Windsors 03 Cobra
07-27-2008, 10:35 PM
Today the 03 Mustang Cobra left my wife, our 2 year old daughter and myself on the side of I94 in downtown Chicago in the hot summer sun, I knew when I hit the gas and felt it falling all over itself that I was in trouble.
Luckily the shoulder was good and I was able to jump out at 1 or 3 mph and keep it rolling and push it out of traffic. We had the a/c going full blast.
The radio and scan gauge stopped working a few miles back, the interceptor scan gauge is slowly flaking out so I figured maybe the gauge fried it and the radios fuse. :confused
The battery had no cranks left in it so I decided my alternator was bad and I needed a battery or 2 to make the 60 mile drive home, I walked the half mile off I94 and found a neighborhood where auto parts stores are few and far between, walked 2 miles and found a Sears I bought a 1/4 ratchet a 6" extension and an 8mm socket.
I only bought the tools after I was pleasantly surprised to find that they sold auto batteries in a auto service center in a different building and the auto service was open till 6 :wow It was about 4:30. Perfect ! Got 2 of the best die hard batteries Sears sold, stole their shopping cart and skated the cart & batteries back the 2 miles to I94.
Walked back onto the parking lot known as the Kennedy Expressway and had every damn person sitting in traffic starring at the brain dead idiot Ford driver sweating bullets carrying 2 batteries to the broken down hood up hot rod laying dead on the side of the road, threw the battery in (wrong post location ~Sears~ & the battery clamp hold down bolt snapped off ~Ford~) jumped in and fired that mug up, It felt damn good having it fire right up and driving it away. :thumbsup
Got off 2 exits up the road not knowing if I should stay on the tollway or find a state highway, well found a Advanced Auto and decided to get some WAWA and troubleshoot the charging system, check availability of an alt and see just how much of a PITA the alt would be to do in a parking lot (special order alt and not feasble to change anyway) bought another battery :rolf I wanted to make it home and was sick of walking.
Made it home 60 miles on that first diehard battery, using the starter a few times (advanced auto & had to stop 2 miles from home and go into grocery store), but playing no radio or useless electrical accessories.
Got home and it was down to 9.8-10.0 volts and fading fast interceptor was dim and radio clock blanked out, turned the a/c on, hit the gas and the car died volt gauge at 8.4V.
I was very very surprised and happy it made it home on just 1 battery and am hoping to take 1 battery back to Sears and 1 back to Advanced Auto tomorrow.
Turned over 48,000 miles running off the battery on the way home, the Terminator cars are known to eat alternators, probably made in Korea. Advanced wanted $209 for the part I think I'm just going to get the original rebuilt.
Regardless a tow would have costs us $300 (the amount I spent on batteries) could possibly be damaged towing (a rollback wont touch it) and a tow driver would not have had room for all 3 of us to ride. So I feel ok and made it home.
Last time I had to do this I had just met my wife. About ten years ago her 93 Beretta alt died on the hale, walked to Wal-Mart that day and drove home.
My wife told our daughter I would get us home but I dont think the baby believed her.
Was a beautiful day in the city that works. :rolleyes: (10% sales tax) :punch:
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd1/windsors03cobra/MiscJunk/DSCN0829-1.jpghttp://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd1/windsors03cobra/MiscJunk/DSCN0837.jpg
Luckily the shoulder was good and I was able to jump out at 1 or 3 mph and keep it rolling and push it out of traffic. We had the a/c going full blast.
The radio and scan gauge stopped working a few miles back, the interceptor scan gauge is slowly flaking out so I figured maybe the gauge fried it and the radios fuse. :confused
The battery had no cranks left in it so I decided my alternator was bad and I needed a battery or 2 to make the 60 mile drive home, I walked the half mile off I94 and found a neighborhood where auto parts stores are few and far between, walked 2 miles and found a Sears I bought a 1/4 ratchet a 6" extension and an 8mm socket.
I only bought the tools after I was pleasantly surprised to find that they sold auto batteries in a auto service center in a different building and the auto service was open till 6 :wow It was about 4:30. Perfect ! Got 2 of the best die hard batteries Sears sold, stole their shopping cart and skated the cart & batteries back the 2 miles to I94.
Walked back onto the parking lot known as the Kennedy Expressway and had every damn person sitting in traffic starring at the brain dead idiot Ford driver sweating bullets carrying 2 batteries to the broken down hood up hot rod laying dead on the side of the road, threw the battery in (wrong post location ~Sears~ & the battery clamp hold down bolt snapped off ~Ford~) jumped in and fired that mug up, It felt damn good having it fire right up and driving it away. :thumbsup
Got off 2 exits up the road not knowing if I should stay on the tollway or find a state highway, well found a Advanced Auto and decided to get some WAWA and troubleshoot the charging system, check availability of an alt and see just how much of a PITA the alt would be to do in a parking lot (special order alt and not feasble to change anyway) bought another battery :rolf I wanted to make it home and was sick of walking.
Made it home 60 miles on that first diehard battery, using the starter a few times (advanced auto & had to stop 2 miles from home and go into grocery store), but playing no radio or useless electrical accessories.
Got home and it was down to 9.8-10.0 volts and fading fast interceptor was dim and radio clock blanked out, turned the a/c on, hit the gas and the car died volt gauge at 8.4V.
I was very very surprised and happy it made it home on just 1 battery and am hoping to take 1 battery back to Sears and 1 back to Advanced Auto tomorrow.
Turned over 48,000 miles running off the battery on the way home, the Terminator cars are known to eat alternators, probably made in Korea. Advanced wanted $209 for the part I think I'm just going to get the original rebuilt.
Regardless a tow would have costs us $300 (the amount I spent on batteries) could possibly be damaged towing (a rollback wont touch it) and a tow driver would not have had room for all 3 of us to ride. So I feel ok and made it home.
Last time I had to do this I had just met my wife. About ten years ago her 93 Beretta alt died on the hale, walked to Wal-Mart that day and drove home.
My wife told our daughter I would get us home but I dont think the baby believed her.
Was a beautiful day in the city that works. :rolleyes: (10% sales tax) :punch:
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd1/windsors03cobra/MiscJunk/DSCN0829-1.jpghttp://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd1/windsors03cobra/MiscJunk/DSCN0837.jpg