2014, and I wouldn’t have a problem with $225. $700 sounded like Highway robbery to me.
By then they likely had already set the timing at least once, if not replaced the points.
Those brilliant engineers must design the things to work according to how the even more brilliant designer designed it! It is amazing to me, some of the engineering we see. Some good, some not so much!
How old did you say you were?
I worked on a Ford Friday. Guy drives in, says it isn't running so hot. I hear the loud puff, puff, puff, I say, it sounds like your spark plug is missing. Look under the hood, #7 coil boot is laying on the manifold, coil still fastened to the intake. The screw holding the coil is directly under the fuel pressure regulator, making it a real pain to access. Finally get the coil out, find the spark plug, laying loose in the hole, threads in the head stripped out, either a heli coil or a good cylinder head time. Not a cheap job, but I didn't want to do it, so he took it someplace else I guess. I just work on the easier jobs now, too close to retiring to sweat too much!
I totally agree, the old cars were typically much harder to work on. I have been turning wrenches since the early 70s. The older vehicles generally had more room to work in, but for some reason, the designs were just more difficult to work with. The cars in the late 70s and early 80s I think were the worst. The common place adoption of fuel injection made things much better. Got rid of yards of vacuum hose! I sometimes think the newer cars are getting worse again, but still better than the old carbureted cars!
Totally agreed. The worst cars I have worked on have all been late-70's and early-80's. Much of the poor engineering and reliability of older cars, combined with the ridiculously-complicated emissions add-ons that automakers were struggling to engineer to meet then-new requirements. Things got so much better and simpler by the mid-1990's, and reliability is so vastly improved today.
All of which could be accomplished with ease, along the side of the road if need be, using very basic tools, and without the need for any scanners or computers.
And I respectfully disagree. No mix of SAE and metric fasteners, for example. Also, simpler and easier to fake parts. Heck, you could keep driving with one of three fan belts still functional as only the water pump was really necessary.
I understand this. Oil changes every 3000 miles, although at one time they recommended you only change the oil filter every other time. Valve guides at 60k or so, by then you would have changed belts at least once and probably also the starter and alternator.
Good thing, too... since the general reliability of those older cars sometimes required it!
Great post. The old houses we see today give a skewed presentation, because at least in this relatively old corner of the country, they're the few exceptional examples left standing. I'm presently sitting and typing in the 1775 addition to a 1734 house, and it is very well built, but the dozens of other neighboring homes have been either disassembled, knocked down, rotted out, or burned to the ground. The "common man's house" of the 1770's is nothing you'd want to live in today.
Great post. The old houses we see today give a skewed presentation, because at least in this relatively old corner of the country, they're the few exceptional examples left standing. I'm presently sitting and typing in the 1775 addition to a 1734 house, and it is very well built, but the dozens of other neighboring homes have been either disassembled, knocked down, rotted out, or burned to the ground. The "common man's house" of the 1770's is nothing you'd want to live in today.
Even having said that, a mason who was here doing a big project two years ago was laughing at some of our stone work and telling me that if one of his guys had laid up our 1775 gable wall, he'd make them disassemble it and do it over.
Also agreed on appliances, the old ones lasted forever. But on the flip side, few want to keep a 40 year old range or refrigerator, when features and styles change more quickly than that. I'd be happy with a 20 year Fridge though, I've gotten 2 - 6 years each, out of the last three kitchen refrigerators.
Call them unreliable if you want, but the point was that they were easy to fix.Good thing, too... since the general reliability of those older cars sometimes required it!
Some engineer figured out how to save $0.50/plug by using one with less threads and only tapping 3 threads into the block and it passed the computer failure analysis program.
I can't remember when the last time was that I changed a tire on the side of the road and I drive a lot worse roads at a lot higher speeds than most do. I did change a slow leak in my door yard two summers ago. About the time I have a flat it's usually because I need new tires.
I really can't, either. And if I did get a flat tire I'd use the plug kit before switching to the spare.
