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4 minute(s) of a 731 minute read
9-20-2019
Highly recommend masters level ultimate! Especially if you've got the fitness to be competitive in club/mixed. I've done nothing but league for years; so getting into masters was fantastic for me. Not sure if I have the time to get into club.
Speaking of ultimate.....I leave in about 2 hours for the longest road trip I've taken in the Z in approximately 10 years. My wife coaches a women's ultimate team, and this weekend is the Mens/Womens/Mixed Regional tournament in Minnesota. Roughly 350 miles each way plus detours. We plan to stop in Winona/LaCrosse on the way back for some hiking, fun driving, and paddle wheel boat rides.
I get approximately 200 miles per tank now on E85, so I've located a few stations along the route at appropriate distances and expect smooth sailing for fuelling. Plus I really have no interest in switching back to 93 until it goes into storage for the winter.
The weather looks just about perfect, Mid 70's during the days and mid 50's at night. I still haven't found an AC condenser so it's good it won't be needed. This really is the best time of year for a road trip in this part of the country. I'm really excited, and also somewhat saddened as this will likely be our last road trip in the Z. It's a two seater, and as I mentioned before we've got a third family member (besides the dogs) on the way. Don't misunderstand, I'm very excited for what life has in store for us; but this is likely the last chapter in what has been a 11 year journey with my 30 year old Japanese grand tourer.
Emergency tool bag packed and ready to go!
Tool bag is packed: Extra hose clamps, long reach screwdrivers, ratcheting flex head wrench kit, socket set, light, gloves, Gorilla tape, extendable handle ratchet, multimeter, leatherman tool, vice grips, etc. I haven't had to use it often, but it can be a lifesaver when things go sideways. Thanks to my big brake upgrade, the spare tire no longer fits so I'm playing with fire every time I go for a ride. The emergency kit fits nicely in the spare tire well.
Here goes nothing....
9-21-2019
Thankfully our hotel is sandwiched between an autozone and a menards......
It was weeping coolant about halfway through the drive out....but as the day wore on and I attempted to diagnose the problem it turned into a small fountain. Thankfully this didn't ruin a sunset dinner on the banks of the St Croix River or cause any delays on the way to the hotel. It did result in 90 minutes of hotel parking lot attempted repair which didn't fix the problem but allowed me to positively identify the location.
The DS turbo outlet hose developed a hole right where it goes behind the block. Red hose on image above.
It's 7:30AM and I've already been to menards for hose clamps and brass unions. I'm eating breakfast while my wife sleeps and I wait for autozone to open. Plan #1 is to replace the whole line if it can be done with the intake manifold in place. If not, I'll cut the hose at the break and join the two halves.
Sure, this is a bummer and 200% unexpected but thanks to 11 years of ownership of this beast and a veteran of the LeMons circuit, my parking lot mechanic skills are top notch. If my luck continues ill have this fixed before game #1 today.