Worst car you've ever wrenched on???

XJsavage

XJsavage

CounterCulture
Joined
Aug 15, 2009
Location
Lyle's Ford SC
OK so we've all had to work on that one car that had us cussin and utterly baffled more so than all others. I've been dealing with an 03 impala with a very leaky 3.4 for the last three years and has had me pulling my hair out since day one. So what's your least favorite?
 
Mercedes benz 300D and E320, both PITA. Over engineered and $$ for parts.
 
Just now working my way through ecu check engine light stuff on a 1999 Subaru impreza outback sport map sensor speed density car. It's a one year only california emission means no parts lookup match, junkyard parts are nowhere to be seen and no wiring diagrams online.

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1999 Pontiac Sunfire. It was designed around the 2200 4 cyl. Literally. There was less than a hand width in between the serpentine belt and the passenger side fender. In order to pull the serpentine belt (which is necessary to do just about any repairs on the motor), you have to pull the belt, but first you mist take off the passenger side motor mount. Most serpentine belt tensioners can be access with a standard 1/2" ratchet. Not this one. A special tool must be purchased which is basically a flat bar with a 1/2" socket connector welded to it. Oh, and the oil filter is located DIRECTLY above the exhaust pipe. Impossible to change oil without some spilling onto the exhaust right neat the catalytic converter. Finally tried placing a sheet of tin foil over the exhaust first to help out, but it still makes a HUGE mess.

My favorite to work on was my Jeep Wrangler after I had built it. It was lifted SOA so I could crawl under it easily to reach stuff like oil filters, etc. I had a TPI 305 under the hood and was easy to get to the front of the motor and the spark plugs. The axles were International Scout II, so it was easy to find parts cheap. Biggest problem I had was remembering what part came from what vehicle, and the parts store guy thought I owned a whole fleet, when I only had one Jeep.
 
72 pantera!
I had to re plumb the ac system and rewire the headlights and gauges and if anyone is familiar with lucas wiring or trying to find parts for a detomoso pantera ypu know what im talking about. Befor that the same guy had me replace an ignition switch in a lambo but that wasnt to bad after we found the only switch in the us for $1000.

Buckeye Performance Inc.
828-779-2242
 
Any Cadillac I've ever worked on and my daughters Neon.
Special tools for everything on the caddy and Neon inner fender wells are formed aroud the engine .... which has to basically be pulled to change the belt pulley tensioner. Pull the engine to replace a 12 dollar part.



Matt
 
Yeah couldn't imagine working on rare imports.
 
I typically don't work on new stuff. with that said, the '07 Durango I had was such a PITA to do a simple oil change on, I can only imagine how much cussing I would have done on any other part of it.
 
My favorite to work on would have to be my Jeep. Motor/trans is factory matched '02 DBC 6.0 lq4 and 4l80e and the rest of the drive train is early/mid 80s k30 or cucv. Fuel system is mostly returnless vette parts. Makes all else seem like a jigsaw puzzle lol. Of course my dads old big block 79 k30 was a walk in the park too. Unfortunately LS engines are tough to find in junkyards still.
 
Heater core in a Dodge neon! Had to remove everything between the back seat to the inside firewall to get to it. I will sell the car next time.
 
Getting to the oil filter on a AWD dodge nitro. Impossible with a hot engine. Same as something else built on that chassis I can't remember. Transmission cooler lines on the same vehicle and others are always a pain in the ass. Just drips all over you trying to figure out how they come out. Any Mercedes piss me off, the wheel bolts are all it takes to get me. Anything European I like to stray away from.
Oh and 2005ish Mazda 3/6 dashes, sun cracks them.
 
I changed the clutch in my sister's 92 Prelude awhile back, what a nightmare.
 
Heater cores in S10s suck! 82-93 aren't quite as bad, but 94 up are a nightmare. My buddy works on imports for a living....I wouldn't do it.


My Silverado and K30 are really easy to work on. I can get a 5 gallon bucket under the drain plug and the oil filters are easy to access. Most things on either engine have awesome gaskets or O-rings on them, parts are easy to find, and nothing is terribly hard to replace.
 
Croatan_Kid said:
Heater cores in S10s suck! 82-93 aren't quite as bad, but 94 up are a nightmare. My buddy works on imports for a living....I wouldn't do it.


My Silverado and K30 are really easy to work on. I can get a 5 gallon bucket under the drain plug and the oil filters are easy to access. Most things on either engine have awesome gaskets or O-rings on them, parts are easy to find, and nothing is terribly hard to replace.
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I have a 95 S-10 that needs a heater core. I've been putting it off because I hear it brings the suck. You have done one yourself?
 
Yep. I've done the square body and round body. It's really not THAT bad....it's just really stupid that the heater core is basically behind the radio. You take the steering column and lay it in the seat, then take the whole dash out as one piece, and THEN you can finally see the box. It takes a few hours and it's nice to have a helper, but I did all of them by myself.
 
My 98 S-10 2wd V6. the starter is almost impossible to replace w/o pulling the motor, fixing the leaking oilpan gasket requires it. The spark plugs/wires are a PIA, thankfully they are long lasting. The oil cooler lines last about 5 yrs before they start leaking again, and changing the waterpump is a beotch.
 
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PT Cruiser timing belt
 
my daughter's 99 intrepid.Work on the front...take off the front of the car...work on the rear of the engine or drag link bushin...take off the cowlin.Oil filter is in a hole. Water pump is internal to the engine.Get a leak,trash the engine unless you catch it real early.
 
I'm seeing a trend here... a lot of Mopar stuff is bringing the suck for maintenance I see. Now that I think about it, when I was in high school my mom used to let me drive her backup car to and from school while I saved the cash to buy my first truck. The car was a 98 Plymouth neon. Agreement was that I do some minor repairs and long due seal replacements as long as I was borrowing it.


I walked to school a lot.
 
tireburner1975 said:
Getting to the oil filter on a AWD dodge nitro. Impossible with a hot engine. Same as something else built on that chassis I can't remember. Transmission cooler lines on the same vehicle and others are always a pain in the ass. Just drips all over you trying to figure out how they come out. Any Mercedes piss me off, the wheel bolts are all it takes to get me. Anything European I like to stray away from.
Oh and 2005ish Mazda 3/6 dashes, sun cracks them.
Click to expand...

The new body style libertly's are the other chassis you thinking of, and yes they bring the suck.


Replacing a trans in a AWD hemi Chrysler 300 is the definition of a shit job.
 
i could list 100's of suck jobs on cars, here are a few (in no particular order of suckieness)
starter on a chevette(must remove brake booster)
the main engine mount on a pt cruiser (motor must come out)
anything on a renault
anything on a cadillac catera
tune up on mid 90's toyota v-6 previa vans (must remove seat to get to last spark plug)
 
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