Irritating Engine Bays

When you have worked on cars, which poorly designed engine bays have been the biggest headache?
You know-the what should be a simple repair turns into an unnecessarily complicated one-where you have to move six things just to get to the one thing? The engines that leave you wondering, "why did they design it like that?" Share your frustrations here!

 

I've got an Isuzu Rodeo Sport with a 3.2 V6 that needed a thermostat change. Found out you have to remove the intake manifold as the thermostat is located in the center of the valley pan under the intake!

 

I'd say any 80's car with an Olds 307 is PITA to work on.

 

Chevette starters and distributor caps on air conditioned ones.

 

Any VW with a 2.0 TSI engine...

 

These.

 

1996 Z28 - Some guys drop the entire K-member to change the spark plugs and wires. Longest tune up of my life. Every swivel and extension in the toolbox won't be enough.

 

Chevy Blazer 4X4 motor mounts suck

 

Cadillac Northstar engineers thought it was a good place to put the starter!

 

1995 Buick series II 3800 engine... Merely changing the primary serpentine belt requires loosening the passenger side motor mount. The belt goes AROUND the mount...REAL WINNER THERE, GM...

 

I remember that too! 97 Buick LeSabre

 

Don’t forget while that mount is loose/off to rinse & repeat the other side to get some motor rotation to get at the three rear plugs.....

Kyle

 

Same thing with powerstrokes.

 

I'm aware. I worked at Ford when the 6.0 came out.

 

Or the infamous GM 2.2L(I think anyway) that had the screw on oil filter cover....no good/clean way to get that filter out!!

Kyle

 

The 1990 Bonneville SSE that I owned had the alternator on the upper right of the engine. The 1991 Bonneville had the alternator lower right of the engine with heat shields to cool it. How do u replace the alternator without removing everything - no room..

 

How about the Ford with the water pump inside the intake.If you need a water pump,take apart the engine,if the Water pump breaks,need a new engine.Bruno.

 

I remember standing in front of my '97 Riviera, holding a serpentine belt in one hand, thinking it would be a 2 minute job. Then thinking WTF

Not only the motor mount needed to be removed... One of the motor mount bolts is behind the power steering pump

 

Been there, done that. I'm thinkin' who the_ _ _ _ designed this POS? .....Very frustrating!!

 

The Saturn Vue with the Honda-based v6 you have to take the passenger front wheel and some suspension parts off just to change the alternator. Then you have to buy a Japanese Denso alternator that is hard to find, because everything else in the car is GM and every other model has a GM engine. Unaware mechanics will replace with a GM alternator and people will chase their tails trying to figure out why their car keeps dying.