netherlands, Germany & Austria.

If your '02 is well maintained, that will lower the risk of any catastrophic mechanical failure.
Know your '02, how it smells, sounds & feels. Being familiar & aware of what's happening will serve you well.

Recommend a 2500/Bavaria Trunk Caddy/Bin. It fits perfectly on the drivers side between the tail light & the shock tower support rib. Bob Kaufmann, tilux@aol.com   

 

Regularly carry.

2 Quarts VR1 20W50

Small Yellow Funnel

Blue Paper Towels
Glass Cleaner
CA Fuel Filter Adapter

On longer trips I add.
Tii Water Pump

Mahle OC25 Oil Filter
Extra Crush Rings
Hazet Oil Filter Socket

Noco Boost Pro GB150 

Here's what I carry regularly in my toolbox.

Extra Hood Roundel

2002 Tool Roll with Tools

1/4 inch metric ratchet set

8 mm wrench

10 mm wrench

19 mm Wrench

Small Allen Wrench

Small screwdriver

Regular Screw Driver

Phillips screw driver

Needle Nose Pliers

Blunt Nose Pliers

Throttle Return Springs

Various Hose Clamps

Various Light Bulbs
Fuses - 4 extras are in the fuse box cover
Voltage Regulator

Fuel Cap

Oil Cap
Fan Belt

2 K-Fish Belts

Tii Tuning Tools -Pump Lock Rod, Throttle Pin & 85mm Jig

 

Edited January 15 by adawil2002

[C A W]

All these replies are great! Thank you. Time to get a shopping list made up.

 

[2002#3]

Pick and choose what you think might be important...

 

Misc 2002 Trip Supplies copy.docx

 

 

Edited January 15 by 2002#3

[JsnPpp]

These are great lists! I think @wegweiser also posted his list on an older thread. But I don't know how it can be any different.

 

My rule of thumb is to pack it so you don't need it. 👍🏻

 

Good luck! I miss my 02 road trips.

 

Jason

[wegweiser]

Here's my :"daily use" kit... (link at bottom)

 

Depending on your ignition set-up *(points vs petronix, etc) you may want to have extra tweeny tiny screws in case you drop the original "points screw" on the gravel along some busy interstate. These are M4 x .70 and are about 3-5mm long. Too long and they may interfere with the inner workings of the distributor.

 

cap, rotor, points, condenser

bakelite spark plug connector(s) These simply screw on, on original style plug wires and are prone to cracking if handled roughly.

 

As stated elsewhere: The more time you spend preparing the car and making sure nothing is about to fail... the more trouble-free your travels will be. I am too damn old to fix my shit on the highway. It's also a super efficient manner in which to tempt very real death. 

 

I'll leave you with a couple quotes (one of them is actually biblical, I think):

 

"Mind after your ass, for it bears you." 

 

and; "...when the race car breaks down during a race event and you overhear one of the crew members say 'I was afraid that was going to happen'... THAT'S the guy you fire from the team." 

 

Link to my own list here:

 

Paul Wegweiser's Automotive sideshow: Tools "To Go"

PAULWEGWEISER.BLOGSPOT.COM

---

It's been a little bit of forever since I remembered that this blog is lonely and sad and feeling neglected. Since the holidays are amo...

 

Edited January 15 by wegweiser

['76mintgrün'02]

I'll add this to your list.  I keep mine under the driver's seat, so I never leave home without it!

 

 

(The Innova 5568 has variable advance, a volt meter, a dwell meter and a tachometer).

[Mike Self]

Like Paul, Andrew and several others, I take long trips in my 02, generally to gatherings like Mid America and Vintage.  My criteria for choosing stuff is that

1. the part breaking can strand you or at least mightily inconvenience you
2. you can fix it on the side of the road if
3. you have the part and 
4. you have the tools (but that's another story)

Here's what I've carried for many years--sometimes augmented by a part or two to replace items on the car that I suspect might be approaching their use by date.

• Ignition bits--cap, rotor, points, condenser, spark plugs, at least one spark plug terminal and a length of spark plug wire long enough to reach the furthest plug
• Fuel system bits:  a fuel pump, some gasket paper, a 6-8" length of fuel hose & two little clamps; clips that hold the accelerator linkage together
• Cooling system:  thermostat, upper radiator hose (more if yours are old)
• Electrical system:  extra fuses, several feet of 14 gauge wire, male and female crimp-on terminals, turn signal relay, wiper relay (modell 71 and later cars); voltage regulator if yours is old
• Misc:  assortment of 6 and 8mm bolts and nuts, duct tape, electrical tape, a few cotter pins, 3-4 feet of soft iron wire; one light bulb for each (at least) exterior bulb, including the headlight if you have a Euro Bosch/Marchal/Cibie unit.
• and stashed in the trunk:  extra fan belt, an empty two liter wine box bladder (to hold water, takes no space empty), a proper scissors jack and handle

Believe it or not, all that stuff (save the last bullet) fits in a small plastic toolbox not quite the size of a shoebox.  And it's bailed me (and fellow 02ers) out more than once.

 

Finally, as you're traveling, don't forget you have another resource:  the FAQ.  More than once has an urgent plea from a traveling 02er been posted--and answered/helped--by the nice folks on the Board.

 

mike

Edited January 15 by Mike Self

[2002#3]

I found this superbly excellent advice in Paul's "Tools to Go" cited above: 

 

"...you need three 10 mm's and two 13 mm's for the times when you put the one you're using down and it immediately disappears...  They should sell 10-mm wrenches in 10-packs." 

-- Bob S.

 

 

['76mintgrün'02]

23 minutes ago, 2002#3 said:

three 10 mm's and two 13 mm's

 

ditto

 

I keep this 10/13mm wrench behind the relays.  It's held in place with a little magnet.  The 10mm side fits the positive cable clamp and the 13mm fits the negative.