Starting with a bang

Baltic Sea Circle Day 1

The day before we were due to depart we made a decision to postpone the start of our rally adventure by 48h due to circumstances beyond our control. We were able to rebook our ferry and cancel our first night accommodation really easily and were happy to catch up with the rest of the teams. 

On Sunday evening, we said our goodbyes and got ourselves mentally prepared for what lay ahead: 18 days of driving, challenges and stunning scenery as we explored the best of Northern Europe. 

We left Cambridge with high spirits and smiles on our faces, excited at what was going to be an amazing adventure. 

As we cruised down the A14 I announced to Gemma I should do a quick gauges check, to get us in the habit of checking our temperature, fuel, battery etc. temperature was good, fuel good, oil pressure good, battery rock bottom!! My brain switched into problem solving /panic mode, suddenly thinking what could be wrong and what to do next. We knew that without power the engine would die sooner or later, and my first thought was of alternator failure. We pulled into the lay-by and popped the bonnet to investigate; the belts looked good, but turning the engine over it failed to start, the battery seemed dead. 

I called the AA, while Gemma had a panicked look on her face. Trucks and cars were speeding past us and shaking the car. After a good while on hold the operator said they’d send a truck and see if it was fixable. Instead a flatbed lorry turned up to take us home. Once home we scratched our heads in despair; symptoms suggested a bad alternator. How could we get a replacement and still start the rally? We’d certainly be a day late at least. 

Along with the help of my dad, we removed the air filter box and took a look at alternator and belt. The wiring was fine but the voltage on the battery when the car was idling was very low, 11.8V and dropping!

A plan was formed. I moved the ferry booking by 24h, and ordered a replacement alternator online, for click and collect. The only issue was it was in Kennilworth, a 4 hour round trip. 

Next morning we woke up early, jumped in my Tesla and headed out west, completely the opposite direction to our intended target! All through the trip I was convinced we could rip out the old alternator, slide in the new one and be off ready to get the ferry. We picked it up, did a quick turnaround and headed home, arriving back by 12:15. A quick lunch and we rolled up our sleeves to remove the alternator from the 944, which took a bit of time as the bolts were tight. The new one was fitted with ease and the help of a pry bar to get the tension right. We reattached the air box and fired her up, fully expecting the car to be ready to go. Oh crap, still 11.8V, not enough to keep the battery topped up. 

Could it be a bad battery? Attaching it to my trickle charger suggested it was fine. I’d connected my Aux lights to the alternator harness a few weeks ago and so disconnected that in case it had cocked up the electrics. Nope, still the same issue. And now none of the dash gauges worked!!? Things had gone from bad to worse, there was no way we would be going anywhere. I resorted to cleaning the fuses in case we had a dodgy connection and my mum turned to Google. My mum came back and read out some forum posts, one of which said to check the G2 relay, bingo, the dash gauges were back on, and I’d found a blown fuse too! But still a low voltage on the battery at idle, not so good. 

As a last resort I cleaned the grounds, as many as I could see, and then turned to the starter motor, where the positive wire connects to the solenoid. A quick look with the inspection lamp showed it was pretty dirty, this might be it!! I unbolted the nut, gave them a quick scrip with sandpaper and a file and reattached them. This time the volt meter said 13V!! We couldn’t believe it. I ducked back under the car and cleaned the cables even more. Another test, 13.9V. This was the issue, and what a time to present itself, the time was 5pm, our ferry departed at 11pm and was 2 hours away. 

We ate, repacked the car, had a shower and said our goodbyes for a second time. Fingers crossed that nothing else would go wrong. 

We rolled out of the street, this time with a healthy respect for how old this car really was and how fragile it could be. 

We boarded the ferry at 9pm and headed to our cabin to crash. Would this be the most exhausting day of the rally, we’d not even left the UK yet?!