I've said it before I'll say it again.

I HATE AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS AND THE STUPID WAY THEY DO THINGS.

I go to change my water pump and they have a bypass hose and clamp in such a place the only way I could get the clamp loose was with a cut off disk on my dremel tool. And now I have to tear the whole top of the engine off (Alternator and AC mounted in a huge cast aluminum bracket) to get to the other end of the stupid hose cause it was most likely damaged in the process.

Time for lunch.

Then to the parts store for a Tensioner $75, Thermostat $10, Bypass hose $13, Hose clamps (OK I have those), Antifreeze $13, and a refill on my cuss words.

I already have the Water pump it was only $68.00

98 Dodge Dakota 3.9L V6

Edited by Mark W. - 24 Feb. 2019 at 7:46pm

Chug A Lug
1948 2A Body Customized
1949 3A W/S
1957 CJ5 Frame Modified
Late 50's 134L 9.25"clutch T90A D18 (1.25") D44/30 flanged E-Locker D25 5.38 Since 1962

My dad had a Northstar V8 Caddy. The starter job was an $1800 estimate. So he asked me to look at it. The starter is under the intake in the V of the engine. No. Told him to get rid of that car......glad he did.

Who could have possibly thought that was a good idea?? I feel your pain.

46 CJ2a rockcrawler
46 CJ2a - 26819
46 Bantam T3c "4366"
47 Bantam T3C - 11800
68-ish CJ5

Easy there, Mark, you'll bust a gasket! BW

It is NOT a Jeep Willys! It is a Willys jeep.

Happy Trails! Good-bye, Good Luck, and May the Good Lord Take a Likin' to You!

We Have Miles to Jeep, Before We Sleep.

I swear they must go into "Witness Protection when they retire.

I wish people would quit hittin' me on the head. MQ

cpt logger wrote:

What do you mean by "those things" ?

Things like water pumps with bypass hose clamps that have to be cut off with a Dremel. Obviously some engineer did design it, but frequently it was because he wasn't given enough information about what else was around it, and then he was pissed when he saw the end result. Or maybe he was told he had to reuse a part from an existing vehicle that didn't really fit in the new application.

And yes, sometimes it was just because he was a short-sighted idiot, but then the rest of us were pissed because we (like everyone else) was going to have to life with the poor design for all eternity, but also because we (as automotive engineers) were going to get tarred with the same brush that he deserved.

(And to clarify my background, I worked in an engine test lab at GM right out of college. I left after about two years and for the last 32 years I've worked at a small manufacturing company doing production support. An important part of my current job is talking with design engineers to help them not release designs that are going to cause problems for production.)

Bob

Flatfender wannabe
'71 Ford Bronco

Mark W. wrote:

LOL IMHO there is a difference between "designs that are going to cause problems for production." And designs that cause HUGE problems for the guy trying to fix something 100K down the road. Or in my case 198K down the road.

Oh, I know! Companies are willing to spend money to fix production problems, because those problems cost the company money. Companies are much less willing to spend money to fix problems that will only affect the customer 198K down the road. I was just letting people know my background.

Bob

Flatfender wannabe
'71 Ford Bronco

Easy on the engineers, Mark. Every product design contains compromises--for manufacturing, assembly, performance and yes, service and repair. What makes a design easy to live with in any of these areas often makes it a PITA in another area. There's also the reality of cost, and how much any OEM is willing to make changes, all of which incur cost. Vintage jeep fans well know the various problem areas that first surfaced on the MB/GPW but were carried over well into the postwar CJ era. And not because Willys, Kaiser and AMC were unaware of them.

CJ2A #140275 "Ziggie" (purchased new by my dad in 1947)
ACM #124334
CJ3A windshield, Warn Overdrive
1953 Strick M100 trailer
Serial #18253