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A Mechanic's Life - Tales From Under the Hood

2788 messages,  Last post on May 18, 2013 at 11:15 PM

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Messages Page 82 of 279

#810 of 2788 Re: Pressured to not do your best [Mr_Shiftright] by thecardoc3

Jan 14, 2013 (1:00 am)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jan 13, 2013 10:11 am)
The Porsche dual-mass flywheel had other problems, far more serious. They just seem to disintegrate.
  
if you ever want to feel like drinking DRANO, pay someone to do a flywheel and clutch on a Porsche 928.
 
There are times that I don't see some of the blessings in my life as clearly as I should. But If I ever have the kind of money where I could own a Porsche, I wouldn't have to pay someone else to do it. I looked up the parts and labor and checked the R&R routine. That looks easy compared to some of the things I've done through the years.
 
Did you ever do a rebuild on a Northstar? Rethreading the block alone takes longer than the Porsche clutch job. How about injectors on a 6.0 DIT? There's a reason that we preach "Just say no to 6.0".
 
I'd sure go for professional installation--it's a devil of a job, and I'd sure hate to have to do it twice-----12.5 hours labor.
 
Again, today this isn't extra-ordinary by any means. Try doing a transaxle on a Toyota 4-Runner. You're dropping the engine, transaxle and final drive out the bottom, and then you have to divorice and re-marry all three at the same time.
 
We haven't even touched what the hybrids and now electrics are bringing to the party.
 
 Did you read the comments under the video simulation of a DM flywheel---everyone hates them!
 
There are times that I can tolerate the whiners, but usually I just skip them.

#811 of 2788 Think oil filters are all the same? by thecardoc3

Jan 14, 2013 (6:53 am)

An engineer who has been working pretty hard to help techs and shop owners make the right decisions for their customers alerted us to this advertisement over the weekend.
 
http://www.brakeandfrontend.com/issue/article.aspx?contentid=102226
 
Then he asked (and made us go find out on our own) if there was anything notable about it.

#812 of 2788 Re: Pressured to not do your best [thecardoc3] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Jan 14, 2013 (10:00 am)

Replying to: thecardoc3 (Jan 14, 2013 1:00 am)
Well it's the parts prices on the Porsche that hurt...the labor isn't so bad on the 928...something like 6 or 7 hours. But $1000 for a clutch disk (retail) is a bit much. I think the whole job cost me $2200 or so. And $1200 for a radiator and $1600 for a water pump.
 
Nope never tackled a Northstar but I've studied the engine and i want no part of working on it, that's for sure.
 
As for the 12 hours labor on the MINI, I guess there is labor and there is TEDIOUS labor---you know what I mean---the difference between straightforward R&R and knuckle-busting R&R.
 
RE: OIL FILTER --- well, my first reaction was: Given that your average Hyundai already runs 175,000 miles routinely with no engine failure, using "plain ol' oil and filter"---what exactly is the goal here?

#813 of 2788 Re: Pressured to not do your best [Mr_Shiftright] by isellhondas

Jan 14, 2013 (10:47 am)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jan 14, 2013 10:00 am)
Those Northstars were notorous for leaking oil at the rear where the block mates together. I guess all of the earlier ones do this sooner or later.
 
My buddy was quoted someting like 4500.00 to fix his. This would have exceeded the value of his car.
 
Luckilly, a delivery truck ran into him and totalled his Cadillac.

#814 of 2788 Re: Pressured to not do your best [isellhondas] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Jan 14, 2013 (10:59 am)

Replying to: isellhondas (Jan 14, 2013 10:47 am)
I don't know how feasible it is, not being schooled in engineering, but I'd like to see cars develop more kinds of 'quick-release', engine-out technology, so that the engines and transaxles can be serviced outside the car. We already have a number of FWD cars with "service modes" which allow you to pretty much pull the entire front end off the car, or at least away from the car.
 
Electronics disconnects will be tricky, what with all the multi-plexing going on now.

#815 of 2788 Re: Pressured to not do your best [Mr_Shiftright] by kyfdx HOST

Jan 14, 2013 (5:38 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jan 14, 2013 10:59 am)
Pop an engine out and back in? My driver side DRL bulb is out, and I think I'm going to have someone replace it for me.. Looks like the whole air box has to come out.

#816 of 2788 Re: Pressured to not do your best [kyfdx] by roadburner

Jan 14, 2013 (7:00 pm)

Replying to: kyfdx (Jan 14, 2013 5:38 pm)
You have to pull the front bumper on my Mazdaspeed 3 to R&R the xenon low beam bulbs...

#817 of 2788 Re: Pressured to not do your best [Mr_Shiftright] by stickguy

Jan 14, 2013 (8:54 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jan 14, 2013 10:59 am)
sounds like you just reinvented the VW Beetle. Couldn't 2 guys with a pipe wrench drop the entire drive train in about 1/2 and hour?

#818 of 2788 Re: Pressured to not do your best [roadburner] by srs_49

Jan 15, 2013 (5:25 am)

Replying to: roadburner (Jan 14, 2013 7:00 pm)
you have to pull the front bumper on my Mazdaspeed 3 to R&R the xenon low beam bulbs...
 
Same thing is true for my son's Acura TL.
 
Wonder what I'm going to find when I have to replace the HID bulb in my G37 .

#819 of 2788 Re: Pressured to not do your best [Mr_Shiftright] by thecardoc3

Jan 15, 2013 (6:15 am)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jan 14, 2013 10:00 am)
RE: OIL FILTER --- well, my first reaction was: Given that your average Hyundai already runs 175,000 miles routinely with no engine failure, using "plain ol' oil and filter"---what exactly is the goal here
 
You might be surprised to learn that many Hyundai engines don't last that long and even for them as the technology gets more exotic, the incidence of failure tends to increase.
 
Here is another filter spec sheet.
 
http://www.mobil.com/Shared-Files-LCW/mobil-1-ep-oil-filter-design_amer_en.pdf
 
If we learn what the differences are and consumers don't, then we get slammed once again.

Messages Page 82 of 279

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