Why does ford use round headed bolts...

[eljefino]

on their tie-rod adjuster sleeves? I had to change my inner tie rod on a 95 f150 and the stupid pinch bolts have ungrippable heads.

This isn't a prison, it's not a public restroom where someone might want to steal the stall doors.

I wound up using a pipe wrench to hold them.

I genuinely want to know, does this help assembly somehow? I noticed the drag link had a cute little flip- up handle that must help them align the things at the factory.

Made me want to weld 'em to the adjusters or something. Heck, why not, right?

 

[Kruse]

Usually, something like this is to make it easier for the people working on the assembly line. They probably didn't have a problem installing the parts when they were new.

 

[ThirdeYe]

I started a thread about this a while ago with the Ford Focus. They put round head nuts on the bolts on the air filter box in the older Focus', so if the bolt gets corroded and starts spinning in place, good luck holding the bottom (round side) with anything trying to get the bolt out of the nut. What a horrible idea/design. The only thing I could get to kinda grip and fit was a pair of needle nose pliers wedged between the round nut and the plastic of the air filter box. I was only able to get it out halfway like that before it would just continue spinning regardless.

 

[andyd]

Wrenching on old BMWs spoiled me. Working on the Rat taught me that Fords are engineered to be assembled and sold.If something is easy to work on, it is accidental.

 

[edwardh1]

these kind of things are management and engineering choices, they (poor cars) usually get blamed on "the union" when there are discussions of why US cars sometimes suxxx compared to Japanese cars.

 

[Rand]

I remember that focus airbox.. I had a trip to the "car recyclers" ugh.

 

[cptbarkey]

working on this vg33e, i cannot believe how many stupid hex bolts it has, and philips screws for the valve covers.

 

[The_Eric]

.

 

[expat]

Originally Posted By: andyd
Fords are engineered to be assembled and sold.If something is easy to work on, it is accidental.


I do believe you might be right.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: expat
Originally Posted By: andyd
Fords are engineered to be assembled and sold.If something is easy to work on, it is accidental.


I do believe you might be right.


This is the case with most vehicles.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: expat
Originally Posted By: andyd
Fords are engineered to be assembled and sold.If something is easy to work on, it is accidental.


I do believe you might be right.


This is the case with most vehicles.


Not with Toyota and Honda

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: expat
Originally Posted By: andyd
Fords are engineered to be assembled and sold.If something is easy to work on, it is accidental.


I do believe you might be right.


This is the case with most vehicles.


Not with Toyota and Honda

I must've had a Honda knock off then because to get the oil filter out I had to burn my hand on the exhaust and get it all scratched up. If it was put on really tight there was no room for a filter wrench.
To change the brake rotors, they had to be pressed out of the hub and pressed back in.

 

[zzyzzx]

This thread is useless without pics. And I own a Ford and don't know what you are referring to. Car is relatively easy to work on too.

 

[eljefino]

The shiny is where the round head slipped in various vise grips/ pipe wrenches.

I bought some "real bolts" today so I'll just get up in the slit with my angle grinder and blow these old ones away.

 

[bdcardinal]

Never had a problem with those. I would use a 3/8" impact to get the nuts loose, most other techs do it also that I know of.

 

[GiveMeAVowel]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ

I must've had a Honda knock off then because to get the oil filter out I had to burn my hand on the exhaust and get it all scratched up. If it was put on really tight there was no room for a filter wrench.
To change the brake rotors, they had to be pressed out of the hub and pressed back in.


True, both have plenty of issues with ease of repair as well no automaker is immune from this ESPECIALLY in the last decade or two.

I believe it is DELIBERATE and WILLFUL on the part of the automakers today to make servicing difficult, complex, and costly.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: expat
Originally Posted By: andyd
Fords are engineered to be assembled and sold.If something is easy to work on, it is accidental.


I do believe you might be right.


This is the case with most vehicles.


Not with Toyota and Honda

Oh, it most definitely is.

 

[HangFire]

Most auto manufacturers are indifferent to service personnel and second owners. Ford is the only company I know of that actively hates them.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: HangFire
Most auto manufacturers are indifferent to service personnel and second owners. Ford is the only company I know of that actively hates them.


LOL! Like with the others, it depends on the vehicle. Working on my Expedition is generally quite simple (save doing the plugs). Doing brakes on a Mustang Cobra? Pull the pin and flip up the caliper. Probably the easiest brakes I've ever done.

But then they have some nightmares. But that applies to all marques. Try doing the alternator on a Z34 Lumina. The back plugs on any V6 minivan....etc. The front-end of the Mitsubishi-built Sebring was ball-joint central and one of the most bizarre I've ever had my hands on (my buddy's ex had one, he was tasked with a tranny swap in it. I helped). And then there is setting the valve lash on some of the Japanese 4-pots or swapping out a timing belt/water pump/tensioner at regular intervals, often not fun to do. Neither are things a Modular run until the body that surrounds it disappears will ever need done despite being overhead cam.

We can all cite examples of seemingly rude, ignorant or downright evil things all manufacturers do. The problem comes when you are the one stuck dealing with it

 

[eljefino]

to answer my own question, the old bolts did have square shanks like "stove bolts" and when the thing was new the adjuster sleeves also were squared off to keep them from spinning.

This of course all blew all to heck over twenty years. Someone must have eaten a nice steak saving $.00002 per part by not machining a hex on top.