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My experience with the GM 6.0 engine has been amazing. I've had two of them with 200K on them and neither ever missed a beat.
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one of my current jobs at work
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Only time I like working on cars is when I'm making them faster..
Boah I hear ya. Normally I work on my 68 Plymouth, where everything is accessible.
But however, I have to change O2 sensors on our Jeep commander and those SOBs are rusted in place and so weirdly angeled that you cant get any leverage. I've been cussing and cursing and ended up telling my wife "just take this crap somwhere, bring the sensors and cash and say you need them changed"
But however, I have to change O2 sensors on our Jeep commander and those SOBs are rusted in place and so weirdly angeled that you cant get any leverage. I've been cussing and cursing and ended up telling my wife "just take this crap somwhere, bring the sensors and cash and say you need them changed"
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Chain stretch?
Member 5605
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This is one reason I'm glad we bought a house without a garage. I don't have people wanting me to work on their stuff but....
In some ways I'm glad I have poorly operating hands now. I don't have to work on stuff like that anymore but the flip side, if I have to have work done I hate paying for a job I can do (not much out there I can't do).
Screw carpal tunnel and ganglion cysts in the wrist.
In some ways I'm glad I have poorly operating hands now. I don't have to work on stuff like that anymore but the flip side, if I have to have work done I hate paying for a job I can do (not much out there I can't do).
Screw carpal tunnel and ganglion cysts in the wrist.
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All it takes for me to hate working on a car is for me to own a car.
I did all my own auto repair until somewhere around the mid 70's.
Then the entire auto industry OD'd on LSD.
I am not spending $20,000 and up buying special tools and a garage full
of electronic diagnostic equipment, spend a few years in computer class
just to fix a $1000 problem on my car.
I have a 2007 F-150 that has never been in the shop except for oil, tires and a battery.
We have a new Expedition that I won't even look under the hood.
I don't care if there's naked women rolling around in there, I ain't looking.
I am too old and I actually have money of my own to pay someone else to fix
one of our vehicle's boo-boos.
People came to me in the hospital so I could assist in trying to help with their ailment
because I had the education and the skills.
I do the same thing with my cars. Our service center has guys with the tools and the education
to fix our vehicles.
Sometimes I think mechanics these days need more education than I did to perform their job.
My tools were much more expensive though but I was worth it..............
If it's a hobby and you enjoy it I applaud you.
You are a smarter man then I am. Cars have evolved way beyond my ability to comprehend.
That really isn't that great of an accomplishment either...........
I was really turned on by the fact my wife called me a stud until
I found out she thought I was as smart as a 2 X 4.
I did all my own auto repair until somewhere around the mid 70's.
Then the entire auto industry OD'd on LSD.
I am not spending $20,000 and up buying special tools and a garage full
of electronic diagnostic equipment, spend a few years in computer class
just to fix a $1000 problem on my car.
I have a 2007 F-150 that has never been in the shop except for oil, tires and a battery.
We have a new Expedition that I won't even look under the hood.
I don't care if there's naked women rolling around in there, I ain't looking.
I am too old and I actually have money of my own to pay someone else to fix
one of our vehicle's boo-boos.
People came to me in the hospital so I could assist in trying to help with their ailment
because I had the education and the skills.
I do the same thing with my cars. Our service center has guys with the tools and the education
to fix our vehicles.
Sometimes I think mechanics these days need more education than I did to perform their job.
My tools were much more expensive though but I was worth it..............
If it's a hobby and you enjoy it I applaud you.
You are a smarter man then I am. Cars have evolved way beyond my ability to comprehend.
That really isn't that great of an accomplishment either...........
I was really turned on by the fact my wife called me a stud until
I found out she thought I was as smart as a 2 X 4.
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Alternator
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I've thought and thought about this issue and continue to do so. This is how it went for me. Growing up my first was a 30 Model A my Dad picked out for me to buy for my birthday. I tore it apart and back together a bunch with I swear a cresent wrench and a screwdriver. Loved doing it. Graduated to flathead Fords and Mercs, got hooked badly. Sad confession - there were a few times I gave up a hot date (well in my imagination) to work on one of my cars. Twisted wisdom? I got into dirt track racing and drags. Worked full time at the lumber mill and attended college as well plus made my cars competetive. Best one for me was a 2 door 57 Ford wagon with a real cross bolt 427. It was barely streetable and easily did mid 12's at the strip. Vietnam happened, marriage, kids, bills and the rest of the stuff. I have a very complete set of tools and now barely work on anything I own. It just passed me by. I still have my 86 Bronco and I can do most anything that needs fixin' on it. Damn but I miss some of those old times.
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I'm a recently retired diesel tech. I worked on one of them ever in my career and would never do that again. Replaced head gaskets and converted it from head bolts to studs. Deleted the EGR did some other work like chips and turbo stuff don't remember now. When I was all done the shop owner that I worked for at the time told me. Since you did such a great job on that one I scheduled another for next week. I quit that week. From that point on I never as much changed oil in one.
Had to come back to edit. I two own one of the last true Powerstroke diesels. Late serial number 1997 Crew cab DRW with a 9' flat bed. And the last time it needed work I paid AG diesel to put a new OEM high pressure oil pump in it.
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BTDT
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Unfortunately, I don't have any pics handy, nor can I find any online.
Suffice to say, the engine room is roomy - access to just about anything was pretty easy. The only hassle was if you had to remove an engine, which fortunately I never had to do. I did get pretty good at setting the racks on a 6-71 though.
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I was a gear head from the age of 12 or younger. Railed the sh*t out of my old mans lawn mowers even. Had great muscle cars, Mustangs, Chevelles, Camaros, Falcons. Pull and rebuild motors over a week end. Raced cars, crewed on a drag boat team. Worked as a field tech and sales on turf equipment.
Had my own construction business, very equipment intensive. Had a nice shop, worked on trucks and equipment more than I wanted to, but glad my skills kept repair bills down. Got sick, life changed, closed the business, sold the trucks and business. By this time, I no longer could ro wanted to work and all the new technology bullsh*t rigs.
I have my 97 F 250 7.3 that will last me the rest of my life. Wife has an 08 Explorer than we will change out in another couple of years. I will work on my 71 F 100 with 351 Windsor as my last car build, and just want to enjoy that. I will rebuild the motor in my shop, install it and drive it. I will change the oil when needed in that but everything else goes to the shop now. If I get on a creeper, I better have the power chain hoist close by with a clip to my belt and the switch in my hand to lift my old azz off the ground.
I remember too many nights in the shop getting a truck or equipment ready to go the next day. Never again.
Had my own construction business, very equipment intensive. Had a nice shop, worked on trucks and equipment more than I wanted to, but glad my skills kept repair bills down. Got sick, life changed, closed the business, sold the trucks and business. By this time, I no longer could ro wanted to work and all the new technology bullsh*t rigs.
I have my 97 F 250 7.3 that will last me the rest of my life. Wife has an 08 Explorer than we will change out in another couple of years. I will work on my 71 F 100 with 351 Windsor as my last car build, and just want to enjoy that. I will rebuild the motor in my shop, install it and drive it. I will change the oil when needed in that but everything else goes to the shop now. If I get on a creeper, I better have the power chain hoist close by with a clip to my belt and the switch in my hand to lift my old azz off the ground.
I remember too many nights in the shop getting a truck or equipment ready to go the next day. Never again.
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This is the mech work I do now:
See all that black stuff - the shredded stuff is ground cover previous owner laid down, the plastic a sheet of plastic that blew into the grass. When the grass is above your waist, it is hard to see these things while mowing. I spent more time untangling them from the flail than actually mowing. Still prefer this to working on modern cars.
See all that black stuff - the shredded stuff is ground cover previous owner laid down, the plastic a sheet of plastic that blew into the grass. When the grass is above your waist, it is hard to see these things while mowing. I spent more time untangling them from the flail than actually mowing. Still prefer this to working on modern cars.
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This is typical anymore; the repair shop doesn't know what is wrong, it takes them days to come to some kind of conclusion, and it is often several thousand dollars to replace some module or sensor, and they are not sure if that will fix it.
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Yep I own a 2016 Chevy Colorado diesel. First 8k back to the dealer 6 times for emissions codes and problems. Granted under warranty but really? It has now driven about 5k problem free (knock on hood). The wife and I spoke about it. If the problems return before the 80k warranty is up we're going to sell it and buy another Ford but gas powered. This is and will be the only Chevy diesel I will ever own. Come to find out with a little research the damn thing is made in Taiwan. I wish I would have bought a f150 with the 3.5 twin turbo now. I've read stories of 200k problem free driving just add gas/change oil and about the same miles per gallon. Way way more power to boot.
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Don't know if I mentioned it here, but about 15 months ago, bought a used Audi (for my daughter) from the dealership in Beaverton. They had reportedly checked it out in their shop, replaced a few things before putting it up for sale and I thought we were good. It had a 30 day warranty, which it turned out was a good thing
Come to find out that Audi/VW cars with a 2 liter turbo 4 cylinder have a piston design problem.
casestudies.atlanticmotorcar.com
Did the dealership mention this before we bought the car? No. Did they know this was a problem with these engines? Yes - they said, after we bought it, that they knew this could be a problem. I should have done my due diligence better - my bad. I assumed, that since a LOT of the Audis and VWs use this engine, that it was reliable with few problems.
So, after a week or so, and a few hundred miles, daughter notices the oil and engine light come on. Engine is using about a quart of oil every 1-200 miles.
Long story short, a LOT of back and forth for weeks with dealership - they finally agree that there is a problem with the engine and that is covered under the 30 day warranty. They replace the pistons/rings etc. and say everything is good (I specifically ask them about the head - the valves, the turbo, etc., due to the oil consumption).
About 6 months later - turbo goes out. Almost $3K - out of my pocket.
Couple of months later. Engine starts missing. Take it in - they say the head/valves need to be removed and cleaned, and that the spark plugs are the wrong plugs. They offer to replace the plugs for free, but the head cleaning? A couple of thousand. And BTW - they say we should replace a shock and a bushing on the suspension - a couple more thousand.
At this point, I tell them no more. We are getting more into the car than it is worth. They replace the plugs and we never go back to them. Take it to a private German car shop - they say it isn't the head or valves (which are fine), but it is the coils (one for each cylinder) - several are malfunctioning, have broken connections - they replace them for $500 and it runs fine. The shock is barely leaking - just a slight weep, and the bushing has normal wear - the dealership is just piling stuff onto the suggested repairs to make $
Come 2019 winter. Car dies randomly. Acts like it is running out of gas. Engine light/etc. Won't start, then it starts and is fine for a while, then dies again. Take it into private shop; "oh - common issue with these cars; high pressure fuel pump - we'll have you going in no time" - about $1400 IIRC.
Get it back, runs ok for a while, then does it again. This time it won't restart - have it towed to shop - it starts. Shop looks at it - oh, it is the low pressure fuel pump - they replace it for cost of parts with no labor.
Car runs fine for a few days, then dies again on Xmas eve. Had to have it towed to shop. Shop has it for days, can't find problem - car starts and dies sometimes - has 'codes'/etc. - shop goes back and forth with external 'experts' on codes. Can't figure it out. Finally, they replace a 'module', car has been running ok since for about 3-4 weeks now. Crossing our fingers it is really fixed and nothing else goes wrong.
I now have about $20K into a car we paid $14K for and that is worth maybe $10K on the used market, even though it has new pistons/rings/etc. and turbo.
Turbos, high compression ratio engines not built to last, EFI and electronic engine management, with sensors everywhere - any one of them goes wrong and engine dies or performs horribly. Repair shops guessing at what the problem might be, replacing this, then that, then that until the problem goes away - costing thousands of dollars.
Yes, cars run a lot better than they used to - when they run. I've owned two modern era BMWs and both have worked well for me - between the two of them put 160K miles on them or more with no real problems. But when things eventually go bad, it will cost a lot of money. The older (2004) coupe finally had a clutch problem - it was only worth about $2K on the used market due to miles on it. The repair cost was estimated to be at least $2K, maybe more. Sold it for $1K - neighbor (who restores older Italian cars) will do a father/son project of it - probably cost him about $1K for parts and he will have to pull the engine/trans to do it - it will have to go up on a lift and the engine will probably need to be dropped down.
I have a '91 Toyota pickup that needs a clutch job too - I could probably do it for less than $500 (including the flywheel) and pull the engine up out of the truck conventionally. I am instead probably going to replace the engine with a MB diesel.
My other truck - a '97 Dodge diesel 4x4 one ton flatbed, has very little electronics, none really that the engine depends on (and the few that integrate with it can be disabled/removed/replace/modified so that the engine no longer is hooked up to them - it is mostly the dash, the alternator, the intake heater and the fuel shutoff solenoid). The transmission fifth gear has come off the splines - a common problem with these trucks. I will replace the transmission - probably for a couple thousand for a rebuilt six speed, maybe something else. I will delete the automatic locking hub engagement system on the front axle (combo electronic and vacuum) with a mechanical conventional manual hubs - maybe replace the 'unit' hub/bearing assemblies (I think it is) that are expensive and not repairable (remove/replace only).
Then the only electronics left will be the ABS, which is complaining now - not sure if it really has a problem or not - I don't care.
Not big problems for me - I've done a lot more complicated mechanical repairs; take apart a 24 speed hydraulically shifted tractor transmission and replaced the clutches - traced the hydraulic system to see how it worked. Remove the pins/etc. on a crawler tractor tracks and replaced some of the pads (dirty hard job with a sledge hammer/etc.). Rebuilt a hay bailer. Pulled a lot of engines and transmissions, drivelines to repair u-joints, converted a 2 wheel drive pickup to 4WD and so on.
But my 2014 BMW X1? Nope - won't touch it. Even oil changes, I take it in and pay $120. Every 100K or so, the filter and auto trans fluid need to be replaced; $1K because the pan/etc. needs to be replaced too. Same transmission in daughter's car - she will soon need to have that done too. Scheduled maintenance - every 20-30K (about every 1.5 years for me) - yup, about $1K. Take it to the shop. I won't touch it. I put gas in it, maybe replace the wiper blades, check the oil (it burns almost none, put oil in it once) - that's it for me.
Come to find out that Audi/VW cars with a 2 liter turbo 4 cylinder have a piston design problem.
Audi 2.0 TFSI Engine Oil Consumption - Correction - Atlantic Motorcar
What is the problem? The early version of the TFSI gasoline engines found in the A5, A4 and Q5 have an inherent design fault which leads to high consumption of oil. The base problem seems to relate to the piston rings, which allow small amounts of oil to leak round the pistons into the...
casestudies.atlanticmotorcar.com
Did the dealership mention this before we bought the car? No. Did they know this was a problem with these engines? Yes - they said, after we bought it, that they knew this could be a problem. I should have done my due diligence better - my bad. I assumed, that since a LOT of the Audis and VWs use this engine, that it was reliable with few problems.
So, after a week or so, and a few hundred miles, daughter notices the oil and engine light come on. Engine is using about a quart of oil every 1-200 miles.
Long story short, a LOT of back and forth for weeks with dealership - they finally agree that there is a problem with the engine and that is covered under the 30 day warranty. They replace the pistons/rings etc. and say everything is good (I specifically ask them about the head - the valves, the turbo, etc., due to the oil consumption).
About 6 months later - turbo goes out. Almost $3K - out of my pocket.
Couple of months later. Engine starts missing. Take it in - they say the head/valves need to be removed and cleaned, and that the spark plugs are the wrong plugs. They offer to replace the plugs for free, but the head cleaning? A couple of thousand. And BTW - they say we should replace a shock and a bushing on the suspension - a couple more thousand.
At this point, I tell them no more. We are getting more into the car than it is worth. They replace the plugs and we never go back to them. Take it to a private German car shop - they say it isn't the head or valves (which are fine), but it is the coils (one for each cylinder) - several are malfunctioning, have broken connections - they replace them for $500 and it runs fine. The shock is barely leaking - just a slight weep, and the bushing has normal wear - the dealership is just piling stuff onto the suggested repairs to make $
Come 2019 winter. Car dies randomly. Acts like it is running out of gas. Engine light/etc. Won't start, then it starts and is fine for a while, then dies again. Take it into private shop; "oh - common issue with these cars; high pressure fuel pump - we'll have you going in no time" - about $1400 IIRC.
Get it back, runs ok for a while, then does it again. This time it won't restart - have it towed to shop - it starts. Shop looks at it - oh, it is the low pressure fuel pump - they replace it for cost of parts with no labor.
Car runs fine for a few days, then dies again on Xmas eve. Had to have it towed to shop. Shop has it for days, can't find problem - car starts and dies sometimes - has 'codes'/etc. - shop goes back and forth with external 'experts' on codes. Can't figure it out. Finally, they replace a 'module', car has been running ok since for about 3-4 weeks now. Crossing our fingers it is really fixed and nothing else goes wrong.
I now have about $20K into a car we paid $14K for and that is worth maybe $10K on the used market, even though it has new pistons/rings/etc. and turbo.
Turbos, high compression ratio engines not built to last, EFI and electronic engine management, with sensors everywhere - any one of them goes wrong and engine dies or performs horribly. Repair shops guessing at what the problem might be, replacing this, then that, then that until the problem goes away - costing thousands of dollars.
Yes, cars run a lot better than they used to - when they run. I've owned two modern era BMWs and both have worked well for me - between the two of them put 160K miles on them or more with no real problems. But when things eventually go bad, it will cost a lot of money. The older (2004) coupe finally had a clutch problem - it was only worth about $2K on the used market due to miles on it. The repair cost was estimated to be at least $2K, maybe more. Sold it for $1K - neighbor (who restores older Italian cars) will do a father/son project of it - probably cost him about $1K for parts and he will have to pull the engine/trans to do it - it will have to go up on a lift and the engine will probably need to be dropped down.
I have a '91 Toyota pickup that needs a clutch job too - I could probably do it for less than $500 (including the flywheel) and pull the engine up out of the truck conventionally. I am instead probably going to replace the engine with a MB diesel.
My other truck - a '97 Dodge diesel 4x4 one ton flatbed, has very little electronics, none really that the engine depends on (and the few that integrate with it can be disabled/removed/replace/modified so that the engine no longer is hooked up to them - it is mostly the dash, the alternator, the intake heater and the fuel shutoff solenoid). The transmission fifth gear has come off the splines - a common problem with these trucks. I will replace the transmission - probably for a couple thousand for a rebuilt six speed, maybe something else. I will delete the automatic locking hub engagement system on the front axle (combo electronic and vacuum) with a mechanical conventional manual hubs - maybe replace the 'unit' hub/bearing assemblies (I think it is) that are expensive and not repairable (remove/replace only).
Then the only electronics left will be the ABS, which is complaining now - not sure if it really has a problem or not - I don't care.
Not big problems for me - I've done a lot more complicated mechanical repairs; take apart a 24 speed hydraulically shifted tractor transmission and replaced the clutches - traced the hydraulic system to see how it worked. Remove the pins/etc. on a crawler tractor tracks and replaced some of the pads (dirty hard job with a sledge hammer/etc.). Rebuilt a hay bailer. Pulled a lot of engines and transmissions, drivelines to repair u-joints, converted a 2 wheel drive pickup to 4WD and so on.
But my 2014 BMW X1? Nope - won't touch it. Even oil changes, I take it in and pay $120. Every 100K or so, the filter and auto trans fluid need to be replaced; $1K because the pan/etc. needs to be replaced too. Same transmission in daughter's car - she will soon need to have that done too. Scheduled maintenance - every 20-30K (about every 1.5 years for me) - yup, about $1K. Take it to the shop. I won't touch it. I put gas in it, maybe replace the wiper blades, check the oil (it burns almost none, put oil in it once) - that's it for me.
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