1971 Ford Maverick 200 cid. (3.3liter) straight six.
Anyone know of any lists of DIY friendly cars?
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My 1986 B2000 was stupid simple. I thought the 2 Accords I owned were fairly easy to work on. Everything was accessible for the most part and I changed alot on the '94.
I'd have to say my truck is pretty easy. There are some things I won't try because I know better. I think another key to success would be how common the make/model/engine is. It's easier to ask someone how to do it than to figure it out yourself.
I'd have to say my truck is pretty easy. There are some things I won't try because I know better. I think another key to success would be how common the make/model/engine is. It's easier to ask someone how to do it than to figure it out yourself.
My 2002 Cavalier 2.2 OHV was easy to work on and needed very little work. Changing oil sucked, though, but not the worst I have ever seen either.
My 97 cav with the 2.2 is for the most part dead simple to work on. Plrnty of room and things are just kind if ya know, THERE. Thebonly exceptions thus far are the oil filter is a pain in the rump to get to (have to go in from behind the passenger tire) but its better now that i have an oil filter wrenchthat fits it. Also i had to go buy a 30mm deepwellbsocket for the wheel bearing job amd that was a pain to find, finally find one at advance, and for the same job i needed a t-55 torx bit that i didnt have. Not really specialty tools though.
Our 03 expy 4.6 on the othr hand is a bit more of a pain. Changing plugz requires pulling the cop coils which can be a hassle. The oil filter is easy enough to get to, as is the air filter. I have to say though changing out the fuel pump was a PAIN. Not so much dropping the tank, but getting it back up and on again. That was bad. The jeep withthe 2.5l amc is dead easy to work kn thouh we wil se how we feel about that after we change the transmission out lol
While my 02 with the Ecotec is the easiest to change oil of anything I ever had, what should be just as simple isn't. Come on, should I have to dig out the shop manual and study the schematic to figure out how to fix the trunk light? Must it be controlled by the BMC instead of a tilt or micro switch?
I don't think there is a thing on my 77 truck that Henry Ford couldn't have figured out how it works and fixed it but the radio. Yes, I am happy otherwise to be past the era of the carb and points, but this BMC nonsense is dumb, dumb, dumb.
I don't think there is a thing on my 77 truck that Henry Ford couldn't have figured out how it works and fixed it but the radio. Yes, I am happy otherwise to be past the era of the carb and points, but this BMC nonsense is dumb, dumb, dumb.
On my 1997 Camaro, changing spark plugs is about a 2 hour job. Plug wires took 4 hours and I had to drop both exhaust headers and pull the alternator and starter. Not fun.
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I think my Mazda 3 is fairly easy to DIY for a modern car.
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Overall the engine bay layout is good with lots of room for most regular things.
I agree for the most part (we have one too). The only thing I don't like about the Mazda3 from a maintenance standpoint (that I know of now) is the front jacking point. My floor jack is fairly low as floor jacks go, but since the recommended jacking point is on the crossmember *behind* the engine I pretty much have to roll it up on planks before I can get the jack underneath it far enough. Ramps would work, except the air dam is pretty low and I prefer to use jack stands so I can rotate the tires at the same time I'm changing the oil. Not that bad, but harder than on typical Hondas for instance, where there's a crossmember right in front of the engine for jacking.
Of course for this design, front of the engine bay is wonderfully open underneath. Clutch slave cyl, starter, everything's just right there. Based on reading the service manual it looks like you can drop the MT for a clutch replacement without removing any subframe which is more than I can say for my Civic.
I think my Mazda 3 is fairly easy to DIY for a modern car.
...
Overall the engine bay layout is good with lots of room for most regular things.
I agree for the most part (we have one too). The only thing I don't like about the Mazda3 from a maintenance standpoint (that I know of now) is the front jacking point. My floor jack is fairly low as floor jacks go, but since the recommended jacking point is on the crossmember *behind* the engine I pretty much have to roll it up on planks before I can get the jack underneath it far enough. Ramps would work, except the air dam is pretty low and I prefer to use jack stands so I can rotate the tires at the same time I'm changing the oil. Not that bad, but harder than on typical Hondas for instance, where there's a crossmember right in front of the engine for jacking.
Of course for this design, front of the engine bay is wonderfully open underneath. Clutch slave cyl, starter, everything's just right there. Based on reading the service manual it looks like you can drop the MT for a clutch replacement without removing any subframe which is more than I can say for my Civic.
Originally Posted By: rudolphna
My 97 cav with the 2.2 is for the most part dead simple to work on. Plrnty of room and things are just kind if ya know, THERE. Thebonly exceptions thus far are the oil filter is a pain in the rump to get to (have to go in from behind the passenger tire) but its better now that i have an oil filter wrenchthat fits it. Also i had to go buy a 30mm deepwellbsocket for the wheel bearing job amd that was a pain to find, finally find one at advance, and for the same job i needed a t-55 torx bit that i didnt have. Not really specialty tools though.
I got my socket from Snap-on. That was the only place I could find it at the time. I think the bearings go bad more up North because the road salt leaches into them. We have problems with our road tractors eating front end components that run in a lot of salt, and grease them more often. Unfortunately, those bearings are sealed.
My 97 cav with the 2.2 is for the most part dead simple to work on. Plrnty of room and things are just kind if ya know, THERE. Thebonly exceptions thus far are the oil filter is a pain in the rump to get to (have to go in from behind the passenger tire) but its better now that i have an oil filter wrenchthat fits it. Also i had to go buy a 30mm deepwellbsocket for the wheel bearing job amd that was a pain to find, finally find one at advance, and for the same job i needed a t-55 torx bit that i didnt have. Not really specialty tools though.
I got my socket from Snap-on. That was the only place I could find it at the time. I think the bearings go bad more up North because the road salt leaches into them. We have problems with our road tractors eating front end components that run in a lot of salt, and grease them more often. Unfortunately, those bearings are sealed.
Cavalier wheel bearings snap my cheap torx sockets. If I did a lot of them I'd have to go snap-on or go home.
They also have a bunch of stupid bracing around the starter that looks like an afterthought. The 2.2s in s10s are also murder to change starters on.
They get bonus points for supremey easy valve cover gaskets, but demerits for drying them out so quickly.
They also have a bunch of stupid bracing around the starter that looks like an afterthought. The 2.2s in s10s are also murder to change starters on.
They get bonus points for supremey easy valve cover gaskets, but demerits for drying them out so quickly.
Yeah, I gave up and paid Firestone to install shims to correct the rear alignment of my Cavalier. I see no reason they couldn't have been hex heads. Needless complication.
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Cavalier wheel bearings snap my cheap torx sockets. If I did a lot of them I'd have to go snap-on or go home.
They also have a bunch of stupid bracing around the starter that looks like an afterthought. The 2.2s in s10s are also murder to change starters on.
They get bonus points for supremey easy valve cover gaskets, but demerits for drying them out so quickly.
I had to remove the exhaust manifold to get to the starter on a 2.2 S-10 (1996). That added about an extra 1/2 to 1 hour to the job. I think the reason it went bad was because it was surrounded by exhaust manifold. That was a common problem on older small block chevies.
Cavalier wheel bearings snap my cheap torx sockets. If I did a lot of them I'd have to go snap-on or go home.
They also have a bunch of stupid bracing around the starter that looks like an afterthought. The 2.2s in s10s are also murder to change starters on.
They get bonus points for supremey easy valve cover gaskets, but demerits for drying them out so quickly.
I had to remove the exhaust manifold to get to the starter on a 2.2 S-10 (1996). That added about an extra 1/2 to 1 hour to the job. I think the reason it went bad was because it was surrounded by exhaust manifold. That was a common problem on older small block chevies.
The torx bit I used was part of a kit I borrowed from advance. The worse part of the whole thing was prying the old hub unit out of the steering knuckle. I had to use a flathead screwdriver, a crowbar and a pickle fork before I finally managed to get the thing out. I don't understand why they would put the oil filter in that spot, and make it such a pain to get to.
Originally Posted By: The Critic
I think the whole DIY friendly thing is relative to your skill level and your investment in tools.
If you want to cut corners and do a hack job, then yes, it's easier to get away with that on certain cars than others. However, if you're like me and invest serious $$$ into tools and equipment for any car you or your immediate family owns, then it's a non-issue.
What I think he meant, or at least the way I read it.... he is asking what vehicles are designed to make maintenance easy. That is is desirable when paying for maintenance because it will cost less, but also desirable for DIY because its not such a pain you go pay someone else to do it.
For example, our 2003 Vue V6 requires taking off the intake manifold to change the spark plugs. Just a few weeks after doing that, the check engine light came on because the thermostat was stuck open. Getting to the thermostat required taking the intake manifold off again.
It has nothing to do with getting by with a hack job. They've made it harder than it needs to be.
As for your tools comment - that applies to the Vue too. To get the intake manifold off you have to use a 1/4" drive torx bit, on a long extension. But that's not as irritating as having to take the intake manifold off to begin with.
I think the whole DIY friendly thing is relative to your skill level and your investment in tools.
If you want to cut corners and do a hack job, then yes, it's easier to get away with that on certain cars than others. However, if you're like me and invest serious $$$ into tools and equipment for any car you or your immediate family owns, then it's a non-issue.
What I think he meant, or at least the way I read it.... he is asking what vehicles are designed to make maintenance easy. That is is desirable when paying for maintenance because it will cost less, but also desirable for DIY because its not such a pain you go pay someone else to do it.
For example, our 2003 Vue V6 requires taking off the intake manifold to change the spark plugs. Just a few weeks after doing that, the check engine light came on because the thermostat was stuck open. Getting to the thermostat required taking the intake manifold off again.
It has nothing to do with getting by with a hack job. They've made it harder than it needs to be.
As for your tools comment - that applies to the Vue too. To get the intake manifold off you have to use a 1/4" drive torx bit, on a long extension. But that's not as irritating as having to take the intake manifold off to begin with.
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