Preparedness and redundancy

Quote
john vanlandingham
Great but Hintz just broke one, presumably stock pedal, cable and throttle...

I know of two drive by wire subarus that would shut down at full throttle. In one case, it was on stage and flat out in corners it would 'lift' and, in turn, open up the centre diff at the same time even though the driver had his foot to the floor.
The problem? Without the carpets and teh rest of the stuff 'behind' the pedal assembly, the throttle would go past 100% and the computer assumed something was wrong and would shut it down. (It may actually just go dead past 100%, not sure it would actall read 105%, or whatever - it was impossible to get rid of through software.)
Could the Hintz problem be similar? Could the pedal be trying to go further than it would in a car with a full interior, therefor putting a strain on the cable at full throttle?
Just a thought. I have no idea what part of the cable broke, but I think its clear that the failure needs to be understood.

---

First Rally: 2001
Driver (7), Co-Driver (44)
Drivers (16)
Clerk (10), Official (7), Volunteer (4)
Cars Built (1), Engines Built (0) Cages Built (0)
Last Updated, January 4, 2015

Quote
john vanlandingham
Blame is for idiots. losers.

Throttle cables have a very small pull on them. They typically last the life of a car, 2-300,000 miles and 20-30 years of use. What kills throttle cables? Trying to be a ground path can, corrosion possibly from a winter salt area or no throttle stop and the carb or throttle body stopping the pedal travel. Anything can break but t-cables are relatively rare. Would I put any great effort into addding a 2nd one? No.

There is a great difference in trying to carry every thing imaginable as a spare in a car and carrying spares in a service vehicle. Zip tie a beam axle for a spare under a car? Ok a bit silly but where does one stop?

People who buy rotating electrical from a wrecking yard should carry spare everythings, starters , alternators, fuel pumps, wiper motors etc. Those are hi failure items in all cars and moreso when bought used.

I see lots of crews not carry a spare windshield, seems silly to me. I'll allow a damaged windshield back to service (depending on severity) but I won't let one out of service. Malcolm Davies , and quite a few others, have blown turbos on stage, certainly nothing to carry in a car. How many people carry a spare drain plug in the car?

With todays tight schedules and competitive fields one is probably better off working on initial prep and quaity parts.

I don't know as there is a good answer on what everyone should carry or worry about. Its all a crap shoot in the end anyway.

Quote
heymagic
Throttle cables have a very small pull on them. They typically last the life of a car, 2-300,000 miles and 20-30 years of use. What kills throttle cables? Trying to be a ground path can, corrosion possibly from a winter salt area or no throttle stop and the carb or throttle body stopping the pedal travel. Anything can break but t-cables are relatively rare. Would I put any great effort into addding a 2nd one? No.

My throttle cable didn't break, but the little hook that connects to the pedal bent and slipped off at Sno*Drift in my VW. I realized I didn't have a pedal stop in the car when it needed one. But then I got to hook up my co-driver's shoelace to the hook and operate the gas with my right hand, brake/clutch with my right/left foot and my co-driver was shifting. On the transit I wrapped the shoelace around the pedal and was good enough to get back to service.

Quote
heymagic
I see lots of crews not carry a spare windshield, seems silly to me. I'll allow a damaged windshield back to service (depending on severity) but I won't let one out of service. Malcolm Davies , and quite a few others, have blown turbos on stage, certainly nothing to carry in a car. How many people carry a spare drain plug in the car?

I had considered this, but it's difficult for me to really bring a spare windshield to an event. They are a large item that you can't just jam into the bed of a pick up truck. Unless maybe I made a palate for it or something? I know the guys who do carry windshields are typically guys with enclosed trailers and they have them sitting vertically in the trailer guarded from anything else hitting/breaking them.

Quote
Josh Wimpey
Zip-ties
Racer tape
Oil
brake fluid
Water (in bicycle water bottles for drinking but could be used for coolant)
spare tire
Bailing wire (stiff wire)
fuel pump relay
fuses & fused pigtail
Vice grips --small and large
spare ratcheting strap
I think I have a spare flexible brake line too
And of course tools, gloves, jack, flashlight/headlamp

Add to this list
3 or 4 spare lug nuts
Spare coil mounted to firewall (known problem for mk3 VW coils--never had to use it though and it is about 2" by 2.5"

---

____________________________________________________________-

One. Class -- 2WD

www.quantumrallysport.com

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Quantum-Rally-Sport/281129179600?ref=nf

Of the stuff that I bring, I've used one fuse, spare tires, and ratchet strap a few times. Tools to tighten some stuff that worked loose, and to adjust things temporarily when we bent something, but before service.

-Martin.

In the car?

Redundancy for fuel pumps - check - on separate circuits, relays and switches.
Have breakers not fuses - that's come in handy.

Tools, ratchet strap, extra 19mm deep for lugs, vise grips, screw dribbles and tire pressure gauge.

Alternator belt - doh, that's going in next rally.

I like the spare brake line - that'll go in...with brake fluid

I've used river water in the past...but the water bottle idea ain't bad.

Axles? Nah - w/4wd & lockers - just get it out of the way if its flopping around and drive it out.

Intercom - issues are usually with the head set, not the intercom its self.

Navvie light - might be a good idea.

Plugs and wires? Is this a common spare?

Thanks for starting this thread!

Plugs and wires...wires or a wire not so bad, plugs mebbe not so good. Could be a bit risky trying to change a hot plug in a hot engine along side a stage. Galling of threads or broken plug definitely worse than a misfire.

Spares in the car. Basic tools, a fuel pump relay, an igniter, a distributor, a can o' fixaflat but I bet it never ever gets used, pressure guages, water, oil, brakleen, brake fluidand at least one line, a strong led flashlight, zipties, lugnuts, gaffers tape, a couple plugwires, safety wire, some common fasteners, fuses, alt and pwrsteer belt (ever since we threw both off on blue slough 20 feet into the stage. Who cares if it's never happened since. We had 'em with us and were very glad for it...) and that's about it. Anything worse than that prolly ain't gonna get fixed at the side of the road by the likes of us anyhow.

---

Jay Woodward
Snohomish, WA
'90 Mazdog Frankenprotege
Chronologically, 46...

If you cant fix it in the time allowed for Max Late then dont carry it. Zipties, fuses, zipties, lug nuts, zipties, 100mph tape. Maybe a heater hose, some hose clamps, bailing wire, and some tools. I can see the value of having a couple qrts of oil and brake fluid if you need to top up the vitals -assuming its not going to leak out in 5 min anyway-

Its all about getting through the stage or stages and the transit back to service.

The WRC boys carry a drive shaft or two and control arms. But the cars are also built so that parts can almost be hot swapped. Few cars in NA are engineered to this spec.

---

Intercom and electronics dude. www.zerodegreec.ca

Some rookie thoughts as I'm nearing the bottom of my second 20 oz canadian mist and coke:

vito, if you had a spare front control arm (assuming sway bar option on either end) I can get those swapped in about 5 min provided they are already bushed, and have a ball joint. Might be worthwhile?
IF you get creative with a wrench, socket and welder you can put together a little control arm nut remover to get at the bastard inside the subframe.

I have a collection of hemostats (locking small needle-nose pliers from the hospital) that I use all the time when changing brake rotors, coolant lines etc. Probably a service area item, but much cheaper and easier than carrying 5 pair of vice-grips. also amazing for grabbing hot nuts and bolts

Does anyone carry a small ziplock baggie of the little rubber gloves? or mechanics gloves. Just about anything you touch is going to be hot, hot brakes, lug nuts engine bay etc.

What about carrying a high powered batter floodlight for night rallies? I've seen quite a few videos of teams losing lights.

Also, how come no one has mentioned a pint of whiskey? seems like that could come in handy