Problem with the 4.6 in the 96 grand marquis is that the valve cover sits about 3/4 of an inch from the airbox that feeds into the cabin. I was finally able to get a short 8mm wrench in there to do it but it took forever because there wasn't much swing and the bolts are very long.

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Current: 1975 450SEL, 83 300D, 88 Yugo GVX, 90 300D OM603 swap, 91 F150 4.6 4v swap, 93 190E Sportline LE 3.0L M104 swap, 93 190E Sportline LE Megasquirt, 03 Sprinter, 06 E500 4Matic wagon.

You beat me to it. Great when they work right. PITA when they don't, which is a lot of the time. I don't know how ISIS keeps theirs going.

Honorable mention to Porsche 914 and anything else mid-engine.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 401,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 26,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.
99 Mazda Miata 183,xxx miles.

The Merak and the SM are not b ad, but the real issue is weak fasteners that rust and break

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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

That's why I plan to cut off and hinge the rear of one VW Thing I own so that it can be removed for service on the engine

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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

Keeping their H1's going may be why they hate us so much.

the Peugot 505(?) not sure of the number. It was a wagon and parts were a real problem to get hold of. I once opened up what I thought was a fuse box and found a tangle of small gauge wires. I looked at that and said "I've gotta get rid of this car while it still runs!" I did a little fixing up of it, mostly cosmetic and sold it on a 95 degree day....(the air conditioning was impressively good)! I think I got my money back and a little profit.

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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.

My dad told me that Citroens were the absolute worse. I've not experienced it but he did. His best friend had one.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

My family swore by Peugot's. I swear at them. As someone who grew up in South Africa where they were quite common and we had many - I have to ask...
Why in tarnation would anybody living in the Unites States of America, ever own a French car?

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

I've not owned one, though my dad had an '85 Peugeot 505 diesel sedan. We did a round trip together from WA state to San Diego in it in the late 80s. He'd been a diesel mechanic at some point in his youth and liked it, did most all of his own work on it. No idea what trouble it might have been to him, he never spoke of it but it was a sweet car to drive. Good power, smooth, and great seats. Sort of a French thing I gather - great seats.

Not long after I had a '66 Volvo 122S. Funky car in a cool way - it had horribly worn seats so I managed to fit some cherry Peugeot seats I found at a boneyard into it.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

I don't know. I've become a fan of German cars and Japanese bikes. If I ever get rich I might go for Italian cars (Ferrari) and German bikes (BMW).

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 401,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 26,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.
99 Mazda Miata 183,xxx miles.

My dad used to talk about how the peugots were about all they used in Aftica, they were tough, etc. I drove this one and was enchanted by its compliant ride and perfect steering. I was also taken by the large cargo area and the live rear axle....like a pickup truck.

But I only owned it about a month or two. Probably the least I ever owned a car.

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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.

how about the maserati water pumps, that is the worst collosal design failure I can imagine - I did not wrench on it, but just looking at the execution of how the pump is driven makes you think that cocaine was being snorted on the design board.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

I am old enough to remember the really easy to work on cars of the forties and fifties. Problem is, you had to do it a LOT.

Most everything today has its challenges, but generally speaking everything lasts forever by comparison, these days if properly cared for.

The C4 vettes would be at the top of the list.

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

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

So true.
I used to have to change plugs every 10K on my 1962 MB 190c.

If I used champions or autolite 5K. Also points every 10K, and oil every 3K.
Tires were lucky to last 20K.

Nuts and bolts used to vibrate loose on the Benz too and things would fall off the engine if you did not keep looking for them.

I can't remember the last time I found a random loose bolt on a modern vehicle (and by modern I mean from the eighties or newer).

The 190c also needed a valve job every 50K and a water pump every 40k or less.

But that 190c was by far the best car I had owned up til then. Reasonably spunky, great brakes, great handling and ride and would get 24 mpg hi-way if driven 60.

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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.

No issues with fasteners on the one I'm playing with - the whole car is just a PITA. Everything is sharp! When they cast the parts, they never took a anything to the sharp edges left over from the process used to cast parts. Edge of the block? Sharp! Sides on the intake manifold? Sharp! Random part of alternator? Sharp! My hands/arms didn't take this much of a beating doing an M103 swap, nor did they take this much of a beating working on an LS1 or on my Miata! Don't get me started on the lack of space either. There's always barely enough space to work on stuff. Need to remove power steering lines? Pull the bumper! Need to pull the radiator? Pull the bumper! Need to replace the serpentine belt? Pull the intake manifold. Complete PITA.

And that's why they dropped the F136R from Maserati, and went to an F136U/Y engine - people weren't happy with having to get a new engine at about 50k miles! Interestingly enough though - the F430/458/California shared the F136, but were an F136 E/I/F. They seem to have a lower occurence of water/oil pump failure, though it might be the more stringent service intervals Ferrari calls for...

Fun... Right?

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-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.