mchan68

I was kind of expecting responses to this thread from some of our more senior members here.

YUP, I remembered those. They kept me busy as well.

My parents had one of those cars. It was a '76 Pontiac Astre with a three speed manual. It was the biggest pile ever. And if I'm not mistaken, wasn't the Cadillac HT4100 the same setup? Cast iron cylinder heads and aluminum block, hence a major reason why they were notorious for internal coolant leaks and their need for "regular maintenance" overhauls.

Funny you mention that. That was litterally the very first "engine job" I had ever done, changing one of those out on a 1977 Chevy Caprice. Mistake #1 was installing the distributor 180 degrees out.

Okay gents, I'm bored today so I was just reflecting a little bit and shaking my head over some of the dismal failures I've lived through, and just wondering what your thoughts are on some of, but not limited to what I remembered growing up: GM's J-body cars. The Cavalier, Sunbird, Firenza, Skyhawk and last but not least, the Cimarron. Really? $5000 more for essentially a Cavalier wearing Cadillac badges. GM's, okay never mind Ford and GM's V8s that were extremely short-lived. I remember the Chevy 267 (4.4L) that was an engine option in the late 70s to early 80s. Looking at it, you wouldn't see any difference between it and a Chevy 305 or 350 since it is based off the same block. That engine was as gutless as let's say, the Ford's 255 (4.2L) V8 that was based off the Windsor block. If I recall correctly, this engine was optional only in 1980 and 1981 in the Mustang, amongst other mid sized Ford's of that era. Since not much was said about this engine, I will assume it was a total flop, since 1982 brought about the return of the beloved 302. Speaking of 1980 and 1981, I believe those were the only model years in which the brilliant V8-6-4 engine could be had in a Cadillac a. k. a. the 368. And to top that off, the HT4100 wasn't too much of a success story afterwards. If I recall correctly, an engine overhaul was considered "normal maintenance" for those engines. Damn, I would've loved to have been a GM tech at that time. Then, there's the Oldsmobile 5.7L diesel that was an option in many of GM's luxury models of that era. 'NUFF SAID. Horns. Who's brainfart was it, to relocate the horn button from the steering wheel hub to the turn signal stalk? Remember all the Ford models from 1979 to 1983? Virtually every single Ford/Lincoln-Mercury model from those model years had the horn switch located on the turn signal stalk. And then in 1984, when it was finally relocated back to the steering wheel hub, I would love to have been a fly on the wall to hear how many North Americans said THANK YOU. Almost as bad an idea as some big wig at Ford's idea of renaming every model line beginning with the letter "F" (you know, FUCKstar, FUCKstyle, FUCKstang.....) in the mid 2000s. And speaking of stupid ideas, why was it that GM's mid sized four door models of the 80s had rear windows that couldn't be rolled down? I'm talking about the Chevy Malibu, Pontiac Lemans, Oldsmobile Cutlass and Buick Regal of 1978 to around 1984 or 1985. The ass ends of the mid 80s Cadillac Seville and Lincoln Continental. Remember how ugly looking they were? Both of those models looked as though the delivery truck had accidentally backed up over their ass ends. Okay, I've been rambling on about GM and Ford for a little bit. How about Chrysler? What was the thinking behind having every single one of their model lines based on the K-car, save for the FIfth Avenue, Diplomat and Gran Fury models which still utilized the beloved 318 V8 and rear wheel drive layout? Speaking of which, didn't some of those models talk? Remember that? Instead of a chime or buzzer, starting of the engine would be followed by a robotic voice, "PLEASE FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS". And, not to stray away from engines, I believe there was the Mitsubishi 2.6L four cylinder engine that was an absolute dud. Their 3.0L V6 which followed wasn't much better either. About the only engine of theirs that I actually liked was their 2.2L turbocharged engine. Fitting into a Dodge Omni with a 5 speed and you had one serious little econo-rocket!!! I believe it was called a Dodge Omni GLHS. Back to Ford. How many of you remember when Ford had threatened to pull the plug on the Mustang? Apparently the car that became the Probe was the intended replacement at the time. Funny how when the word had spread, how North Americans (more or less Mustang enthusiasts) screamed bloody murder and Ford took an immediate retreat, hence the '87 to '93 model year Mustangs that became HUGELY successful. And then look at how the Probe turned out. Anyone have any comments or thoughts to share?

You need to start a Hotline contact on both the two vehicles in question. Document all the steps you took to diagnose the concern, and most important of all, the customer's refusal to have the repair done. The person on the other end will do what's needed to flag the VIN in OASIS, same as would happen if the vehicle in question were involved in an accident in which it was written off.

I hope you flagged that VIN in CuDL so that the next poor sucker that gets his hands on it will be well aware of its past. I'll bet a paycheque that it will only get drained and refilled with diesel and get called "good" by someone before it goes to auction.

And why's that? The Freestar is too heavy? :haha2:

CHA-CHING!!!

What is the difference between RT-1169 and RT-1173?

I thought the 7.3L DIT engine wasn't available until mid to late '94 as a '95 model. I also didn't know the 7.3L IDI turbo was a factory option. I vaguely recall some aftermarket company offering turbo setups for the 6.9L and 7.3L engines of that era.

Those of you who damage a 6.0L electrical pass-through connector during a repair, or one happens to land in your bay will no longer need to try and sell an injector or even think of attempting to "band-aid" one thanks to Alliant Power. Read on: http://alliantpower.com/sites/alliantpower.com/files/managed-media/product-announcement/2014/npa_04-14_en.pdf http://alliantpower.com/sites/alliantpower.com/files/managed-media/technical-bulletin/2014/aptb_03-14_en.pdf

I had one a while ago that I long-blocked, that was leaking coolant from that seal after I drove it home for a night. Of course, it would help if the water pump was installed WITHOUT cocking the seal between the water pump and front cover.

Going on service manager #5 at my store where I've been. The latest seems to like to play "tower operator" more than anything else. Doesn't speak much, so it's hard to read the guy.

Only on 2005 and up model years. 2003-2004 engines are excluded from that strategy.

Someone says to me, "Hey, if I wanted to hear from an asshole, I fart". My immediate reply would be, "If wasn't for assholes like me, shit like you wouldn't be alive".

ABS HCU dump solenoid(s) stuck open?

My high school automotive shop teacher's saying "drier than a nun's fart" was one I thought to be on the cruder end of the spectrum.

What were the DTCs set?

Matt, you sound like a busy man.

How about cooling fans that fail to operate?

Anyone have any idea what's up with these? It appears there are a lot of trucks that have sat at dealers for over three weeks patiently (or not so patiently???) awaiting its arrival.

The horizontal cooler was completely drenched in coolant. The vertical cooler tested out good, on the bench.

Although the measurements look good, the last one I had with the pushtube bent and the rocker arm broken, ended up having the corresponding roller MIA on on the lifter, scalding the cam lobe nicely.