JessN16

One other thing: Need to add that this all happened in the span of about 5 minutes -- meaning, heating up the ignition from normal temperature to gawdamighty-that-thing-burnt-my-hand. I had barely made it a quarter-mile from the office when it went nuclear. Jess

Wish all of them were like this (although most that I've met are)... Just about burned my 87 down to the ground today (read all about it here: http://www.starquestclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=108906), and the cop that stopped to help me actually helped me work on the car for a half-hour. We swapped an igniter out in the middle of U.S. 231 in Wetumpka, Ala. Usually when I break down, the officer assigned to traffic duty just wants to get me out of the road as quickly as possible, but this guy (a former Ford mechanic) actually helped me work on the car. Here's to you, Mr. Police Officer With A Heart Of Gold And A Wrench To Match. Jess

Haven't converted the 87 igniter over to 88 yet, but now I may have no choice. Had to drive the 87 to work today out of necessity. When I left at lunch to go see a client, I started down this long mountain hill near my office and all of a sudden realized the stock boost gauge was going absolutely berserk. It was bouncing from whatever the low number is (-7 or -15) up to 15 and back again, just flopping around like a fish. As I'm pondering this, I look down at the bottom of the hill and notice the light is changing to red, so I clutch and brake to stop and the entire car goes dead as a doornail. So now I'm trying to get it running again by going down to third gear and backspinning the engine, but it refuses to catch. I fight it down the hill with no power steering or brakes and barely get it shut down before I go out in the middle of a big intersection. I try to restart it a couple of times but it won't idle. Same problem I've been having with the car. A deputy arrives, and offers to help. Turns out he was a 15-year employee at a Ford dealership, as a mechanic, prior to joining the force. I tell him what I think it is, and he goes to grab the ignition coil and scorches his hand. I get a screwdriver to try to tap on the 87 igniter, and on the first tap the screwdriver goes right through the case, which is half-melted and cracking and breaking up. I have a spare 87 igniter in the parts bag, but I've never gotten it to work. Still, I'm desperate to move the car. So the officer and I change out the igniter, but no dice. The tach is pretty much stuck on 0, although it did halfheartedly bounce a couple of times. The old igniter, by the way, was about a million degrees when I got it out of the car. So now we have some more information about this whole igniter saga: 1) The stock boost gauge is now going bananas, 2) The coil and the igniter both are very near the point of catching fire, 3) I hope nothing else got burned/ruined during this, but I can't say. I didn't see any other heat damage to the wires, but that doesn't mean nothing was done. What would cause the ignition system to heat up like this? At least now I feel the running-like-crap problem I had last week was indeed related to the quality of spark I was getting and not the BOV. Jess

You didn't happen to edit that in later, did you? Jess

Perhaps he hit a pole of some kind, I wonder quietly to myself. Jess

Shelby, So are you saying to cut the harnesses and match wires to each other one at a time? Or is there someway to make the plugs fit? (It's raining like crazy outside right now, so I haven't looked closely at what's on the 87). Jess

Brad, Thanks, but I think I'm going to make the transition to the 88 igniter if I can. Operative phrase there is "if I can." Jess

I've read the post on the FAQ board concerning putting an 88 igniter on an 87 car, but I can't really tell what the exact piece of advice is. Do I need to cut the harnesses on both sides (88 igniter, 87 car), or is there a way to modify the plug where they'll plug in? I do not have a the 88 car-half of the igniter wiring harness. Basically, what's the easiest way to do this? Jess

Jimmy, It does not have the original connector on it, but it's been like that for years. The run-hot problem just started a few months before the igniter died 2 years ago. That's why I was thinking it might be the igniter. We'll know about the igniter one way or another by the weekend, though, because the new part came today. Thanks for sending it! Jess

Would you not get the smell of gas, though, if all the gas wasn't being burned off during combustion (due to weak spark)? Jess

I know this isn't definitive, but I've had two coils (one factory, one Bosch Red) in the car and it does the same thing with both coils. Jess

The 87 that has the bad igniter (but not for long -- part came today) is starting to run like junk when hot. Hesitates, won't go smoothly down the road, and I can smell a lot of unburned gas on acceleration. This is ONLY when hot, however. I was wondering if weak spark from the igniter (essentially the same problem that caused the no-start condition) is the culprit here. However, I'm aware of two other potential problem areas: One would be the engine coolant temp sensor on the block. The other would be the HKS-style BOV. I don't have a non-BOV hardpipe to swap out (and I obviously can't run down the road with the hood up, trying to look in at the BOV), but before I go looking for a new temp switch or try to block the BOV, I was wondering if the igniter could be the culprit. Now that I've run across the problem, I remember this being a problem before the car broke down 2 years ago. It's just now re-appeared. Jess

What I've found is that people regard them today mostly one of two ways: Either with complete indifference, or they think this is a supercar. Haven't really noticed an import/export bias one way or another, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of middle ground as to how people regard the cars. Jess

This may be the original connection the shop was talking about. If this is the problem -- specifically, getting "corroded internally" -- what do I need to do to fix it? Also, what will I need to remove to get a clear look at this thing, and how will I know I'm looking at the right thing (in other words, what is it connected to on both ends)? Jess

Could it be somewhere other than the actual fusable link itself? I think I remember changing out the link once already (will try again, obviously) but I'm wondering about other connections, either to the body itself or somewhere else in the circuit. Jess

On my wife's 88 Conquest, the headlights do not light up. The problem is NOT in the switch and I'm 100 percent sure of this, as I swapped over the functioning switch from my Starion, and the problem continued. We had this happen once before and a shop fixed it for us. They told us that the problem was where the headlights themselves grounded on the chassis. The exact problem is this: The switch activates the pop-ups, but will not turn on the lights themselves. Also, when this problem is occurring, the dash lights are dead. So are the parking lights. Is this a fusable link issue, or is it a grounding issue somewhere else -- and if so, where do I find this ground wire? Thanks. Jess

Also fellas, we've got a lodging update in the main thread on the other forum that I need everyone to check out ASAP. Jess

Here's kind of how it breaks down, as the route used to go: Mountain 1: Started in Stevenson, went up to Monteagle (about 45 minutes) using Alabama 117 and Tennessee 56. At that point, we would turn down the mountain and go into Cowan on U.S. 41, which has a few service stations. From there, we would drive straight roads to Winchester, about 15 minutes away, where there was room to stop again. Then it would get dicey. The next town of any size is Huntland, on Tennessee 97. There are a couple of places to stop there. After that, though, you pick up Alabama 65, which is the Paint Rock River Valley Highway, and there is no place to stop -- as well as no shoulders on the road -- until you get all the way back to Scottsboro, which is a good 1.5 hours. And of course, that stretch is precisely where Brandon's car decided to detonate a head gasket one year. This first loop is by far the longest, clocking it at nearly 4 hours all by itself. Mountain 2: Short route. Start in Scottsboro, go up Jackson County Road 33, which is an actual SCCA Hillclimb Competition route, intersect Alabama 79 in Skyline (there is a gas station there) and come back. Total loop time is less than an hour. Only problem with this route is that the Hillclimb stage is a no-breakdown zone. No pull-off areas or anything close. Lakes: Another 1-hour route. Leave Scottsboro, go down Alabama 279 and 79 to Guntersville, turn on Alabama 227 and go through the Lake Guntersville complex, then exit out the back end on some unmarked Marshall County road that eventually turns into Jackson Count 67/John B. Benson Parkway and literally travels a couple of feet off the Tennessee River for 10-20 miles. Gas stations all over this route. We typically run this one at sunset for the epic views. The thinking for this year is to restructure Mountain 1 and Mountain 2. We would end up cutting Mountain 1 by almost 75 percent. We'd simply go to Monteagle, ride through the campus at The University of the South, u-turn and come home, maybe grab lunch at this Mexican joint they've got up there. Mountain 2 would then start with the Hillclimb, take Alabama 79 north to Winchester, then go back through Huntland and come back on Alabama 65. The Lakes loop would stay the same, as it's short anyway. That would cut the drive time to about 4-4.5 hours. Jess

Lodging update Tried to call Goose Pond tonight to check on room availability. They do not have online booking. Unfortunately, they also do not have anyone manning a desk after 6 p.m., apparently. Looked online for rooms at Lake Guntersville State Park. As of 7/9/2010, they have the following non-hotel units available for the week of March 3 (a Thursday) through March 6 (a Sunday): 18 mountaintop chalets with view, 13 cottages. They also have around 100 hotel rooms available. Prices seem to be around $100/night for all options, give or take a few. The mountaintop chalets and cottages all have two full bedrooms and then apparently room for a couple of other people on couches as well. So if you're splitting six ways, you're going to be paying about $17 per person per night. A very good bargain! For the week of March 10 (a Thursday) through March 13 (a Sunday): 13 mountaintop chalets with view, 11 cottages. Prices are the same, but this illustrates how important it is to set a date QUICKLY. I will try calling Goose Pond tomorrow (Saturday, July 10) and check with them on the availability of their facilities. What I need you guys to do, and fairly soon: 1) Pick between March 3-6 or March 10-13, 2) Speak your thoughts on what you would do if you came, relative to lodging. In other words, would you stay at the resort by yourself or room with another person/couple, try to find your own Motel 6-type arrangements, sleep in your car, be close enough to go back home every night, etc. For those of you who would want to split a lodge/resort room with someone, you would need to start finding your roommates. I'm sorry to accelerate the timeline a little, but I can see a scenario developing where we miss out on any "good" accommodations/central hangout locations and end up having to stay in a motel. Jess

Josh, Jim passed away recently. I just talked to Jeff Hall within the last couple of weeks and he told me about it. Jess

The biggest issue we have with the drive length is the layout of the roads in the Tennessee portion once you get to Monteagle on Mountain 1. The only way to make a returning loop without backtracking on roads we've already traveled is to either (1) go down the mountain to Cowan and then on to where the Paint Rock highway picks up, which leaves us about an hour and a half of some really boring roads to travel, or (2) go up to the I-24 junction, go down the mountain that way and then cycle back down U.S. 72, which is also a bore-fest. However, if we simply went to Monteagle, then turned around and came back, then re-routed Mountain 2 to start with the SCCA hillclimb road, go up past the Walls of Jericho on 79 and then route back through Tennessee (cutting our "boring" time from an hour and a half down to about 30 minutes), we can cut this thing from 5.5-6 hours back to 4-4.5. I doubt we can get it any shorter than that, because there are four "must-do" runs: Monteagle, hillclimb, Paint Rock Valley Highway and the Lakes loop through the state park, and unfortunately those things are all scattered way apart from one another. I don't like the 6-hour drive, either. But I think 4-4.5 is very appropriate for what is, at its heart, a driving meet. As long as people don't mind hoofing it back down Monteagle to Stevenson, the problem is solved. Jess

Yeah, I told you that's what the seller said. Guy must have a different definition of "known good" than I do. You guys check the other thread on the Meet Planner forum. Have a late-night lodging update... Jess

Wow, I wasn't expecting so much interest so soon. It's nice to see, though, and I appreciate the comments. I guess it appears as if people want a full three days. If that's how it's going to work, Melena and I will probably come into town Thursday night and stay through Sunday. The best thing about a three-day meet in this area is that motels are ridiculously cheap. You can stay three nights in Scottsboro for less than the cost of a two-night stay at PF. The following are what I feel are our four best bets for lodging where the group can all be together. 1. Goose Pond Colony: http://www.goosepond.org/ The thing to look at here are the cottages. They rent for $170 apiece (for five people) and sleep 5-8 comfortably. You can sleep a max of 8 people there and renters Nos. 6-8 pay only $17/night for the room. That means if you guys get five people involved, you're paying about $36/night for a cottage. The other option there is to rent the entire main lodge. You can sleep 12 people very comfortably there and it costs $451/night to rent (plus $125 damage deposit, which I assume we'd get back), which would be less than $40 a person and a couple of those rooms have full kitchens. They also have a campground there but I don't recommend it for an early March date. Northeast Alabama is a little unique when compared to the rest of the state -- they actually have real winters there. Goosepond also has a VERY nice golf course that is cheap to play, you have boat rentals available for fishing and The Docks restaurant is a winner. Best shrimp and grits I've ever had, and I've actually been to the Carolina Lowcountry. The best part about this place is that we should have plenty of room to work on cars there, and hanging out/cooking out/drinking beverages is pretty much what everyone does at that place. 2. Lake Guntersville State Park: http://www.alapark.com/lakeguntersville/ This is about 30 miles SE of Scottsboro in Guntersville, which is actually a part of the Lakes loop on the drive itself. This park, and not Gulf Shores, is actually Alabama's most popular park, and they just re-did the property 2 years ago. Cottages can sleep up to 6 people and cost $130/night, which means you can get something for around $25/person. Chalets are even cheaper -- $120/night, and they also sleep six. Couples wanting their own hotel suite can get one for $100/night. There's a golf course on site (but it's pretty average), while a couple of other golf courses are nearby. You can also camp out on the park property if you wish. 3. Paint Rock Valley Lodge: http://www.prvlodge.com/retreats.html This place is in Estillfork, which is way up in the boonies of northern Jackson County, about 5 miles off the Mountain 2 route near the Paint Rock River stream-rising. There are no prices listed on the site but I do remember them being pretty reasonable. The thought here is we'd rent the entire lodge, which has 12 rooms plus a great room and an on-site restaurant. There is no golf nearby but they are listing an outdoor pool (not needed in early March); however, the last time I was there they also had an indoor pool. They also have an on-site restaurant. This is a good thing, because you're literally 20-30 miles away from the nearest gas station. You're about 40 miles away from Scottsboro. This place typically hosts church retreats and business group getaways. It's built in an old Air Force missile tracking station. Really neat place. My only question here would be whether they let people BYOB given that a lot of their business is church-related. Obviously I'd have to check on that in advance. 4. Hales Bar Marina: http://halesbarmarina.com/ This is on Nickajack Lake in Tennessee. It's about 15-20 miles from the Stevenson Town Park, which is where we typically get together and rendezvous before hitting off on the Mountain 1 loop. They have "floating cabins" and land cabins, the latter of which appears to run about $40/person if you're splitting a room six ways. Looks like a lot of fishing opportunities. I don't think we could go wrong with any of these choices, and my preference is pretty much in the order I have them listed (although Hales Bar and the PRV Lodge are pretty much tied for third). The real issue here is we're going to have to pick a date quickly because Goose Pond and PRV Lodge both fill up very fast, and I'm sure the others do as well. Depending on the cost, I wouldn't have a problem renting the place on my dime and having people pay me back, but I'd need some assurances first. Check out these options and post your preferences. Jess

Cordia, I think. Could be a Tredia but I'm pretty sure it's a Cordia. Jess

Folks, I'm considering a reboot of our old Mountain Lakes Drive meet, traditionally held in Scottsboro, Ala. We've been dormant the past couple of years, and it's time to tear it to the ground and start over. I'm collecting comments in this thread: http://www.starquestclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=108438 Please give input in the linked thread. Thanks! Jess