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By Daniel Jessup - 15 Years Ago
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This morning my starter went out on my 2001 Ford Expedition (5.4 liter V8), so I decided to let it sit in my driveway until I returned home this evening with a new one. The vehicle barely has over 100K on it, and it hauls like nobody's business. Naturally, the rain is coming down pretty good, my garage is not yet finished (concrete floor in the pole barn literally being poured tomorrow), and its getting dark. No problem -- I have done this before. One time in a Staples parking lot with my 1996 Aerostar. Well, that little starter is really wedged up in there and one of the three bolts cannot be seen, only "felt". Needless to say, I needed to have hands that were much smaller than mine. It took me almost 2 hours!!! to get that thing out, get a new one in and fire her up! Humbling experience. Felt pretty dumb. I will never complain about the y block starter again. Heavy? sure. Tight? well, not compared to most. Accessible from the top of the engine compartment? You bet!  Ok, I'm done.
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By paul2748 - 15 Years Ago
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It is not fun working on the newer cars
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By mctim64 - 15 Years Ago
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I have friends asking me for mechanical help all the time and I used to be more ablidging, but now a days I ask what year is it and if it is newer than '74 I don't want to touch it.  Heck, I don't even like working on my own newer cars.
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By charliemccraney - 15 Years Ago
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mctim64 (3/16/2010)
I have friends asking me for mechanical help all the time and I used to be more ablidging, but now a days I ask what year is it and if it is newer than '74 I don't want to touch it. Heck, I don't even like working on my own newer cars.
Ah, yes, the curse of friends who know that you work on your own stuff. If I didn't own my Firebird, I wouldn't touch one. Every time I have to take a piece of plastic off I wonder will it be the last time.
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By Ol'ford nut - 15 Years Ago
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Daniel Jessup (3/15/2010)
This morning my starter went out on my 2001 Ford Expedition (5.4 liter V8), so I decided to let it sit in my driveway until I returned home this evening with a new one. The vehicle barely has over 100K on it, and it hauls like nobody's business. Naturally, the rain is coming down pretty good, my garage is not yet finished (concrete floor in the pole barn literally being poured tomorrow), and its getting dark. No problem -- I have done this before. One time in a Staples parking lot with my 1996 Aerostar. Well, that little starter is really wedged up in there and one of the three bolts cannot be seen, only "felt". Needless to say, I needed to have hands that were much smaller than mine. It took me almost 2 hours!!! to get that thing out, get a new one in and fire her up! Humbling experience. Felt pretty dumb. I will never complain about the y block starter again. Heavy? sure. Tight? well, not compared to most. Accessible from the top of the engine compartment? You bet! Ok, I'm done. I feel your pain! Worst starter I ever worked on was my mother-in-laws front wheel drive Chrysler. Starter is behind engine and bolts are hidden. After I "finally" got them out with a 4 foot extension on my socket wrench had to play hide and seek putting bolts back in. And remember--- mother-in-law=no pay
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By BIGREDTODD - 15 Years Ago
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While I figured out a slick way to replace the fuel pump in my late model GMC, I really try to avoid touching it beyond brakes and basic maintenance and tune-up parts... A couple weeks ago I did a basic plug, wires, cap, rotor tune-up on my little sisters (non-lifted) 4WD Suburban (1999). One of the last SBC's before the LS engines. Now you could say that I am taller than average, and I still had to fully climb into the engine bay, only to find the the cap AND rotot were both fastened with TORX SCREWS!! And to make things even more exciting, they were so small that I couldn't even tell I was holding them without visual proof! Pretty sure I'm done working on late model stuff, even as favors. Though my sister is one helluva baker, and I've a serious sweet tooth...
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By Fordy Guy - 15 Years Ago
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I am a devout FORD man and always been a Ford man, but sometimes I think when they build these cars and trucks, they start with the engine on a stand and build around it till they're finished. I got wise and started buying extended warranties cause it cuts down on frustrations and blood pressure both of which a 64 year old doesn't need.
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By Y block Billy - 15 Years Ago
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I had a buddy ask me to paint his fender and bumper on a 95 oldsmobile. I couldn't hold that fender on my lap and sand on it without denting it. What crap! I am making a piont to not even have metric wrenches in my garage, if it uses metrics, its too new for me.
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By MarkMontereyBay - 15 Years Ago
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I was a Ford/Linc/Merc tech since starting in 1980 on the lube rack. Retired in 2005. Worked on them all. It's like anything else, you do it enough times, it gets easy. Like a guy I apprenticed with would say,"You just have to remember what tools to use and then hold your mouth just right to get it." I work on my own late model stuff but no one else. They don't take that much work anymore; no distributors, plug wires, 100,000 mile spark plugs, etc. But swapping out a set of late model PowerStroke diesel injectors or a turbo in a Ford Econoline can try your patience. On the late model F 350 and up, the front clip is now removable for major repairs. Ford reliability has improved dramatically in the last decade. The amount of warranty work done now is a fraction of what it used to be. I still get the full extended warranty though but haven't used it much at all on my last few cars. Wife drove a 99 Grand Marquis for 250K miles, never had a single problem.
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By LON - 15 Years Ago
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Spare a thought for all us guys with RHD ( Right Hand Drive )cars .We aslo have to contend with a clutch linkage ( manual box ) AND a steering box . Not an easy job to do .It does help if you have 2 index fingers and 3 thumbs on the same hand ???????? Lon PS Maybe Cusso Bill has some photos of what I'm talking about ???
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By Daniel Jessup - 15 Years Ago
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Lon, that's "right"! How can we forget you fellas down under? Like I said, I will never complain again about the Y block starter....in a left hand drive car.  One of the dumb things I did too (thinking it would be a quick job) was to lay down a vinyl tarp on the driveway. Well, the rain kept coming, it kept getting wetter, and of course as I was on the bottom end of an incline, you can imagine what my clothes looked like - I was pretty well soaked even though I was under the Expedition the whole time!
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By pegleg - 15 Years Ago
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I'm still trying to figure out how to get the last two plugs out of the drivers side of my 2003, 5.4 litre, F150. I have yet to find any combination of wrenches and extensions that fit. Got six in, and two new plugs in the glove box. I can hardly wait for the starter thing.
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By MarkMontereyBay - 15 Years Ago
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5.4L F150 spark plugs
http://www.ford-trucks.com/article/idx/0/100/article/How_To_Change_Spark_Plugs_on_46__54_Liter_F150s.html
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By bloodyknucklehill - 15 Years Ago
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Dan, i had an "I'll never complain again" moment yesterday when we got my girlfriends car back from the shop.. A hair under $400 for...... wait for it........ spark plugs yeah spark plugs and de-flooding the combustion chamber on her rotary-powered RX-8.. Now she regrets buying it.. go figure..
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By Daniel Jessup - 15 Years Ago
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OUCH! 
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By pegleg - 15 Years Ago
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Mark, thanks. I will go look at that one.
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By aussiebill - 15 Years Ago
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Daniel Jessup (3/17/2010)
Lon, that's "right"! How can we forget you fellas down under? Like I said, I will never complain again about the Y block starter....in a left hand drive car. One of the dumb things I did too (thinking it would be a quick job) was to lay down a vinyl tarp on the driveway. Well, the rain kept coming, it kept getting wetter, and of course as I was on the bottom end of an incline, you can imagine what my clothes looked like - I was pretty well soaked even though I was under the Expedition the whole time! Daniel, your bath under the car reminds me of having my customline with 2 wheels up on kerb so i could slid under it, Yes there was such a time!! and neighbour up at the top end of street decided to wash his car! i can vividly remember the wall of water around my head and shoulders as i tried to drag myself out from there, i still laugh about it. best regards bill.
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By Hoosier Hurricane - 15 Years Ago
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Bill: Several years ago I was at a drag race in Briston, Tennessee. Now the track there is in a valley between two mountain ridges. A friend of mine, Ed, did not pass tech because he didn't have a transmission blanket on his car. He bought a blanket, and started to install it just as it started raining---hard. He laid in about an inch of water to install the blanket, then took the car back to tech. The tech man asked if he installed a blanket, and said, OK, I'll take your work for it. Ed said, oh no. I laid in the water to install it, now you get under there and inspect it. He did!!
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By lowrider - 15 Years Ago
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Frank, like Mark said the more you do the easier it gets. To start out, I use a double jointed MATCO plug socket and on the right side as I go back the extensions get shorter until the last one is a 1in. extension. On the left side I just use a 10in all the way back. The double jointed socket is the key. Just wait until you have to change plugs in a 3-valve 5.4 and break off the 2 back ones.
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By aussiebill - 15 Years Ago
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Hoosier Hurricane (3/24/2010)
Bill: Several years ago I was at a drag race in Briston, Tennessee. Now the track there is in a valley between two mountain ridges. A friend of mine, Ed, did not pass tech because he didn't have a transmission blanket on his car. He bought a blanket, and started to install it just as it started raining---hard. He laid in about an inch of water to install the blanket, then took the car back to tech. The tech man asked if he installed a blanket, and said, OK, I'll take your work for it. Ed said, oh no. I laid in the water to install it, now you get under there and inspect it. He did!! Sure sounds fair to me!!
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By pegleg - 15 Years Ago
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Dan, Yeah, but I'm old, fat and have a limited assortment of extensions for my 3/8" drive. Along with that goes a limited amount of patience. Bad combination.
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