I reluctantly replaced a hvac blower in a 99 Cadillac deville (Northstar v8) for a friend and have to say that the government should have let GM fold. This has got to be one of the worst engineered cars of all time in my opinion. What a piece of work. They came up about 1/4" of leaving enough room to easily remove/install the blower.

Not that I'm going to do it but you have to remove the intake manifold to change out the starter. We could only wish that the engineering team that designed this piece of work has been run off but who knows?

Never again.
Rant over.

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Jim

The reason I'm laughing, is that my Dad used to have the same rants about Cadillacs in his shop back in the fifties.

Some things never change I guess.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

Don't forget that vintage blow their headgaskets in a heartbeat and you better not hope its the rear bank....The number of used Devilles and DTSes for virtually nothing is astounding.

__________________
TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Old Cadillacs except for the REALLY old collector cars have always generally been really cheap on the used market.

__________________
2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

Actually, removing the intake to replace a starter is getting to be quite common. Domestic and imported. I'm not a fan. But BMW has really had some poor ideas as of late, ask someone who has had to have the coolant tube replaced on their V-8...

MV

Bean counters.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

They need to start making their concepts! The XLR was nice but northstar...

__________________
TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

My first Mercedes was long ago, and even then I was told that you don't so much as repair a Mercedes as you disassemble it whenever a part needs to be replaced.

It is enough to make me long for my Dodge Dart of the early 60's, Slant Six and all.

Well, not really.

'Standard of the World' as in standard of crap design and engineering, but master of bling.

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Current:
1985 300D aka Miss Margaret
1991 300SE aka Alarice
1995 SL320 aka Samantha
1997 K1500 Silverado
Past:
1999 E300 ex-wife got it and let her son ruin it
1984 190 2.3 ex-wife got it and let her son destroy a great car
1985 300D (CA version) aka Maybelline lost to deer at high speed.
1981 300D aka Madeline (went to salvage at near 400k) rusty, yet best car I ever drove
Wishlist:
McFarlan TV6 (only a few privately owned)
ReVere with Rochester engine
1917 Premier (only one left)

It depends on the particular model MB you're talking about. A 123, 240D is about as simple to work on as a Model A, AS LONG AS you don't have to go under the dash, which is not very often.

__________________
2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

I had to remove the intake on my wife's PT cruiser to replace a fairly simple part....thermostat? OX sensor? Can't remember. It was very simple though. All plastic with o rings instead of gaskets, IIRC.

I still prefer the anvil like durability of the 123 diesel though.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

It seems that today's engines and engine compartments are sort of engineered in pieces, sometimes overlooking the service penalties once the parts are married.

I worked on some V6's back in the nineties that you couldn't get to the head bolts without removing a VERY difficult to remove exhaust manifold.

__________________
2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

I may be in the minority but I really like their conceptual styling. It's too bad they didn't build the Sixteen already. Probably no chance of it ever seeing the light of day as conceived (cylinder-wise) unless they can get it to emit rainbows and breathable air out of the tailpipe.

__________________

1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

I'm not sure those things are "overlooked" per se. What better way to drive up revenue from the service department than to engineer in billable hours?

__________________

1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

Exactly why I pasted it, their styling (at least for concepts) is incredible, and very unique. I think the CTS-V coupe sort of gets the treatment but their lowered and widened grand-am car takes it. I'd love to pick one of these up and get a bit of custom work done to make it look this mean.

__________________
TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth