Good points.

2 days later, I feel better. In retrospect, if you do a job once, it is much easier the next time, even on FWD junk. I think that the next time I could swap the compressor in maybe 1.5 hours because I have experience.

*My* problem seems to be that every time something goes wrong, it is something I have never seen before and turns into a huge learning experience, while for someone experienced, it's not really that hard.

Example - power window motor gears disintegrated on my F250. They were a b1tch to replace. Had to drill the damn door. Lost lots of tools inside the door and had to fish them out. Required 3 hands to hold things and wrench. All in all it is not that hard, but if you do it the first time, it is kind of hard.

Experience matters and I have little of it.

Interestingly enough, the longer I keep a car, the more confident I feel because after about 5 years, I usually replace lots of stuff under the hood. So I get to know *my* cars. Bring me something else, like a Honda, or Volvo, I have no idea.

Being able to service my vehicles is a very high criteria in my selection process. If I cannot service it, if oil changes are real difficult and everything is tight on there, I won't get it.

 

HOLY COW!!!

It took me about 15 minutes to even FIND the oil filter. ...............

I know what you mean.

I tried changing oil on Ford Contour. I couldn't find it!!!!!!
I didn't have the drive on ramps at the time and absolutely could not see the filter. You have to turn the wheel this way, or that way - I just gave up on it. and had it done at a service station.

Really makes the case for using synthetic with the best filter you can find and just changing it every 7000 miles.

 

I guess since I don't drink, then I will have to take your word for it.

I generally help the girls on campus (the few that are here) with their car problems, and I do most of the work for free, provided that they stick around and pay attention.

Most of the work has been relatively simple, spark plugs, oil changes, fuel pumps, fuel filters, igntion components, computers, but there was the cavalier cylinder head, and the springs and shocks on the ranger.

There are 17 guys to every girl on campus, and only 500 total students.

 

Maybe they do consider the billable time to fix it that the service dept will recieve. The bottom line is that auto manufacturers are out to make every dollar possible. That is why it is almost impossible to work on new cars these days.

 

While I normally read every post I skimmed this time.
Carp, I spent a good many years as a mechanic and I have a very low opinion of those cars. If it has 100.000 the front end is probably shot. ( $1000). Besides being butt ugly and underpowered, you now know how it was designed, poorly. Get rid of that piece of crap before it selfdestructs in your driveway.

 

Maybe they do consider the billable time to fix it that the service dept will recieve. The bottom line is that auto manufacturers are out to make every dollar possible. That is why it is almost impossible to work on new cars these days.

Is it any harder to build a serviceable vehicle than a non-serviceable one? Just give it more space and different design.

I think the real reason for that is, EPA mandated that the cars get higher MPG, which you can only achieve by making them much smaller, with smaller engines and compact engine bays. Compare that with a 60's car which was just the opposite, big engine, heavy, lots of room - and low mpg.

 

carpe_diem, respectfully; HORSE FRITTERS! I do not believe that, for a second.

It is far too easy to bolt on aftermarket parts that IMPROVE MPG AND PERFORMANCE for me to even flirt with accepting that premis.

There is a whole heck of a lot manufacturers could do *besides* engineer the working room out of these vehicles the way they have to improve MPG.

Again, respectfully, but; HORSE FRITTERS!

. . oh, "in my opinion"

 

P.S. My third "project" was a 1973 Opel GT. I put a 375HP 327 chevy motor in it (it took me three years). It got almost 35 MPG and would smoke the back tires from a 50MPH punch.

It had a 4 barrel Holley and a mechanical dual point distributor.

Honest, you could tune it up and change the oil in 20 minutes, and changing a water pump took about a half hour.

 

My wifes Jimmy, I found you got to remove some of the steering column linkage to get to some of the spark plugs.

In a Porsche I could understand.

carpe- I can tell you from personal experience that front wheel drives have a hidden flaw on ice that could get you killed due to loss of control. It has to do with the momentum of the drive train on your front wheels when you apply brakes and can happen to about anyone.

I prefer the predictabilty of rear wheel drive even on snowy/icy roads here in Michigan.

 

Also, the only reason I am fixing this Topaz is because it has a ton of new parts over the last few years. So with every new repair, I keep thinking, it is gonna be the last one and it will be right. That lasts for a few months but then something else breaks. I think I will get to the point where everything will be replaced (yet will still break)

Look at the bright side of driving old cars:

They don't cost much to buy.
The parts don't cost much, especially if you get them from junk yard.
The repairs don't cost much if you fix them yourself. (About half the time for me)
You don't freak out if something hits it or damages it.
You don't have to clean/wax old beaters.
It won't get stolen.
You can do anything with the interior. Carry bricks in it if you want.
If you fix it and break something on it, who cares. Like crack a panel, or lose a bolt.

 

While decidedly designed to be car-as-appliance, the Tempo isn't horrid. The front end (shared with the 1983-88 Escort) is the easiest I've ever seen to service: Pull the tire, pop the lower ball joint, remove the big nut (5/8"?) that secures the swaybar to the control arm. Remove the nut on the frame pivot & push the bolt back (my 1984 Escort diesel took some persuasion in the form of a hammer & a block of wood), the arm will slide out. Reverse everything to install the new arm (the ball joints are integrated--you have to swap the whole control arm, about a $40 part), & you're set. It's about half an hour if you don't hurry, maybe 45 minutes without air tools. On a Rust Belt car, a torch-even propane-is a big help.

For $1K, I could probably replace the ball joints, brakes, struts, springs, all the steering linkage, & the rack & have enough left over for a couple of new tires.

My Escort ate ball joints at ~55-60K miles (big, heavy diesel engine), but I'll gladly take that in exchange for 330,000 miles at 50MPG. I sold the car (too small) to a friend, & he loves it.

 

The $1000 figure was one I have seen many times in a shop with shop rates around $55-60. And when the tierod ends are gone it is usually ready for struts, ball joints, maybe outer c/v joints ect. If you do your own work then it would be less of course. They are a throw away car. By the way I think the escort was a pretty decent little car except for that interference head and the carburation on the early ones. Most of them got a bad rap because people with no money bought them and just drove them into the ground. All the ones that I did routine maintainence on did just fine.
I believe that what I drive makes a statement and the tempo/topaz/escort are a statement I would rather not make, but it doesn't mean that the ones that you have owned didn't serve your puposes well.
By the way, I sure thought I read in another thread that your opinion wasn't quite as high on this car.

 

I had an 87 Tempo L with a 2.3 and 5 speed. It suited me fine when I was 18 - 21. Great mileage in it, went camping maybe 10 times a year in it, but I don't think I would own one again. Actually, I would; if the circumstances were that bad. My hats off to them, though. I fixed everything on it that needed to be fixed myself, except the heater core. Front brakes, fuel pump, distributor, ignition module, oil changes, tires, etc. When I got around to changing the heater core, it got stolen. I might still have it had it not gotten stolen. Had about 220 000 kms on it. That's got to show for something.

 

I agree that it is basically a throw-away car. I looked on ebay and it is incredible how low the bids go. 1987 Tempo for $150? A vehicle that runs. I have lots of new parts in mine, so it must be worth a whopping $400 based on ebay, which is a quite accurate representation of what you would pay if put for sale in paper.

 

My opinion of the Tempo is clouded by one simple thing: I don't FIT in it! My head hits the roof when I try to drive one.

Did you or did you not read my post? I'm guessing not.