--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F4200008 Date: 03/27/98 From: JAN DEBOER Time: 07:21am \/To: ROY J. TELLASON (Read 0 times) Subj: Timing belt lifespan? On 25 Mar 98 19:16:02 Roy J. Tellason wrote to Jan Deboer... RT> In my case I didn't do any of that but popped the RT> distributor cap and noticed that the rotation was RT> *very* weird...! JD> Timing chain skipped a few links :-). RT> *And* a new set of pushrods, since just about all of RT> the other ones were bent. No damage in my case... RT> In my case I stripped out a plastic timing gear. RT> There's a metal one in there now... I sold the car, as is, where is - in this case, the parking lot at work! --- Everything/2 * Origin: Tiny's BBS - Inet: tinys.oix.com / On,Canada (1:229/600) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F4200009 Date: 03/27/98 From: JAY EMRIE Time: 10:15am \/To: TOBIAS HEUER (Read 0 times) Subj: Rear Axle - Tools needed? TH>Hi. TH>i wondered if i'm really gonna need those special tools recommended in TH>repair books, if want to replace the pinion oil seal in my rear axle and TH>the U-Joints of the driveshaft? TH>('84 Caprice) TH>Are they necessary or "better to have" ? TH>Expiriences? Never did this job on a Chevy, but have done it numerous times on Fords and Chrysler products. I never had any special tools other than standard mechanics hand tools which must include a heavy ball peen hammer and a rather large punch and a grease gun. Be VERY sure to keep the drive shaft oriented EXACTLY as it was when replacing the center Ujoint. Rotating one the two drive shaft sections away from the original alignment can drastically foul up the driveshaft balance! ___ OLX 2.1 TD My wife's 1 of those annoying people who is always right! --- RemoteAccess 2.52+ * Origin: Northern Lights! * San Antonio * 210-499-6299 V34/VFC (1:387/23) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F4200010 Date: 03/27/98 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 08:12pm \/To: DENNIS FARKAS (Read 0 times) Subj: Engineering??????? Dennis Farkas wrote in a message to Mark Logsdon: DF> It would appear that a suitable solution to many of our woes DF> (we the end users), would be to Sentence the whole lot of (so DF> called) Engineers (Accountanting Departments too) to a "6 month DF> Purgatory" in a local (non-factory) Service Centre. Yes! DF> Without the aide of many thousands of dollars of "Model DF> Specific" tools, proper schematics, or any other useful DF> information from the manufacturer. Who knows? This might just DF> change our current "PROCESS ORIENTED" engineering practices to DF> (forgive the intended Herasy) "END PRODUCT ORIENTED" DF> engineering practices. I've been saying for YEARS that the guys that design this stuff oughta be made to be out in the field working on it for at least a couple of years before they'd be allowed anywhere near actually designing anything... I started saying this regularly during the time I ran a battery store, and noting the nonsense I had to go through to get a battery replaced. And it's a finite lifetime product that *will* have to be replaced during a reasonable life expectancy for a car... DF> It seems that many industries are today adhering to the "Colin DF> Chapman" principals of engineering, when they shold be quoting DF> as "Gospel" the "Donald Douglas" principals of engineering. If DF> you are unfamilliar with either, you need only reasearch the DF> design and construction of the Lotus 7 and the DC3. How about a capsule summary or something? I've never heard of either of these... email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F4200011 Date: 03/27/98 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 08:17pm \/To: JAN DEBOER (Read 0 times) Subj: Sprint Engine Jan Deboer wrote in a message to Roy J. Tellason: JD> On 25 Mar 98 19:18:40 Roy J. Tellason wrote to Jan JD> Deboer... JD> I've got a '91 Chevy Sprint (3 cyl 1l) convertible. Using a JD> [...] RT> I've no experience with the rebuild of those, but we RT> had one in the family a while back, she had the same RT> sort of a problem. In her case it was an aftermarket RT> a/c setup that did it in, they think, where a bracket RT> busted and things moving around in the engine RT> compartment did a bit of damage to the oil filter, and RT> it leaked like crazy for a bit. JD> Mine isn't leaking oil, it is burning it. So was this one when she got rid of the car. Smoking like crazy, in fact... JD> Has already plugged up one catalytic converter :-( I guess JD> there isn't much profit on these cars, so GM tries to recoup at JD> the parts counter! YIKES! EIGHT HUNDRED for a catalytic JD> converter! I laughed, and went 'aftermarket' for $175. Wow. RT> She traded it in on a geo metro... :-) JD> Same car, but the new bigger engine apparently doesn't have the JD> ring wear problem. I'd love to get my hands on the drive train JD> from a newer one. If someone rams the back of her Geo, gimme a JD> call! :-) Heh. Those small cars are death traps as far as I'm concerned... JD> How could she give up the ragtop? She didn't, the newer one is the convertible... JD> A nice summer day and a quiet country road with the top down is JD> pure heaven. Takes me back to my MGTF days. Can't give the car JD> up, gotta find an engine or rebuild. I'll bet that top was down today! email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F4200012 Date: 03/27/98 From: MARK LOGSDON Time: 06:44pm \/To: DENNIS FARKAS (Read 0 times) Subj: Engineering??????? DF> Could it be perhaps that a meter or two less wire per vehicle DF> times a hundredthousand vehicles equals a cost saving for the DF> respective manufacturers and "To Hell with the END USER!". I tried to explain to you why the harness might be too short. While no manufacturer wants to use more materials than necessary, I can assure you that an inch or two of harness matters little in the overall cost of the vehicle. A too short harness can mean improper installation or increased warranty costs, and the manufacturers know this and would not knowingly tolerate a harness that is too short. --- QScan/PCB v1.19b / 01-0232 * Origin: IBMNet Connection - Indpls, IN - 317-882-5575 28.8 USR (1:231/1) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F4200013 Date: 03/26/98 From: RON TAYLOR Time: 08:29am \/To: ROB MCCART (Read 0 times) Subj: Auto questions RM>RT#'90 Chevy Series 20 Van with full conversion, 5.0 liter (I think... the > #350 equiv at any rate), RM>5 Liter (Litre) is the 305 cid equivalent. RM>You might mean 5.7 or 5.8 litre depending on which number >you weren't sure of... It is the 350 so must be 5.7 or 5.8. You'd think a man with _reasonably_ good intelligence could remember that stuff :) Thanks, ron --- * QMPro 1.02 42-7029 * OS/2 Virus Checker: MS Windows found! Remove (Y/n)? --- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12 * Origin: Crime Bytes (1:135/5.0) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F4200014 Date: 03/27/98 From: GARY HALL Time: 08:05pm \/To: JAN DEBOER (Read 0 times) Subj: Timing belt lifespan? On (24 Mar 98) Jan Deboer wrote to Gary Hall... JD> Once had a Dodge 318 with ~130k miles on it. Thats nothing I drive a 1973 Dodge 3/4 Ton Pickup with 327k miles it has a 360 2v and a 727 trannie. JD> Started engine, backed up about a foot, engine stalled. Sounded funny I once drove a Olds Toronado from Colorado Springs to Tulsa Oklahoma about 725 miles. I shut it off in the driveway the next morning it wouldn't start timeing chain gone. Now is that luck or what? --- PPoint 2.02 * Origin: Terlton the Oklahoma Jungle 74081 (1:170/302.16) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F4200015 Date: 03/27/98 From: TOM WALKER Time: 07:13am \/To: TOBIAS HEUER (Read 0 times) Subj: Rear Axle - Tools needed? -> Hi. -> -> i wondered if i'm really gonna need those special tools recommended i -> repair books, if want to replace the pinion oil seal in my rear axle -> the U-Joints of the driveshaft? -> ('84 Caprice) -> -> Are they necessary or "better to have" ? -> I would say the Seal Installers or something Very Close is manditory if you don't want to do the job again. It is very easy to damage a seal and have it leak. As far as the U Joints you don't really need them typically. But they do make the job a lot easier. I used to use an ordinary Socket, of appropriate size, and a Vice to separate the rebuildable "U" joints. --- Platinum Xpress/386/Wildcat! v1.3e * Origin: The Alien Biker Kat BBS/Wildcat/PX. Not perfect, but C (1:202/746) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F4200016 Date: 03/28/98 From: DAVE GOSTL Time: 04:39am \/To: JAN DEBOER (Read 0 times) Subj: RE:ENGINEERING??????? On 03-24-98, Jan Deboer was heard whispering... JD> On 21 Mar 98 12:13:30 Dennis Farkas wrote to Jan Deboer... JD> JD> AAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! DF> DF> That would explain my JD> having to remove half of the DF> airconditioning system in my Dodge JD> van, just to change DF> the $2.95 thermostat. JD> Incredible, isn't it! It seems there is absolutely no thought about JD> maintenance at the design stage. FOUR bloody belts on this little Thats why I'll never own a Chrysler vehicle. And just looking at their AC compressors, which looked like they were designed in the 1940's. Mabye the very latest models are different, but I don't care :-) _ 3 Dave Gostl 7 847 78% 1:396/44 *!!!* http://www.sstar.com/d/ ... Anne, I stay a day at Sienna. /// ReJoinDer v1.4 ( Registered ) --- PCBoard (R) v15.23/M 2 * Origin: The French Quarter 504-891-1388 Fido:1:396/44 (1:396/44) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F4200017 Date: 03/28/98 From: MARK LOGSDON Time: 11:29am \/To: ROY J. TELLASON (Read 0 times) Subj: Engineering??????? RJ> I've been saying for YEARS that the guys that design this stuff oughta RJ> be made to be out in the field working on it for at least a couple of RJ> years before they'd be allowed anywhere near actually designing RJ> anything... I couldn't agree more with you, but I can think of many times where a younger engineer has argued with a manager because the change or design would make for a messy installation, and the manager replied, "Just do it." Why wouldn't you put the manager in the field too? I'm not saying it's never the engineer's fault because often it is, but I'm saying it isn't always that simple to assign blame. Yet as you guys have demonstrated, it's often the hapless engineer who receives all of the blame. :( Maybe we should let the mechanics do some engineering. I'm sure lots of mechanics believe they could do a better job, but I think the view from the other side of the fence would open their eyes a bit. Let them determine the electrical and mechanical constraints, do the design, determine prices, meet an agressive time schedule, and do it for a low cost that beats their competitors. Turnabout would be fair play! RJ> DF> It seems that many industries are today adhering to the "Colin RJ> DF> Chapman" principals of engineering, when they shold be quoting RJ> DF> as "Gospel" the "Donald Douglas" principals of engineering. If RJ> DF> you are unfamilliar with either, you need only reasearch the RJ> DF> design and construction of the Lotus 7 and the DC3. RJ> RJ> How about a capsule summary or something? I've never heard of either RJ> of these... Douglas is the Douglas in McDonald-Douglas Aircraft. Not to take anything away from these two gentlemen, but the difference is that these two fellows worked in a time when the bean counters and MBAs didn't rule the fiefdom. That was when the company took pride in a splendid product and put less emphasis on increasing the stock price. The balance has since been shifted from the customer and worker to the stock holder. Wall Street now takes precedent over Main Street. --- QScan/PCB v1.19b / 01-0232 * Origin: IBMNet Connection - Indpls, IN - 317-882-5575 28.8 USR (1:231/1)