OT: did a '98 stratus thermostat tonight

[Jon K]

And holy hell, I wish no one that kind of punishment! It was on the Dodge 2.5L transverse V6. I had to remove the upper radiator neck, the intake, the intake oil retention plenum, the top half of the air box, the cruise control motor, the TPS and IAT sensors, several relay boxes, and a number of hoses just to get to the stupid thermostat housing! The engineers at dodge installed this INSANELY tight wiring harness (when I say harness, i don't mean like our harnesses that are maybe 1" round, i mean like 2" round) that blocks basically every necessary accessory.

I did this all while in the dark parking lot at my college with a flashlight and a portable socket set. I wish this task upon no one!

[Torque]

haha yeah, american engineering is about as advanced as a telephone pole.

my dad (who is a mechanic) complains about it every day. lol

[granit_silber]

Jon,
I don't understand half of what you said, but good on ya! :)

To Torque:
I don't think it's as much an issue of poor American Engineering. I believe that most American cars are engineered to last and be trouble free for 3-5 years. Because after that we've traded them in.
I also think that this engineering style is creeping into current production German autos. Anyone ever notice that on an e46 you can only see 4 of the six cylinder intakes? I'm glad to not be the one that has to change those plugs. And don't get me started on the new V10 M engine!
-ashley

[Bill R.]

built and designed by mitsubishi and Jon is correct for the most part its a real pain to work on... but then most mitsubishi designed products seem to be not the most user friendly to work on.







And holy hell, I wish no one that kind of punishment! It was on the Dodge 2.5L transverse V6. I had to remove the upper radiator neck, the intake, the intake oil retention plenum, the top half of the air box, the cruise control motor, the TPS and IAT sensors, several relay boxes, and a number of hoses just to get to the stupid thermostat housing! The engineers at dodge installed this INSANELY tight wiring harness (when I say harness, i don't mean like our harnesses that are maybe 1" round, i mean like 2" round) that blocks basically every necessary accessory.

I did this all while in the dark parking lot at my college with a flashlight and a portable socket set. I wish this task upon no one!

[Jon K]

built and designed by mitsubishi and Jon is correct for the most part its a real pain to work on... but then most mitsubishi designed products seem to be not the most user friendly to work on.

The other issue and maybe my friend who owns it is exaggerating but he said it cost him a fortune to have the plugs changed. If you thought an E46 was bad, this a transverse V6 with the back side butted to the firewall and the intake manifold covering EVERYTHING.

[DaCan23]

Thats right, to changed the spark plugs on most Chrysler V-6s from 90s-present you need to take off the intake manifold/plenum to get at the back 3. Discovered when my GF's old 98 Seb Conv needed new plugs & wires and stealer quoted $800... but pops the Chrysler/Jeep mechanic was in town for training and did it for her in my driverway... he said its a pain, but they do so many he did the plugs & wires in just under 2 hours, but the stealer goes by the book rate.

Dont know if the current 2004 Seb Conv has the same problem, but at least it wont need it done anytime soon, glad the 98 one is gone it was fallin apart. Although at less than 20k miles, she had a poor running issue, dealer determined it was a faulty cam sensor, thankfully under warranty.

But I was like CAM SENSOR at 20K MILES?!?! My 95 530i w/ 160K miles still has the original cam sensor...

Ya my dad mentioned a few other PITA jobs that should be simple that are not and I think the T-stat was one of em

[onewhippedpuppy]

Those cars are the biggest pieces of crap, my parents had a late 90's Sebring and Stratus. You should see what you have to do to replace a water pump, you damn near have to pull the engine. Both were low miles, nd they had constant problems. Nothing is well thought out in those cars, in addition to their poor build quality and dull personality. My dad is a die-hard Mopar guy, he grew up in Richard Petty's hometown, his dad had a shop that specialized in tuning Hemis, he had a '68 Roadrunner when he was younger, and has almost always owned at least one Chrysler product. After these two cars he said no more, they traded them in on a Hyundai and a Toyota. :D Crap like that is the reason why the big three is poised to drop below 50% market share in the USA for the first time ever, despite Chrysler's recent infusion with a bit of German quality. Regardless how good they get, I'd have trouble buying a Chrysler product.

[Alexlind123]

I think the designers of the e34 were thinking about ease of repair when they designed the car. Really, how much weight are you going to save by making the engine compartment 1.5'' larger than the engine block itself? Why not just make the hood slightly larger and save everyone the trouble of working around it. As for myself i can say that i would much rather work on a car with a more spacious engine compartment rather than one which has various components stacked together like sardines. I have heard of people loosening the engine mounts just to replace thhe alternator on a toyota 4runner.

[BobHarris]

Thats right, to changed the spark plugs on most Chrysler V-6s from 90s-present you need to take off the intake manifold/plenum to get at the back 3.

What about the six cylinder Subaru engine? Someone told me that you have to take the engine out to change the plugs.

Does anyone know if this is true or not?

Cheers

All the best

Bob

[632 Regal]

back in the late 60s early 70s they had AMC gremlins with the 401 engines that had to be pulled out 4 inches to get to the plugs, started something huh?

[onewhippedpuppy]

We have a '03 4Runner, it's actually quite easy to work on. The plugs aren't bad to get to, I did them in under an hour, and the oil filter is right on top, and it even has a lip around it to catch the excess oil when you remove it. Better yet, the lipped area even has a drain plug! After working on my 944 Turbo, everything else is a breeze. My 540's engine bay feels like it has acres to spare.

[Dave M]

What about the six cylinder Subaru engine? Someone told me that you have to take the engine out to change the plugs.

Does anyone know if this is true or not?

Cheers

All the best

Bob

Info on the Subaru SVX - 3.3l inline 6 cylinder @230hp

Can I change the sparkplugs myself?
Sure. Remove the battery and battery box. There is a small access panel in each wheel well. Removing these will allow access to the rear plugs.

For each cylinder, remove the bolt that holds the coil in place. Be very careful when removing the wiring and coil as they are expensive. Once the coil is removed, remove the spark plug. Before installing each plug, make sure the gap is correct and apply a bit of anti-seize on the threads. (They are aluminum heads after all). Do NOT over tighten with the ratchet.

Place the coils back into the plug holes and tighten the coil bolt. Do not over tighten.

Reinstall battery and access panel. Drive.

[BobHarris]

Info on the Subaru SVX - 3.3l inline 6 cylinder @230hp

Can I change the sparkplugs myself?
Sure. Remove the battery and battery box. There is a small access panel in each wheel well. Removing these will allow access to the rear plugs.

For each cylinder, remove the bolt that holds the coil in place. Be very careful when removing the wiring and coil as they are expensive. Once the coil is removed, remove the spark plug. Before installing each plug, make sure the gap is correct and apply a bit of anti-seize on the threads. (They are aluminum heads after all). Do NOT over tighten with the ratchet.

Place the coils back into the plug holes and tighten the coil bolt. Do not over tighten.

Reinstall battery and access panel. Drive.

Thanks

I was talking about my friends 3.0 H6 Outback actually, is this the same?

Cheers

All the best

Bob

[Dave M]

Thanks

I was talking about my friends 3.0 H6 Outback actually, is this the same?

Cheers

All the best

Bob

Bob,

I have no clue. In doing a search for this 'phenomenon', I failed to find any supporting evidence. I almost wish it were true, simply to hear the rants :)

Dave M

[Guapo]

You haven't heard all the curse words invented until you've tried changing the pvc valves on a 300ZXTT.

Japanese have small hands:
http://www.guapozx.com/guapozx/d/929-1/P2040008.jpg

[BobHarris]

Bob,

I have no clue. In doing a search for this 'phenomenon', I failed to find any supporting evidence. I almost wish it were true, simply to hear the rants :)

Dave M


Thanks for looking, we'll keep on trying huh?

Cheers

Bob