Today, I replaced a CV gaiter on our old Audi for the MOT.
When I removed the old gaiter, and wiped the old grease off, I found that these joints are held on by a spring clip inside the joint. Normally, you remove these by "tapping" the centre of the joint.
It's very easy to have trouble with this approach, and in the past, I have popped the inner joint out when I've got a bit carried away with the "tapping".
However, this CV joint was held in to the hub by a long bolt, I tried screwing the bolt into the joint. Bingo!, the bolt gently pushed the joint off the end of the shaft with no drama, no need for special tools, no damage to either joint, and no grease everywhere.
It's a design feature which would have cost very little (if anything?) to implement, and makes the job so much easier. I'm well impressed.
Are there any other examples of hidden, simple, features which make your DIY work much easier on your car?
|
That CV joint feature sounds handy.
Found the Transit oil filter casing had a bolt head cast into the end as well as grippy serrated edge, thought this was good simple design as virtually every type of filter tool would work if you didn't have the correct large socket....the van was simplicity itself to service, with easy access to everything, a lesson to many.
|
Nothing beats designing in ease of servicing.
On Nicoles polo, the oil filer is so close to the exhaust down pipe there is NO way that's coming off when the engine has warmed up the oil, unless you want to lose the skin off your hand.
It got changed cold.
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 15 Jul 11 at 21:46
|
>> On Nicoles polo, the oil filer is so close to the exhaust down pipe there
>> is NO way that's coming off when the engine has warmed up the oil, unless
>> you want to lose the skin off your hand.
By contrast, on our PD Golf, it's in a lovely location, right on the very top of the engine, and easily accessible from under the bonnet. That said, being a replaceable element type (with two O-rings to change as well), it's is a bit fiddlier than a simple spin-off replacement
Best feature hands down that I've come across is the clutch arrangement on the 80's FWD Vauxhalls. Very clever engineering, with a real benefit to owners in terms of cost savings, or if DIY, good old fashioned simplicity. I can't see there ever being another car where you can change a clutch in under an hour.
Last edited by: DP on Sat 16 Jul 11 at 08:48
|
>> Best feature hands down that I've come across is the clutch arrangement on the 80's
>> FWD Vauxhalls. Very clever engineering, with a real benefit to owners in terms of cost
>> savings, or if DIY, good old fashioned simplicity. I can't see there ever being another
>> car where you can change a clutch in under an hour.
>>
My Mk1 Fiesta had a clutch change in under an hour.
Done by a Ford Techie at lunch time, AND I had time to fetch some chips for his and my dinner IN the Fiesta!
|
>>I can't see there ever being another car where you can change a clutch in under an hour.
The Maxi was simple, although it took much longer if you included that confounded oil-seal.
|
I have a man at the garage to do these things. He's awfully good. Washes the car afterwards too. Decent sort.
:-)
|
|
On my Triumph 1500 FWD there was an access panel in front of the gearlever which allowed you to withdraw the gearbox input shaft without stripping the car down. Very useful as it was a part which benefited from the occaisional clean to prevent clutch drag. Also allowed the clutch to be changed without taking the engine out.
|
>> >>I can't see there ever being another car where you can change a clutch in under an hour.
>>
What is a clutch ? :-)
|
|
My current landcruiser has a lovely huge channel for wires running from the front to the back, each side. Access is by undoing a couple of bolts and sliding a cover. Mades installing towbar and reversing camera a breeze.
|
|
On my old BMW, oil filter location was great - right on top of the engine with a removable cartridge. Changing the dampers is easy on this car, and a few other cars have this - the whole strut is attached to a separate hub carrier. Two bolts at the bottom and three bolts at the top and they're out.
|
Surprisingly the Hillman Imp. Remove rear X member 4 bolts, disconnect cooling, accelerator cable, few cables, bolts thro rubber donuts, gear change 1 bolt , Engine and gearbox out on a wheeled trolley. One man job. 20 mins?
The reason that it was so easy was that you had to do the same thing to change the No 4 spark plug!
What I cannot remember is if you could leave the gearbox in place. The most difficult bit of re-assemblage was re-bolting the donuts. And to think I did this regularly before I had a pit.
|
Aforementioned Vauxhalls:
Jack and support car, remove flywheel access cover and gearbox end cover. have an assistant depress clutch pedal while you apply three clips to the circumference of the plates. Undo input shaft retaining bolt, and withdraw the shaft from the clutch assembly. Undo the bolts and drop the complete clutch assembly through the access hole. Slide the release bearing off the release arm. Reassembly a direct reversal of the above.
I believe the pros could do these in about 20 mins.
|
>> I believe the pros could do these in about 20 mins.
I've told this tale before, but it bears repeating here... I once left my Mk2 Cavalier at a clutch outfit all day to have a new clutch fitted - when I arrived after work to pick it up they hadn't even started the job.
Two of them got it changed in 10 minutes flat while I stood there watching :)
|
I've done couple at the roadside to prevent long, expensive recoveries....and the club member losing his car for a while.
The oil filter on the Vitara TD is awful...its high up on the o/s of the lump and points down. You can get a hand to it but you can't exert any strength. There's too much round it to get a strap or chain wrench on so you have to get the car on the ramps and use a three leg ratchet wrench on a long extension from underneath. There's no room between the filter and the block so you can't turn the wrench more than a quarter of an inch at a time before re-setting it.
A filter with a hexagon on the end would be bliss ! You also need to tighten the filter with the wrench or it will start leaking in a couple of weeks.
Ted
|
Audi 80/90 Mk 1 - CV Joint - A nice feature - -
