as the title suggests I'm planning to drive my 1990 Corolla from upstate NY to central California. It has 137k miles on it and no major problems so I'm not too worried about it making it there. That being said, what should I do maintenance/prevention-wise before the trip?
As well, I have a lot of shit to bring and it's a small car, so I want to look into putting a roof rack on it. How are they usually affixed?
I'd love to hear stories of other anons driving cross-country in older cars. Let's hear em.
Oh man, I'd be more worried about the cops. I had a similar car and got pulled over all the time just because it was an older car, it'll be a cop magnet.
Oliver Wood
Did someone throw paint stripper on it?
Cameron Richardson
Please tell me that's a tach on the hood. Do an oil change coolant flush and check the alignment and the breaks. Roof racks can be mounted straight to the roof. You are going to need to drill some holes in that beauty.
Camden Thompson
strangely enough even with the stripped paint and hood-mounted tach I've never been pulled over in it.
nah I'm repainting it so I'm stripping the current paint
it is a tach lol. cheapo $20 from aliexpress, lightly waterproofed it and it's been goin strong in rain and snow for 7 months now. I'm gonna make the roof rack myself out of hollow square steel bar stock, could I just weld it on? I'm a little worried about waterproofing if I have to drill holes in the roof.
Lucas Moore
OP here, another concern:
when I'm driving 80 mph in 5th gear, I'm running at about 4k rpm. is this sustainable over ~4000 miles of driving or will it fuck the engine?
Josiah Lee
Take it easy, drive speed limit. It's a long trip enjoy it.
I drove from MA to TX with a buddy in his $500 Oldsmobile. Make sure to bring an extra bottle of fluids (oil, coolant, brake/clutch, power steering, etc etc).
Getting there fast and getting there are completely different goals. Just cruise, maybe make a few stops on the way. Make sure your stickers are up to date, I know there's a few places here in TX you wouldn't believe the headache and risk of getting arrested over what should just be a ticket.
Are you carting people around? no? Rip your back seats out. 88-92 corollas have a lot of room back there and someone is less likely to go into your car to steal something than just pick it off the top.
Justin Nelson
Good advice, I'll cruise. The only person coming along is my girlfriend, so I'll pull the back seat out and throw it on the roof. I'd rather not take em with but I don't see many AE92s in junkyards so they'd probably be a bitch to replace.
Luis Hall
>worried about waterproofing if I have to drill holes What about all the holes you're gonna blow in the roof with your piece of shit harbor freight welder?
Isaac Campbell
How thick is the steel on the roof likely to be? It shouldn't be a problem if it's relatively substantial.
but yes i own a piece of shit HF welder
Jordan Robinson
Can you not just get one of those strap-on roof racks that the yuppies use on their Subarus? Geez, talking about welding and drilling holes...
Even if the fancy-pants Yakima(?) brand yuppie racks are too pricy, I bet you could fabricate a reasonable facsimile with your tube stock and some ratchet straps.
Just spitballing here.
Noah Gomez
Don't come here. There's nothing.
Christian Jenkins
It's really thin dude like one to two millimeters at max. If you have a stick welder don't even try.
Ian Watson
>I'm just riffing here... Fluid checks, flushes if needed. Leak checks. You want dry as a bone and tight as a drum. Brakes. Tires rotated, balanced, pressure checked, tread checked. Alignment. Windshield wipers good? All bulbs good? Weatherstripping good? Just little things that might be a minor annoyance driving in town could really ruin your day going cross-country.
Bring spare fluids. Tire plug kit. Spare tire. Maybe a cigarette-lighter tire inflator. Fuses. Bulbs. Gas can.
And just common-sense survival stuff. Have bad-weather clothes, just in case. Shoes you can hike in. Keep water in the vehicle. Listen to the weather reports. Slow and steady will get you there. I'd go armed but that's just me.
Sounds like a lot of fun, OP, enjoy your voyage.
Aaron Wood
That depends on the health of the engine. I drove my prelude w/180k, 6000miles in 2 weeks last summer @ 12hrs/day. My tach sat 4500rpm most of the time and never blew up. My redline is 8k tho. Change oil before and after the trip, check fluid levels daily while driving and you'll be fine.
Camden Butler
Driven my 1990 corolla from Turkey to Spain. Not a single problem occured except low oil pressure. I suggest you bring: A jack,Spare tire, wrench set,hammer, screwdrivers,2liters of 10w-40,antifreeze.
Blanket and Pillow if you get a chance to sleep in a car. Easily available canned food, water,matches,knife, fireaxe. Our cars are pretty durable for such trips.
Adrian Rogers
OP, I would like to get a tach? Which one did you use on your car? Should I install it myself? I'd like to give it a try.
Wyatt Russell
>nah I'm repainting it so I'm stripping the current paint
Why would you strip it down to bare metal? Unless the spot was already rusting, why not just abrade the old paint instead of stripping it all? It looks like the panel is already oxidizing.
Xavier Rivera
I bought a 2002 nissan altima for 1000$ and drove it from Montreal to California and back. Also made some stops in Texas, Vegas, Grand Canyon, and while I was in California I drove around LA, SD, and SF. I brought my spare tire, tool kit, bottle of coolant, and jumper cables. I only needed to use my jumper cables a couple times because my alternator broke. Thankfully I was in LA and not in the middle of nowhere when this happened so I was able to replace it. Not too many hitches on the trip but I would do it again.
here's the one I purchased. It was pretty easy to install. Ran the power wire to a fuse slot that was wired to the ignition, so it only comes on when the car is on. Then I ran the ground wire to a bare metal bolt on the chassis. Finally, I ran the RPM signal wire to a diagnostic port under my hood. One of the pins on that port outputs the engine rpm signal from the alternator. If you don't have a port like that, you can wire it into the alternator somehow. There are guides online, it's a pretty simple project.
Ryder Collins
>That being said, what should I do maintenance/prevention-wise before the trip?
Do your preventative maint such as oil change a week before the trip date. That way if things start leaking, you'll have time to catch it. Your battery should be in good condition. I'd swap over to full synthetic oil and probably the high mileage version to reduce the chance of leak. Anything that can get you pulled over should be fixed.
AAA membership would give you a tow if you anticipate your car stranding you somewhere. It's a gamble but the membership fee is low compared to the cost of even one tow.
>I'm running at about 4k rpm. is this sustainable over ~4000 miles of driving or will it fuck the engine? Due you having a load in the car with you as well as a passenger, that 4000 RPM is quite a bit. It's one thing to have 4000 RPM at no luggage, no passenger. It's another thing to hold 4000 RPM with inside luggage, roof rack with additional stuff, and passenger adding to the load on the engine. So drive the speed limit and not be in a rush to overstress the engine.
Another type of "preventative maint" is to not make the car stand out with that bright rear passenger side. Even getting it closer to the car's normal color is far better.
Isaac Phillips
>I'd swap over to full synthetic oil
That`s just more likely to leak
Julian Rodriguez
>I'm planning to drive my 1990 Corolla from upstate NY to central California.
If you do get a flat, have a reliable quality air pressure gauge and an air pump. If you have been topping off air with a bike pump, that will be good enough. If you happen to get a slow leak, you can limp to the next tire repair place for a patch. Some places in the west coast states such as Les Schwab give patch repairs for free in hopes you will give them your custom in the future.
I once had a slow leak and that's how I got it fixed at Les Schwab. My TPMS alerted me air was low. So I rechecked with a good air gauge. And pumped it up to just slightly below normal pressure. Then drove down the road towards a place to get a tire repair. Only had to refill air once along the way. So it was a slow leak.
Ayden Sullivan
just do the basic maintenance. >change all fuids if you havent already done so. >change oil and air filters and fuel filters >make sure spare tyre has air, get rid of space saver for full size spare. > clean and check spark plug gaps >bottle of fuel cleaner before big fill up.
roof racks are usually clamped to your gutters on your roof.
Aaron Reed
Thanks, I also drive EE90 corolla. Im okay with wrenching on engine and body work. But I have never absolutely worked with electrics. This is first simple project I will do, as an attempt from not being dogshit at it.
Nathaniel Wright
Oh cool. The location for the tach worked out perfectly, as right beneath that spot was the diagnostic port and a body bolt to ground it. As well I ran the power wire through one of the grommets in the firewall right below that point. Kept loose, long wires to a minimum.
I was going to finish stripping the paint and clearcoat it to prevent further oxidation. Think a bare-metal corolla with a hood tach and a homemade roof rack will draw much attention?
Easton Miller
I was also thiniking of doing it outside, but im afraid of the nogs stealing it. Could you not find a way to put tach inside or what?
Hunter Anderson
it's just as easy inside, except instead of running the power wire inside to the firewall, you run the RPM signal wire out through it. The ground can probably be wired to a bolt inside the vehicle somewhere. Mounting is up to you. For a non-permanent solution, you can use 3M VHB tape or similar.
Gabriel Miller
that's a shitbox made by Toyota. It'll do a zillion miles
Elijah Parker
Thanks. To answer your question I did 130km/h all the way through my cross country trip. Oil is essential, as are your belts. Make sure tires are in good shape along with brakes and if something breaks down, then it really is a case of bad luck. Because it really is a simple car that that has very little to break except if you neglect it during your trip. Don't go Dagumi on your way, enjoy the trip, enjoy the countryside, sleep over somewhere, build a fire and grill a meat. Buy a cheap 10$ fishing pole and go fish and shit. Journeys are wondrous, when its just you and your car. Too bad you have passanger. It would drive me crazy.
Jayden Barnes
Cool, thanks for the advice. Just replaced front brakes, gonna do rears as well. Also bought all new struts because the old ones are shot, and I'm gonna replace the tranny oil. 1st gear and reverse are pretty fucking loud, not sure if that's normal or if the oil is just old.
Brayden King
In which way is it loud?
James Bailey
It's a high pitched whine. Worse in reverse than first, but it's definitely there.
Ethan Powell
You should check your belts before the trip. But it doesnt make sense if its only in first and reverse. If it were belts, it would be all the gears, and reverse especially.
