I hate Hondas...

[djmcmath]

Begin Rant:

I am convinced that Honda cars are the Japanese vengeance on America for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Last weekend I helped my dad put a new engine in his Accord -- an act that required a size 42 shoe horn, as the engine bay is physically smaller than the engine. Don't believe me? Try to get one of those buggers out of there without welding!

Now, I'm trying to pull the alternator out of my daily driver, and I'm slowly coming to the realization that you can't get the alternator out without pulling apart either the driver's side suspension or the intake runners. Alternately, I could pull three motor mounts, disconnect the tranny, and pull the engine partway out of the car. That might be easier...

How stupid is this, really? I mean, do they really assume that the alternator will last the life of the engine? Aargh.

:End Rant

Dan

[Aurel]

It`s not just Honda. Last summer, I replaced the spark plugs on my Nissan Xterra. The infamous #6 is such a PITA to get to, there is a web site made specially to describe the procedure !

http://www.nissanoffroad.net/how_to/plugs/plug.asp

Aurel

[cowtown]

Wow, that triggered some deja vu, Dan. I had a Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo, and it was absolutely hellish to tinker with. Some of the fasteners in the engine bay screw upward into the block, requiring crowfoot wrenches and a mirror...if a mirror would fit in the space, which it won't. So you're basically doing everything blind, with crowfoot wrenches. I sold the car after one year just because of this. I'll never own another Nissan in my life. Sounds like I should add Honda to this list as well?

[VaSteve]

Originally posted by Aurel
It`s not just Honda. Last summer, I replaced the spark plugs on my Nissan Xterra. The infamous #6 is such a PITA to get to, there is a web site made specially to describe the procedure !

http://www.nissanoffroad.net/how_to/plugs/plug.asp

Aurel

I would just buy my spark plugs in sets of 5 and hope for the best.

I had an Altima that blew through 2 alternators in 2 weeks (changed the second one in an office parking lot in the rain, fun!), 02 sensor, and needed to be completely rewired because it blew a fuse every time the left blinker was on. No more Nissan's for me....

[john70t]

If you ever see a picture of the engine bay of a 2002(?) Corolla- there's about a foot of empty space on each side of the engine. Sick.
Don't fret too much though. I saw a guy changing a timing chain for a buick and big silicon gasket chunks/crap fell into the oil pan. To drop the pan required unbolting and dropping the whole front clip....

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I did a prelude and found that pushing the motor up from below was the best solution.

[Tyson Schmidt]

I used to work on Hondas. IIRC, you need to remove the left axle first. It depends on what year of Accord.

[adrian jaye]

hONDAS are great cars man.

you boys dont know whatcha mising, they beat 944s hands down,

when I'm rolling in ma Hundah, yoo just know I got respect.

a proper supercar not like some other cars I could mention "Pwash" COUGH, "Pwash" Cough.

I'll challange any one of ya to a race and will whip ya hands down Boy !

Heres ma ride


want a race, I double dare ya, for pinks !

[stuartj]

Originally posted by djmcmath
Begin Rant:

I am convinced that Honda cars are the Japanese vengeance on America for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Dan

Its only part of it. Getting Americans to say "Neesahn", Marhzdha" and "Dartsun" was the funniest bit.

[IROC]

I've owned a bunch of Toyota truck products (2 four wheel drive pickups, a 2 wheel drive pickup, 2 4Runners and a DoubleCab Tacoma) and I've found them to be not only very well designed and built, but very easy to work on.

On the other hand, I owned a '93 Acura Integra (only Honda product I've ever owned) and it was a nightmare to work on...

Mike

[lendaddy]

Yep, there is room for two V8's (or so it seems) under the hood of my Tundra. I was very shocked at how clean & simple the engine compartment is. There is nothing you can't get to.

[mattdavis11]

I'm in the process of changing out the water pump on my 1991 Land Cruiser, it's a pretty straight forward process. However, some of the hoses on the pump do require small hands to r&r. There was no need to remove the radiator. My hands are beat up pretty bad though. I have all the air tools I need, but I haven't turned on the compressor 1 time. Just taking my time, almost done!

[VincentVega]

Wow, big Honda fan here. Compared to many other makes they are pretty straight forward, IMO. The older Accords with carbs were kind of a mess, mostly due to the 500 vacuum lines. Other than that pretty simple. I just did a timing belt on one in an hour, just about every fastener is a 10 or 12mm.

[djmcmath]

I do like the fact that all the fasteners are the same sizes -- 10, 12, and 17. In that sense, it's real easy. You just collect a lot of 10mm wrenches. Heck, my Dad has a 10mm impact socket in the 3/4" drive size, just in case. I don't know that he's ever needed to seriously use it, or how much damage you'd really do to a bolt if you did need to apply that much force to a 10mm fastener.

The only Toyotas I've worked on have been old -- back from the days when emissions control engineering was done by bureaucrats, not by engineers. 10 million little bitty hoses and wires running randomly around the engine bay, and if any single hose is swapped, disconnected, or leaks, you're done. Never enjoyed that, either.

I'm looking at two serious possibilities for this silly alternator:
1 - Pull three of the engine mounts, put a floor jack under the oil pan, and pick the engine up 2 inches.
2 - Dismantle the alternator inside the engine bay, drop the resultant pieces out the bottom. Dismantle the new alternator, rebuild it inside the engine bay, then install.
3 - Apply a reciprocating saw to the fender well; install "access panel." It's like making a hull cut when working on a submarine. "Oh, we can't fit the emergency diesel generator out through the hatch? No problem, we'll just make a hull cut..."

BTW, does anybody want a Honda? Slightly used? Great condition? Runs uh ... real good, honest, great uh ... daily driver? Real cheap?

[Joeaksa]

Its not just Hondas! Remember the GM products 10-15 years ago that you had to jack the engine up a ways just to get to the spark plugs? POS out of the box.

Cannot say much, own and work on Jaguars and they are nightmares at times, especially on electrics.

Glad to be addicted to my 911!

JoeA