Thought I would start a thread where people can describe some of the most awkward cars to work on and the actual tasks involved.
To start, I would like to nominate changing a clutch cable on a 1993 Vauxhall Astra 1.4 as a real 'back breaker'as one has to hook the cable into the pedal whilst trying to hold a torch and manipulating the hooked end of the cable using long needle nosed pliers through a 1.5 cm gap between the foot pedals. No room to reach round the pedals either.
Another frustrating job was loosening off exhaust manifold down pipe bolts on a Citroen XM 2.1 TD. Can't get to them from underneath because of very limited access. Had to make up an extra long tool by welding a 10mm spanner to an old screwdriver then bending it to get correct shape. Then one has to hope the nuts aren't seized or rounded off...
Anyone had bad repair experiences?
Spanner
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Never mind the Astra - try changing the clutch cable on a 205 D turbo. The pedal end is probably easy ...
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Using a Haynes manual to set up the (mechanical)fuel injection system on a BMW 2002TII. (The manual is incorrect). Relatively easy when you know the correct proceedure.
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Any form of clutch work on a GS. Not that I?ve ever done it myself, but my dad has. I've been told, if you need to do anything with the clutch, the front end of the car needs to be removed....
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Another clutch.
964 C4. (also plugs - one of them is almost impossible)
Front end off is standard for eg timing belt on an A4.
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Changing the back brake pads on the inboard discs of a Rover P6 (2000 or 3500).
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Clutch cable on a 306 with aircon!
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Fullchat
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Changing the hydraulic pipes on a ('wet') Riley Elf without a ramp!
Just in case there's anyone out there that hasn't come across this common maintenance jobbie.......there are two pipes that run the length of the car. They are pre-formed and can't be bent for fear of damage. Now BMC in their wisdom decided to sandwich these between both front and back subframes and the body - so to renew them you either have to drop both subframes or take the back subframe off and feed the pipes up through a narrow gap in the front one.
Now because the pipes are about 10 feet long and rigid you have to insert them behind the front subframe with the car about 10 feet off the floor (lower end pointing downwards at a steep angle)
Having removed back subframe and dropped the front one (complete with engine, transmission etc!) I eventually managed to wiggle the things into place with the car on 'ordinary' axle stands.
Of course I could go on to tell of the day that a securing nut came adrift from a selector in the gearbox.......
You young uns don't know you're born!
Graeme
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you should have drained the oil removed the battery and turned it on its side on a good old dunlop mattress :)
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yes anything to do with the bottom of austin mini based cars was always battery out, drain oil and petrol, and roll car on to its side or roof with the aid of your mates.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Forgot
onto the front lawn was best
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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or.....drained the oil.....removed the battery and turned myself onto a good old dunlop mattress!!!
It did cross my mind - I remember seeing Morris Minors in the classic car mags turned on their sides for welding. In fact (moves into boring old git mode...) I can remember a cradle sort of thingy advertised in the car mags for DIYers. I've a feeling you bolted the thing onto the hubs and the whole contraption + car became a giant rocking chair! It was probably called something like the 'Acme car cradle' and produced by a respected family firm in the west midlands - well everything was in those days!
Graeme
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graeme it was jobs like this that you learn to cheat and put joints in the pipe
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Just remove the engine. As it was air cooled, this was not too bad to do.
The GS was pure class.
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Change steering rack on old shape BMC mini.
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Remove clutch delay valve and bleed clutch line on an E46 BMW
Replace clutch pedal self adjusting mechanism on a 1989 Ford Mustang GT.
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Hillman Imp, in a high state of tune always oiled up the No 4 plug, (until I learnt about running with a hotter plug in that position). It was the only car I have owned on which I could change the clutch quicker than the no 4 spark plug!
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pmh (was peter)
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Replacing the hydraulic suspension "octopus" on a BX. Struggled for 2 days until a mechanic friend let me use his lift and suggested I took out the offside drive shaft - took five minutes then! If only Haynes had mentioned the drive shaft!
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Phil
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Is this fun, or SM
On the P6, did you try cutting the hole in the floor to get at the mechanism.
Looks like those under 50 had better leave this string now........
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Most modern cars are 'mares to work on - after they shoe horn the engine into as small a space as possible - then add loads of ancilliaries.
Fullcat said: "Clutch cable on a 306 with aircon!"
Having recently done this (along with the clutch!) I can concur - fortunately the A/C was already empty so we undid the pipes where they went through the bulkhead.
My personal favourite is the 3 hours of backbreakng toil it takes to change the £5 PLASTIC clutch cable clip on a Xantia.....
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RichardW
Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
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i remember breaking a Renault 16, trying to access the bellhousing bolts was impossible! Ended up taking a disc cutter to the car in the end!
Old style Renault 5 clutch. Anything on a Peugeot 205 1.9GTi.
It also had all black wiring Argh......
Clutch cable on Vauxhall FD Victor, the dash has to come out..
Significant on how many of these are French!
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Anything on a 2CV-access diabolical.
1979 MGBGT-heavy rust and a mixture of AF,metric and probably a bit of Whitworth are making dismantling a nightmare.
VW air cooled flat four valve clearances-not too hard but getting it oil tight after....
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Removing and replacing exhaust on 57 Daimler Conquest Century. Access was very limited.(understatement of the century). Laugh was the photograph in the manual which showed whitecoated technician working on car doing the job with all valance and front mudguards, Inlet manifold and both carburettors removed. No probs then of course!!!
Happy Motoring Phil I
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Timing belt on a Peugeot 205. Half an hour to change the belt, but most of the day to get the plastic inner wing off for access, because the captive nuts were rusted solid.
Sticking accelerator cable on a Renault 4. Vital bracket on the carburettor end impeded by cylinder head bolt. Removed head bolt, causing head to leak, so it then needed the head off and replacing, with a new gasket.
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Anything on a 2CV-access diabolical.
But 5 mins with the wheel wrench & the front wings are off - then slide off the bonnet and access is great!
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>> Anything on a 2CV-access diabolical. But 5 mins with the wheel wrench & the front wings are off - then slide off the bonnet and access is great!
Unless the bolts are rusted solid-and whatabout those inboard front drums?
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My personal favourite is the 3 hours of backbreakng toil it takes to change the £5 PLASTIC clutch cable clip on a Xantia.....
That happened to ours too. By this time, my dads past fiddling with cars (well, the more complex ones because he'll have a bash with my Polo every now and again) so we took it to our local main agent. Their words were: "well the parts a fiver, but don't ask about labour...". Turns out they'd done a few before and had it off to a fine art so it didn?t take long.
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Head gaskets on a Ford Probe V6. You've never seen so many pipes, relays and over engineered 'add ons'. A killer of a job coupled with a broken off timing tensioner bolt. No matter how many of the engine mountings you disconnect, the engine would not drop low enough to get the drill to it.
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These are the views of Robin the Technician with 35 years in the trade. I fix, therefore I am...
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decoke on an anglia,it can take ...................an hour :-O
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Getting dog poo off the accelerator pedal when you've trud in it and didn't know comes quite high up on my last.
Particularly as I had already ready reached down in the dark to feel the pedal when my foot kept slipping.
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Either changing the alternator on a 1.7D cavalier without letting the oil cool enough or cleaning up after the dog on the back seat as I was taking him to the vet cos he had worm problems...
Beats dog poo any day!
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I'm sure some learned people could comment better but is'nt there a diesel Fiat that the engine has to come out to change the Cam belt?
From a personal point of view any job on a original mini.Alsoa realy annoying job on old series.Landrover was to change the oil filter where you slack off the fliter oil starts trickling down your arm until its reliesed
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.Alsoa realy annoying job on old series.Landrover was to change the oil filter where you slack off the fliter oil starts trickling down your arm until its reliesed
someone recommended on here a year or so ago holding a carrier bag in place over te oil fliter with an elastic band. The bag collects the spare oil instead of your armpit.
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I read often, only post occasionally
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used to work in my dad's garage. guess who was left to do the decoking and lapping/grinding of the valves. when he was not on the premises i used a black and decker drill to lap valves.
here is a strange story. had a reputable mechanic drop of a triumph toledo asking us to do the clutch change. he said he did not have time to remove the subframe etc. unknown to him the gearbox came out from inside the car. thanks to him we gained another client.
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It's amazing that in all the answers to this thread, Jaguar hasn't been mentioned yet. Let me help. Series 3 XJ12. Changing the alternator, remove the RH air cleaner, the air con belt idler, then reach right down to the bottom of the engine bay. Changing the heater hoses, several of which tax one's store of ingenuity to reach and deal with the hose clips. Changing the handbrake pads on any Jaguar IRS with inboard discs. Replacing the water pump on an XJ12, the whole front of the car including bonnet, radiator, aircon etc has to come out. I've done all of these, but I'm sure there are many more on these fine cars that tax the patience and ingenuity of most home mechanics. Oh, and often Haynes and sometimes Jaguar manuals are wrong too. Still, after 13 years, I think I'll hang onto it a bit longer.
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To me it was changing the rachet on the mk 3 escort self adjusting clutch.
I am 6 ft so the front seat had to come out to get some room.
Hated the job, does a clutch need self adjusting anyway, my astra has done 160 k miles and i have only adjusted it once, takes all of 30 seconds.
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"I'm sure some learned people could comment better but is'nt there a diesel Fiat that the engine has to come out to change the Cam belt?"
Brava-or is it Bravo?-anyway,called at my mate's garage one day and they had the engine out of one(petrol),they had changed the water pump too,only to find the replacement was faulty and had started leaking,so had to have the engine out again.They were not happy.....
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I remember a mechanic in the garage I worked at did a head gasket on a bond bug. He'd removed the tip up frame (that housed the windscreen and covered the occupants) to access the engine. He could not, however part the head from the block as it was stuck fast. Before he went home he hoisted the whole vehicle to the roof via a block and tackle which was bolted to the cylinder head. Next day the head and block had parted and the Bond bug had bounced around the workshop several times, smashing half a dozen cars. a subsequent sacking ensued and yours truly ended up putting the thing back together.
Don't try this at home, kids.....
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These are the views of Robin the Technician with 35 years in the trade. I fix, therefore I am...
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Yes, an inch or a foot off the floor, would have had the same effect, vastly different result. Pity he was sacked, could he not have been suspended?...
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Just changed the air filter on my Rover 75 cdti what a sod usualy air filters easy.I suspect it's easier on the 3 series BM with the similar engine as its not tranversly fitted
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Okay...may be a little late but......head gasket on a Mk1 306 DT...more to the point removing the tubro and exahaust manifold........night mare.....then I guess the clutch cable was a close second..........easiest major job....gearbox Audi A4..in and out 4 hours....
laters
H
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have been told that an alfa romeo 24V V6 cambelt change is enough to send most people off their rockers.my local alfa dealer refused to do the job.my worse job was replacing the brake discs on a daewoo espero.some !*?*!? had used super glue to hold the disc bolts in.took two days to remove discs.
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>> have been told that an alfa romeo 24V V6 cambelt changeis enough to send most people off their rockers.my local alfa dealer refused to do the job.my worse job was replacing the brake discs on a daewoo espero.some !*?*!? had used super glue to hold the disc bolts in.took two days to remove discs.
Yet people still recommend using loctite on disc bolts?
Must be only for the everlasting kind i guess!!!!!
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Changing a headlamp mounting bracket on a Lotus Elise!
Oh what fun that was!
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