most difficult vehicle for repairs?
- Thread starter tomcat27
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we had a lotus in the shop a few weeks ago.we sent him away.could not even lift the car with our 2 post lift.
Our old Aerostar looked to be a nightmare to work on, and removing the doghouse doesn't help much.
The engine was located almost entirely under the dash.
Just changing the plugs is an exercise in frustration.
Fortunately, it never needed any engine work.
OTOH, oil changes were a piece of cake as was the starter replacement I did.
If you just use the right type of engine and locate it properly, though, a van can be very easy to work on.
I'm thinking of our '81 Vanagon. If you had to remove the heads, not uncommon on the VW Type IV, you just dropped the engine, which was really easy to do.
The engine was located almost entirely under the dash.
Just changing the plugs is an exercise in frustration.
Fortunately, it never needed any engine work.
OTOH, oil changes were a piece of cake as was the starter replacement I did.
If you just use the right type of engine and locate it properly, though, a van can be very easy to work on.
I'm thinking of our '81 Vanagon. If you had to remove the heads, not uncommon on the VW Type IV, you just dropped the engine, which was really easy to do.
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Our old Aerostar looked to be a nightmare to work on, and removing the doghouse doesn't help much.
The engine was located almost entirely under the dash.
Just changing the plugs is an exercise in frustration.
Fortunately, it never needed any engine work.
OTOH, oil changes were a piece of cake as was the starter replacement I did.
If you just use the right type of engine and locate it properly, though, a van can be very easy to work on.
I'm thinking of our '81 Vanagon. If you had to remove the heads, not uncommon on the VW Type IV, you just dropped the engine, which was really easy to do.
You beat me to nominating the Aerostar as one of the worst though probably not the worst. I agree especially with the 4.0 engine the spark plugs were a real pain especially on the passenger side. My arms and hands always looked like I'd been in a fight. Fortunately I only changed them about 3 times in the 180,000 miles I drove it.
I always said "next time" I taking it to Ford and have them do it, but I always did it myself! LOL.
Yeah oil changes were a piece of cake. Didn't need to jack it up or put it on ramps. Never changed the starter on mine.
I'm told the heater hoses were a real pain but I never replaced those either.
Our old Aerostar looked to be a nightmare to work on, and removing the doghouse doesn't help much.
The engine was located almost entirely under the dash.
Just changing the plugs is an exercise in frustration.
Fortunately, it never needed any engine work.
OTOH, oil changes were a piece of cake as was the starter replacement I did.
If you just use the right type of engine and locate it properly, though, a van can be very easy to work on.
I'm thinking of our '81 Vanagon. If you had to remove the heads, not uncommon on the VW Type IV, you just dropped the engine, which was really easy to do.
You beat me to nominating the Aerostar as one of the worst though probably not the worst. I agree especially with the 4.0 engine the spark plugs were a real pain especially on the passenger side. My arms and hands always looked like I'd been in a fight. Fortunately I only changed them about 3 times in the 180,000 miles I drove it.
I always said "next time" I taking it to Ford and have them do it, but I always did it myself! LOL.
Yeah oil changes were a piece of cake. Didn't need to jack it up or put it on ramps. Never changed the starter on mine.
I'm told the heater hoses were a real pain but I never replaced those either.
Originally Posted By: Donald
Since you say vehicle and a boat is a vehicle I would say any boat with twin engines where they are spaced only a few inches apart. Which would be the case on say a 27' boat.
A boat isn't a vehicle, it's a vessel.
Since you say vehicle and a boat is a vehicle I would say any boat with twin engines where they are spaced only a few inches apart. Which would be the case on say a 27' boat.
A boat isn't a vehicle, it's a vessel.
Originally Posted By: Chris142
we had a lotus in the shop a few weeks ago.we sent him away.could not even lift the car with our 2 post lift.
Close enough to be the same as a Ferrari. You would think with their "racing"heritage they would be easier to work on.
we had a lotus in the shop a few weeks ago.we sent him away.could not even lift the car with our 2 post lift.
Close enough to be the same as a Ferrari. You would think with their "racing"heritage they would be easier to work on.
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
I'm thinking of our '81 Vanagon. If you had to remove the heads, not uncommon on the VW Type IV, you just dropped the engine, which was really easy to do.
I thought the Vanagon was also referred to as the T3, not Type IV.
I'm used to being told that the Eurovan was called the T4. Outside the USA and Canada, it was called something else, but it was also referred to as a T4.
The T4 is very different from the Vanagon, because it is a front engine design.
I'm thinking of our '81 Vanagon. If you had to remove the heads, not uncommon on the VW Type IV, you just dropped the engine, which was really easy to do.
I thought the Vanagon was also referred to as the T3, not Type IV.
I'm used to being told that the Eurovan was called the T4. Outside the USA and Canada, it was called something else, but it was also referred to as a T4.
The T4 is very different from the Vanagon, because it is a front engine design.
2nd gen Mazda MPVs
Ditto on the Aerostar. Worked on a friend's years & years ago - it was a 3.0 that would turn over but not start.
Discovered a very weak spark, and a very worn cap & rotor (impossible for me to get to from under the hood, but (barely) accessible from inside through a tiny removable panel instead of a doghouse). Also changed two only of the six plugs, because they were the only ones accessible from above. (The van was parked outside, and a lot of snow had drifted underneath.) Anyway, that was good enough to get it going, and when things warmed up a couple of months later I went underneath and changed the other four.
Discovered a very weak spark, and a very worn cap & rotor (impossible for me to get to from under the hood, but (barely) accessible from inside through a tiny removable panel instead of a doghouse). Also changed two only of the six plugs, because they were the only ones accessible from above. (The van was parked outside, and a lot of snow had drifted underneath.) Anyway, that was good enough to get it going, and when things warmed up a couple of months later I went underneath and changed the other four.
Vans and mid engine stuff are probably the worst but almost everything these days has its moments.
The Mercedes S600 is pretty hard. That V-12 is stuffed in there and the hydraulic lines for the suspension are hard to get to. Takes 6 hours book for a spark plug change. And there are 24 of them...
But I imagine the true exotics; Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bugatti are much worse. I hear you've got to pull the engine for a timing belt/WP/plug change every 30K.
But I imagine the true exotics; Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bugatti are much worse. I hear you've got to pull the engine for a timing belt/WP/plug change every 30K.
24 plugs? Yikes!
Lucky for me, my plugs (merely 12), wires, injectors, dizzy, throttle stuff and linkages, are in the valley of the vee and actually very easy to work on.
But below that, it's a real bear. As you say, it's stuffed in there ...
I'm not looking forward to doing plugs on the rear bank of that transverse 6 in the Torrent.
Lucky for me, my plugs (merely 12), wires, injectors, dizzy, throttle stuff and linkages, are in the valley of the vee and actually very easy to work on.
But below that, it's a real bear. As you say, it's stuffed in there ...
I'm not looking forward to doing plugs on the rear bank of that transverse 6 in the Torrent.
Audi b7s4 timing chain system... hope it never needs to be replaced, but a guide will most likely break sooner or later. BTW, that is all on the BACK on the engine and it needs to be pulled to be replaced.
It gets pretty crowded in there.
Originally Posted By: Guitarmageddon
Audi b7s4 timing chain system... hope it never needs to be replaced, but a guide will most likely break sooner or later. BTW, that is all on the BACK on the engine and it needs to be pulled to be replaced.
I can't imagine that being all that efficient, in terms of friction losses. That's one advantage that timing belts have; they take next to nothing to turn, and they have relatively few lubrication requirements.
Of course, they also take more room, dimensionally, and it looks like space is at an absolute premium in that car (much like the repair bills, I imagine!).
Audi b7s4 timing chain system... hope it never needs to be replaced, but a guide will most likely break sooner or later. BTW, that is all on the BACK on the engine and it needs to be pulled to be replaced.
I can't imagine that being all that efficient, in terms of friction losses. That's one advantage that timing belts have; they take next to nothing to turn, and they have relatively few lubrication requirements.
Of course, they also take more room, dimensionally, and it looks like space is at an absolute premium in that car (much like the repair bills, I imagine!).
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