Gotta agree with Oldtimer11 on the bug. When my generator went out on my 59, the engine had to be pulled to get to it. Never really thought that car was very easy to work on. On my 59 Pontiac, two, or at least one of the spark plugs under the generator bracket, was impossible to get in easily. I finally used a piece of tubing to connect to the plug, with a stiff wire in it, to guide it into the hole.
If you’ve dropped an engine on a bug once, the second time takes less than an hour. It is really easy the third time. Once out, you can polish it into a shiny penny because you can get to everything at that point. Installation is pretty easy and foregiving as well - just wiggle it in place.
Oil changes are easy but many people full flow the oil passages so it takes a modern oil filter. Valve adjustments take maybe 10 minutes. You can hee-ho an engine on a work bench and strip it down in a couple of hours.
It can’t be compared to a modern car but the design is really ingenious, meant to be serviced in a person’s driveway with simple tools.
I wouldn’t want to use mine as a daily driver but do think it is the perfect car for someone that wants to get into vintage cars and learn how to work on them.
Vehicles are not designed with service in mind.
They’re designed with efficiency of ASSEMBLY in mind.
Ain’t that the truth.
A friend of mine had a camry that you couldn’t get to this one spark plug. It was right up against the fire wall and couldn’t get any normal tool between it an the engine. He considered poking a hole in his firewall, which seemed a bit drastic.
After some fooling around, come to find out you have to fool around with engine mounts, tipping the thing just so.
Crazy stuff. Some things seem to have been designed by Rube Goldberg on meth.
I had a vehicle in the mid 90s with a timing belt. It was the sweetest running engine I have encountered, that is until Ford came out with the 4.6 V8. I sold it to my son-in-law before I had to change the belt and if I know it I won’t buy another one with a belt. And no one else should.
That spark plug problem applies to my 1996 Caravan too. The pre-96 model was awkward enough, thank you. To reach the other three plugs, access is from underneath, just follow the wires and reach up. Especially challenging when doing a compression test with a hot exhaust to avoid.
The 1996, a total redesign, is much worse. From underneath I can sort of see where the plugs must be, reaching them seems impossible with just a hand, much less a socket. I suppose it takes some motor mount gymnastics here too, but haven’t investigated the factory book to see what advice it gives. Good thing it’s running well…for now!
“After some fooling around, come to find out you have to fool around with engine mounts, tipping the thing just so.”
It’s the same with several GM cars. My 1998 Buick Regal and 2003 Olds Silhouette require removing the engine mounts on the radiator brace, attach a strap, then ratchet the engine towards the radiator. Then you can sorta get at the rear plugs.
Making cars difficult to service is nothing new. I had a neighbor who purchased a new 1968 Mercury Cougar with the 390 cubic inch engine. The motor mounts had to be loosened to jack up the engine to change the spark plugs. You would think that manufacturers would have designed cars for easier spark plug removal after 45 years.
When I was on a tight budget, both financially and for time, I bought used cars that were not difficult to service. Most of these cars were inline 6 cylinder cars. However, my 1954 Buick had the “nail head” V-8. The engine was narrow and there was plenty of room to reach the spark plugs. For some strange reason, Buick chose to put the spark plugs behind metal covers. I couuldn’t see that these covers served any useful function, so I left them off after I changed the spark plugs. The old Buick ran just as well.
Well I actually bought a vehicle one time because it had a timing belt,we had a rash of expensive timing chain failures(timing covers eat up etc) it got me gunshy,but when I finally realized the reason for early timing chain failures,I switched back to timing chains. Yes timing belts could be made easy to replace-but there is no reason for the manufacterers to do so-Kevin
COULDNT IT? Maybe… But the routed path of the belt is the least of your worries during the Tbelt service…its pretty much everything else… Like not even being able to SEE the rear SET of cam gears on a transverse V6 DOHC and having to maintain cam timing while doing the swap…
OH GOD…do WE have stories on here about how things arent made with repairability in mind…and I mean…sometimes they paid NO MIND to things like this
My Saab you see in the pic? My brother decided to take a turn that wasnt there and went up a HUGE curb…squared off the front rims and bent my upper A Arm…on the side that the engine leans twd…
I SWEAR TO YOU…IN THE MANUAL…STEP 1… REMOVE ENGINE !.. It was the first time I saw a one liner joke in a service manual. But alas…I did it
Blackbird
My wifes Accords the belts were a pain to replace. Transverse mounted engines…what a pain.
My Pathfinders were a piece of cake to replace. My 73 Chevy Vega was even easier. Transverse mounted engines are a real pain. And it’s not the timing belt…it’s just getting to the timing belt. There’s so little room…and you really need a lift or you’re up and down. Not a fun job.
Cars that are not designed for easy servicing are nothing new, despite some folks’ selective memories that make everything from the past better than the present day.
For instance, how about the Ruxton? Ruxton was a new FWD make that was produced for only two years (1929 & 1930), in a vain attempt by New Era Motors to compete against the Cord.
The design problem with the Ruxton was that replacing the fan belt (which was probably a $2.00 part in those days) required separating the engine from the transaxle, and required the removal of some other major parts as well. That surely has to qualify as one of the most bone-headed automotive designs of all time.
Once The Great Depression came on, many Ruxton owners could not afford the extremely high labor costs necessary for replacement of that cheap fan belt, with the result that many of these fairly expensive cars were junked after just a few years. As a result of only two years of production, coupled with this “fatal” design flaw, Ruxtons are extremely rare today.
One way to get an easy-to-maintain engine in years past: buy a car with an I6 that also could be had with a V8. Pretty much guarantees easy access. Now, most every car is a cramped rat’s nest under the hood, regardless.
Our Subaru must be easy for mechanic to replace. We had a new belt ($100+ part and tensioner $150) done including labor for $400.
Thats pretty good Raj.-kevin