Off Topic Reason 193 why I love little british cars [especially TRs]

[sammyb]

I had to replace a power steering pump on a 2002 GMC Sierra 2500HD pickup truck. I think the flat-rate book time is 1.5 hours. It took me well over -five- hours to do it. My back is killing me, my arms and elbows are all cut up. The truck is so tall and the pump is so low in the bay that I had my butt in the air for most of it. Since the power steering pump also boosts the brakes in this truck, it's really important. Sounded like a freaking supercharger with the whine before I replaced it. Hope I did it correctly, because I never want to take that off again. (This truck has a power steering cooler and lines for just about every other type of cooler going through that area, so what a pain trying to get wrenches on bolts!)

Little British cars don't need power steering...the only one I've had with power steering was the TR8, which I didn't like. It took less than five hours to remove and refit the carbs and head on my TR3 when I did it for the first time.

 

[glemon]

About a month ago my son and I replaced the clutch on his 96 Subaru Impreza, wasn't worth paying someone to do it and opportunity for father and son bonding moments. It really wasn't awful in the sense that the cars are pretty well engineered and everything came off pretty easily with the exception of one exhaust manifold bolt that was rusted on and stripped. But a lot more to disconnect and reconnect than any LBC I have done. And the tranny, which weighs about 150 pounds, comes out below the engine of course. We were manly men and wrestled it in and out with a Harbor Freight floor jack, but the whole job took about two good afternoons to get out, and two long evenings to put it back in.

 

[TR3driver]

It took less than five hours to remove and refit the carbs and head on my TR3 when I did it for the first time.

Apples & oranges. How long did it take to R&R the steering box the first time?

 

[glemon]

Sammy, do you work on your Ferraris? freind of mine, semi retired, has the closest thing to a Ferrari repair shop in Lincoln, NE, he had a 328 in the shop for about a year and a half doing a clutch and a tune up or 30,000 mile service or something like that, he isn't the fastest guy in the world, but he said you practically had to take the whole thing apart to do any siginificant work on it. Pretty little car though.

 

[Andrew Mace]

Reminds me of the line in the classic Dick O'Kane book How to Repair your Foreign Car...; something to the effect of "...except for the E-Type, where you take the car off the starter!"

 

[sd80mac7204]

Had to replace the thermostat on my '04 Impala a few years ago. On any LBC it is a very quick and easy change that takes 5 minutes and can be done whether the engine is warm or cold. On the Impala you have to wait until the engine is stone cold because the pipe from the front exhaust manifold runs over the top of the tranny and within an inch of the thermostat housing, forcing you to become very intimate with this piece of hot metal. Neither the mechanic nor I had small enough hands to get the bolts started in the housing during the re installation process. Had to get a neighborhood kid to come up and wriggle them in!

 

[pdplot]

I've said it before, but here is Plotnick's Law of car repair:
1. Open the hood.
2. Look down.
3. If you can't see the ground - slam down the hood and call a mechanic.
You can check out some of my other laws online or in Paul Dickson's The Official Rules.

 

[sd80mac7204]

Another quick, fun one:

'01 Oldsmobile/Chevy/Pontiac Silhouette/Venture/Montana air filter replacement: Unplug all of the sensors from the intake between the throttle body and the air filter housing. Remove the hose connection from the intake to the front valve cover being careful not to break the stupid thing. Release throttle cable and cruise cable from throttle body if needed. Undo screw clamp on intake holding it on to throttle body. Undo screw clamp on intake holding it to the air filter housing. Remove intake. Release catches holding air filter housing closed. Replace filter. Reverse dis assembly. ...ugh...

 

[sammyb]

Sammy, do you work on your Ferraris? freind of mine, semi retired, has the closest thing to a Ferrari repair shop in Lincoln, NE, he had a 328 in the shop for about a year and a half doing a clutch and a tune up or 30,000 mile service or something like that, he isn't the fastest guy in the world, but he said you practically had to take the whole thing apart to do any siginificant work on it. Pretty little car though.

Yes, I've done quite a bit of work on my 308 GT4 and 328. The first engine I ever pulled out of a vehicle was the GT4's. They are actually really simple, and it is a common misconception to think they are complicated or hard to work on. The clutch on these vehicles are far simpler to replace than just about any other car out there: remove the rear driver's side wheel, the inner wheel arch (six or so bolts) and the clutch housing is staring you in the face. Unbolt that and pull the clutch. I'll admit that when I needed a new clutch in my GT4, I had my Ferrari mechanic friend do it, because he does them all the time. Whole cost (including parts and labor) was $480.

I've done the major service on the 328 once. The timing belts are done through the other side wheel arch. Pretty simple. The only difficulty is if you want to adjust valves or replace the cam seals, because it means getting the front cam cover off, which is cramped. Still, doing just belts in a 328 is no harder than doing it on a Civic or Impreza. Nothing really magic about these cars...DOHC V8 with Mercedes-spec Bosch FI in the 328 and four Weber carbs in the GT4. Nothing really crazy. Just like a Triumph, if you know what you're doing, it's easy. If you don't (like me), it takes a lot longer, but it's still basic hand tools work.

Much of the Ferrari mystique is perpetuated by dealers who want the revenue stream of doing service on all the cars. You can pay a Ferrari dealer $6500 for a cambelt change on a 328, or you can take it any local mechanic shop that works on Hondas, Toyotas, Subarus, Mercedes, Fords... and get it done with the same Dayco parts for $800.