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Feb 24, 2011 22:28:36 GMT
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Even more retro for you...... rear core plug on any Ford crossflow engine. Gearbox out and flywheel off. Lie under the car sitting up into the tunnel to be able to get the thing in square.
Solution - when the engine is out (for yet another re-build) drill and tap the block for a plate over the top.
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Sittin' here in a hired tuxedo. Wanna see my bacon torpedo?
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spiny
Club Retro Rides Member
Wiki Admin
I am abivalent towards car electrics ...
Posts: 1,331
Club RR Member Number: 167
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Feb 24, 2011 23:21:31 GMT
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replacing a lock barrel on a door. spend two hours this afternoon removing and lubricating the drivers lock on my bmw. approx 10 seconds to remove, 1 minute to grease, just under two fecking hours to refit the c-clip. I nearly cut the inner door panel off for access
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,256
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Feb 24, 2011 23:26:15 GMT
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clutch cable on a diesel xantia:( absolute bumhole of a job Renault Modus head light bulb, bumper must be removed (no access from under the bonnet or through the wheel arch) proper bummer ;D clutch cable on a diesel xantia:( absolute bumhole of a job Citroen Saxo VTS and Peugeot 306 Dturbo both due to engine related clearance issue are both a pig to change the cable on. With a piece of strong string (parachute cord works well) it is not too awkward a job to do. On the TD (after having practice on a GTi-6 I previously owned) I did that in around 20 minutes . Clearance is an issue but not impossible. Mondeo V6 Spark plugs are a pain. Front bank is easy. Rear bank involves trying to take off HT leads which are not too accessible, moving a coilpack around the bulkhead with limited space in addition to using a variety of extensions and sockets. On the 3.0s the inlet manifold needs to come off! The rear dampers on the estates are not easy either! Bottom bolt is dead easy to get to, the top one is not easy in the slightest! Peugeot cambelts with clearance issues on the XU engines? Porsche 944 clutch change is not easy! Rear suspension dropped, gearbox and torque tube dropped, and then you can get to the clutch. I change the clutch in mine when the engine came out. Worse still, most 944 clutches (if they are original) will be a ticking timebomb anyway due to having rubber centred clutches.... Golf MkIV headlamps. From what I understand (and have seen) the bumper needs to come off. MG Midget rear shoe adjusters (if they seize/snap (as they did on mine) I understand that half of the end of the axle needs to be disassembled due to the twin backplate design).
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Last Edit: Feb 24, 2011 23:29:09 GMT by ChasR
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Feb 24, 2011 23:39:18 GMT
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Inner rear ball joints on a Maxi. The entire back end AND fuel tank has to come out to do it. Ive heared the THUNK as they snap 3 times now and each time the following word has been ''$h!t'', first 2 times from my dad, then from me.
Also, oil change on a Micra, just because the filter is half way up the back of the engine block. I had buy a haynes manual just to find the bloody thing!
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Colonelk
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,742
Club RR Member Number: 83
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surprised no one has mentioned Omega v6s
Every single job I did on my brothers could of been infinitely easier with a tiny bit of thought. To replace the thermostat you have you take off the inlet manifold and plenum! If they'd clearanced it by 5mm here and there you could of gotten it out without disturbing said manifold. Spark plugs.... furtherest back on the passenger side, cant get a rachet or anything in there... again if they'd put a little bend in the metalwork next to it, straight in. The one that was in there was clearly cross threaded (due to bad access) so I left it in! (Car died shortly after)
Best not mention the coil pack either! (which die regularly)
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Feb 25, 2011 17:14:07 GMT
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damn makes me glad i drive what i drive tbh i've never found any hard jobs my self, and stuff that i do think is above my skills goes to the garage.
Although, i found o/s Headlight on the civic a bit of a fiddle (1996 3 door)
Front bumpers on Sierra's, the side bolt on the drivers side, getting in around the arch liner and washer bottle, I'm ok with them now, done em enough times.
Discovery (with 7 seat) brake lights. Bit of a PITA
Nothing mega hard or anoying tho
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Feb 25, 2011 18:12:45 GMT
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Old school - fitting window rubbers with deluxe trim in a beetle, simply use a length of industrial strength cord that hasn't been invented yet to prevent snappage and fairy liquid, then take one mallet to flatten the trim that wont sit in the groove, finally conclude that cal look rubbers are the way forward.
More recent- the simple task of handbrake cables on an E39 BMW, ten minute job involving stripping the rear brakes with the added bonus of removing the entire exhaust and drive shafts. Yes that one's off to the garage to be done, I simply can't be bothered!
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ozzy
Part of things
Posts: 745
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Feb 25, 2011 23:12:42 GMT
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volvo s40 rear arm bush. been doing it today. lets just say its still jacked up on that side lol. getting a mate to do the other side
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1985 GMC camper family wagon 1989 nissan sunny 1994 fiat cinq my boys car
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,256
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Feb 26, 2011 18:36:13 GMT
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Old school - fitting window rubbers with deluxe trim in a beetle, simply use a length of industrial strength cord that hasn't been invented yet to prevent snappage and fairy liquid, then take one mallet to flatten the trim that wont sit in the groove, finally conclude that cal look rubbers are the way forward. More recent- the simple task of handbrake cables on an E39 BMW, ten minute job involving stripping the rear brakes with the added bonus of removing the entire exhaust and drive shafts. Yes that one's off to the garage to be done, I simply can't be bothered! Try the rear tailgate rubbers on an MGB! Many garages simply leave the perished items on. It has to be up there with one of the most fiddly and time consuming jobs that I have done. And then BL wonder why they were losing money on MGBs... If they redesigned the tailgate hinges a simple door seal would have sufficed
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Feb 26, 2011 19:02:58 GMT
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Focus rear suspension bushes! Guess they did not use any grease or anti seize whatsoever at Ford production line, or plated bolts, ended up replacing two arms on top of the pair of trailing arm bushes that it came in for. I quite enjoy sorting peugeot/citroen rear torsion bar setups TU water pumps are bastards on the iron blocks, they just seize in place on the o-ring and there's just no access at all!
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,256
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Feb 26, 2011 22:01:23 GMT
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Don't say that Merion, I was planning to do the cambelt on the 106! Saying that, PSA torsion bar setups have a reputation for being rubbish by many and seizing up etc. etc.... Would you say a home mechanic could refurb a rear PSA beam? Taking one off is no problem IMO .
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Feb 26, 2011 22:35:25 GMT
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Bleeding the clutch on a dolomite, until you find out that you can remove the gearbox cover and do it one handed sitting inside Changing the front light bulbs in a late 2000's Megane is impossible, have to go in through the wheel arch, taking the wheel off!
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Tim
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,340
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Feb 26, 2011 22:35:50 GMT
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How about an easy job, that has become needlessly complicated?
Replacing the track rods on Mk 3 Polo.
Got the track rod ends (1st mistake)
Replaced LH side - easy although the ball joint took some popping.
RH side - rinse and repeat...ah, its a non replaceable track rod end, thankyou parts shop :-)
run out of time
next week
Get track rod from part shop
RH Side - jack up, pop ball joint, remove airbox to get access to the rack, remove track rod.
Compare old knackered one to the new one...new one is about 3cm longer.
Swear, realise parts shop is shut.
Put car back together, notice how bad rust is getting
give up, go inside. I assume they have given me one from a golf but the part number was straight out of the catalogue
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spiny
Club Retro Rides Member
Wiki Admin
I am abivalent towards car electrics ...
Posts: 1,331
Club RR Member Number: 167
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Golf MkIV headlamps. From what I understand (and have seen) the bumper needs to come off. MG Midget rear shoe adjusters (if they seize/snap (as they did on mine) I understand that half of the end of the axle needs to be disassembled due to the twin backplate design). golf: yep, though it's not that hard to take the bumper off - it kind of slides on, the eight million rusty screws just hold it in place. midget - i have that to do on mine :/
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Fiat Cinquecento 899cc 'S'. Oil change. Not something irregular, but access to the oil filter is awkward. Hardest is in through the engine bay, there's just enough room to squeeze your hand and arm down the back without the exhaust heat shield on (mine fell off) and unscrew it, whilst at the same time removing a nice strip of flesh from your arm. Net result: drop filter, oil everywhere, blood all over arm. Easier method: jack up car, remove front right wheel, reach in and unscrew filter. Quite often with a hammer/screwdriver as there's no room for the proper tools. Net result: oil everywhere
Midget 1275cc. Oil change. Non-disposable cannister type. Oil so think it has to be hot to flow out of the sump properly. Access panel designed to be as large as filter casing but not as large as filter casing + hand. Net result: medieval re-enactment of boiling oil down arm, drop bottom bolt/washer assembly which bounces off into a corner of the front chassis rail and pan that's put there for no purpose other than to catch gravel and other road muck and foil groping fingers which are slowly losing circulation due to arm being squeezed into an inhuman shape through access hole
Heater matrix in most cars.
Cinq steering alignment. 2 hour job as the arms used to rust solid..
Most of the tasks on my Renault.
--Phil
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,256
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Feb 27, 2011 17:24:36 GMT
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I may need to change the matrix in the 306 during the summer . To be fair the 944 probably took me 2 days to change the matrix on bar the fact that someone had semi mullered the pipe connections before I got there in an attempt to remove the matrix without taking the dash out. Yes, the matrix was in a right awful state.
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Feb 27, 2011 19:00:32 GMT
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Seem to remember that pug 406 td heater plugs are a curse word of a job to do !!
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1980 mk2 escort 2 door 1979 mk2 escort 2 door 1990 mk2 orion 1.6, Now written off !! 1986 mk2 orion 1.6 i ghia 51 plate Rover 25
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Feb 27, 2011 22:19:10 GMT
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fuel filter on a felicia i owned.....under the rear seats...access hatch.....only really done if you have hands the size of an Umpa Lumpa
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Feb 27, 2011 23:07:52 GMT
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Seem to remember that pug 406 td heater plugs are a female dog of a job to do !! 11/12mm ratchet spanner ;D
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Last Edit: Feb 27, 2011 23:08:25 GMT by welshpug
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