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Driving from NJ to california, what should I do to my car and bring with me?

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    Driving from NJ to california, what should I do to my car and bring with me?

    whats up guys, might be jumping the gun a little bit, but I plan on driving my car from NJ to cali next january, stopping and seeing sights inbetween. I have a 2012 civic si, but I want to take my 92 accord so I wont put that kinda mileage on the civic.


    The car has an entirely new front end (upper/lower/tierods/hubs and wheel bearings) also new brakes all around (calipers rotors and lines) new clutch, ignition switch, full tuneup, etc

    I plan on changing the radiator, hoses, thermostat. Possibly water pump and timing belt depending how bad they are, new shocks and springs, fix the fuel gauge, new tires etc.

    I had a full size spare, all of my tools in a toolbox, small jack,1 jack stand, spare ignition switch, main relay.

    Has anyone attempted this before, what should I do to my car before hand, and what spare parts/tools should I bring with me? I also have AAA, incase I have any bad isssues.

    #2
    Auto or stick?

    Black Housing DIY 1991 Wagon Morimoto Retrofit
    JDM One-Piece Headlight Lens Repair

    Comment


      #3
      i usually bring a toolbox loaded with all of the "essential" honda tools, thinking about every repair I've ever had to make on the side of the road - tools for changing accessory belts, oil, band clamps for hose repair, a meter for checking power/wiring issues, extra wire and some butt connectors and crimpers. I usually keep a spare Ignitor unit (part of the distributor) in the glovebox with the necessary screwdriver and pliars needed to access it, since those often go bad out of nowhere, due to excessive engine heat/driving time. A sturdy lug wrench (i just bring my 19mm+breaker bar), tire inflator/compressor (small one plugs into accessory outlet), fix-a-flat tire sealant, a fresh alignment, all tire pressures checked exactly, full tuneup and compression test. I also would check the oil and coolant every morning after it was sitting overnight, to check to make sure neither was being burnt/lost from excessive hours on the highway. I usually also bring my half-empty coolant bottle, to either use the remainder of, but also serve as a 1-gallon container that I can refill if I am ever forced to fill the car with plain water, and have no other way of getting it from the rest stop back to my car... For a similar reason, a 1- or 2-gallon gas can might be a good idea, you never know when you might be in one of those situations where you think the fuel gauge is accurate, and you have a certain amount of gas left, but its all uphill, and the next 2 rest stops are unexpectedly closed........... wet-wipes and maybe a bottle of orange hand cleaner & paper towels is always good too, because it sucks having to touch something to check that its OK, and then having nowhere to wash your hands for hours.

      I went overboard with my CRV because it was also going to be towing a heavy trailer - I redid the brakes with rebuilt calipers, new shocks and springs, and a rebuilt the motor with new valvetrain and piston rings, etc.
      Last edited by cp[mike]; 01-06-2015, 03:42 PM.


      - 1993 Accord LX - White sedan (sold)
      - 1993 Accord EX - White sedan (wrecked)
      - 1991 Accord EX - White sedan (sold)
      - 1990 Accord EX - Grey sedan (sold)
      - 1993 Accord EX - White sedan (sold)
      - 1992 Accord EX - White coupe (sold)
      - 1993 Accord EX - Grey coupe (stolen)
      - 1993 Accord SE - Gold coupe (sold)
      Current cars:
      - 2005 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon - Daily driver
      - 2004 Chevrolet Express AWD - Camper conversion

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by djcaz_aom View Post
        Auto or stick?
        5 speed

        Originally posted by cp[mike] View Post
        i usually bring a toolbox loaded with all of the "essential" honda tools, thinking about every repair I've ever had to make on the side of the road - tools for changing accessory belts, oil, band clamps for hose repair, a meter for checking power/wiring issues, extra wire and some butt connectors and crimpers. I usually keep a spare Ignitor unit (part of the distributor) in the glovebox with the necessary screwdriver and pliars needed to access it, since those often go bad out of nowhere, due to excessive engine heat/driving time. A sturdy lug wrench (i just bring my 19mm+breaker bar), tire inflator/compressor (small one plugs into accessory outlet), fix-a-flat tire sealant, a fresh alignment, all tire pressures checked exactly, full tuneup and compression test. I also would check the oil and coolant every morning after it was sitting overnight, to check to make sure neither was being burnt/lost from excessive hours on the highway. I usually also bring my half-empty coolant bottle, to either use the remainder of, but also serve as a 1-gallon container that I can refill if I am ever forced to fill the car with plain water, and have no other way of getting it from the rest stop back to my car... For a similar reason, a 1- or 2-gallon gas can might be a good idea, you never know when you might be in one of those situations where you think the fuel gauge is accurate, and you have a certain amount of gas left, but its all uphill, and the next 2 rest stops are unexpectedly closed........... wet-wipes and maybe a bottle of orange hand cleaner & paper towels is always good too, because it sucks having to touch something to check that its OK, and then having nowhere to wash your hands for hours.

        I went overboard with my CRV because it was also going to be towing a heavy trailer - I redid the brakes with rebuilt calipers, new shocks and springs, and a rebuilt the motor with new valvetrain and piston rings, etc.
        I forgot to say A few quarts of oil and some coolant. Will grab and extra ignition coil and distributor as well just to have. Your list is awesome. Will def save this thread and check your post to figure out what else ill need. I kinda want to get a roof rack with one of those cargo carriers for extra space, but i feel like it wont be worth it and it would decrease my mileage too much.

        Do you guys know if I will have to follow the rules of those states, etc, even though my car is registered in nj? like i have window tint, no cat, etc.

        Comment


          #5
          Mike pretty much covered it all. Surprisingly, when I drove fron Texas to DC, I had my rack on with the cargo carrier and my milage was just as good as without.

          Black Housing DIY 1991 Wagon Morimoto Retrofit
          JDM One-Piece Headlight Lens Repair

          Comment


            #6
            Upgrade your AAA membership if you can????
            " Insert funny quote here "

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by spiderpig View Post
              Upgrade your AAA membership if you can????
              I have the highest one, its saved my ass numerous times

              Comment


                #8
                There was a thread in the past few months about this topic, I remember replying to it. Search!

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Flip-Eye View Post
                  There was a thread in the past few months about this topic, I remember replying to it. Search!
                  I did search, and found nothing. Maybe you can search for it since you remember?

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Sounds good. Don't really need to go overboard, just be up on your scheduled maintenance. We bought a 1999 2.3CL in May 2013, in August of that year went on a roadtrip to Colorado Springs. I had only done oil changes and a MTF change to the car since getting it. Drove straight there only stopping for fuel and food, and then back again a week later, about 2k miles one way. No need to rebuild the whole car for a 3k mile roadtrip, do you do that after every 3k miles of daily driving?
                    1992 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser

                    1986 Chevrolet C10|5.3L|SM465|Shortbed|Custom Deluxe

                    1983 Malibu Wagon|TPI 305|T5 5 speed|3.73 non-posi


                    1992 Accord Wagon (RETIRED)

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Theos92VR4 View Post
                      I did search, and found nothing. Maybe you can search for it since you remember?
                      http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthre...ight=emergency

                      Comment

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