Up until about 1 hour ago I had pretty much no problem with Ford engineering. Every time I've had to work on my truck or my wife's taurus, I've had little to no problems.

Today I haven't been so lucky. I realize that some things just have to be a PITA- that's just how wrenching goes sometimes- but what I ran into today was, and still is, completely avoidable.

I'm replacing the rear brake pads on my wife's 98 taurus, and for whatever reason- one can only guess- Ford decided to run the parking brake hook up on the bottom side of the caliper. Not normally a problem, except that it's right in the way of the bottom caliper mounting bolt!

After 20 minutes and a fair amount of cursing [quietly to myself- my neighbors have impressionable young children], I finally jammed a screwdriver between the caliper and rotor and proceeded to beat the screwdriver until it popped off.

After looking thoroughly at the situation and set up of the rear suspension, I see absolutely no reason why that cable couldn't have been routed thru the top side of the caliper- which would have been conveniently out of the way of everything, and much easier to service if it required it. But instead they decided to put it on the bottom and right in the way.

I just don't understand why they can't think things thru a little better.

...but then I'm not an engineer.

End rant.

 

I have always said, "IF" those damn engineers knew they were going to have to work on stuff it would be designed VERY different...... As in "possible" to get to......

 

Exactly!

I can remember when I was younger and helping my dad on different mechanical projects- the phrase always varied, but it usually included at least one curse word followed immediately by "engineer."

Of course when they're probably getting factory service for free, what do they care if they make it hard on the back yard mechanic?

And now for an extension on my original rant-

What is the purpose of the screw type brake piston? As far as I can tell there's no specific application that warrants a screw type piston versus a compression type piston!

Same project- I've got one side done and put back together. I'm working on the other side and- using a pair of channel locks because I don't have that special little tool- I can only get the piston to screw back into the bore of the piston so far. It's about halfway in, but it won't move another 1/16" of an inch!

Using my channel locks worked just fine on the other side, but this side just won't move any further. I even used my tape measure to check on its progress, and it's just not moving.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!

 

Dont even bother with the cheap box like tool you can attach to a socket, gotta buy the real kit for them that has a compressor.

I have a junker 98 tauras, it has drums. The star adjuster is nearly impossible to get to b/c the struts in the way or something (i forget im junking it anyways but still..)

 

I did the rear discs on our 97 Bird back in the summer, and had to buy one of the tools to "twist" the damn caliper piston back in... I can't say any more about it on here.... If I did I would be banned from FTE in a heartbeat, and quite possibly from the entire internet!!!!!

I'm sure the new stuff is better, and does last longer, but sometimes I think it would be easier to replace/adjust a set of points than to "cipher" the DTC's..

But then again I am an old fart and I do resist change!!!

 

Well I finally got 'er done. I ended up clamping my C clamp vice grips on the piston and then working my channel locks onto the piston and turned it. Whatever the problem was, that was enough to overcome it and I got it moving again. Had to repeat it twice to get it all the way in.

I'm just glad we'll be trading off this thing in a couple of weeks for a new SUV. [Don't spear me for this, but we're getting a jeep cherokee- our last one was a good reliable vehicle, which was surprising coming out of chrysler.] Hopefully I can get rid of it before I have to do any more work to it.

There's just something I don't like about cars in general. The newer ones anyway. Old beasts of the 60's-80's era were nice, but seems like anything post 90 just stinks. Just seems like they try to cram too much crap into too tight a space- and don't even get me started on what I think of the sideways engines!! I do have to admit I like the body style of the new mustangs tho.

No argument from me on this one. The complexity of today's electrical systems just makes it a PITA to diagnose sometimes. Especially when it turns out to be a burned/shorted wire instead of whatever sensor is throwing the codes!

 

Sorry to read about all your problems, but those kind of things really make me love my '67 Cougar even more! It's so easy to work on!

 

Vent time for me... tommaro I have to pul the tranny to replace a rear main seal that will dump 3 Qts oil out in 2 days! On top of that the front right caliper stuck the same time the rear main dumped out! Also the oil guage quit reading just hope its a sender... I'll put a mechanical guage on it after the rear main is replaced to verify. All this is on my 89 F250.

Don't get me started on my 85 Plymouth..... intermittant problem driving me crazy.....

 

Newer vehicles tend to be a pita. Just got through putting a lower control arm and sway bar links on wife's 04 Merc GM. A bushing that is used to aline the front end wore out at 46K miles. Of course you can't just buy the bushing but need the whole arm. If one bolt was put in from the other direction I wouldn't have had to move the rack out of the way.

 

We had a 96 Merc GM that we traded for the 87 F-150. I hated working on that thing!

To replace the heater hose, you would have to pull the intake off the 4.6. I bent a 5/8" copper tube into a question mark shape and rerouted it to exit behind the alternator.

The heater core started to leak just before we got rid of it, and to replace that, you have to remove the entire dash and steering column!!
All I had to do to replace the one in the truck was to take out the glove box and get to it from there!!

I'll never get another newer (96 & up) vehicle again if I have to do any work on it!