The Thing

[tv1217]

the '14 Jeep Cherokee is the same, and once you get the wheel well liner off you can barely see what you're doing so it is done mostly by feel.

Same '14 Cherokee with the 3.2L V6 has the oil filter in the valley on top of the engine. @PhotoNinja had the oil change place crack the housing on hers once. Fortunately, there is a weep hole at the back of the engine where the leaking oil can drain down onto the exhaust.

Yeah the Acadia was pretty much by feel at that point as well. I was able to get the driver side done without too much fuss but my left arm was broken/in a cast at the time and I could not get myself to contort in any sort of way to do it with my right arm. My neighbor ended up getting it for me.

 

[Leo]

Since imitation is the sincere form of flattery, all current engineers must be flattering those Chrysler corp engineers. Things got even worse when the germans were calling the shots. Everything is tough anymore.

I believe it is directly tied to the use of sophisticated computer software. The engineers never see reality in person. I ran into that with control cabinet designers. I even took a sheet of cardboard the size of the cabinet, the allen Bradley PLC 5 chassis and a size 0 combination motor starter into the conference room and challenged the engineer to show me how to put 10 lbs in a 4 pound box. Management was not happy with me.

My solution is simple. ANY part design, even a license plate bracket, the designer has to physically go to the first prototype and remove and replace the part he designed 10 times, 5 times when the engine is cold, 5 times when the engine is hot. And without specialty tools. Maybe even do it in a gravel parking lot.

There is a video on you tube of a Dealership master mechanic having to remove the WINDSHIELD, to pull the whole dash on a BMW to service the Air Conditioner. Days of labor to do a few hour job. It has gone nuts.

 

[Frosty]

Since imitation is the sincere form of flattery, all current engineers must be flattering those Chrysler corp engineers. Things got even worse when the germans were calling the shots. Everything is tough anymore.

I believe it is directly tied to the use of sophisticated computer software. The engineers never see reality in person. I ran into that with control cabinet designers. I even took a sheet of cardboard the size of the cabinet, the allen Bradley PLC 5 chassis and a size 0 combination motor starter into the conference room and challenged the engineer to show me how to put 10 lbs in a 4 pound box. Management was not happy with me.

My solution is simple. ANY part design, even a license plate bracket, the designer has to physically go to the first prototype and remove and replace the part he designed 10 times, 5 times when the engine is cold, 5 times when the engine is hot. And without specialty tools. Maybe even do it in a gravel parking lot.

There is a video on you tube of a Dealership master mechanic having to remove the WINDSHIELD, to pull the whole dash on a BMW to service the Air Conditioner. Days of labor to do a few hour job. It has gone nuts.

Much like modern blower motors, buried so deep you have to remove the dash and console to do a 5 minute replacement.

 

[tv1217]

Most of it is just plain stupidity but some of it is predatory design choice as well. Make it just difficult or inconvenient enough so that it's not worth it for you average owner to do it themselves.

 

[BE Mike]

No offense to engineers, but the couple I've known sometimes have difficulty envisioning the simple way of doing things. Of course a simpleton like me can't follow a blueprint or understand dynamics.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I suspect the vehicles are designed with manufacturing lines in mind, not mechanics working on it later.

 

[Bigtanker]

I suspect the vehicles are designed with manufacturing lines in mind, not mechanics working on it later.

This makes sense. They design it "that way" for ease of manufacturing which will same them $$. The factory doesn't care about a repair down the road.

 

[Leo]

Oh for the old days when anyone that wanted simple, reliable cheap transportation could by a straight 6, column shift Chevy Nova for $750 in good condition and drive it for the next 5 years.

 

[marvin02]

Oh for the old days when anyone that wanted simple, reliable cheap transportation could by a straight 6, column shift Chevy Nova for $750 in good condition and drive it for the next 5 years.

My inexpensive used car if choice was the Dodge Dart with slant 6. Also a 1972 Chevy 1/2 ton pick up that ran forever.

 

[Leadeye]

There are some advantages to older cars.

Modern features and government regulation are no match for a big V-8 under the hood.

 

[marvin02]

There are some advantages to older cars.

Modern features and government regulation are no match for a big V-8 under the hood.

The older big V8s are more fun, but not everyone wants a go faster car (well, they want one but it isn't what they need).

Best thing about older vehicles, IMO, is that they are mostly easier to work on. It is also a different skill set to working on modern computerized vehicles. In may ways if you have the training and the equipment modern cars can be easier to diagnose.

 

[Ingomike]

There was a time when you had to remove the inner fender well to change a heater blower motor on just about every GM car.

Now many cars have to do this to change the headlight bulbs…

 

[Ingomike]

I suspect the vehicles are designed with manufacturing lines in mind, not mechanics working on it later.

BINGO!

 

[Lpherr]

I suspect the vehicles are designed with manufacturing lines in mind, not mechanics working on it later.

Automobiles, like just about anything these days, are built from the inside out.
Parts are added as the item is moved along a line. As parts are added, other parts become inaccessible.
To do a repair, the process is reversed to the point of repair, and then reassembled.

FJB!

Not necessarily related but, just had to throw it in.

 

[Lpherr]

the '14 Jeep Cherokee is the same, and once you get the wheel well liner off you can barely see what you're doing so it is done mostly by feel.

The Cherokee should have three bolts on the front edge. Remove those, pull out on the liner, and reach in. It should be about a 10-15 minute job.
The Grand Cherokee, has a plug that's removed, and access is a bit easier. About a five minute job.
This has been my experience and YMMV.

 

[Alamo]

...now let's discuss spark plugs. Ideally, you'll need to buy a special tool and/or 5 wobble joints and extensions, a mirror, a magnet, a trained gerbil, and a piece of surgical tubing that is 3.5888" (+/- .00001 because we aren't dicks) to replace the back ones.

My father was a farmer, worked on his own tractors until WWII turned him into an aircraft mechanic, and he darn well always changed his own oil and sparkplugs.

Until 1977 when he bought a brand new gorgeous Camaro, blue green paint metallic with the white interior, simply beautiful… And then found out that he had to loosen one of the engine mounts to get to the back corner spark plug.

Oh he was pissed.

He was certainly capable of figuring this out, but what a stupid design and he was 60+ years old by then, and it was such a foolish maintenance design.

 

[hopper68]

Ford Aerostar with a v6 was a POS to change plugs on. Some you got from the top and some you got from the bottom and you better have a swivel head ratchet.
Some GM vehicles have the battery mounted under the rear seat.

 

[nbunga]

My wife’s f150 with the eco boost has a little channel for the oil to flow down when you take the filter off. Or so I thought, loosened the filter and oil commenced to pour down 6 inches behind it.

 

[HoughMade]

My wife’s f150 with the eco boost has a little channel for the oil to flow down when you take the filter off. Or so I thought, loosened the filter and oil commenced to pour down 6 inches behind it.

My John Deere lawn tractor has a channel like that...and it actually works.

 

[Frosty]

My wife’s f150 with the eco boost has a little channel for the oil to flow down when you take the filter off. Or so I thought, loosened the filter and oil commenced to pour down 6 inches behind it.

There’s actually a drain to direct the oil around the cross member. If you look next time you change the oil you’ll see the two drains.