[V8] change the subject

[Don Wasley]

Dave,

Doing parts in all the lines of vehicles that you have.....is your Explorer
a 4.0L or 5.0L? You probably already know this but the 5.0L is the venerable
302 that Ford's had around for years, just modified from carburetion to FI
along with all the emissions crap......Oh yes, and lots of PLASTIC parts
that gets brittle after so many cycles of heating/cooling it just breaks
when you look at it! And also CHEAPER in the beginning than metal parts. You
just have to buy 4 or 5 of whatever plastic parts for the life of the
vehicle instead of 1 or 2 of the MORE EXPENSIVE metal parts over the same
time span! Go figure!! I don't remember where the 4.0 (242) v-6 origins come
from.....but you're right that it's a bitch to work on.....the people that
designed it DON'T have to work on it which makes it hard on the dealership
techs and the DIY mechanics!!!!

Don

-----Original Message-----
From: v8-bounces at audifans.com [mailto:v8-bounces at audifans.com] On Behalf Of
dsaad at icehouse.net
Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 2:02 PM
To: v8audi
Subject: [V8] change the subject

Boy has this been a bad three months for me and cars.

83 Ranger - fan clutch went out.  Cheap and easy to fix.

91 Audi - steering rack started leaking. PITA to replace - then got to do it
again after the first rack was not to my liking.  Broke clock spring is
process. Now airbag light is on. $#%@% ^^#%^$

91 Audi - clutch went out.  Ended up pulling motor, replacing all hydraulic
parts and clutch. (why could the rack not fail when the motor was out??)

91 Audi - climate control valve box went out.

98 Explorer - plastic thermostat housing failed.  New part is $300 plus a
ton of work to put it in.
This also means that my wife is driving the Audi - so the clutch is going to
be tested severely.

next up: the Ranger is getting a new (reman) steering gear to replace the
old one - which is NOT leaking, but is so worn out that it is hard to drive
in a straight line.

Things I noticed:
If I touch something rubber or plastic on the Audi, it breaks. It is
generally easier to work on - but I need to do it way to often.  Things are
starting to fail fast now it seems, which is irritating given how babied it
is.

The Explorer is hard to work on.  Everything is hard to get to.  No real
thought went into design for maintenance - but since I almost never have to,
no big deal. Things are also starting to fail faster - but it has 200K miles
on it too.  It has earned the right to have a worn out part or three.

final tallies:
Ranger: about $60 and off the road for about 20 minutes

Explorer: about $300 and off the road for two days to order parts and
install.

Audi: about $1000 and off the road most of the last three months waiting for
parts, install time.

At least there is no snow around here - so I don't have to feel bad about
not skiing.


Dave




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