Vehicle repair rant

middle.road

middle.road

Granite Stoopid...
H-M Supporter Gold Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2014
Messages
3,590
(whine, whimper, rant.)
Someone mentioned in another thread that:
"The designer's need to work 'repair' on the vehicles they design..." -Ain't it the truth?!!
I helped out a friend this week and replaced the steering gear box and the high pressure PS line on his GMC 2500 Duramax.
He's on the road more than he's home and he's still recovering from knee surgery.
Went pretty smoothly, weather has been good, thankfully the truck is not a rusted mess. Pitman arm fought removal but finally got that off. PS hose was simple.

But then, I made a parts run with Honey's old Caddy and that headed South real quick.
The alternator is water cooled, and the two short hoses down under there gave out. At least it waited until I was back in the driveway.
However the PS Pressure hose was not so thoughtful. After my last stop it started squealing and by the time I pull in the driveway it was very stiff.
I replaced the radiator back during the summer and replaced a number of the smaller hoses up on the topside - didn't do the alternator. :bang head:
So yesterday I decided I'd get to repairing the beast. I want to use it as a winter vehicle to keep the Buick away from the salt.
First off you can't get to two of the hose clamps leading down to the alternator. I figure all that is put on the engine before it's dropped in during assembly.
(Now if you happen to have the radiator out. . . Hindsight is so wonderful.)

Then the PS hose. (3) hours later after a whole lot of cussing and head scratching we had it out. On the truck it took me 20 mins for R&R.
The way this hose assy is routed is unbelievable.
I seriously do not know if I'll be able to get the replacement back in.
Why didn't they design it in two pieces? Perhaps a connection on the longer flexible portion? I know it would add more cost to each vehicle but. . .
I really thought I'd be able to get this all done in one afternoon. :cautious:

1122201014a__Rc.jpg
 
Ulma Doctor said:
just be glad you didn't have to work on a forklift :grin:
they stuff 10# of shinola into a 5# bag
Click to expand...
A whole 5# bag? whoa, lucky. :cool:
Been there, done that, was younger and more agile. <whine>
I remember having to 'take apart' a 5000#, including the d*mn counter weight to do repairs.
Or like the skidsteer?
Or the Kid's '93 300ZX?
Or like <Insert Here>? :grin:
 
I only work on my 'old' vehicles (63 VW Crewcab and '68 GMC C2500). Our 'new' vehicles go to the shop for anything beyond the simplest jobs. Those include my cars (an '88 Honda CRX, 2 ea. '88 Honda Civic Wagon RT4WD), and mama's ('06 Toyota Matrix AWD and '07 Prius). It looks like a very used car lot out there, but it's never a crisis when a car won't start. The ever increasing levels of complexity in cars look like nothing but $$$$$$ to me, and I believe there is actual intent behind the difficulty/impossibility of repair.
 
MrWhoopee said:
I only work on my 'old' vehicles (63 VW Crewcab and '68 GMC C2500). Our 'new' vehicles go to the shop for anything beyond the simplest jobs. Those include my cars (an '88 Honda CRX, 2 ea. '88 Honda Civic Wagon RT4WD), and mama's ('06 Toyota Matrix AWD and '07 Prius). It looks like a very used car lot out there, but it's never a crisis when a car won't start. The ever increasing levels of complexity in cars look like nothing but $$$$$$ to me, and I believe there is actual intent behind the difficulty/impossibility of repair.
Click to expand...
to my horror i have learned,
there are pending lawsuits in US Federal Courts from Auto Manufacturers and Equipment Manufacturers, as we speak, attempting to prevent and prosecute owners working on their own vehicles or equipment.
greed has taken over
 
Ulma Doctor said:
to my horror i have learned,
there are pending lawsuits in US Federal Courts from Auto Manufacturers and Equipment Manufacturers, as we speak, attempting to prevent and prosecute owners working on their own vehicles or equipment.
greed has taken over
Click to expand...

I suspect those suits will go nowhere. Once you buy it, it's yours to do with as you please. Can you provide a link? I'd like to read up.
 
MrWhoopee said:
I suspect those suits will go nowhere. Once you buy it, it's yours to do with as you please. Can you provide a link? I'd like to read up.
Click to expand...
while not the actual lawsuit i heard of, these reads may send chills down your spine.
Google Right To Repair- for hours of fun- it will make you sick.

here is a piece on John Deere, the agreement you make when purchasing a Deere

www.vice.com

Tractor-Hacking Farmers Are Leading a Revolt Against Big Tech's Repair Monopolies

Farmers across the country are fighting John Deere's repair monopoly—and winning.
www.vice.com www.vice.com
 
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Some of those law suits have to do with using the vehicles computer to diagnose the faults. Like most software, you do not own it, only have the rights to use it for specified reasons, and they exclude diagnosing. Or a lot of the new parts have to be programed to work with the computer (Like adding a new computer to a wifi router), and they are saying that is a violation.

The other sad issue, is many manfacturers are changing simple parts every year, so down the road parts will be hard to come by due to the low demand.
 
middle.road said:
A whole 5# bag? whoa, lucky. :cool:
Been there, done that, was younger and more agile. <whine>
I remember having to 'take apart' a 5000#, including the d*mn counter weight to do repairs.
Or like the skidsteer?
Or the Kid's '93 300ZX?
Or like <Insert Here>? :grin:
Click to expand...
Heh, I have a '90 300ZX Twin Turbo. It has the least amount of room in an engine bay I've ever seen!
 
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