Automotive Engineers

[Mellvis]

Do they take classes to teach them to make simple things impossible?

Who was the GENIUS that designed my 86 Ranger so that the trans will not slide out of the hole between the trans hump and Y-pipe?

Is it really as easy to lift the body one inch for clearance as what I've been reading about on here?I'm thinking I can just loosen the body bolts (12 of them, right) and put in 1 inch spacers. Is it really that easy?

 

[rtg143]

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/re...epairGuideContent.jsp?pageId=0900c15280078231

 

[bmerr98]

Engineers just have to make everything fit in the allotted space. They don't have to fix it later. That's why mechanics hate engineers...

 

[adsm08]

The engineer is, as you have observed, a f**king moron.

That being said, the need for Y-pipe removal during trans removal has been an accepted practice much earlier than 86. Basically for as long as we have had V configured engines. Suck it up, take the Y-pipe out.

 

[Andy D]

Heh heh, With the transmission out, it is easier to drill out the sheared header studs/ bolts. The Rat's Y pipe was mounted on poorly drilled out 3/8 bolts. I wallowed out the holes ,re-used the grade 8 3/8 bolts with long brass nuts.

 

[jhammel85]

Or get a body lift. You might be able to squeeze by it then..

 

[straycat]

They all work for the auto manufactures. This way you have to come back for service at your own expense. That is how the nick name 'Stealership' came about….lol

 

[AgPete139]

Being a Mechanical Engineer and in R&D (not automotive, but oil & gas), I feel for both sides of the fence.

Frequently, design time, assembly time, material costs, and project budgets are trumped over field convenience.

But you're right about mechanics and post disassembly; it's not much of a concern for us. Being a shop guy, home mechanic, and graduate, I try to make all my design criteria meet at the middle. Just think: "Hey, it could be a lot worse."

With the introduction of CAD software, assembly equipment, and automated manufacturing, cars are becoming more compact and more of a bird's nest than anything else.

Today's cars are even worse than your 1986 Ranger. My buddy's 2008 RX8 has to have the bottom skid plate removed every time he wants to change his oil filter, and the oil drips all over his cross beam, making a goddamn mess every 3,000 miles. YOUR filter and plug are vertical and in plain site.


Boo hoo, you have to remove 6 exhaust bolts to remove a transmission. Where do YOU propose the lay the exhaust, while keeping the lengths to a minimum. Are all trucks supposed to have true dual exhaust? Or would you then bitch about the exhaust being too close & hot to the gas tank, the driver fuel lines, or the drive shaft (H-pipe, X-pipe)?

Do you propose that FoMoCo now make a larger tranny humps, and sacrifice passenger cabin space?

Or would you suggest that Ford just design a 4" x 4" x 4" transmission that runs on Pixie Dust and Wet Dreams?



........yea, I get it. You're frustrated, and this is just a rant. I'm just fighting for the other side.


Pete

 

[Mac]

Pete's got a lot of it right. Depending on which system you are tasked to design, you are only given a certain amount of space to work in and have to deal with all the other systems blending in. One reason I bought my new Bii in '84' and not the Cheby was the difference in ease of service. Straight drop for the oil filter and didn't have to lift the motor to change the started. One nice thing about the SBF is just how nice parts can interchange all the way back to the 221 ci in most cases, try that with other brands.
Dave

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I pulled the A4LD with the y-pipe in place back in high school pre bodylift, your results may vary.

 

[stmitch]

If you're capable enough to pull your own trans, why is removing a y-pipe a big deal?

 

[Mellvis]

If you're capable enough to pull your own trans, why is removing a y-pipe a big deal?

Removing a Y-pipe that has been in place since 1986 can be a pain when you consider fasteners being rusted and rounded off and such, that's all.

 

[drsvox]

I agree...more of a PITA issue than a big deal.

 

[Mellvis]

Being a Mechanical Engineer and in R&D (not automotive, but oil & gas), I feel for both sides of the fence.

Frequently, design time, assembly time, material costs, and project budgets are trumped over field convenience.

But you're right about mechanics and post disassembly; it's not much of a concern for us. Being a shop guy, home mechanic, and graduate, I try to make all my design criteria meet at the middle. Just think: "Hey, it could be a lot worse."

With the introduction of CAD software, assembly equipment, and automated manufacturing, cars are becoming more compact and more of a bird's nest than anything else.

Today's cars are even worse than your 1986 Ranger. My buddy's 2008 RX8 has to have the bottom skid plate removed every time he wants to change his oil filter, and the oil drips all over his cross beam, making a goddamn mess every 3,000 miles. YOUR filter and plug are vertical and in plain site.


Boo hoo, you have to remove 6 exhaust bolts to remove a transmission. Where do YOU propose the lay the exhaust, while keeping the lengths to a minimum. Are all trucks supposed to have true dual exhaust? Or would you then bitch about the exhaust being too close & hot to the gas tank, the driver fuel lines, or the drive shaft (H-pipe, X-pipe)?

Do you propose that FoMoCo now make a larger tranny humps, and sacrifice passenger cabin space?

Or would you suggest that Ford just design a 4" x 4" x 4" transmission that runs on Pixie Dust and Wet Dreams?



........yea, I get it. You're frustrated, and this is just a rant. I'm just fighting for the other side.


Pete

WOW

I guess I should just have gotten on here and praised the situation that I'm in as an opportunity to expand my abilities to overcome adverse situations. Pete, I humbly apologize for not being appreciative that that Ford didn't weld all of the parts together rather than bolting them together. I will close by saying that after wrenching on things from weed eaters to Peterbilts, Harleys to Chevys, Volkswagens to Kawasakis, I can't think of anything I've touched that I have situations like I have on Fords.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

WOW

I guess I should just have gotten on here and praised the situation that I'm in as an opportunity to expand my abilities to overcome adverse situations. Pete, I humbly apologize for not being appreciative that that Ford didn't weld all of the parts together rather than bolting them together. I will close by saying that after wrenching on things from weed eaters to Peterbilts, Harleys to Chevys, Volkswagens to Kawasakis, I can't think of anything I've touched that I have situations like I have on Fords.

They all have their + and -, and unless you pony up and buy new rust plain and simple will be a factor no matter where you go. It is one of the thrills of owning old stuff.

In my experience nobody ever "gets it perfect". If they have a good idea in one area they get three more "what the heck were you thinkings" in another.

But if I didn't enjoy working on my '85 I wouldn't have done as much as I have to it over the past 14 years.