www.laspeedgarage.com

Hey guys well I'm planning on a road trip to Texas and planning on taking my cobra. just looking for advice for a long drive is there anything that a should check before I go besides the usuall tires oil fluids. Car has57,000 miles on it. also my car sounds like it has a squeaking sound coming from the engine I think it might be a pulley cause once the car has warmed up it stops squeak ing. any advice would be awesome.

I had the same on one of the crappy factory idler pullies. Crickets until it warmed up. Take the belt off and spin/wiggle them all by hand to see if a bearing feels loose or noisy.

I would also verify your charging system is up to snuff. These things like to eat alternators at inopportune times. You can use a scanguage or the dash diagnostic tool to verify voltage. If you want to take a step further you can get the battery tested at an auto parts store.

http://www.mustangworld.com/ourpics/fcar/dtcodes.htm

I had a cheap, OEM, idler pulley blow into pieces. Fortunately I had others and I actually carried one with my tools along with a spare blower belt. I also carried a cheap Harbor Freight compressor and a tire plug kit. So, some tools that allow one to remove and/or change a blower belt and to remove and replace an idler, would be nice, since the alternator runs off the blower belt, and the car will not go far without it. Blower belts may be difficult to find in the middle of nowhere, which is why I carried a spare at all times. And, BTW, before the idler blew up, and I mean, it fragged, it did make a squeaking sound, especially when the car was first started from cold.

My car has rolled over 75k on the original steel idlers. The only time mine squeaks a bit, is when the belt gets wet, like running it through an automatic jet no touch type car wash.

Ron's comment about these things eating Alternators at Inopportune times couldn't be more accurate. Heck, my "Batt" light has been going on and off for literally a year! The ScanGuageII shows it is putting out good Voltage, but the light continues to come and go randomly. It seems to stay on longer when it is cold out (?) Regardless, as Tetge has said, those belts and Alt's can be hard to find in the middle of no where and at the oddest hour. I have a new Alt and belt that has been sitting in the garage for the last 8 months. Just haven't been motivated enough to swap them out yet. The car currently never goes farther than 15 miles from home at a time, so I am not too concerned. I would swap it before I took it on an extended trip though.

Your car should do fine. But don't sweat it and ruin the trip. Give them a firm wiggle and see if any have excessive play before heading out.

R U on the road now, or trip coming up? Where are you going in Texas?