Has your stock Roadster ever left you stranded?

General topics.

Moderators: notoptoy, S Allen, Solex68

Post Reply

Has your basically mechanically stock Roadster ever left you stranded such that you could not drive home?

Poll ended at Tue Jan 24, 2006 5:10 pm

Yes, but only due to a failure I induced (such as a wreck or a failure due to a modification) (please post a note indicating the failure)
6
18%
Yes, it left me stranded (please post a note indicating the failure)
9
27%
No, I have had failures, but was always able to get the car home under it's own power.
14
42%
No, I have never had a failure in a Roadster.
4
12%
 
Total votes: 33

User avatar
Lorna c
Site Supporter
Posts: 2428
Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2016 12:47 am
Location: central coast , ,ca

Re: Has your stock Roadster ever left you stranded?

Post by Lorna c »

Haha . Well I'll keep it going then also. I've already broken 4-5 off that lower bolt mount. I think I've got it now but ya know I should carry a backup now to mention it . That's a good idea . The one I have now I've learned to get 6 of those slashes on top of bolt head . Now this one's staying put so far . And the cars only been back on the road 6months or so. But now I know bolts better too. fun read .
:wink:
"Is it me, or does everyone want to race ?"

late 68 1600 3 main motor .
User avatar
Manu
Site Supporter
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu Jul 06, 2017 10:45 am
Location: West Hollywood, California

Re: Has your stock Roadster ever left you stranded?

Post by Manu »

Got stranded on Saturday at midnight for the first time. After thousands of road trip miles, this luckily happened 6miles from my house.

Clutch gave up the ghost gradually on the way back from a night drive and had to call AAA. Haven’t checked under the car yet but I suspect Slave cylinder to be the culprit!

edit: SC is guilty!
"Ruby" 1968 1600 SPL311-19762
Ralph
Site Supporter
Posts: 427
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2013 10:53 pm
Location: Kelowna BC

Re: Has your stock Roadster ever left you stranded?

Post by Ralph »

I was REALLY hoping to never post to this thread .. but alas...its happened. BUT ... there is a bright side.

The roads are dry, the hard top is on, it's about 1 degree C...so why not take the Roadster to do the errands? I had some time to play, so took the long way... got a bit lost in the local orchards ... found myself again & started home. Had some fun in the curvy-twisties. And pop. Out of second ... all by itself... that can't be good ('cause I think I've seen this problem here on the forum before)...lets go to third. That's fine. Back to second...Pretty sure I heard a new noise...popped out. Into rhird ...hear a new noise...let's pull over and call a freind. I wasn't really stranded, (but I did get a tow home).

The bright side?

I'd call this pre-stranded....or even a preventative stranding. Because, the plan is to drive the roadster to our daughter's wedding in May ... It is about an hour and a half away via some pretty fun, twisty roads. Better now, all alone with a loaf of bread and a jug of milk in the passenger seat than the mother of the bride and a deadline. To be continued in SPL311 17277
Ralph

Rolling restoration of white 1968 SPL311
Btbarratt
Roadster Newby
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Jul 10, 2019 11:07 pm
Location: North Idaho
Model: 1500/1600
Year: Low Windshield-64-67.5

Re: Has your stock Roadster ever left you stranded?

Post by Btbarratt »

Twice, have I been stranded. Both in a bone stock 69 1600.
First time was a rough running on the highway and then stalled out. Cause was a failed (sloppy) distributor shaft bushing. It finally struck the cap with rotor and ended it. Preventable.
Second was rolled into a gas station, had to back into pump. Turned it off, pumped gas, started back up, put in first and it stalled when I let out the clutch like a brake was set. Tried a couple times more, car won't move an inch. Put in neutral and let out clutch and it went backwards! Slipped the trans gear selector between forks.
The Neck
Roadster Fanatic
Posts: 128
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:36 pm
Location: Denver, CO
Model: 1500/1600
Year: Low Windshield-64-67.5

Re: Has your stock Roadster ever left you stranded?

Post by The Neck »

I feel like I've entered true Roadster ownership.

I was driving the car all over yesterday, slowly noticed a higher idle as the day progressed. Went to the store about a mile from my house and I thought, It's running a bit rough, but oh well. I'll take it anyways.

Come out form the store and it wouldn't start. Uber home with groceries, come back a few hours later and it fired right up and drove home.

I'm guessing vapor lock.
1968 CJ-5
2007 Audi S4
2003 Audi Allroad Stg 2
1967.5 1600
User avatar
Lorna c
Site Supporter
Posts: 2428
Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2016 12:47 am
Location: central coast , ,ca

Re: Has your stock Roadster ever left you stranded?

Post by Lorna c »

yep it sure did . . I had to tow Rumble home today . sad sad day . .
:wink:
"Is it me, or does everyone want to race ?"

late 68 1600 3 main motor .
70MTRoadster
Roadster Fanatic
Posts: 148
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:36 am
Location: Bozeman, Montana
Model: 2000
Year: High Windshield-68-70

Re: Has your stock Roadster ever left you stranded?

Post by 70MTRoadster »

It was 1973 I believe and the wife and I were on the freeway headed up to Reno to meet with my cousin and his wife. In those days we knew nothing of the "evil L" or the "roadster death rattle". Just north of Bakersfield everything came to a screeching ceasement, locked up and sliding leaving rubber on the road. I was quick back then and steered it during all this to the shoulder, thank God.

1969 totally stock 2000, red, porthole hard top. I miss her to this day!

Towed back home. Road the bus to Reno...that was awful and our Last Greyhound bus ride.

Upon investigation what happened turns out the L had broken off falling into the works and locking things up. Amazingly only a couple of valve were bent and the fix was pretty easy as I remember.

When I was given this free 69 U20 this year with 67,000 miles on it I intentionally grabbed the L with my bird nose vise grips and bent it back and forth until it snapped off even with the head....enough of that crap happening again!!!

Scott
1968 510 Wagon
1970 Roadster 1600/U20/5 sp. swap
1972 510 4 dr. vg30e/5 sp. ricky racer
1971 510 shell behind the shop, r.i.p.

I drive a Roadster or 510 almost every day!
DatsunLover
Roadster Newby
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Oct 08, 2017 6:20 pm
Location: Yokohama/Tokyo, Japan
Model: 1500/1600
Year: Low Windshield-64-67.5

Re: Has your stock Roadster ever left you stranded?

Post by DatsunLover »

My last incident occurred few months back. As I was driving to work from Yokohama to Tokyo, everything was great until I began to "feel" a slight braking weakness when applied. About halfway to destination the brake died and I had to stop along the highway using the hand brake to stop.
Long story short, the culprit was the rusted brake line pipe. Custom made new brake line and all back to normal but the summer heat is a challenge to drive open now.
User avatar
jhayden
Site Supporter
Posts: 477
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2011 4:16 pm
Location: Tyler, TX

Re: Has your stock Roadster ever left you stranded?

Post by jhayden »

Did your brake line pipe still have the plastic coating?

Rallye (a 311s vendor) has since at least as early as the 1980s recommended cutting off the plastic from the caliper lines and across the top of the rear axle due to the brake line corrosion it can cause. At least one death in this country has been attributed to an accident caused by this. (Every owner who is reading this should be able to answer whether their car still has the plastic coating!)

Glad that in your case you were able to make the necessary repair and resume enjoying your roadster. We Texans can empathize with you during your summer heat discomfort.

Jon
DatsunLover
Roadster Newby
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Oct 08, 2017 6:20 pm
Location: Yokohama/Tokyo, Japan
Model: 1500/1600
Year: Low Windshield-64-67.5

Re: Has your stock Roadster ever left you stranded?

Post by DatsunLover »

Jon, cannot say about the plastic for sure but I was lucky because when the brake failed I was not going fast much feeling something was wrong.

Everything is fixed and working properly for the time being. Starting this month of August, the summer heat is truly unbearable so far.

w/ smiles
Jimmy
Post Reply