driving from ny to ca, car problems?

Question

well i'm driving cross country from ny to ca. This isn't the first time I have driven cross country, due to the military. But the last time i drove I messed up my old mazda pretty bad. The car never ran normally ever again. So my question is how many hours at most should a car run per day without causing major damage? Thanks for any help, it's much appreciated.

well i did take good care of my car but of course it was an old 91 mazda rx-7. What happened was the idle air controller went out during the trip. After that it just never ran smoothly again even after i got the iac replaced. Problem is the same thing happened to my acura rsx a couple months ago with the iac and throttle position sensor.

Answer 1

My wife and I have rotated shifts driving and have driven 30 hours straight with our car across country. I just checked oil level, radiator fluid levels at each fill up that we made and kept everything topped off.

Car still ran great. As long as everything is in spec you should be able to make it without stopping much.

Answer 2

I cross the country a lot with old vehicles loaded to maximum weight.

Run 24x7 if you like. The car can handle it, as long as it's in good repair. Make sure the DRIVER can handle it, when you need sleep, pull over and nap as long as you need.

Freeway cruising is actually very gentle on cars... it's the best kind of mileage you can put on them. (the worst is NYC taxi driving; all the start-and-stop beats them to death, contrary to what the other poster said.)

With a few caveats.

West of Chicago, speeds get a little fast. Omaha-Reno is 75 posted, 70-80 actual. (anything below that you're a road hazard.) That's faster than most city cars are in the habit of going, and it can reveal problems you didn't know yo uhad, mainly around tires and alignment. So check that stuff out before you go.

Maintenance is good, it's much cheaper than dealing with a breakdown in the sticks at 9pm on a Sunday.

At high speed, the engine makes more heat so the cooling system has to work harder. Not a problem, unless your cooling system is overdue for maintenance... like most people's are. Change your antifreeze if it hasn't been done in a year (I use low-toxicity propylene glycol, aka Sierra or Prestone low-tox, it definitely passes the I-80 test!) Flush it and change your thermostat if not done in 3 years. Inspect radiator hoses and heater hoses, and if any look old or bulged, replace them all. (cheap insurance!)

Air conditioning. Parts of the west are H-O-T. But if you're sweating, chances are so is your engine! Unfortunately, the A/C condensor is in front of the radiator, so running A/C steals cooling capacity from your engine, when it needs it the most! An overheat can blow holes in radiator hoses (see: replace radiator hoses in advance).

Get to know your engine temp gage. Know where it's supposed to be normally. Whenever your A/C or defroster is on, keep an eagle eye on that gage! And turn off the A/C if engine temp comes up. If you only have an engine temp light, then yikes... be very careful about using the A/C.

One final caveat about cooling. Don't run the engine hard and long, pull off an exit and immediately shut the engine off. That means the hot cylinders abruptly lose coolant flow, and this can cause a spike in temprature and coolant pressure (=leak). Instead, drive gently/slowly around town 1-2 minutes (half a song) to let temperatures cool inside the engine. Then just shut it off normally. That business about leaving your engine running constantly is nonsense, it doesn't help the life of the vehicle at all. (the life of the starter motor perhaps.)

Oh and if you have tire problems on the road... WAL-MART is your best bet in a small town. Most have tire centers, and are open long hours 7 days.

Outside of the above, road trips don't break things on a car anymore than normal driving. It's just that you're logging a couple months' worth of miles in a couple days, so you get a couple months' worth of problems all at once. After the IAC failure, your Mazda wasn't jinxed, it didn't run right because it wasn't fixed right. Simple as that. Newer cars are harder for old school mechanics to fix, they just don't "get" them.

Answer 3

So long as you keep your fluids up, your engine will work best if it isn't shut off at all. Take turns driving with a buddy, and only turn it off when filling with gas (check your fluid levels at this time, too.) This is IDEAL operating conditions for car engines (this is also why taxis and police cars run so well in spite of high milage - they're almost never shut off.)

If the trip messed up your car last time, it was the result of something else going wrong. Did you run low on coolant or oil last time, and not check them during a gas stop?

Good luck on your trip!

Answer 4

They should be able to run all day if necessary, just make sure you do a service before leaving and check the levels of coolants and oil regularly. I usually just rent a car for road trips, the cost balances out and I don't put wear and tear on my personal vehicle. Drive safely.

Answer 5

You could run a car continuously but would have to somehow keep all the fluids and oil full.

I'd say 18 hours at the most per day, as long as everythings in good standing

Answer 6

Why no longer :-) earlier you bypass away: - substitute oil, get your breaks/tires checked and additionally the rationalization for engine gentle (to confirm no longer something severe) - Chart your course in improve, purchase a GPS in case you do not have one (they're decrease priced presently), GPS is a ought to - Plan the places which you are going to stay in (hotels and so on) - With the floods in Midwest, verify which you're taking a secure course - Get some sturdy song CD's and so on - confirm your spare tire is in sturdy circumstance and you're wearing span's and jacks in boot, may be purchase a decrease priced tire inflator ($8-20) - carry threat signs and indicators (or flares) with you - carry lots of water with you and additionally some blankets - carry some goodies or different non perishable nutrition. - cost your cell telephone in finished and could be carry a telephone charger in automobile. - stay in touch with friends and family contributors, shop informing them your whereabouts - do no longer pickup hitch hiker..... i think of it somewhat is adequate..sounds like i'm dictating you issues like a mom.... :-) have relaxing

Answer 7

tell me u dont know to drive

Answer 8

until it needs gas. stop and check everthing and go again..