Easiest/hardest cars to work on

SumoDog68 · 23-06-2009, 09:56 PM

Hi all
Quick question for those who enjoy working on their cars. Say if you wanted to do most of your servicing and repairs at home . It would probably be a good idea to pick a car that is logically laid out and has all major parts accesible with minimum of fuss. Which cars were the easiest/hardest to work on and why?

IH8HSV · 23-06-2009, 10:04 PM

Ford I6 - EA to AU are good and bad.

Good: anywork done on the exhaust side of the engine

Bad: any work done on the inlet side. :evil3:

Everything is crammed in on the one side. I especially love changing the coil lead and tightning inlet manifold bolts.

As for servicing: plugs, oil, and filters are all easily accesable.

FreddyDUZ747 · 23-06-2009, 10:08 PM

90s model 300ZX,absolute nightmare for space
90s Ford Taurus," "$$$$$$$$$$$ for spareparts.

1970s Holden Gemini 1600cc,access galore to everything + cheap
Valliants,you can sit in their enginebay and work on the things.The only thing that needed general attention on these beasts were the rear tyres.

GT69 · 23-06-2009, 10:09 PM

Most classics are reasonably easy to work on, especially 4 bangers, plenty of room to get at things, very simple in the sense of electronics and what not

SumoDog68 · 23-06-2009, 10:10 PM

I worked on r31 skyline and thought that inline sixes are great ,accessable design. V6 front drivers are not easy - i struggled with timing belt and water pump change and rear bank spark plugs are hard to get to.
Some of my mates rate Subarus as easy to work on while others hate them , just goes to show what is easy for one might not be easy for others .

2.8L Hilux · 23-06-2009, 10:48 PM

My old '94 Hilux was really easy to work on. Never needed ramps/chassis stands because it was so high off the ground. No spark plugs/leads to muck around with either. My BA seems quite easy to work on too.
When desigining the BA and Hilux it seemed the engineers had easy servicing in mind.

Working on my Mazda Tribute on the other hand is horrible. You have to remove the intake manifold to replace the 3 rear plugs. You also have to remove the air intake hose, air box, battery, engine cover etc etc just to change the thermostat.
Gotta love east-west engines... Has been very reliable tho

grandpa_spec_F6 · 23-06-2009, 10:57 PM

Easiest? My now deceased VK commodore, you could literally SIT in the bloody engine bay, easiest car i've ever worked on for pretty much all servicing, engine work etc, drank more fuel than a dragster though :(

Most annoying would be the old mans '84 toyota hi-ace from back in the day, how the hell we got the radiator out after all those hours i'll never know... I think we scared it out with all the swearing and abuse that was being hurled around the cabin =D

Wally · 23-06-2009, 11:01 PM

Easiest are the sixties cars, the worst I've done is the Vectra 2.5; had to drop the whole assembly out from the bottom to redo the clutch pack on the autobox.

vztrt · 23-06-2009, 11:10 PM

For basic stuff, most Falcons and Commodores are easy. The 4cy Camry is quite easy. V6 Mangas are one that look like a pain when it comes to spark plugs but so is teh 3v V8 in the B-series.

Fairlane · 23-06-2009, 11:12 PM

Anything old and Inline is easy. My Hillman is an absolute sinch- did the headgasket it under an hour, as is the Kingswood, dont even have to jack the car up to change the oil. Can change the filter standing up.

The Japanese are usually good with their 4 cylinder, but V6's can be a . I find Toyota & Nissan stuff is pretty nicely done though. Euro's well they can be anything- good, bad, ugly.

Some of the worst ive seen or stuffed around with
Jaguar Mk2- No room in engine bay at all, Id love to own one, but im always scared off
Jaguar XJ12- Worst Ive ever seen, a complete disaster, gives me nighmares
Not to mention inboard brakes oh yeah

Austin 1800- Pretty nasty for such an old car
Mazda 626- It just seemed to be a of a thing
Mitsubishi Magna V6- Bloody rear spark plus, took me bloody hours to work out how to deal with that bloody intake manifold (Very reliable car though)

Yellow_Festiva · 23-06-2009, 11:12 PM

The Festiva engine bay is uncluttered and simple. Lots of space to do your work, and no fancy plastic shrouds and covers over everything to fill in the gaps. Anything that needs changing can be done with minimal fuss.

Mums old 94 Barina is at the opposite end of the scale. I gave up on trying to change the fuel filter when I learned it was tucked in behind the petrol tank under the floor of the car.....

Windsor220 · 23-06-2009, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fairlane

Mitsubishi Magna V6- Bloody rear spark plus, took me bloody hours to work out how to deal with that bloody intake manifold (Very reliable car though)

They're actually quite easy to do when you know what your doing. Takes around 15 minutes.

Fairlane · 23-06-2009, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Windsor220

They're actually quite easy to do when you know what your doing. Takes around 15 minutes to do.

Well I was working blind, didnt have a manual so it was a bit of guesswork. Didnt even bother to have a shot with the timing belt- I put that in the two hard basket

Iggypoppin' · 23-06-2009, 11:39 PM

Doubt many will come across this one: mitsubishi GTO twin turbo. Me and my mates got one cheap as it was not running and uncomplied. Damn thing was a massive car shaped computer with barely room for a pin in that engine bay. First thing we did was give that thing the flick. Love the old inline6 motors, Both Holden and ford. They don't make them like they used to. Gemini, provided it's RWD, are basic and if you somehow mess one up, you need a crash course in reception.....

Windsor220 · 23-06-2009, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJXR6

Doubt many will come across this one: mitsubishi GTO twin turbo.

Yes I have seen them. You should of kept it. Quick car and they look good.

DIFFWA · 23-06-2009, 11:49 PM

well when you my build a 40 series landcruser is easy as i can sit in the engine bay to do work on it folded in half and stuffed under the dash to get to wires behind there lol and hang over the diff to put the nuts and bolts back in the drive shaft

saam · 24-06-2009, 12:55 AM

ive only started to work on the older style cars recently, they seem alot easier on the eye and plenty of room to move a shifter

A friend of mine had the misubishi GTO, yes it was hard to work on, not only that he struggled to sell it for under 18G too

took him over one year to sell

Buzz Box · 24-06-2009, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SumoDog68

Hi all
Quick question for those who enjoy working on their cars. Say if you wanted to do most of your servicing and repairs at home . It would probably be a good idea to pick a car that is logically laid out and has all major parts accesible with minimum of fuss. Which cars were the easiest/hardest to work on and why?

What kinda cars did you have in mind? new? old? etc

burnz · 24-06-2009, 11:47 AM

hard: any modern V8. (sparkplug 7/8 comes to mind)

Iggypoppin' · 24-06-2009, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Windsor220

Yes I have seen them. You should of kept it. Quick car and they look good.

It was rooted man, bent valves, blown heads a myriad of electrical wires chewed by rats. Paid 1,000 for it, got rid of it for more than that. But it would have been nice to keep.

ZA-289 · 24-06-2009, 06:46 PM

Aussie/Jap cars = easy
Euro cars = horrible + normally expensive / require special tools

Mick K. · 24-06-2009, 07:20 PM

As others have said, transverse engine V6s are amongst the worst. I owned a Camry V6 and a Vectra V6 and they seemed to have to take half of the induction parts off event to change the spark plugs - probably why the Camry V6 used long life and very expensive platinum plugs.

MK

calais · 24-06-2009, 08:13 PM

First gen Magna, Fuel injected 2.6, infuriating to work on what should have been so simple had the engine been mounted longitudinally.

Oh and any Audi post '94, as just about any work on the engine including auto trans flushing involved sliding the whole front bumper/fascia and radiator/fan assembly forward to gain access to the front of the engine. I hated working on those.

As for the easiest, the 3.8 Holden V6 is up there, as is most pre '84 Holden I6. Another that was easy to deal with was the Mopar sixes.... ridiculously simple powerplants.

I share the common complaint in reference to the Ford I6, being the intake side of the engine is painful to work on unless you have midget girl hands. But a worthwhile sacrifice for a great motor.

mad cow · 24-06-2009, 08:23 PM

the first 2 cars i worked on as an apprentice mechanic were a v12 jag, followed by another 6cyl jag. then i was handed a 80s model fiat. these cars are the reason i am a concreter. they are nice to own but a nightmare to maintain.

**PepeLePew** · 24-06-2009, 08:25 PM

NM Pajero, Im quite keen to work on most things but helping my mate change spark plugs WASNT an option when I saw what you have to remove to get to them...the list of what you DONT have to remove is shorter.

Mongoose · 24-06-2009, 08:26 PM

Some fun names spring to mind, Alfa Romeo (it's italian - nuff said) Mercedes Benz/BMW (typicial overcomplicated germans) Anything french (just rubbish all round) H6 Subaru's (find the plugs for me) Nissan Patrol's/skyline's (ask anyone who's had to do a clutch) Honda S2000 (change a headlight globe for me) And im sure many others, but thats all i can think of for now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PepeLePew

NM Pajero, Im quite keen to work on most things but helping my mate change spark plugs WASNT an option when I saw what you have to remove to get to them...the list of what you DONT have to remove is shorter.

hahaha, inlet manifold off, and not too forget to get some spark plug tube seals, and rocker cover gaskets, as they are guarantreed to be leaking by the time the plugs are due for a change.

Jorgo85 · 24-06-2009, 08:30 PM

Why has no-one mentioned the humble Datto yet. By far the most simplistic engine bay I've ever had. The old A12 motor was brilliant. Used no oil, no coolant, next to no fuel, and best of all, you'd be thrashing the guts out of it racing everyone with out them even realising you were trying lol

outback_ute · 25-06-2009, 03:51 PM

Hardest would have to be older Lancias if you don't have the special tools needed for some jobs, some things would not be possible. If you do have the tools its easy

alter_EGOXR · 25-06-2009, 03:57 PM

tend to find most family 4 bangers are quite easy to work with...the V6 is another story...and the falcon being my first I6, the only thing i have done myself is change the coolant...however by having a look at the oil filter, it looks like its gonna be a to change, esp if i have to go under the car...owellz ill worry about it when the time comes

BlueOvalGarage · 25-06-2009, 04:20 PM

Hardest: V6 camry prob been one of the worst ive worked on...not just because of the E/W engine, but also because everything is designed for someone with chicken claw hands to work on!

Easiest: Probably the escort im working on this arvo, an absolute joy! Going to be a pocket rocket when we are done too