Adventure: Fly n drive.... with a bad throwout bearing?!

That's a 16+ hour day of driving. I'm not sure if that's doable in a day. On road at 4AM? There by noon, back by 8, 9, or 10? Then unload car... etc... UGH.

Don't think that's doable in a day man. I understand the failure mode. My idea was to fly, use the clutch ONCE to get it moving, then rev match entire way home minus the one stop for gas.

I'm not even sure if it's the TO bearing. The noise is there at idle when not in gear, but goes away clutch out/in gear. That says pilot bearing to me, not TO, as the trans and flywheel/clutch would be all at same speed.

spitfirebill said:

What are these tolls you guys are talking about??

Not sure if serious...

Having recently done it, the tolls from the Ohio border to Philly on the PATP are not chump change for a normal car. Pulling a trailer would likely be substantially more. The unfortunate reality is there isn't really an alternative that is substantially cheaper without being a lot longer.

The noise described sounds exactly what my 2006 MINI R53 does.  I'll have to address it at some point, but not critical.

Ian F said:

spitfirebill said:

What are these tolls you guys are talking about??

Not sure if serious...

Having recently done it, the tolls from the Ohio border to Philly on the PATP are not chump change for a normal car. Pulling a trailer would likely be substantially more. The unfortunate reality is there isn't really an alternative that is substantially cheaper without being a lot longer.

The noise described sounds exactly what my 2006 MINI R53 does.  I'll have to address it at some point, but not critical.

Yeah, it's $50+ for a normal car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbGwMnhlVEo&feature=youtu.be

Here's the vid of the noise.

ebonyandivory said:

spitfirebill said:

What are these tolls you guys are talking about??

Ever watch a mafia movie? 

 

Ha, yea that pretty well sums it up. 

He's going to be driving basically the entire length of the PA turnpike too. Tolls will not be an insignificant expense, particularly with a trailer in tow. 

If I towed, I'd avoid the turnpike and just eat the extra hour of driving and split it across 2 days. $150+ in tolls would easily cover gas cost.

I think you're underestimating the amount of time futzing around with air travel will take. Even the shortest flight is equivalent to at least 4 hours of drive time by the time you've got to and from the airports and dealt with all the mayhem at the airport. That's half of the "extra" day right there.

I get the "adventure" part of a fly and drive. I've driven a new-to-me classic Mini 1500 miles in two days. I've taken my old Land Rover 2000 miles in four days after never having driven it further than 60 miles at a time. But those are vehicles that did not have known problems that could strand the vehicle. Unknown problems, yes, but not known ones

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Not to mention the extra hassle of checking luggage if you plan to bring any tools.  I hate flying...  mainly because of the pointless TSA crap.

Blaise said:

That's a 16+ hour day of driving. I'm not sure if that's doable in a day. On road at 4AM? There by noon, back by 8, 9, or 10? Then unload car... etc... UGH.

Don't think that's doable in a day man. I understand the failure mode. My idea was to fly, use the clutch ONCE to get it moving, then rev match entire way home minus the one stop for gas.

I'm not even sure if it's the TO bearing. The noise is there at idle when not in gear, but goes away clutch out/in gear. That says pilot bearing to me, not TO, as the trans and flywheel/clutch would be all at same speed.

The last track day we did in my buddies car. Up at 6am, drive to track, take turns in alternating sessions all day until about 4pm, load up car/tools/spares, drive back to Tulsa and arrive around midnight. That was after the tow after work on Friday, and driving the car all day Saturday.

It's perfectly doable. My last arrive and drive was nearly 1100 miles one way on the first day (after they threw a party and left me with a raging hangover for that 1100 miles.

^^ I'd be doing this solo.

Keith Tanner said:

I think you're underestimating the amount of time futzing around with air travel will take. Even the shortest flight is equivalent to at least 4 hours of drive time by the time you've got to and from the airports and dealt with all the mayhem at the airport. That's half of the "extra" day right there.

I get the "adventure" part of a fly and drive. I've driven a new-to-me classic Mini 1500 miles in two days. I've taken my old Land Rover 2000 miles in four days after never having driven it further than 60 miles at a time. But those are vehicles that did not have known problems that could strand the vehicle. Unknown problems, yes, but not known ones

You're correct, but you're unaware of the massive amount of extra time it takes for me to setup my truck. AKA, living in the city SUCKS.

My miata/me are in one location. Truck is in 2nd location. Trailer/lift is in 3rd location.

For me to get this going means driving to truck, driving to trailer, finding a way to backup to it (good luck with 2wd in snow), hooking it up, then driving 8 hours to Ohio. Then load car, unload car, again struggle with trying to get trailer back where it belongs, drop off truck, pick up miata, then drive home. I would kill for a driveway.

The difference is that I can fly in after work one day, then drive back the next, vs losing 2 full days. I actually have a spare free flight with AA, I don't check bags, and live 10 minutes from airport. We'll see what happens.

Instead of flying in after work one day, you can drive for four hours after work. Then finish the drive the next morning, hook up and drive home. Voila, similar elapsed time.

It's pretty clear what you want to do, though. You don't consider the truck and trailer viable because the trailer is inaccessible to you and the truck is inconvenient, so this was never really an option.

Can the problem be properly diagnosed at the sellers local?  Gives you a leg up on driving it.  Perhaps fly in after work (free) , have parts available, repair if possible at location, drive home avoiding tolls.  One day repairing it.   2  days spent.  Enjoy your new car.

Keith Tanner said:

It's pretty clear what you want to do, though. You don't consider the truck and trailer viable because the trailer is inaccessible to you and the truck is inconvenient, so this was never really an option.

Sorry - you're right, that's how it seems. A car that's 450 miles away isn't convenient regardless :)

If I can't get a reasonable (cost/duration) flight at the right time, the truck would make more sense. Just exploring whether I can bypass that.

Dirtydog said:

Can the problem be properly diagnosed at the sellers local?  Gives you a leg up on driving it.  Perhaps fly in after work (free) , have parts available, repair if possible at location, drive home avoiding tolls.  One day repairing it.   2  days spent.  Enjoy your new car.

This would only be an option if I had a friend with a lift in Columbus. I'd hustle hard, that's for sure.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Don't forget the tolls and weather. 

roll the dice.   fly and drive for the win.   couch surf via GRM On The Road Assist List if necessary.

Blaise said:

If I towed, I'd avoid the turnpike and just eat the extra hour of driving and split it across 2 days. $150+ in tolls would easily cover gas cost.

What alternative route only tacks on an hour of driving, though? 

Another vote for fly and drive. I've DD plenty of noisy Tob for months. Wouldn't bother me, Hit up a harbor freight for a cheap toolbox and return it once your home 

Might also be worth a few minutes on U-Ship to get a hauling quote.  Compare to your known costs and potential added costs, plus the time savings.

Also sending you a pm.