My favorite JRitS posts of the week, Vol. 128

"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
09/29/2019 at 13:00 • Filed to: justrolledintotheshop, Reddit, wrenching, Fail

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Reddit’s !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is a veritable cornucopia of the many !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! of shop lyfe. You never know what’s gonna roll in. Here’s what caught my eye this week.

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Aim for the bullseye!

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Video: ClosedL00p

All too easy

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(click link for video )

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... her previous one was a 4 cyl, so maybe a barely running 6 cylinder seemed comparable? No check engine light (2001 Sonoma 4.3) She typically takes care of her vehicles. The craziest part was BOTH of the tabs were broken off the cap!! I touched a wire to number them before removal and the cap was completely loose.

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Just dump the pieces back in and send it

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Vw Tiguan. Hands down the worst idea of wheel lock design ever. Tamper proof rings can suck it

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For that vortex effect

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Came in for a leaking transmission. The trans isn’t leaking but the power steering pump is about to rip itself apart. Litteraly spraying all over the engine bay as it swings elliptically wild. The blow back is soaking everything behind it as well. That’s where the fluid is coming from. Meanwhile the cross member, suporting the trans and transfer case, are hanging on by the clip you see in the picture and one other cross member bolt on the other side. Also the frame has cracked before and is welded(poorly)/bondo’d back together and reinforced with rebar . We’ll fix the power steering pump, check trans again for leaks. Box the frame properly and make a custom cross member to hold the trans and transfer case in place.

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Battery changed polarity, found out chasing what killed the alternator

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I know there will be blood on the windshield, which is why I had to revive the wipers. (The right side motor is NOT happy)

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Limestone dust/hardened limestone slurry, took technician 1.5 to clean it enough to get the tranny out

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I just want to say I didn’t do this. It was a new customer and they brought it in like this.

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Well, looks like it almost worked.

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Th e Everlasting G obstopper

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8675309

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Insert cuss words of choice here

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OSHit

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There’s a fine line between dream and nightmare

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Obligatory tire post

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Obligatory brake post

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DISCUSSION (8)

jimz > Urambo Tauro
09/29/2019 at 13:11

I’m really rather tired of grease monkeys always bitching about those “fucking idiot engineers.” I will bet you a signed dollar every engineer working on something where a maintenance item like the oil filter ended up in a bad spot would have absolutely loved to be able do something to improve accessibility or relocate it , but was shot down due to how much it would cost.

maybe if those fucking idiot mechanics understood how much it truly costs to add something/change an existing design they wouldn’t talk so much smack.

Shift24 > Urambo Tauro
09/29/2019 at 13:23

Tamper proff lug nuts don’t work. All you have to do is sacrifice a deep well socket.

Just hammer it on until it goes on. Either tight enough to break off the tamper bullshit, or around the tamper tight enough using the tamper part as the interface to turn the nut

lone_liberal > Urambo Tauro
09/29/2019 at 13:25

Back in the olden days the firing order would be cast into the intake manifold, but you’d think that a quick googling would show that 1-2-7-3-4-5-6-8 is the firing order for absolutely nothing.

His Stigness > jimz
09/29/2019 at 14:15

While I think you’re right that it’s not solely the engineers’ fault, it’s the company as a whole not giving a flying fuck, and it’s utterly poor design.

I’m not saying everything should be designed with serviceability in mind. I’ve been sick and tired for years about people bitching about timing chains on the rear of some engines. How often are you changing out timing chains? Maybe once in the vehicle’s life? Get over it.

But maintenance items like the oil filter should absolutely have extra time and money put into so that it’s easily serviceable. When a company does something like this (or Audi with one of the new Qs), people should absolutely shit on them.

But yeah, it’s THE engineer’s fault.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > jimz
09/29/2019 at 14:44

I’m still mad about a YouTube video I was watching where every other sentence he said something about how “over engineered” the thing was. Keeping in mind this was a video on how to replace a part that is known for breaking... So maybe you don't know what that term means there buddy. Which is to say yes, most engineers do the best they can with the constraints they are given.

jimz > lone_liberal
09/29/2019 at 18:10

Bzzt! 1-2-7-3-6-5-4-8 was the firing order for the 6.9 and 7.3 liter Navistar IDI diesels used in ford pickups.

Edit: bzzt myself. Didn’t see the reversed 4 and 6.

jimz > His Stigness
09/29/2019 at 21:33

While I think you’re right that it’s not solely the engineers’ fa ult, it’s the company as a whole not giving a flying fuck, and it’s utterly poor design.

no, it’s not about “not giving a flying fuck.” It’s about “we have to hit a price point, and need to prioritize what we spend money on.” Look, I’ve been a mechanic (I was a state licensed mechanic before I could get a driver’s license) and I’m an engineer in the auto industry. Everyone involved in this gives a fuck. It’s like the Ranger’s pain in the ass oil filter. Nobody wanted to do that. But that’s where the oil filter goes on a 2.3, and the Ranger wasn’t designed to accommodate the 2.3. changing it would have made it cost $1,000 -2,000 more than the Colorado/Canyon. It costs a shit ton of money to bring a car to market. and most of them scrape out 3-5% margin at best.

that’s what people need to understand. Unless your name is Ferrari or Bugatti, you’re fighting for nickels. you can’t just add $20 in BOM cost to a car or else you’ll lose your shirt.

His Stigness > jimz
09/29/2019 at 22:58

I don’t think we’re going to come to an agreement here on anything, which is fine. I don’t expect Ford to re-engineer the 2.3 to have an easier service in the Ranger. However, other automakers have a little more foresight and just put out better designs. I’m thinking of VAG and despite multiple engines being put in multiple car lines and configurations, basic things like oil services remain accessible . VWs aren’t some exorbitant luxury car, and up until recently, they were made in much costlier labor markets. It comes down to smart business practices. VW makes a healthy amount on their cars while still producing damn fine products. Ford, and other American lines don’t. I’m speaking as a technician, not out of my ass. I may not see behind the curtain as you do, but I see design choices vary wildly in competing vehicles.