Reading the last couple items, about the Andres' belt coming off and
Fred's peice of shrapnel, made me think about what people carry (and what
they *should* carry) with them in their cars.  A tool kit and first aid
kit specifically, but what shouls go in them?  Also, what spare parts should
you have handy?

14 responses total.

  I suppose the tool kit and parts depends on your own abilities to use
them, but then there may be some kind sould who could stop and give you,
the stranded motorist, a hand.  I used to carry just about all my hand
tools in two boxes in the trunk, along with a box full of miscellaneous spray
cans, auto bulbs, parts, spotlight, you name it.  This is obviously the 
safest way to go, but it invites wholesale theft of the whole lot (as did
happen to me not too long ago) and eats up storage space (very precious in
subcompacts)
  Soon after getting a wife who hates a full trunk that no shopping bags will
fit into [ ;-) ] and getting a house with room for a little work shop, I got
the chance to reevaluate just what I might need to carry.  The tool box now
holds:  two adjustable wreches, a pair of vise grips (with wire cutter), a
few screwdrivers (two Phillips sizes and two standard, torx if you need them
to change bulbs), a hammer, a set of allen wrenches on a ring, a tie strap for
over size loads, a pair of pliers, and a small utility knife.  This all fits
in a little pink 12" tool box Jodi had.  (Oh, yeah, can't forget the duct
tape!)
  For parts, it's just the common or generic stuff.  I carry an assortment of
bulbs, including one headlight with a cord I built to use it as a spot light
when plugged into the cigarrette lighter.  I carry one of these emergency 
belts which can be cut to length also.  I was going to carry a flex-hose
radiator hose, too, but I remember it was expensive at the time and a
good bunch of duct tape will make a quick-fix-to-get-you-to-a-phone anyway.
  Beside these, there's of course the spare tire, jack, and lug-nut wrench.
I forgot to mention a flashlight up there, too.  I use a 2xAA cell Mag-lite
and carry extra batteries in a plastic bag with the bulbs.  
   Oh, yes, fluids.  A couple quarts of oil, trans fluid, and a gallon of
anti-freeze/water premized are a good idea.  A few rags are handy for handling
these.  
   I carry car cleaning supplies (Armor-all, etc...) for convenience at the
car spray booths, along with the grease for the door hinges since I do most
regular light maintenance there, too.  These are just convenience though, and
don't need to be in the are at all times.
   Looking back, this looks like a lot, but I've got it all in the little tool
box, and one cardboard box that  a set of glasses were shipped in (the cans/
bottles of stuff stay upright in the divisions).  It just takes about a cubic
foot to be as ready as reasonably possible.
   My shame here is complete lack of a first-aid kit.  Wonder what I shouls put
in it...?

I think you should add some liquid wrench (rust penetrating oil) to loosen
frozen screws, it is usefull.

For the first aid kit, I would check the contents of commercialy sold ones.

Duct tape, vise_grips, ball-peen hammer, screwdriver with interchangeable tips 
(including torx - the star shaped thingies). If it's an older vehicle, some
baling wire. Spare quart of oil, can of transmission fluid and power steering
fluid. Hydraulic jack. All of this should fit into a milk crate.

My Swis Army pocket knife!  Most useful tool I own.  I've removed the
seats in my car with it, repaired my ignition system with it after my
balast resistor failed in the middle of Huron R. Dr., etc.
The second most useful thing would have to be my jumper cables.

how did you fix/bypass the balast resistor? I had a couple of Dodge trucks
that ate ballast resistors and ALWAYS carried a supply of them ...

To get the car home, I just removed the balast resistor and ran the
car without it.  I then figured out what the value of the resistor
was, and replaced it with a 200 Watt combination I got from a local
electronics store and screwed to the firewall.

... and here I was, hoping that someone had figured out how to start the damn
thing without the ballast resistor ...

Just short the stupid thing out till you get to where you can replace
it.  Your coil will get hot and the points (or switching transistor)
will also get hot and may not last too long.
When a car is cranked, it draws a lot of current from the battery
dropping its voltage quite a bit.  The coil is designed to produce a
hot spark at the 6 or 7 volts a 12 volt battery may have across during
cranking so it is possible to start the car.  Once the car is running,
the battery voltage quickly climbs to 13.8 volts or so.  This is more
than enough to produce a spark and currents in the primary ignition
circuit get very high.  For this reason a resistor is switched into
the circuit when the key is released and goes from the start to the
run posistion.  The resistor reduces the the current in the primary
circuit
You can tell if your balast resistor is dead when the car starts just
fine but dies the instant you release the key.

My Dodges wouldn't start but WOULD keep running if you pulled the ballast
resistor ...

I had a diesel doing that, the valve would get stuck sometimes, and not
cutoff fuel.  Yours was a gasoline engine though, wasn't it?

The current must have been going some other path then.

r.e. #10.  How did you get it running if you can't start it?  Sounds
like a bad starter switch or relay (used to switch balast in and out.),
not a bad balast.

you could plug in a new/borrowed ballast and get it started and then unplug it,
if I remember correctly

But the balast is required for running.  It's switched out during cranking.

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