Surviving a Breakdown Weekend!

[Safety Guy]

Last weekend I travelled to Cupeper, VA, for the Mid-Atlantic Tactical Conference: a weekend of combative firearms, hand to hand and lecture training from some of the best in the business. I took no guns so I only did the H2H and lectures.

The trip was about 440 miles from Cowlumbus, Ahia to my destination. My '92L got me there fine, after having replaced both ball joints the day before when I found some play in the originals. I stayed at the "Red Carpet Inn and Suites" in Culpeper, and found I had some room mates upon my arrival!



They looked like "stinkbugs" to me, and when I got back I found I was right. They look like "marmorated brown stink bugs." Here's some info on them from a "fan":

http://www.barking-moonbat.com/index.php/weblog/buggin_out/

They didn't really bother me, but there were about four or five in my room. After I took some stuff up from the car, I managed to get one of them out by shooing it with a large piece of paper. Then a few minutes later, I snatched a few more up with tissue paper and threw them in the toilet.

Bad move. Or rather, "bad karma." At least that's what I'm thinking now.

I next went out on the town to eat and to get a local map and some supplies, since I discovered I had forgotten my bathroom kit! I also didn't know how to get where I was training, so the map was needed. I then looked at the map I'd bought at Walgreen's and found the road the conference was on wasn't listed. Crap! What now?

Time to join the 21st Century, I guess. I went to Target to get a GPS. Before purchase, the sales guy showed me that the address I wanted was indeed on there! I made sure of that!

Back at the hotel, I unwrapped my new toy and turned it on. No wall plug--just a car plug--and my car plug doesn't work (time to fix it, eh?). But when I turned it on it worked, and I went outside to pick up the satellite signals. Then I realized I had to drive there to see where I'd be going in the morning, so I hurried off to my car before the juice ran out.

GPS on dash, seatbelt on, and ignition...NOT.

My car wouldn't start!

Here's a pic of my baby that night, on the far left, glinting in sadness:



More in a moment!

[Safety Guy]

How to get to training now? I'd call a cab, arranged that night. The hotel manager, a nice Korean guy who never seemed to take a break, gave me a card with cab info. When I called, however, the number rung in another city somewhere. So I looked in the phone book and wrote down several numbers of cab companies.

I called them all.

No one answered!

NO CABS IN CULPEPER!! What the...??!!

I went outside again to my poor Twinstiva and tried to start her again. No luck. Upon returning to my room, I saw a guy at the pop machine and thought he looked familiar...

I went into the hotel office and explained my situation and asked the manager to see if a guy by the name of Paul G. (a firearms instructor I have trained with in the past) was there, since I thought I had seen him. I asked if he could call him and give him my hotel room, and... by that time the manager had already looked! Yes! He dialed Paul's room and we talked.

Paul and his friend provided me with transportation to and from the training both days.

First problem solved. Training was saved!

Here's another pic of my baby the next day:



Training went well, considering I was a bit bummed about the possibilities of getting home!

Besides lectures on "Violent Acts and Violent Actors" and on a SWAT guy's overview of the shooting he was in (in which he was shot) and a few more choice topics, I took only two physical classes.

Cecil Burch taught "Crazy Monkey Boxing," which I have had before. It gave me a short review of the perfect boxing style for old farts like me who hate to get hit in the face.

Another of my instructors is known as "Southnarc." He taught a relatively new class called "Vehicle Brazilian Ju-Jutsu." Here's a pic, since no one is identifiable:



Essentially, it's grappling in a car! Here's another:



Going through "car work" instead of merely talking about the possibility represents an important factor of "real world" training: finding out what something is actually like by doing it. Instead of a flat mat, we were taught that in a car, one uses the confined area to one's advantage. Think in "3D" and get your butt out of the seat and moving! Up, sideways, bracing against the ceiling, the sides, putting your feet on the dash, door, etc. Same BJJ principles (not that I've done a lot of BJJ) applied in a different "arena."

At the end of this class, some students did some "evolutions" with SIMS guns (Glock 17s converted to fire paintball cartridges) and protective gear. Here's a gear pic:



I've worked with Sims before, but I sat this stuff out. Getting old, I guess.

More in a moment...

[Safety Guy]

I think it was Saturday I called Barbara (Smedley). I had her number from the past FMIV weekend. She answered and it was nice to have someone who could possibly get me some help! Any Festiva folks in this area? She would post on our forum and find out.



Sunday I had planned on taking two more physical training classes in the afternoon, but I ended up sitting out one so I could use the range owner's phone and computer to see about getting Twinstiva running on Monday.

Getting lazy, I made my last class a lecture. No telling what work I'd go through the next day, so why get all sore and possibly injured so far from home? Lazy old fart I am!!

An older couple gave me a ride back to the hotel since Paul had to attend an instructor's review on site. Once back, I got busy reserving a rental car and doing some planning. The range owner was to pick me up the next morning to take me to get the car, which he did.

I called Barbara again and found that Nate (Skeeter), John (Pu241) and 92Festy were alerted to my situation. Nate might be able to come down with some parts. 92Festy was only 100 miles away, but couldn't travel far. At any rate, I had four folks to talk to on the phone, which was a big boost by itself! Also, John told me how to use a paper clip to check my VAF. Clip inserted, car still would'nt start. It was probably not the VAF. One thing eliminated...

Nate also told me that several different cars might have the fuel pump relay I needed. Maybe a Festiva wasn't necessary!

As of Sunday night, all was still up in the air. I went to bed with a plan, however:

1. Rent a car.
2. Go to local junkyards and get a fuel pump relay.
3. Buy a new fuel pump.

I had my tools with me (always!). I just needed a few parts and some luck.

Monday, I got wheels--a new Hyundai Accent (which was nice), and my new GPS, which TALKED TO ME!

I named her "Sandy." "Where to now, Sandy?" I would ask. And she told me where to go! More importantly, she told me HOW to get there.

The first 'yard I went to was a no go.

The second 'yard I went to was...well, that's in the next post!

Wowwzaaa!!

[Safety Guy]

I had heard of "Leon's" at the conference on Sunday. One of the range workers had told me her boyfriend ran it. Get there before ten am.

I drove to Leon's. All you can see from the gate is the office building with a sign saying "the walking man's friend." And woods, with some school busses lined up forming a wall around the property. A few old cars were for sale in the front lot where I parked.

I talked to Leon about what I was looking for. (Well, I assumed it was him.) He gave me a map and some directions. "Everybody else finds their way, so I expect you will" he told me.

He had three Festivas, but didn't know what years they were. He then showed me out the back door into his lot.

"Lot" does NOT describe this place!!



I followed the school busses and it took me maybe ten minutes until I met the Festivas. Along the way I took this picture of a blue Opel wagon, one of my favorite cars:



Wow. I wasn't even to my destination and I was wanting to stop, take pictures, explore, absorb, camp out!!

THIS WAS A FREAKING MUSEUM!

More...

[mikemounlio]

bad luck dude. I hope it gets better for you

[Safety Guy]

The busses were lined up, mostly side to side. No, not end to end. SIDEWAYS.

Inside them were car parts, usually of a certain theme in each one. Engines. Drive shafts. Original old bus seats. Empty, or mostly so. Here is one I took on my way out:



At one point were aluminum wheels, most not matched, sitting on the ground along the side of my path. I was tempted to go looking at wheels! But I wasn't there for wheels.

I finally found the three Festivas he told me were there:



The silver one was an LX 5 speed. Carbed. The blue one missing its hatch was also carbed. The red one just barely visible over the left side of the blue one was also carbed!

All carbed. No fuel pump relay for me, from these.

Yes, I checked for underseat trays!! Nope. I also looked around for any other parts I could pull, perhaps to make a quick buck, if nothing else. The silver LX still had its tach cluster with over 230K miles on it. I didn't feel I had the time to pull it.

I then looked for Mazdas that Leon said were nearby. I found them, including a 323 sedan which became a fuel pump relay donor for me:



Now get this: I am learning some stuff right this very moment.

I don't think that's a fuel pump relay. The f-pump relay is under the dash. Maybe that's a headlight relay?

I know this: when Twinstiva quit on me before, I replaced this part and she started!

I think I know what has happened. But first, more on "Leon's."

[Safety Guy]

Here is what I was after:



One of those is Twin's. I forget which one, but I had to match it. I just consulted my shop manual (yes, I had it on the trip) and I can't find reference to any under the hood "fuel pump relays." Yet when I replaced this part the last time (last spring) when she quit on me at work, she started right up! (I think I know what was wrong now.)

First, some more pictures:


A Renault Encore, in front of an old BMW 1600 or 2002.


I don't know what Toyota this is, but there's a Rabbit on the right and an older Mazda 626 on the left.

Imagine walking in the woods. Imagine hearing the sound of nuts (or branches, or whatever falls out of trees) falling. Now imagine them making a lot of NOISE falling onto sheet metal! Bang! Pop! Whack! Bang! In between, mostly silence, or animal noises, or wind.

I can't tell you how cool this place was! I can only tell you Leon charged me $30 for that stupid part! Ha! I've paid $3.00 for them locally.

And I'm guessing now it's a headlight relay.

BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT HERE.

WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!!

I only saw maybe a tenth--or less--of Leon's. My pictures are so few. I wasn't there for sightseeing! There were much older cars, much more interesting ones. And LOTS of them, spread around deep woods, other more common cars, and the noise of the forest. Quite noisy! And no one else around, until I saw one guy walking out ahead of me as I was leaving.

When I left, I told Leon he should charge admission! I also mentioned the blue Opel wagon. He said he was hoping someone would make an offer on it.

If I had the time, money, and land, I would. Not over $300, though. Somehow, I think he wants more.

Next: I'm almost finished.

[Safety Guy]

When I returned to the hotel, I swapped "fuel pump relays" and...

Nothing. That wasn't the problem.

Off to the phone book I went, and all I could see was Advance Auto Parts nearby. So be it. I called and they had my fuel pump in stock. I drove my nice, new Accent rental there, guided by Sandy's patient voice. Got McDonald's for lunch on the way back and ate before the job at hand.

It took me well under an hour to swap pumps. No big deal; done it before.

I hooked the battery back up and turned the ignition...

NOTHING! CRAP!!

My plans began turning around getting a road service tow of 100 miles to 92Festy's place perhaps.

I didn't give up so easily. I looked back under the hood and fiddled. I went to the fuel pump cover and fiddled. The previous owner had messed with the wires for some reason--probably to rewire the pump? There was a splice I had "improved" when trying to start Twin one summer.

I fiddled.

I tried again. Something sounded a bit different. How many tries before fuel would make it to the engine compartment from the back end?

The next try she started!! My baby was ALIVE.

Here is a picture of her that afternoon, after a test drive:



She's smiling.

No, I don't think this ordeal was caused by a bad fuel pump now. Or an underhood "fuel pump relay." Don't ask me how I got that idea. But I did, and I think I know better now.

I think it's the wiring in the back. Next time she doesn't start, I'll "fiddle" first! A lot!

And now allow me to thank some folks again:

Barbara: My initial only contact with the Festiva World! Because of her I had someone on my side who could maybe get some help.

Nate: We had problems contacting each other, but he had volunteered to come down and deliver parts. Thankfully, it wasn't necessary!

John: It really helps to have a guy with electrical diagrams in your corner! And readily available for questions and other advice!

92Festy: I already forgot your first name (yes, I asked, but I'm senile). I really appreciate your offer of parts and help. I was considering getting my road service tow to your place, but again, not necessary.

My final plan was to get my road service to tow Twin to Elkins, which was closer for my Dad to drive his truck. Then we would have bought a tow bar and towed her home.

Whew!

I think I'm finished now, except for a couple pics of the hotel and its property, which was kinda pretty! I got these late Monday after a short walk.





All in all, not a bad trip, if you ignore the bad karma stinkbugs, the gnashing of teeth and a thirty dollar "fuel pump relay."

Maybe someday I'll learn?

Karl

[TominMO]

Great story, thanks Karl!

[rbrown]

LOL.

You still didn't apologize to the stinkbugs.


I LOVE places like that. I want to live in a place like that.

[Safety Guy]

Okay, I formally and humbly apologize to the stinking bugs!!

All is forgiven.

Rbrown, where do you want to live? Leon's, the hotel, or the Culpeper area?

Here's a pic I forgot about. It was a moth on the outside wall at the hotel. I thought at first that it was an ordinary moth that was painted over, but it was one weird, interesting moth!





I googled "white fluffy moth" and got a scientific name: Tolype distincta. Here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/93705139@N00/251990490

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johns_pics/4090056620/

They live out west! What was this one doing in eastern VA? Maybe hitched a ride on a truck or something.

I wish I'd gotten more pics of Leon's!

Karl

[rbrown]

Okay, I formally and humbly apologize to the stinking bugs!!

All is forgiven.

Rbrown, where do you want to live? Leon's, the hotel, or the Culpeper area?

Leon's. Without question. I can already hear the banjo music.

[92festie]

hey no problem karl!! I really wish I could of made it down there to help out. Just glad to hear twinstiva is up and running and that you made it home safely!!

[ShagFestiva]

is that green car in the yard a Chevette??

[wybnrml]

is that green car in the yard a Chevette??

Yep.