An essential piece of equipment and at the end of a long rod. Also a long forceps is hanging on my wall with other essential tools. I dropped my keys between the bucket seat and the console once and now way could I fish them out without the forceps. Cosidering putting one in the car.
Yep – used a telescoping magnet to fish blindly when the bolt dropped deep into the lower engine. Imagine the relief when I heard a “clink” and gingerly pulled up the dropped bolt! Fingers also began to cramp up during that last hour, but that is another story 
They do have their quirks. Pulling the engine on an old SAAB involves removing the transmission along with it as the engine sits on top of the transmission and also sits in the engine compartment backwards with the clutch end near the radiator and everything else against the firewall. The transmission case also serves as the engine oil sump.
Another quirk is that when separating the engine/transmission (and this applies to automatics only) is that the transmission pan has to come off and a dozen aluminum tubes of all shapes have to be removed from the valve body. You would think that they would have designed that into the valve body instead of making it a Rubik’s Cube of sorts.
Nothing held the tubes in place except a gentle tap from a mallet and while I’ve never seen a problem with it the thought of one of those tubes falling out due to vibration could really cause havoc if someone was 500 miles from home.
No way to reinsert it except headlights out, hood off, radiator out, separate front suspension and CV joints, and remove the engine/trans assembly.
Memorable PITAs
- An Italian car that you had to change the oil every 3,000 miles and had to remove the radiator to remove the oil filter
- A British car that you had to remove the real axle to get access to replace the brake shoes.
- And practically any small car with a laterally mounted V6. Repair anything starts with, “Remove the front tire, fender liner and support the engine while lifting and/or rotating the engine…”.
Well depending how far back you want to go, I remember the Chevette needing to remove the brake master cylinder to replace the starter. Ford Aerostar spark plugs were fun.
I seem to remember the Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique (I think) having an access panel under the rear seat to access the top of the fuel pump. The hole was big enough to disconnect the wiring and fuel lines, but not big enough for the pump assembly to pass through, so you had to drop the tank anyway.
Minor but irritating. Pinto~15 minutes to change timing belt. 1991 Mustang 4 cylinder, based on the same block, too much junk in the way, had a shop change the belt.
I had heard that the gaskets in these were a weak link. It is crazy how many corners they cut on these cars. These wouldn’t have been terrible cars if they had spent a little more on the details and not cheaped out. I know someone else said she should have kept it but there were about $4000 worth of things needing work on the car and it wasn’t worth that. She also couldn’t live without a car too long so if it came apart and was found to have a cracked head or block, it wouldn’t have been good. I figured it was best to cut her losses and move on. I don’t think she ever really overheated it but noticed it running warmer than usual and it was low on coolant. Exhaust gasses were pressurizing the coolant and blowing it out the overflow. We kept on eye on the level after that.
This article also contributed to my push to move this car along when the head gasket let go. It was always some little thing going wrong. The car was also going to need a new battery and tires before winter. It was just time to move it along.
NOTE: She had the Reno which is the hatchback version of the Forenza. Mechanically they are the same and this car is specifically mentioned as a problem child.
Many years ago a guy in a neighboring town called me and asked if I would replace a starter motor in a Renault LeCar. No problem…I thought.
I spent half an hour staring that starter down and could see no way of changing it. So I snagged a service manual and turned to the starter replacement section which read…
Step One. “Remove engine and transmission…”.
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Ugh, what a car (if you can call it that).
One of my uncles was cheap, to put it nicely. Like cheap to the point that when the '68 Bonneville wagon broke down in Provo, UT, he had my cousin bring a used trans, some tools, and drive from Los Angeles to Provo so they could change it in a parking lot. He passed this trait along to some of my cousins.
Anyway, a few years later, one of my cousins got married. Big wedding, followed by a honeymoon touring all the national parks from the Grand Canyon up through Zion to Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, and back. In August. In the LeCar. Because it got better mileage than the Chevy.
Is my memory correct that you cut a hole in the floor pan to replace Le Starter?
I suppose that would have been easier than pulling the engine. Then just weld hinges on the trap door.
My neighbor showed up with one of those one day. I don’t think he had it very long and never said much about it.
The fuel filter in my 1993 Toyota pickup, 2.4 engine is located under the intake manifold between it and the block. PITA to change. Easiest engine to work on was my 64 Ford Econoline. Being right between the front seats you could work on it while driving down the highway.
That’s why I cover holes and passages with shop towels, when I remove an intake manifold, valve cover, etc.
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Recent issue of Hot Rod magazine, saying Mustangs of that era are becoming very popular for restoration now. Fox body popularity, I think they said. Wondering what does Fox body mean?
Google is your friend .
Thanks, I got a good chuckle over that story. Seems like it would make a pretty good comedy-movie plot. I wonder what the cousin thought when he got the request by phone to stop whatever they’re doing and quickly find a used trans and take it, what 700 miles, three states away and help w/a parking lot trans install? Seems like the normal response would be: You want me to do What? …lol …
It is not illegal to work on cars in parking lots where I live. The parts stores have told me some stories about cars literally getting rebuilt in their parking lot. They do request the car be put behind the store or next to it where it isn’t in the main parking area. Some of these jobs take weeks so lots of parts are bought during the process. Sometimes the store in question won’t have all the parts needed so a competitor has to come over the drop off parts because the car doesn’t run.
My craziest side of the road repair was probably the timing belt on a 3 cylinder Geo Metro. This was an hour job so not too bad. I put a used belt on it to get it home and then ordered a new one. I left the timing cover off until that job was done. At least these aren’t an interference engine…
In this area I think it is illegal to work on cars in parking lots, except for emergency repairs. It is allowed to work on cars in private driveways though. Wondering, is it common for a city to ban cars set on blocks in residential areas if visible from street? Story in recent issue of Hot Rod magazine, classic car owner gets complaint from Texas city b/c car is on jack-stands, ruled a “junker” has to sell his car. I seldom see cars sitting on blocks in residential areas here, so maybe that is true in this area as well. Wonder why a car sitting on blocks would be more visibly distracting than a car sitting on its tires?
Seeing some of the horror stories I see here takes me back to what I have been thinking for many years I think the engineers and designers stay up nights trying to think up ways to make things more compilated to work on. 