what a pain

[Brendan Smith]

apparently, ford has the same group of stupid engineers as gm. my buddy's f-150 4.6 triton was leaking at the heater hose elbow. of course, it is pressed int o the intake, necessitating removing the intake manifold. got it off in about 1.75 hrs, called around for the part, can't get it until monday. so now i have to do it after work monday in the dark .
sorry for the rant, but jumpin' jesophat, what a load of crap.

[tcls83]

I do talk cars with my friends who are mechanics, and they all tell me that newer Ford vehicles are one of the hardest vehicles to work on. Like how you have to remove a whole lot of parts just to have access to one part. They actually say Hondas are very well engineered for mechanic's accessibility.

But we all know that nothing compares to the carbureted vehicles of the past. I would be very nervous to fix a new car, but actually love getting under the hood of something older that has plenty of room under the hood for fixing mechanical problems.

[lawnmaniac883]

I think the dodge diesel atleast the newer ones are designed fairly well as far as accesibility and maintenance go. Simple engine makes for much more room in the engine compartment and much more space for wrenches.

[Brendan Smith]

Originally Posted by tcls83

I do talk cars with my friends who are mechanics, and they all tell me that newer Ford vehicles are one of the hardest vehicles to work on. Like how you have to remove a whole lot of parts just to have access to one part. They actually say Hondas are very well engineered for mechanic's accessibility.

But we all know that nothing compares to the carbureted vehicles of the past. I would be very nervous to fix a new car, but actually love getting under the hood of something older that has plenty of room under the hood for fixing mechanical problems.

i'm used to the new crap, but there are times when i REALLY miss my 70's model cj's three wrenches, a pair of pliers, and in 20 minutes you could fix anything.

[FearThisDeere]

It was like that on my '87 Ram. I could sit in the engine bay while working on it.

[lwcmattlifter]

Originally Posted by Brendan Smith

i'm used to the new crap, but there are times when i REALLY miss my 70's model cj's three wrenches, a pair of pliers, and in 20 minutes you could fix anything.

That's the truth.

I have a gripe about the cummins. The oil filter is in a bad location because it drips on the cross member and front axle when you change it. The crankcase plug is not the greatest design either. It starts flowing after a 1/2 turn. Unfortunately it takes about 3 full turn to remove it so your hand is oil soaked by the time the plug is out. Otherwise, turbo and injector work is far easier on the Cummins than the Powerstroke. I can't comment on the Duramax.

[FearThisDeere]

Dodge can't figure out how to design a good oil system. The '03 Dakota setup is a mightmare. The drain plug leaks after the first turn like lwcmattlifter said and the filter is smack in the middle of the engine bay. Hard to get to from the top and bottom. It is also at an angle so it leaks all over everything.

[YardPro]

dodge has always had a terrible oiling system.

the old 360's and 318's had the oil pupm housing built into the timing chain cover.. the housing would wear super fast and the oil pressure went to crap.... NEVER had a dodge with even 40psi.. 15-30psi was the range ours stayed in.

[stumpjumper]

I had just about stopped doing any of my own mechanic work a few years ago when the water pump went out on the wifes Firebird. The local shop quoted what I thought was an outrageous price so I'll do it myself, 4.5 hours and all the hide on my knuckles later his price sounded real resonable.

[FearThisDeere]

I like doing my own work because I know it was done and done right, well atleast the way that I want it done. I hate bringing my vehicles to shops. I only do it if it is something that I know will frustrate me or I mam pressed for time. I like learning everything about vehicles that I can. It is a good way to pick up chicks!