Find the pointy headed college boy that engineered the wife's Buick, I'll kill him!

Alternator crapped out yesterday. Took me the better part of a day most of it working blind and by feel.

Two weeks ago he couldn't spell inganeer now he are one.


Working as a professional Welder, Tool and Die maker, and owning a bunch of farm equipment, I feel your pain. All they know came from a book, and have NO first hand experience with tools or what makes machinery work. Figure in 'planned obsolescence' and you have today's latest, greatest products.



Charlie

But but but.....it looked liked itd fit on the computer screen, and we engineered it to last a long time!

Had a Buick Skylark. I had to unbolt the motor from the motor mounts and jack the motor up to change the serpentine belt. Some engineer designed it so the belt went under the motor mount. 5 minute job on any other vehicle.

You southern boys just don't know how to work on them things. Here's a Canadian how to

I had a Chrysler Sebring with a cast aluminum oil pan...and a steel plug.
I eventually had to have it drilled out because the galvanic corrosion had welded it into the drain hole lol

I remember a Chevy in the 7-'s called a Manza I think. You had to take off the tires to put on chains and lift the engine to change the spark plugs.

I lived across the street from an engineer for years. He was living proof of that kind of thinking.

Pete

“If a mechanic designed the car, it wouldn’t fit on the road.”

lol

2000 and up Ford F-super duty would have to lift the cab to be worked on.

First model Cadillac Cateras (German engineering) required removing the entire front fascia to replace a headlight bulb. Having worked on GM models for 11 years, I have a toolbox full of expletives for engineers.

That's actually super easy. It seems ridiculous, but it.makes everything super easy for things like exhaust manifolds, cylinder heads, engine replacement, turbo work, etc. It's like working with the engine on a stand. Once you've done it a couple times, the cab can come off in a couple hours. I've even taken the body off of expeditions for stuff before, it's no more complicated that just a cab, the only extra stuff is the fuel filler neck and the harness plug for the tail lights.

I think ford didn't actually design the trucks to have the.cab lifted until 2008, but mechanics found it was easy to do on earlier model years, and the engineers saw what they were doing and started designing it to be done that way with things like quick disconnect radiator hoses.

I unbolt the subframe and lift the body off of the engine and trans on dodge chargers and mustangs, and even lift the bed off of trucks to do fuel pumps. Lifting the bed is way easier, you don't have to deal with a shower of dirt, and the fuel line and electrical connections arent a struggle, plus you don't have to drain the tank.

You technically don't "have to" do it that way but it is a heck of a lot easier to work on. Requires a lift but otherwise makes them a lot easier to work on as you can get to everything real easy.

I work on a lot of my own stuff and the newer stuff I have gets a cussing almost every time

Fuel pumps?, saw more then a couple trucks that had an "access" panel cut into the bed, LOL

My son is an engineer, Has to make stuff fit on upgrades, but still accessible, says its almost impossible dealing with an old design that the bosses say, "just make it fit"

If they could redesign the old crappy design, life would be too easy...

Where I work now, the phrase that makes me want to punch engineers in the face is "it looked good on paper."

Weren't those just glorified Chevy Malibu's?

The late 90s Cateras were rebadged Opel's, straight from Germany.

I feel your pain. Bigger cabs, smaller engine bays and more crap in that space makes it real hard for the shade tree.mechanic to get at anything.

By contrast, my 89 Ford has a 4cyl cummins in it. So much room I could stand between the radiator and the timing cover if it wasn't for the tie rods.