Lancia Motor Club

General => General Chat => Topic started by: nthomas1 on 05 October, 2016, 08:27:35 AM



Title: What is the ideal emergency kit?
Post by: nthomas1 on 05 October, 2016, 08:27:35 AM
Projecting forward to the day when my Fulvia S2 Coupe will be back on the road (trains of thought like this keep me sane during the rebuild process, and my time in Spain when I’m unable to work on the car) I’ve been wondering what the ideal emergency kit would be to carry in the boot of the car.  My aspirations are for local driving and trips to events within an approximately 150 mile radius - such as the AGM, and historic racing events at Oulton Park, Donington, Silverstone etc.

I’m not planning any continental trips, at least not yet, though I do have a dream of driving my car from Almeria to Monte Carlo following the route that Munari and Mannucci took in 1972.  And I’m certainly not planning any Paris to Peking trips!

So, for the up-to-150 mile trips what do forum readers recommend, from their own experiences, to be the ideal combination of tools, spare parts and materials to carry in the car in order to cope with minor problems and breakdowns?  For anything major I’ll have to resort to breakdown recovery.


Title: Re: What is the ideal emergency kit?
Post by: lancialulu on 05 October, 2016, 09:00:57 AM
In Uk the basics to change a wheel. And AA cover or somesuch!!

For longer trips you need to be a bit more self sufficient so spare coil, distrubutor (as I run luminition and if it played up I can simply switch to a standard distributor, and alternator, fan belt, plugs, bulbs, tow rope, jump leads, tool kit, small multi meter (invaluable), rocker gasket set, silicon gasket sealant, rubber gloves, bits of wire, cable ties in various sizes (got me out of a hole on the trip to Italy when one of my bonnet pins did a disappearing act while en route to Dover).


Title: Re: What is the ideal emergency kit?
Post by: simonandjuliet on 05 October, 2016, 10:46:54 AM
A mobile phone .....


Title: Re: What is the ideal emergency kit?
Post by: Justin McArdle on 05 October, 2016, 12:13:13 PM
...spare clutch cable?


Title: Re: What is the ideal emergency kit?
Post by: nthomas1 on 05 October, 2016, 12:25:18 PM
Do clutch cables often fail, and is replacement a roadside job?


Title: Re: What is the ideal emergency kit?
Post by: lancialulu on 05 October, 2016, 02:33:39 PM
Do clutch cables often fail, and is replacement a roadside job?
I have a spare clutch cable and a mobile phone. But are they in the kit. Sometimes. I heard a guy who went on his honeymoon with his new wife and the flutch cable went and had no other so jury rigged a wire coat hanger from madam's wardrobe to the clutch lever and some how through the bulk head to be HAND operated.....not recommended past 40 years of age....but needs must!


Title: Re: What is the ideal emergency kit?
Post by: stanley sweet on 05 October, 2016, 03:08:06 PM
I'm almost scared to tempt fate but my clutch cable has broken once in 23 years. It was a couple of years after I bought it and it happened in Borley (most haunted village) on the way to Ixworth (Ickworth?) House for an Italian car day. So I put it down to the car being frightened to death. It had frayed and snapped just where it exits its cover into the engine bay. Now I give it a check every so often. It's probably one of the easiest clutch cables to change. From memory a circlip keeps it in place on the pedal, then run it up the outer casing into the engine bay. Good old Lancia placed all the adjustment etc at the top of the engine bay so just adjust it to 5mm of free play. It can be done by the roadside. I keep meaning to buy a spare curved nylon insert that sits up against the actuation lever as that had disappeared but luckily got caught up somewhere down in the engine. I found them the other day on one of the Italian specialists like Ricambirossocorsa but probably Omicron would have them. I must admit I chuck all sorts of old rubbish in my tool box, electrical connectors, odd bits of old wire, nuts, bolts etc. Tank tape is always handy too.


Title: Re: What is the ideal emergency kit?
Post by: fay66 on 05 October, 2016, 04:58:39 PM
Do clutch cables often fail, and is replacement a roadside job?
Norman I've been carrying one around for 17 years & 30K miles and never needed it so far , just I hope I haven't jinxed myself now.
I'd go along with Tim & Simon's list but I'd add a tow rope.

Brian
8227 8)


Title: Re: What is the ideal emergency kit?
Post by: lancialulu on 05 October, 2016, 05:19:06 PM
Do clutch cables often fail, and is replacement a roadside job?
Norman I've been carrying one around for 17 years & 30K miles and never needed it so far , just I hope I haven't jinxed myself now.
I'd go along with Tim & Simon's list but I'd add a tow rope.

Brian
8227 8)
Brian what good is 2 tow ropes unless you have drifted off the road and into a deep ditch....


Title: Re: What is the ideal emergency kit?
Post by: the.cern on 06 October, 2016, 06:56:17 AM
Clutch cables ...... 49 years of driving
 
Volvo 145                       2 cables
Beta Berlina                    1 cable
Beta HPE                        1 cable

Both the Volvo cables were replaced on the driveway at home, the Berlina cable was replaced roadside in Brighton whilst visiting my daughter's friend's degree final show, whilst the  HPE cable was replaced roadside about 10m from my then place of employment!

So yes, a clutch cable is a good spare to carry!!

Usually there is a little notice of an impending clutch cable failure, unusual pedal feel, if the break is near the bulkhead maybe some noise as the frayed cable moves against something and poor disengagement as the failing cable stretches. However, that is not always the case, hence the need to carry a spare.

                                       Andy

                                      


Title: Re: What is the ideal emergency kit?
Post by: fay66 on 06 October, 2016, 11:00:51 PM
Do clutch cables often fail, and is replacement a roadside job?
Norman I've been carrying one around for 17 years & 30K miles and never needed it so far , just I hope I haven't jinxed myself now.
I'd go along with Tim & Simon's list but I'd add a tow rope.

Brian
8227 8)
Brian what good is 2 tow ropes unless you have drifted off the road and into a deep ditch....

Sorry Tim,
I missed it in your Exhaustive list, but then again ytou never know ;D

Brian
8227 8)


Title: Re: What is the ideal emergency kit?
Post by: frankxhv773t on 08 October, 2016, 07:58:25 PM
I'd add a small tin of WD40 and the fag end of a kitchen roll.


Title: Re: What is the ideal emergency kit?
Post by: stanley sweet on 09 October, 2016, 05:21:48 PM
An obvious one that I forgot I carry - spare fuses.


Title: Re: What is the ideal emergency kit?
Post by: John B on 09 October, 2016, 08:32:56 PM
In the "old days" when I was a member of the Reliant Sabre and Scimitar Owners Club (RSSOC) and mobile phones were not yet common place I carried with me a list of SCIMARITANS. This was a list of names, addresses and home/work phone numbers of other RSSOC members who had volunteered their services in the event of any other club member finding themselves needing roadside assistance. In the 18 years of Scimitar ownership I never needed to call anyone or received any distress calls but it was very reassuring knowing that if need be there was help out there somewhere......as long as I could find a phone box.


Title: Re: What is the ideal emergency kit?
Post by: bobhenry999 on 02 November, 2016, 09:56:55 PM
Chaps,

The obvious thing you must have is a roll of Gaffer Tape !

Back in 1984, I was travelling from Hornchurch Essex to a friends wedding in Basingstoke Hampshire, in my lovely (£900 !) 820 2000 Coupe, when the throttle cable snapped 30 miles from the church.

I managed to tape the 2 ends together with Gaffer Tape, drove on to the wedding, and then drove the 90 miles back home without any problem. I even drove the car around for the rest of the week as it was my everyday car, until I got a replacement cable from Omicron, and all along it performed perfectly.

Gaffer Tape can be used for a multitude of things, and must be one of the most versatile things to have in the boot, as it can be used for so many things.

Bob


Title: Re: What is the ideal emergency kit?
Post by: frankxhv773t on 03 November, 2016, 06:02:36 PM
On the subject of tow ropes I picked up a webbing one in Halfords the other day which rolls up into a neat little case. It seemed so much tidier than the coils of escaping rope that usually adorn my boot.

The other thing I carry is a few very large cable ties. I have had a spate of exhaust rubbers fail on the Y10 and can now support the pipe at the first sound of any clonking, It saves dragging the silencer down the tarmac or tearing it off completely.


Title: Re: What is the ideal emergency kit?
Post by: ColinMarr on 05 November, 2016, 09:53:32 PM
My habit has to be very selective about what I take with me, both on a daily basis and on trips. On occasions, depending on what I have any worries about, I have had a spare distributor tucked away, or an electric fuel pump complete with clip-on leads and flexible pipes, but I don’t think I ever needed to use them! But on one memorable occasion, back in 1965 I was very fortunate to be carrying with me a very crucial spare for my Aprilia.

I had no reason to suspect that one of the steel cable fittings in the rear suspension, which link the training arm to the end of the transverse leaf spring, was about to give way. However, in the box of old parts that I had accumulated there was such a fitting with the frayed broken ends of rusted cables showing that these things can and do fail. So, when we set off for our first continental venture to Italy the only spare part I had with me was a cable-end fitting.

Heading south through France on an undulating minor road near Besancon, cruising happily at about 50 mph our elation to be driving in France was shattered by a huge bang and jerk as the rear end collapsed. Slowing down was accompanied by the sound of the spring breaking up and the leaves trailing down the road with just the long leaf still anchored to the car by the cables at the secure end. I gathered up the bits, undid the 10mm screws to remove the rear wings, because the wheels had jammed up into them, loaded all the bits into the car and limped on a few miles to Marnay, the next village. It was late afternoon, but by good fortune there was an ancient Citroen garage sign indicating a rustic workshop, where I explained the problem in my inadequate French and produced the replacement part.

The garage owner seemed to think that I was in the business and simply let me get on with putting it all back together, using huge tree trunks as body props. The owner turned up a new bolt to locate the centre of the spring and with lots of weight to load the car, we managed to jack the spring ends back into place. That night my wife and I stayed at the Hotel Du Commerce in Marnay (still there), put the wings back on the following day and were on our way later in the morning. It seemed like just one of those things at time, but in retrospect, I was lucky!