I remember the first heater core I helped a friend replace on an Aerostar. I think I bought every shape and size of needle nose pliers available, and ended up bending the tips after heating with a torch on a pair about 18" long. Still have those pliers!

I remember when they started cracking into the tens of thousands of PSI in the newer injection systems, I read about that and my head almost exploded. I'm still shocked nobody has accidentally been decapitated by a busted connection.

V6 engine bay, you idiots!

That's a little high for most automotive systems (conventional power steering/hydroboost brake assist systems won't exceed 1800 psi, and then only rarely), but hydraulic suspensions see 3000ish regularly, and the HP oil pump on 7.3L and 6.0L PowerStroke diesels can easily get to 3600 psi to drive the fuel injectors.…

I read this list and it dawns on me, no one on Jalopnik ever owned an Aerostar.

He means that while it's rear engined it's shoved so far forward in the engine bay that it's almost mid-engined. Like how a Nissan 370Z/G37 Coupe are "Front-mid-engined" because the engine is shoved back behind the front axle and right against the firewall. This thinking by the way also led to the inaccessible spark…

If your newish VAG car has a V6, prepare yourself, because the front will have to come off for everything. twelvehappymen:

RE: #8

The Citroen SM is surprisingly absent...

I swapped one of those into a '93 Bronco after a drunk cardiovascular surgeon tboned the '93 in 2005 and my lawyer mom sued dude into oblivion, the thing refuses to die. I abuse the crap out of it but with frequent oil changes, egr cooling delete, and not putting nasty fuel in it and it just keeps on keeping on.

I've not read it, so I can't speak intelligently about the book at all. At this point, I've been out of the car business for more than 5 years and I can talk about stuff. The '96 DN101 Taurus had a number of clever ideas and some really really bad ones (including the catfish exterior styling), but I wasn't…

That's my car in the pic. I can see the logic of "service position" (worst euphemism since "rightsizing" IMO) for major work— it honestly wasn't that tough to get the schnozz off even though I'd never done it before— but it could still be better, and having to achieve service position for just a belt replacement is…

Try a 4.2 R8 for a/c compressor All data gives 27.5 hours book time

Again. Yes and no. Almost all cars have complicated software algorithms that can complicate matters. Look at the recent software update to the Jeep GC/Commander transfer case software and the alleged issues (I can't find the Jalopnik story) that the update may have created. This is just one example. Engineers,…

Right, we have different approaches for different generators:

It's really not that bad, 4 bolts take the seat off, 6 or 7 take the cover off, and you end up working on the car from inside it!

I'd rather remove a seat than remove the entirety of a front bumper/cowl or drop an engine just to do simple maintenance. Besides, you don't even need to jack up the car

Well, at least it's not a Dodge Stratus.

Mercedes 600 Grosser. Everything is hydraulically operated, from the sunroof to the windows to the suspension to the reclining rear seats is incredibly difficult to work on. The mineral oil it runs on is pressurized to 3200 psi. If a line breaks, the fluid can cut into you like a knife.

Battery replacement in a Chevy Lumina. Requires removal of a strut and washer fluid tank. You can just see the + terminal.