How many mechanics does it take to change a light bulb?

[padgett]

Now you did have to remove the front fender wheel wells (both) to change the batteries in an XK-150s

[60FlatTop]

Program, yes. Foxwell 680Pro and a dedicated laptop with INPA.

[CHuDWah]

Had a 2000 Monte Carlo SS.  Engine was the 3800 V6 that GM put in pretty much everything.  Thing is, in FWD configuration, it was turned 90 degrees.  That put the power steering pump between the engine and the firewall.  The manual specified checking the fluid hot.  So you had to stick your arm past the elbow between the engine and firewall, bend it in ways it wasn't supposed to bend to avoid the alternator, coolant tank and fuse block, burn it on various hot engine components, and feel around for the power steering cap that was hidden from view, wipe the crud off it, unscrew it and pull it out.  To replace it, you repeated the procedure with the added fun of trying to get the dipstick in the unseen pump.  Oh, and you had to do the whole thing twice because the manual said to wipe the dipstick and replace it, then remove it again to read the fluid level.  Needless to say, it got checked cold and not very often.

 

My nephew is an engineer and was working for a GM supplier at the time.  He pointed out another part on the car that he designed.  He knew it was crap but it was what GM specified.

Edited August 15, 2020 by CHuDWah (see edit history)

[padgett]

Must have moved, Reatta 3800 pump is easy to reach/change, just needed to replace one last year.

 

ps Coventry Climax fire pumps became Formula 1 cars. First CC egnines: 1903.

Edited August 15, 2020 by padgett (see edit history)

[Robert G. Smits]

Water pump went out on my wife's Ford Edge and was replaced under warranty.  when i picked the car up I asked the service writer how much will this cost me when the warranty expires?  $3500.  You apparently have to tear the engine down to get to the water pump which is inside the block with a internal drive.  When they fail coolant mixes with the oil and antifreeze so all have to be flushed and replaced.  This is my first and last Ford.  Getting rid of it before 100K

Edited August 15, 2020 by Robert G. Smits (see edit history)

[Joe in Canada]

Be thankfull you do not have the new 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 3.0L Duramax with the aluminum block and a timing belt on the back of the engine. Check into changing the belt and cost that will eat up the fuel savings with this Duramax. You have to ether pull the engine or transmission to change the belt .

Edited August 15, 2020 by Joe in Canada (see edit history)

[CHuDWah]

2 hours ago, padgett said:

Must have moved, Reatta 3800 pump is easy to reach/change, just needed to replace one last year.

 

ps Coventry Climax fire pumps became Formula 1 cars. First CC egnines: 1903.

 

 

Dunno, but MC is different:

 

 

Edited August 15, 2020 by CHuDWah (see edit history)

[Frank DuVal]

3 hours ago, padgett said:

Must have moved, Reatta 3800 pump is easy to reach/change

Yep! My Park Avenues have one (95) that is easy to reach, the 98 is just like CHuD says, and  even harder to actually get fluid into the reservoir! AT 250K it started needing a top of now and then. Until it was rejected at our state safety inspection for a leaky rack. New rack fixed problem. That wasn't easy to change either, as the instructions start out "remove exhaust".😲

[Billy Kingsley]

My brother's 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt has developed a habit of burning out the left front blinker every three months. Luckily, it's a very easy fix, about 5 minutes total. 

[kgreen]

10 hours ago, CHuDWah said:

 

 

My nephew is an engineer and was working for a GM supplier at the time.  He pointed out another part on the car that he designed.  He knew it was crap but it was what GM specified.

It's not the engineer.  Engineers are not given authority to design what they want, they are given a problem to solve around the demands of the accounting department.  Even then, the accounting department might be ruled over by the marketing department.

[padgett]

And if a way can be found to save a penny a car you are a hero. Once when copper was going through the roof designed a "one wire" method to use DC pulse steering to run all of the lights in the back (except backup but was an option). Then the price of copper dropped.

[1912Staver]

17 hours ago, John348 said:

 

The newer CTS's require a special computer to replace the brake pads. Electric over hydraulic and no manual service mode. None of the private shops that I know bought the tool, feeling that it would pay for itself. The Caddy dealer said around $1000- $1200 to just change the pads..... 

 

 

 

 

I usually do what your friend does,  I trade them in before I have to deal with expensive problems. After the quote I was given for the brakes, I might be doing it again. 

 

You can't be serious about the pads !! 

Not that I was ever going to , but another reason why I would not touch one of those things with a 10 foot pole.

 

Greg

[John348]

4 minutes ago, 1912Staver said:

 

You can't be serious about the pads !! 

Not that I was ever going to , but another reason why I would not touch one of those things with a 10 foot pole.

 

Greg

 

Yes I am serious, and from what I heard  the BMW's and Audi's are even more proprietary, they have to get plugged in and put in service mode by a remote location through the dealership to BMW and Audi.  We all have our reasons for buying and in your case not buying a new car. As you said that "is another reason" I am just curious what are the other reasons?. For most people it seems to be cost

 

For the last 30 years I always bought  my wife a new car every 4-5 years, and since then I have had ZERO problems or complaints from her. I don't like buying other peoples headaches for day to day use. It is only an appliance to get me from A to B. I just like a little comfort and am fortunate I can afford to have it. I would never consider buying one of these used and I really did not think I would own it longer then 5 years  

[padgett]

And that is a nice set of cars (did you experience pushing the clutch through the firewall on the Mirage ?) The new car was always for my family, now that the nest is empty I just have ones I like.

The '11 CTS Coupe have had for two years now and just suits me as a DD even if the Tow Car gets better MPG. Problems have mostly been ones I caused and fixed. Do think things got more complex/unfriendly starting in 2014 and find cars before OBD-II (1995) to be even easier to work on.

[1912Staver]

2 hours ago, John348 said:

 

Yes I am serious, and from what I heard  the BMW's and Audi's are even more proprietary, they have to get plugged in and put in service mode by a remote location through the dealership to BMW and Audi.  We all have our reasons for buying and in your case not buying a new car. As you said that "is another reason" I am just curious what are the other reasons?. For most people it seems to be cost

 

For the last 30 years I always bought  my wife a new car every 4-5 years, and since then I have had ZERO problems or complaints from her. I don't like buying other peoples headaches for day to day use. It is only an appliance to get me from A to B. I just like a little comfort and am fortunate I can afford to have it. I would never consider buying one of these used and I really did not think I would own it longer then 5 years  

 

 

For me regarding Cadillac it would be the stereotypical image of a Cadillac owner. Older ,  flashy , looking for a status symbol. " I really do deserve the best ". Just not who I am. I may be in my 60's but I am still a Sports Car guy. And not the fussy guy at a British Field meet with the spotless MG

with chrome wire wheels , screen headlight covers, and porcelain union jack emblems added to the front fenders. Just a regular dirt under the fingernail guy with a beater sports car I have usually owned for decades and just kept running. Probably never to be restored in my ownership.

 

We all do have our reasons.  Probably a bit of anti - snob at work in my Psyche.

 

My wife has had one new vehicle in her life and the closest I have come is my Accent, a 1 year old trade in.  Too many years as UNI students just getting by. We both spent several years in post secondary ed. in our  later 20's . Once you develop habits of deep frugality they are hard to shake. In these parts we would never have been able to buy a house 

unless we both practiced that approach. In this part of the world even a middle class / border line upper middle class income really means the family is just getting by without going into  a little more debt each year. The income vs cost of living relationship is way out of wack in South Western British Columbia.

 

Greg

 

Edited August 15, 2020 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[CHuDWah]

8 hours ago, kgreen said:

It's not the engineer.  Engineers are not given authority to design what they want, they are given a problem to solve around the demands of the accounting department.  Even then, the accounting department might be ruled over by the marketing department.

 

Yup - pretty much what I said.

[padgett]

And I was looking for a GM sports coupe with a DOHC V6. Previous one was a 93 GTP but it had a timing belt. Also really liked my Crossfire coupe but needed more luggage space.  Caddy also had a touchscreen like my Reatta (though less capable). Also was recovering from a medical mistake that had me approaching an amoeba. Am better now.

 

ps SNOB - Sine Nobilis (without nobility).

Edited August 15, 2020 by padgett (see edit history)

[CHuDWah]

18 hours ago, padgett said:

Must have moved, Reatta 3800 pump is easy to reach/change, just needed to replace one last year.

 

ps Coventry Climax fire pumps became Formula 1 cars. First CC egnines: 1903.

 

15 hours ago, CHuDWah said:

Dunno, but MC is different:

 

 

ARRRGH!!  Why did my pic disappear?!  Anyway, PS pump (which can't be seen in pic) is below alternator:

[padgett]

Looks like the battery was pushed back to make clearance for ??? and rest just followed. Also look like one of those new smart batteries, my AGM is smaller and under the fenderwell. Whole engine looks rocked back.

[CHuDWah]

1 hour ago, padgett said:

Looks like the battery was pushed back to make clearance for ??? and rest just followed. Also look like one of those new smart batteries, my AGM is smaller and under the fenderwell. Whole engine looks rocked back.

 

 

Whatever, it was a mother****er to get to.  Fortunately, I never had to add fluid but, as Frank DuVal said, that would have been pretty much impossible.

[padgett]

To lower the hood ?

[John348]

8 hours ago, padgett said:

 (did you experience pushing the clutch through the firewall on the Mirage ?)

 

No, the clutch is a activated by a cable. The clutch is pretty easy to operate, I had picked up an NOS cable when I found the car and put that in as well.

 

Funny that you mentioned my Monza, but all  the V-8 were the beginning of complicated labor intensive simple routine service. To remove or gain access to the #3 cylinder to remove a spark plug, the engine has to be raised from the mounts to clear the steering shaft. It was the beginning of it all...... The took the Vega H body platform which had bad a poor drive train and sheet metal, gave it a face lift put in a dependable drive train that was expensive to service surrounded by the same poor sheet metal. 

 

I don't want to hi-jack the thread so If you want to see more of my Mirage some guy did a you tube video on it when it was at the Ocala Meet a few years ago. My friend is sitting on the driver side of the car

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYM7Lf4Z4wo   

Edited August 16, 2020 by John348 (see edit history)

[padgett]

Now they made it very easy to pull the two motor mount bolts and slide a little bottle jack in place. For me it was a two stage raise to get those four plugs plugs out. Got very good at it because that SBC had a real appetite for oil and plugs.

 

 

 

Edited August 16, 2020 by padgett (see edit history)

[edinmass]

Gentlemen .......none of you have ever run a large service garage..........I did for many years. The impossible to get to part is a wonderful thing......and flat rate numbers in the double digits are fantastic. How do you think I paid for all the junk in my garage? 😎

 

When you have done five or seven thousand hours in the bay spinning wrenches, pulling an engine to service something is no big deal, just do it. After a while you just become numb to it all, and just keep going. The way I look at things today....if I’m not bleeding and didn’t break any bolts after the job is done......all went well. My new challenge is wearing glasses......I just can’t see well anymore......and that makes things much more difficult.

[1912Staver]

7 hours ago, edinmass said:

Gentlemen .......none of you have ever run a large service garage..........I did for many years. The impossible to get to part is a wonderful thing......and flat rate numbers in the double digits are fantastic. How do you think I paid for all the junk in my garage? 😎

 

When you have done five or seven thousand hours in the bay spinning wrenches, pulling an engine to service something is no big deal, just do it. After a while you just become numb to it all, and just keep going. The way I look at things today....if I’m not bleeding and didn’t break any bolts after the job is done......all went well. My new challenge is wearing glasses......I just can’t see well anymore......and that makes things much more difficult.

 

 

I find the quality of my welding has been effected by my changing eye sight as I age. And for close examination  of very small things I have to remove my glasses and get right up to within a few inches of the part to really see it well. That is sometimes

quite difficult  depending on the location of the part. All part of the aging process. In some ways life really does start to go downhill from 40 onward. But we adapt as best as we can.

 

Greg

 

[John348]

9 hours ago, plymouthcranbrook said:

I have mentioned before that I had heard of some owners drilling holes in the inner fender wells to get their plugs changed. My neighbors son did it on his . made things a whole lot easier.

 

I have heard that as well, but I don't see how it could possible to access the plug with a wrench. The steering shaft is about 1/4" inch away from the spark plug wire boot, It is pretty much impossible to remove the plug wire

[padgett]

Then there are a few cars that have spark plug access holes in the transmission tunnel (e.g. Tiger).

Race cars are designed for quick change engines.

and  are ones like the Mercedes SLK350 that had a defective balance shaft that usually surfaced between 60k and 100k miles. Have to pull the engine to get at one bolt behind the flywheel.

Others ?

 

 

 

Edited August 16, 2020 by padgett (see edit history)

[28 Chrysler]

My  6 cyl. 1962 Dodge PU I could lift the hood up and rest it against the roof, stand on the ground beside engine  and remove the starter. Two wrenches were involved and the inner fender acted as a work bench.

[John348]

12 minutes ago, 28 Chrysler said:

My  6 cyl. 1962 Dodge PU I could lift the hood up and rest it against the roof, stand on the ground beside engine  and remove the starter. Two wrenches were involved and the inner fender acted as a work bench.

 

True, but everything changed. engines were on their last legs at 90,000 miles, now at 200K they are just getting broken in, there were ZERO creature comforts (less stuff to fail) and in most climates they were rotted out in 3-6 years. So there was an obsolescence factor, just easier to maintain. Now starters seldom get replaced anymore in the first 200K miles, exhaust systems last for ever, but headlights cost well over $100 each and require 4 hours labor

Now the trick is to get the consumer of new vehicles back to the dealership to sell or lease a new vehicle. Don't think for one minute that the manufacturers want a vehicle to last more then 7-10 years, ever! They don't stay in business if they don't sell new ones to replace the old ones

[28 Chrysler]

John the old Dodge was given away running at about 300,000 miles, rotted floors and cab mounts.

[John348]

11 minutes ago, 28 Chrysler said:

John the old Dodge was given away running at about 300,000 miles, rotted floors and cab mounts.

 

The engine was never apart?

[JACK M]

Those old slants would do 300K.

I know from personal experience.

[JamesR]

On 8/13/2020 at 7:57 PM, Matt Harwood said:

Hell, I don't even like the DRLs, and my first instinct was to just remove the non-broken bulb so they don't work anymore, but it seems that when they're both out, it triggers a warning light on the dash. Ugh.

 

 

You should've just put some duct tape over the warning light.

[28 Chrysler]

On 8/16/2020 at 9:52 AM, John348 said:

 

The engine was never apart?

The Dodge had the #3 piston replaced at 162,000, toward the end of my time it broke 2 plastic dist. gears then I put in a metal one, it started to bend push rods over 50 MPH (I would straighten  with a hammer on the inner fender.)

There was no need for a radio with all the sounds the truck made on it's own.

Edited August 17, 2020 by 28 Chrysler (see edit history)

[Restorer32]

I am often amazed at the mileage some of these old cars apparently covered.   We restored an '08 Pullman.  The spring shackle bolts were originally 1/2" diameter but were worn to pencil size.  Now this was a small 4 cylinder engine and I cannot believe that this under powered touring car covered enough miles to wear those bolts that much. Same with a 3 ton Autocar we did.  3/4" shackle bolts worn to pencil size or smaller. Even on the dirty and gritty  roads of the day it takes a lot of miles to wear a 3/4" shackle pin to 1/4".

[jan arnett (2)]

I just got my 1999 F150 back on the road.  The transmission coolant lines are prone to rusting out as the run together.  You would think this would be a simple job but it is a nightmare.  It is impossible to get to the connections at the transmission.  The heat shields are between you and the transmission fittings and the body sits on them.  I had to destroy them with a air chisel and wiz wheel and then remove the fittings with an crows foot on an angle drive.  I  should have cut a hole in the floor.