The Joys of Second-Guessing a Design...

[Bogie]

I just got through with a detailed cleaning of the top end of a printer. It's a 38" wide printer - not a desktop dealie.

It took a while.

Why?
 
Because the folks who designed it basically set it up so that important stuff had to be removed and/or relocated so that main cover screws could be accessed.
 
Why?
 
Basically _any_ service call on the piece of equipment will require an hour of tech time to remove/replace the sheetmetal cover and other stuff. They don't tell you this when you buy it. But you can BET that the manufacturer tells the dealers about the maintenance bonanza...
 
In theory... They don't figure on folks like me...
 
Anyone need any bumper stickers?

[Boomhauer]

Cars are the exact same way these days. A car made before, oh, say, '95, we can usually get it home if it breaks down on the side of the road with some basic tools. In newer cars, I find myself opening the hood and saying, "Ok, now where in the hell is the engine itself?". It is buried under masses of wires and sensors.

Stuff made today is meant to be disposable. A lot of people do the whole leasing from the dealership, and trading in deal, so they are getting a new car every few years- so they view the car as disposable.

[K Frame]

"Need any bumper stickers..."

Yeah, I've been thinking about one...

"You have can my gun when you pry the muzzle out of your cold, dead mouth..."

[Bogie]

Actually, the "engine as a unit" concept could be interesting.

Car goes in for a tuneup. They jack it up, drop the complete front end, and replace it. Design it right - Maybe what, a dozen bolts, and a single big electronic umbilical (with a separate high current wire for the starter). One man could probably R&R inside a half hour, given the correct tooling (like a lift that'll go xyz)...

Pulled system gets brought back to spec, and installed in another vehicle down the road.
 

[grislyatoms]

Dealt with any HP LJ 4100-4200 series printers lately?

They have thin, weak blue plastic claw-type tabs to hold the fuser module in place.

I replace 4-5 of the damned things every weekend, and I have taken to saving the unbroken tabs to cobble together working fusers.

HP really dropped the ball on that design.  

[Boomhauer]

Actually, the "engine as a unit" concept could be interesting.

Car goes in for a tuneup. They jack it up, drop the complete front end, and replace it. Design it right - Maybe what, a dozen bolts, and a single big electronic umbilical (with a separate high current wire for the starter). One man could probably R&R inside a half hour, given the correct tooling (like a lift that'll go xyz)...

Pulled system gets brought back to spec, and installed in another vehicle down the road.

Actually, that is the way UPS has their trucks set up (from what I hear) and the military swaps out jet engines. But, completely unacceptable to the engineers for our cars...

[helpless]

"You have can my gun when you pry the muzzle out of your cold, dead mouth..."

Jesus.

[mfree]

"Car goes in for a tuneup. They jack it up, drop the complete front end, and replace it. Design it right - Maybe what, a dozen bolts, and a single big electronic umbilical (with a separate high current wire for the starter). One man could probably R&R inside a half hour, given the correct tooling (like a lift that'll go xyz)..."

Believe it or not it's been almost done before. VW uses the umbilical pattern for their wiring, so did Chrysler with the 2.2/2.5 cars thought there are a few "body connections".

If I ever wanted to change the engine on my Shadow, provided I already had another transmission, I can see it being done in about 2 hours barring the usual issues (frozen exhaust bolts, etc.).

If a car like a Fox Mustang were kitted up right with a VW style wiring harness and say a turbo four (small, easy to move) I'd say a swap could be in and out in less than thirty. Unhook fuel, exhaust, coolant, wiring, u-joint... pull motor and tranny, replace, rehook, refill, viola.

[Manedwolf]

Cars are the exact same way these days. A car made before, oh, say, '95, we can usually get it home if it breaks down on the side of the road with some basic tools. In newer cars, I find myself opening the hood and saying, "Ok, now where in the hell is the engine itself?". It is buried under masses of wires and sensors.

American carmakers, yes. I was astonished that a friend's PT cruiser required some of the bumper or somesuch to be removed to change the sparkplugs...they're on the side of the engine.

Honda makes it very easy to fix things yourself. The plugs are all on top of the block, the valve cover bolts are all on top and it lifts out vertically, the distributor is right in easy reach and easy to disassemble, the battery is easy to lift out, the fuel rail is right atop the back of the engine, easy to disengage, easy to pull the injectors right from the top in view, and the entire air system and throttle body is in easy reach, easy to take apart and clean. You can also mix and match parts for different types of performance easily, swapping top and bottom half of a lot of the different engines (F, H and K series especially) and custom low and high speed cams to make a franken-engine with more low-end torque, more high-end power, or a balance.

It all depends on who designed the vehicle.

[Bogie]

Some cars require a wheel to be removed. And, IIRC, the Pontiac Fiero required a body panel to be removed to change the oil filter.

If you've never worked on an American van, you haven't learned how to truly cuss...

[Brad Johnson]

If you've never worked on an American van, you haven't learned how to truly cuss...

 

Brad

[Brian Williams]

IIRC the record for a 2 man VW bug engine swap from running to running is around 10 minutes. One guy had to start the engine and it had to run for 10 sec, them turn it off and completely remove it, put it on the ground and lift the body up and off so the engine was clear of the bumper, then reinstall it and time stopped when it ran for 10 sec.  All the sheet metal around the engine and the heater had to be taken off and reinstalled.   
The best VW Bug mechanic in the area used to remove the engine to do tuneups, he retired a few years ago, not enough bugs on the road.

[Tallpine]

The best VW Bug mechanic in the area used to remove the engine to do tuneups

That doesn't surprise me ... could be easier than lying on your back in the dirt trying to adjust the valves - which would then promptly un-adjust themselves about five miles down the road 

About the only good use IMO for a Bug is to make a dune buggy 

[Manedwolf]

Better than New Beetles. I think those things got their electrical systems made by Lucas, based on all the complaints I've heard from people. An instrument cluster going dark while driving at night is Not Good.

[Perd Hapley]

"You have can my gun when you pry the muzzle out of your cold, dead mouth..."

Jesus.

Huh?  I thought it was hilarious.  Mike, can I get your signature on my copy? 

[Tallpine]

One time when I swapped a VW engine, I somehow didn't get the gen charge wire hooked up.  Of course, as soon as I got it put together and started and we had to go somewhere right now - the heck with the red light on the dash.  Forty miles later, in town, the car wouldn't start.  Had to push it out of the parking place and push it by hand to start.

It wouldn't idle either - kept dying at stop signs/lights.  So there were were at one of the two stop lights in town ... I get out and when the light turns green I start pushing, and then jump in beside my wife part way across the intersection.  Oh, the "good old days"