[DeTomaso] Charlie on the hook again....

[Charles McCall]

Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated!!!

Hi honeys, having a wonderful time.... Actually the Pantera was running
great. Until it didn't. It's a long story but I'm writing on a borrowed
machine at the hotel. 

Spent the day visiting Chambord, which is really really impressive. I'll
send a photo, which will be stripped for all but the direct recipients.
Perhaps Mike could post it somewhere if he is bored, otherwise I´ll do it
when I get back home. Came out in the pouring rain and pushed the button on
the remote which opens the doors and deactivates the alarm. 

Nothing. 

The doors remained quite closed and the alarm didn't chirp in welcome like
it usually does. I suspected that perhaps the batteries in the remote had
died, but I have a button on the steering column that I can use to introduce
my secret code via a flashing light thing. But the light wasn't flashing
like it should. This wasn't good. 

I unlocked the door manually with the key and the alarm didn't go off like
it should have. This is weird. I started the engine, and it immediately died
due to the immobilizer. It gives you about a half-second of electrons before
it shuts the tap off. I tried it again with similar results. 

Long story but I had no idea what to do so I went to the local police there
at the chateau. 15 women dressed in army fatigues with a male supervisor. I
kept trying to think of what Larry would say. The supervisor told one of the
young ladies to drive us to a nearby town to look for a replacement battery
for the remote. My hope was that the battery was shot and was sending weird
signals to the alarm, partially deactivating it but partially not. I was
hoping that a strong signal would activate and subsequently deactivate the
alarm. I didn't really believe what I was hoping, but the alternative was
even less probable. 

Back with a new battery and no joy. 

Fast forward a whole bunch and the police supervisor came to check up on me,
called a friend of his who works in a car stereo place and is an "electrical
wizard". Via phone he diagnosed the problem as a fried brain box. The only
option was to bypass it somehow. But if the alarm was easy to bypass, it
wouldn't be very effective now, would it? He stuck is nose all over with a
voltmeter and managed to more or less disable the immobilizer. This allowed
the car to start right up. But in subsequent test drives we determined that
the turn signals are still somehow active and connected to the system, so if
I use a turn signal, the siren starts to sound and the engine dies. I really
am used to using turn signals, so it is a tough habit to break. It's weird
to be cruising at 100 mph and have the engine cut out and the alarm begin to
sound... 

Of course, rides had to be organized for the police supervisor and his
electrician buddy, and we weren't allowed to leave before stopping by his
house to meet his family, have drinks and munchies, and receive numerous
presents including several bottles of wine! I now have a total of 3 bottles
of wine that were gifts given to us in the past 24 hours... It's been a long
and strange trip this time!!!

We're now 10 minutes from Mt. Saint Michel, where I am hoping to duplicate
the photo I took of my old ´72 Pantera when I brought it to France, oh, 9
years ago??? But this time with the GT5-S. 

It has truly been an adventure.... More later 

-----Mensaje original-----
De: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com] En
nombre de www.DeTomasoRegistry.org
Enviado el: Tuesday, 12 June, 2007 7:13 PM
Para: MikeLDrew at aol.com; unlisted-recipients:; no To-header on input
CC: Detomaso at realbig.com
Asunto: Re: [DeTomaso] Charlie on the hook again....

I've heard about this before, I think it is a failure of the hazard switch
(or associated wiring).

Chuck


-----Original Message-----
From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com]On
Behalf Of MikeLDrew at aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 9:54 AM
To: unlisted-recipients:; no To-header on input
Cc: Detomaso at realbig.com
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Charlie on the hook again....


Hi guys,

Another hilarious Charlie McCall update--he sent a text message saying his
Pantera is now running again, but the thing dies stone dead whenever he
operates the turn signals!!!!!!

So he'll be using arm signals all the way to Le Mans.

Sheesh. :>)

Mike


**************************************
 See what's free at
http://www.aol.com.
_______________________________________________

Detomaso Forum Managed by POCA

Archive Search Engine Now Available at http://www.realbig.com/detomaso/

DeTomaso mailing list
DeTomaso at list.realbig.com
http://list.realbig.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.14/845 - Release Date: 6/12/2007
6:39 AM

No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.14/845 - Release Date: 6/12/2007
6:39 AM

_______________________________________________

Detomaso Forum Managed by POCA

Archive Search Engine Now Available at http://www.realbig.com/detomaso/

DeTomaso mailing list
DeTomaso at list.realbig.com
http://list.realbig.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso