What parts would you bring on a long trip?

[2002iii]

Belts, coolant and water in jugs, first aid kit, Fire extinguisher, road flares, tool box,extra clothes. Spare distributor and whole ignition setup including points condenser cap and rotor. Spare alternator, extra radiator hoses and clamps, Spare light bulbs, flashlight 🔦. Cell phone and charger,spare fuses and relays extra fuel filters and line with clamps.

Edited January 15 by 2002iii
More stuff added to never ending list

[Son of Marty]

For a Tii I would ad a spare fuel filter and before I went, if I didn't have a spare one already, find which vendor has spare Tii water pump and keep his phone number handy. Also don't forget the basic tool box kit staples like wire, both electrical with a few crimping ends and bailing wire, wire ties, and duct tape along with the silicon tape mentioned above. Spare fuses are a must as is a good spare tire. Replace your wiper blades before you start out. I live in the PNW so I only carry a collapsible water jug and  a bottle of water wet'r for it's anti corrosion additives to get me to a place where I can repair the leak and get real anti freeze,

[jimk]

With all the suggested parts, does that mean the car is unreliable, or only the mechanic. 🙄

[2002iii]

8 hours ago, jimk said:

With all the suggested parts, does that mean the car is unreliable, or only the mechanic. 🙄

Both they're both over the hill. Don't forget your reading glasses for menus and repair manuals.

[VWScott]

Since I am new to the water cooled world this is also something I will need to learn. In my Beetle I carry many of the same things mentioned especially wire and connectors,crimp tool,ignition coil and barrel nuts.I can see also in the '02 I might need ballast resistor or just use blue coil as back up and bypass failed resistor if neededMultimeter is always helpful and a BFH just in case something needs persuasion.

[Zak]

I used to drive regularly between Los Angeles and San Francisco in my 1600, a much simpler car than a tii. But, I never traveled without a toolbox and a good tool set with all the ratchets, wrenches, etc. I also lugged around a small hydraulic jack.

 

As far as spare parts, I had a spare water pump, spare fuel pump or rebuild kit for one, spark plugs, a few extra plug wires, distributor cap, a few distributor rotors, spare ignition points, spare ignition switch, about 3ft of fuel line, test lamp, jets for carb, gaskets for carb, light bulbs, electrical wire, can of carb cleaner, small can of WD 40, a tire pump, tire gauge, hand cleaner, flash light and work lamp and probably some other things I didn't mention.

 

Most of the time my trips were free of mechanical breakdowns or problems. But, on a few occasions, I ran into serious problems such as the time when my oil pump failed 50 miles from the nearest small town. After getting towed to that town I borrowed a car from a relative and drove another 50 miles to Gilroy, the Garlic Capital, where an 02 friend with a junkyard in his backyard allowed me to remove a gear type oil pump from one of the many 1600 motors he had sitting around.  I spent that night installing it in 35 degree temp. That's not an easy job as you have to unbolt the engine mounts and transmission mount, remove the distributor, lift the engine and remove the pan. I finished the job at about 1:00AM. And, it was a very  satisfying experiences.

 

My oil pump failed because I was unaware I left my car in 3rd gear after getting back on the highway from a rest stop.  My tachometer stopped working and I had the window rolled down slightly. There was a lot of noise , and I lost my situational awareness. My girlfriend was with me, so I was also probably distracted. I must have been driving for 50 miles at 6,000rpm when the oil lamp came on. I immediately shut down the motor and coasted to a stop.

 

Without my tools I couldn't have done the job. But,I still needed to borrow car ramps from a relative in that small town.

 

 

Edited January 17 by Zak

[cda951]

On 1/15/2024 at 12:20 PM, jimk said:

With all the suggested parts, does that mean the car is unreliable, or only the mechanic. 🙄

 

I understand the sentiment. A well-prepared car probably shouldn't need much in terms of roadside repairs, but I also understand the need of bringing a set of basic tools and emergency supplies. The suggestions thus far have been good. Overkill? Perhaps. But, if you are part of a group, and part of your roadside supply kit helps someone else or a random stranger, then it was a good thing to have!

 

My 2002tii is well-prepared, and is a veteran of many road rallies, and has been bomb-proof thus far . . . . with the exception of one failure as documented in my thread on this forum about driving the car to Alaska last summer. We brought every tool and supply that might possibly needed for such a journey, except for a brake flaring tool. Guess what? We had a fatigue failure of a brake line at the master cylinder ( hard line popped loose from the clip at the frame rail, hundreds of miles of hammering vibration from the awful road conditions of the Alaska Highway in Yukon took its toll). Forgot to pack one of my THREE different brake flaring tools, had to camp overnight at a service station in Yukon until a friend could bring a flaring tool which enabled me to fix it.

 

The above is an extreme situation during a VERY long trip, but proves that whole Murphy's law thing. But, you should only bring components that you are willing and able to replace on the side of the road or in a hotel parking lot. At some point, the AAA membership becomes more valuable than any tool or supply that one might bring.

 

I wrote an article about the subject for a Porsche publication a few years ago:

 

Road Trip Essentials | Issue 282 | Excellence | The Magazine About Porsche

WWW.EXCELLENCE-MAG.COM

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We look at the basic selection of items that can keep you from being stranded. on Excellence, The Magazine About Porsche