I LOVE serpentine belts. I get so tired of removing 2 or 3 belts and all the associated bolts and tensioners and etc, then to get all the belts back on with the correct tension terrible. I recently changed the alternator on my Excursion. 3 bolts and breaker on the serpentine belt tensioner and I had it off and new one on in less than 10 minutes

__________________

1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)

In-board rear disc brakes on Jags that you had to drop the axles and rear end to get the rotors off. I second the Taurus spark plugs...had to undo motor mounts and lower engine to get to them. My daughter's Honda Element oil filter neatly hidden God-knows where in there. I find my 300CD easy and straightforward....as long as special tools are available.

__________________
"Life is tough...it's even tougher if you're stupid." John Wayne


Dave
Pawleys Island, SC

'79 300CD

Anyone here remember the old ford v8 with two sets of points, one to open, one to close...?

Yup, my dad had a V8 1941 ford pickup. We couldn't find points for it (in the 70s), so we had to rebuild them when they burnt out. The distributor was on the front of the engine, it was a PITA to reach.

The Rav4 is a Toyota.

Do you mean the Honda CR-V?

Either way, I am VERY glad I quickly got rid of the Rav4 my wife was driving. It was an awful machine. The couple of times I worked on it during my brief ownership was a scary experience....and toyota charged me $17 for a small plastic gasket. Thats when I knew it was time to dump it.

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

Does it matter?

Ditto with the Maserati Merak! Two "cassettes"

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

Not really, they're all equally horrible.

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

To R&R the clutch on a SAAB 99 takes me about an hour. The hardest part of the job is removing the radiator. The hood also comes off, but a 99 hood is a one-man job. The rest of the job is just following the steps. Very easy. Right up front and on top where you can work on it.

Water pump takes half a day or more. It's below the intake manifold, pressed into the block. You need to procure or build a special tool to get it in and out (I built one). But the heater core R&R takes less than two hours. Other than draining out some of the coolant, the only thing in the way of getting to the core is the alternator.

Transmission is below the engine, and the body wraps the bottom, so no way to remove the transmission whilst leaving the engine in the car. But the power unit R&R only takes me about 8 hours.

Everything under the hood looks backwards on that one.

1.Buy New intake gasket(s).
2.Take Intake Off.
3.Replace Plugs and Wires as God intended.
4.Replace Gasketry and Intake.

20 minute job this way.(Don't know or care what they do at the dealerships.)

__________________
'84 300SD sold
124.128

Dodge caravan V6 rear bank of plugs = laying on the engine, reaching all the way back there, and removing/installing them one at a time completely by feel, while cutting and injuring your hands/arms to the point of looking like you survived a gladiator tournament by then end of it. Sure glad that thing isn't with us anymore....

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

They love to do that with the rear plugs on transverse V6's these days. My ex roomie had a Stealth (rebadged Mitsu) that needed the intake removed. He paid out the nose to have it done. I didn't want to do it, and he didn't have any hard feelings about it either.

Anything in the engine bay on a 05/06 Jeep Liberty diesel.

__________________
Just say "NO" to Ethanol - Drive Diesel

Mitchell Oates
Mooresville, NC
'87 300D 212K miles
'87 300D 151K miles - R.I.P. 12/08
'05 Jeep Liberty CRD 67K miles
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club