Thread: What is the worst car you have worked on?

Originally Posted by Tins

Really. I dig into my memory and struggle to recall if it was the N10 Pulsar or the Charade (Dealership sold both ) where the clutch was a one hour job. You could remove the input shaft and take the clutch out from the top without splitting the engine gearbox. Of course, it helped that the box was below the engine. Why didn't Issigonis think of that?? Minis are a pig to do a clutch on.

Which reminds me. Minis. Don't think I've lost more skin than I did doing the water pump on my old Cooper S. Still, the car was worth it. What a hoot it was. Another one I wish I'd kept.

Doing the starter motor on a FIAT 124 Sport was fun too. Especially often......

What about cars made this century They are so tightly packaged, the factory generally pre-assembled everything as units and dropped the body down on top. They are designed for ease of assembly by robots. Servicing them down the track is irrelevant.

We have all seen the pictures of range rovers with the body lifted off to do normal service things like changing rocker cover gaskets etc.

There is a reason why the newest car I've ever owned is a 1992 Range Rover classic, and its not just because I'ma tight arse Where I'm sitting now, I can see into the shed, there is a 1950 Traction Avant, 1963 ID19, 1985 CX2500, 1992 Range Rover, 2005 citroen c2 (daughters car), 2007 poogoe 407 (wifes old car ... now youngest daugthers), 2011 Poogoe RCZ. Anything made this century has one thing in common. A manual gearbox and simple to service, reliable NA petrol or diesel engine.

At 270,000kms the poogoe 407 is starting to throw DPF faults, so I'm about to learn how to either clean or gut one of those things. I don't think gutting them is the answer as there probably needs to be a pressure drop across it (you can see pressure sensors each side of it).

seeya
Shane L.

Originally Posted by Tins

.............. Minis are a pig to do a clutch on.

......

As are Mokes obviously. A woman I lived with had a moke and the clutch ended up with a 'deficiency' of friction material.

No one professional would even look at it. Eventually she found someone in Geelong to do it, cost about $3600 in the early 90's.

DL

All those french cars, especially citroen. Did they not used to have special tools and special bolts at some point in time?

In any case, wonderful stories to read Makes me feel at least a tad bit better about that blimming VW van. I concluded a few things now that I nearly have that thing put back together:

• always good to help a mate, but not these kinds of jobs anymore
• Helping with small things like brakes etc. no problem
• helping as in standing around giving pointers like the old geezer I am, sure!
• I like doing full rebuilds better (since everything is out/off anyway

Cheers,
-P

Originally Posted by 350RRC

As are Mokes obviously. A woman I lived with had a moke and the clutch ended up with a 'deficiency' of friction material.

No one professional would even look at it. Eventually she found someone in Geelong to do it, cost about $3600 in the early 90's.

DL

That price is absolutely disgraceful.
Can do a clutch on any 60's/70's mini in around 3 hrs and that's taking it easy.
Slightly more if someone has fitted an after market brake booster, or a heater, or in the case of a Cooper "S" which has a booster fitted as std.

Replacing the water pump by pass hose is easily the worst job on an early Mini.
Goes between the cyl head and water pump; not a pleasant job unless you go to the trouble of removing pump in which case it's about an hour or so's job.
Apart from that they are a doddle to work on.

Currently my D2, the ground's too low and the bonnet's too high.

Originally Posted by prelude

All those french cars, especially citroen. Did they not used to have special tools and special bolts at some point in time?

In any case, wonderful stories to read Makes me feel at least a tad bit better about that blimming VW van. I concluded a few things now that I nearly have that thing put back together:

• always good to help a mate, but not these kinds of jobs anymore
• Helping with small things like brakes etc. no problem
• helping as in standing around giving pointers like the old geezer I am, sure!
• I like doing full rebuilds better (since everything is out/off anyway

Cheers,
-P

The pre 1950's Citroen Traction Avant has a million and one special tools, you won't even get the front brake drums off without a puller (the driveshaft pull down tightly onto a taper). But the 60's -> 90s .... probably considered complex in there time are simplicity ... anyone can work on them, any mechanic really (though most are scared of them) the hydraulic suspension is simple once you understand the basics

I never found any issues with working on my DSpeciale nor its predecessor ID. Not that they needed much done on them. The main issue was finding parts (pre-internet).

Tapered and keyed axle-hub connections were commonplace on cars well into the fifties. Ones that come into mind (if my memory is correct) include Ford T, VW beetle, and incorporating the hub with the brake drum was commonplace.

I remember the puller used for the Ford T comprised a special nut that you screw on in place of the hub nut - and whack with a two pound hammer!

Originally Posted by DoubleChevron

What about cars made this century

seeya
Shane L.

OK, fair enough... Like the Light Fifteen

But indeed, that is why we have FWD cars at all. Cheaper and easier down the production line, and of no interest to the manufacturer once the warranty runs out.