Red Rocks Ramblin with the LOCOs

[scannon]

My weekend was spent on a four day blat with Lotus Colorado (LOCO). I covered 458 miles on the first day, second longest blat in the Caterham in a single day.

 

My car had a few problems along the way. The electric speedometer died on the second day in Canyon Lands National Park. The last day, as I was driving from Grand Junction to home the engine missed a few beats several times and the cruise control dropped out roughly every 10 minutes. The radar detector put itself into test mode a few times as well.

 

I stopped for coffee in Edwards and when I went to start the car, nothing. No click, no gauges, no fuel pump sound. However the Caterham butt extractor worked fine so it was not the battery which had been replace a few months ago.

 

When I was preparing for the trip and filling a tool bag I looked at the 12 volt test light and thought, nah, I won't need that! Wrong. I managed to borrow one from the lube shop next door to the gas station. After an hour and a half I manged to trace the problem to the crimp on terminal on the starter motor that supplies electricity to the rest of the car. It felt solid and I bent the ring terminal a bit and power came back on. All problems solved except for the dead speedometer.

 

When I got home I removed the terminal from the starter and inspected it. No sign of corrosion or looseness so I used a heavy duty crimper and gave it another crimp. No problems so far.

 

Pictures and the "official" club trip report are at:

 

http://s1261.photobucket.com/user/scannon929/library/LOCO%20Red%20Rocks%20Ramblin%202014