What spare parts would you reccomend to keep handy. What's most likely to fail? Accessory belts, ignition and brake parts etc?
Do you need a spare balance resistor?
Do you need a spare balance resistor?
Must have spares..? What's the essential spare parts to have on hand.
- Thread starter JD's American car
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Justin Plant
Well-Known Member
I keep a couple of ballast resistors, ignition modules, and voltage regulators along with tools in a briefcase in my trunk. Jumper cables coiled up in the spare tire too.
I would agree with that, I will also take a fuel filter and sometimes a starter. I know you only asked about parts but I would say on an overnight(s) road trip I take a milk crate with a qt of oil, trans fluid, gallon of antifreeze, duct tape, electrical tape, mechanics wire, a small roll of electrical wire, a tube gasket ATV and a couple feet of gas line. I know you can get all of this at almost any local store but if you are on the side of the hwy by yourself having the stuff on hand is a big help. I also take my hodo freight tool kit that has 1/4, 3/8 & 1/2 drives with multi insert screw driver, plyers, adjustable wrench, toss in a pair of vise grips. Sometimes I will toss in my jumper box or battery charger, a shorty bottle jack and 2 stands. Anything I can't fix with all of that is probably bad enough that it will need to be trailered home. I know it's a lot but that's why our cars have big trunks. I grew up doing many road trips with my parents and dad always said he would rather have it and not need it that need it and not have it.
Points and condenser if it has them
It depends on the car, how far from home do you want wander, and most of all, how good you are at "side of the road" car repair.
I've seen guys that bring half their shop and a large box of replacement parts, but I don't carry much.
In all the years I've owned Chrysler products, going back over 50 years now, and hundreds of thousands of miles, I've have had one, possibly two ballast resistor failures. It doesn't take up much room though, so carrying another isn't a bad idea, just telling you that it doesn't fail as often as some people seem to think.
When I change belts, the old ones get tossed in the toolbox. If your car has an electronic ignition, a spare ECU isn't a bad idea, but I've never had one fail.
Of course, tools are always good to have. A cheap set of 3/8 sockets, some wrenches and screwdrivers at minimum. Small and large vice grips and a test light. A 4-way lug wrench is great to have too. I carry my stuff in military ammo cans.
But really, going back to my first sentence, is how good you are at figuring out a problem and fixing it in a parking lot.... If you are good at it, great. But really, it comes down to a cell phone with a AAA card (or whatever they have for a tow service over there) may be your tool of choice.
I carry a ballast resistor, Points and condenser, all drive belts,( as @ayilar witnessed it can happen to anyone), fuses, coolant, a steel can fuel filter ( plastic ones can start fires) and a qt. of ATF and motor oil. As @Big_John stated a spare electronic control module is a good spare to have. If all else fails duct tape can get you out of so many problems.
Yep, duct tape is a must. Combine that with zip-ties and maybe some mechanics wire.
Thanks for that. I have not really thought about are these the parts to carry if you are out and about... or keep at home. Getting parts over in Europe is likely to take a week or more... unless you want to pay more for the shipping than the parts cost.
I have a RAC membership, the last time I called them out for a dead battery it only took them 16 hours.
I need to make a list...
OK, I think we all thought about having spares in the trunk (or as you guys say "boot" LOL) rather than stuff for the home garage.
Spares for the garage are a different matter and I suppose it would depend on what's easily available for you. Again, I think it is going to depend on what you are capable of. I don't know what you can buy at the local parts store, but I think spare ignition parts, like an ECU, coil, ballast resistor and distributor pickup might be worth having. If proper size belts are hard to come by, a set of those would be good.
When I buy a new (to me) car, I always go through and replace belts and hoses. If the used stuff looks beat, toss it, but if it looks serviceable, keep it. That gets you some spares that will keep you up and running. I do that with a lot of stuff... For example, if I replace the wipers on my newer cars, I always toss one old one in the trunk. Point being to save the stuff you take off as they become no cost spares.
I also keep enough oil for at least one oil change along with at least one oil filter for every car. Since I use the same stuff in all my old cars, that's easy. My newer cars get the same though.
Mr C
Senior Member
For long trips in addition to the ECU etc. recommendations, I recommend a wiper switch.
I went on a trip in my C body once and it rained for a fair part of the trip...well, my wiper switch smoked on me... and there I was half way on the trip and it was still raining.
I lucked out at a wrecker, but ever since then, with my car only getting older, a wiper switch is in my car.
I went on a trip in my C body once and it rained for a fair part of the trip...well, my wiper switch smoked on me... and there I was half way on the trip and it was still raining.
I lucked out at a wrecker, but ever since then, with my car only getting older, a wiper switch is in my car.
Perhaps a bottle of Rain-X that does work well.
Howdy. When I drove only muscle cars full set of tools and a spare ignition syst along with radiator hose tape. The only times I broke down was engine fire in my 67 Formula Cuda, a large Mountain Dew and my tee shirt put the fire out plug wires were toast, 71 Cuda I broke my driveshaft and rear yoke, last was 69 GTX ignition switch failed. I Towed the 67 to my Wrecking yard, 71 I broke in Wyoming had to walk with a drive shaft on my shoulder to Lyman , on the 69 I hot wired it. Nowadays I have towing on our cars plus I have a truck and trailer.
I have a 1992 B350 1 ton window van that is sometimes near Daily Driver. I pride myself in having enough parts and tools to do anything on the side of the road except pull the engine! Mom's Daily Driver from 1972 to 1985 was a 1962 Dodge Lancer GT. About 1980 my parents went to Florida from Maryland's Eastern Shore with it. Dad took everything he thought he needed in the trunk. Yep, you guessed it, in Florida he needed a u-joint and none in the trunk! His friend they were visiting was friends with the owner of the local Ford dealer and it got fixed by the Used Car Department!
A fire extinguisher.... thanks, another one for the list.
MrMoparCHP
Old Man with a Hat
Most post like this people are talking about "road trips". The original poster being in the UK may simply be referring to parts to have on hand at home as getting these parts may be a little more difficult and take time.
Alan
Alan
Reminds me of a story my Dad told me. In 1952 with my Mom they were touring around the US in a new Morris Oxford they bought for the trip. Somewhere in the West when travelling through a dessert the water pump failed. They were miles from anywhere in searing heat. The pump was a old fashioned bellows type. The spring had snapped. So my dad took out the parts of the spring, made a fire and recoiled a new spring from the remaining parts. It worked perfectly. One thing about driving in the UK, you don't really go far with gas at nearly $8 a gallon (imp).
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Thank you everyone who replied.
I think I can put a list of things to take with me and have handy in the garage. I wouldn't have been able to do this without your years of owning Mopars.
I think I can put a list of things to take with me and have handy in the garage. I wouldn't have been able to do this without your years of owning Mopars.
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