All it takes to make me hate working on cars

[Mark W.]

So I drive Dump Truck for a Paving co. I spend from sometime in Nov to April at home working on my WIllys Jeep. I spend almost every day working on it. Its a extremely detailed project. I love working on it.

Yesterday I had to jump the wifes car three times to get it home with a F'ed up Alternator. Today I pushed my Jeep deeper into the shop so I could get the car into the shop far enough to get it up on ramps (the stupid alternator has to come out the bottom.

It maybe only took a 1/2 hour of actual work to get the alternator out of course when you add in getting off the floor 10 times and searching for Metric tools I managed to spread removing it out to all day. Had to have it out to even figure out which of the 2 dozen choices NAPA has to buy. And tomorrow I will have to put a new one back in. I understand how things have to be compact but I HATE working on crap like this Where you have to do things like unhook a motor mount and pry the engine forward so the alternator can even fit out. AND now to put the new one in I have to hook up the electrical connections and some stupid shroud on it while it floats around in the space it goes.

But then it beats the maybe $700 A dealer would charge for this.

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[v0lcom13sn0w]

this is why i want nothing to do with cars when i get off of work every day.

 

[bsa1917hunter]

So I drive Dump Truck for a Paving co. I spend from sometime in Nov to April at home working on my WIllys Jeep. I spend almost every day working on it. Its a extremely detailed project. I love working on it.

Yesterday I had to jump the wifes car three times to get it home with a F'ed up Alternator. Today I pushed my Jeep deeper into the shop so I could get the car into the shop far enough to get it up on ramps (the stupid alternator has to come out the bottom.

It maybe only took a 1/2 hour of actual work to get the alternator out of course when you add in getting off the floor 10 times and searching for Metric tools I managed to spread removing it out to all day. Had to have it out to even figure out which of the 2 dozen choices NAPA has to buy. And tomorrow I will have to put a new one back in. I understand how things have to be compact but I HATE working on crap like this Where you have to do things like unhook a motor mount and pry the engine forward so the alternator can even fit out. AND now to put the new one in I have to hook up the electrical connections and some stupid shroud on it while it floats around in the space it goes.

But then it beats the maybe $700 A dealer would charge for this.

Mark, I work on cars all the time (not my own, but my kids'), so I can relate. I really appreciate the simplicity of the old cars.

 

[CountryGent]

When I was younger I did quite a bit of work on our vehicles, including keeping them running in a very remote location in eastern Oregon. Now I have someone else do it, I pay them, and done. I know some peeps like working on cars, and that is cool, but I just did so due to necessity, both fiscally and distance, back in the day. (Though I still do most of the work myself on the MULE utility vehicle; getting it to the shop is somewhat a PITA.)

 

[edslhead]

Try finding the battery in a 2014 Escape

 

[kenboy]

Just got the motor back in a Model A....what are these tight spaces of which you speak????

 

[Certaindeaf]

My starter went out recently and it was so buried up in there I said no way n paid to have it done.. it wasn't inexpensive.

 

[bsa1917hunter]

Try finding the battery in a 2014 Escape

My Ex's 2009 Escape has an erratic fuel gauge problem. I looked at it, checked things out with the proper ohm meter and everything checks out. Yet, it goes haywire and then starts throwing codes. I told her it has to be a bad ground, connector or something else, but I can't figure it out. Funny thing is, it's been back to Ford recently twice and they thought they had it fixed, but low and behold, the problem rares its ugly head. She know's I am pretty decent at working on cars, so when something stumps me, it's a bad issue. Ford has yet to figure out what it is. Yes, there are ways to make the problem go away, like disconnecting the anti-slosh connector from the back of the instrument cluster, but that is a hokey way to fix a problem. Ford should be able to properly diagnose that issue with their fancy testers and computers, but it has them stumped too. Pretty funny actually...

 

[Heyjoe]

Now that you've done all the work, how about replacing the brushes?

9/10* times this is the issue with "bad" alternators.

*My experience only, Toyota. Never owned a ford.

 

[Xrperry]

My 2010 challenger battery is in the trunk. No room under the hood

 

[CamoDeafie]

Ya know... why can't companies make tilt/one piece fronts for new cars that can be removed by 4 10mm bolts from the bumper to firewall... that could include the whole inner fenders but not the strut towers?

 

[hatchj]

Ya know... why can't companies make tilt/one piece fronts for new cars that can be removed by 4 10mm bolts from the bumper to firewall... that could include the whole inner fenders but not the strut towers?

Because, you probably not be able to find the 10mm, and be bubblegum outta luck

 

[orygun]

I work on cars, mostly old ones for a living. We do have some long time customers with newer cars. I know that song and dance for remove this, take that loose, pry here crapola. Doing anything undercar related on the ground (flatbacking it) is the worst part.

Saving $700 is what keeps you going! More gun , or Willys money.

 

[edslhead]

Yep. Somebody else can do it. I can too.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

So I drive Dump Truck for a Paving co. I spend from sometime in Nov to April at home working on my WIllys Jeep. I spend almost every day working on it. Its a extremely detailed project. I love working on it.

Yesterday I had to jump the wifes car three times to get it home with a F'ed up Alternator. Today I pushed my Jeep deeper into the shop so I could get the car into the shop far enough to get it up on ramps (the stupid alternator has to come out the bottom.

It maybe only took a 1/2 hour of actual work to get the alternator out of course when you add in getting off the floor 10 times and searching for Metric tools I managed to spread removing it out to all day. Had to have it out to even figure out which of the 2 dozen choices NAPA has to buy. And tomorrow I will have to put a new one back in. I understand how things have to be compact but I HATE working on crap like this Where you have to do things like unhook a motor mount and pry the engine forward so the alternator can even fit out. AND now to put the new one in I have to hook up the electrical connections and some stupid shroud on it while it floats around in the space it goes.

But then it beats the maybe $700 A dealer would charge for this.

Old boats, old tractors, old trucks...yes, I'll work on them. Anything newer than 1980? Forget about it.

 

[The Heretic]

Yup - used to be a mech myself, but on boats, as in large boats:



So lot's of space in the engine room, although on that boat, there are two engines and two gensets, and miles of fuel/hydraulic/air/water lines running all over the place - and sometimes they need fixing while underway - which isn't easy:



So then it was tractors and combines and such - usually still easier than modern cars.

But it occurred to me that everybody and their dogs thinks they are a mech, but not everybody understands how electrons get pushed thru wires and electronic components, so I took that up instead. From there I went to software, which most people don't have a clue about - not even some of the ones who claim they do and get paid for it.

My older vehicles are a pickup and a flatbed - both of which with are an inline 4 and a inline 6 - so easier to work on. My 2014 BMW? I pay someone to work on that.

 

[CamoDeafie]

Old boats, old tractors, old trucks...yes, I'll work on them. Anything newer than 1980? Forget about it.

Unless they're Russian or India (Mahindras) ?

 

[PaulB47]

There is something to be said for old simple designs - with a few modest upgrades where appropriate:

Classic Battle Green | Royal Enfield

 

[CoastRange57]

Ford should be able to properly diagnose that issue with their fancy testers and computers, but it has them stumped too. Pretty funny actually...

When that fing disaster of a 6.0 engine came out, I bought an 03 F250 with out doing enough research. It ran pretty good for about 20,000 or so then it all went to hell. Took it to a Ford dealer who did this and that, ran better for a while then went south again, and they said they just could not determine what was wrong with it. Took it to a truck shop, they said they had not work on the POS 6.0 but would give it a go. 2 weeks and $ 6,000 later they had it somewhat fixed.

Had to lift the cab to replace one of the injector pumps, had to wipe and reflash the brain a lot of crap. It ran pretty decent, but I sold it just because. The intelligence level of some of those "mechanics" was a bit questionable at the Ford garage. Worst buy of my life. Meanwhile my current 97 F 250 7.3 keeps purring along at 198,000.

 

[RicInOR]

@Mark W. - don't forget to reset the engine computer - codes - or you'll be in Limp mode. My coworker was cussing up a blue streak a couple weeks back after his buddy changed the alternator in in Pacifica ... to save hundreds off the dealer quote ... and the buddy forgot about Limp home mode ....


@The Heretic - need some photos of the engine room. When I was in I had met a guy, joined the CG because at the Rose Fleet event he was impressed with how clean the engine room was. He then discovered the how and why of it/