Getting Old -> Dislike Wrenching
 

What I spent the morning doing. Old engine coming out, new (used) going in.

http://i800.photobucket.com/albums/y...ps32f21c23.jpg

I'm glad I am capable of working on cars, but to be honest I don't enjoy it much anymore. A minor thing - brakes, etc - doesn't bother me. Projects that last days and involve grease wrestling with 500 lb lumps - I no longer see the charm.

Maybe if I was working on a Porsche . . .

After a few decades of doing it for a living I detest all parts of swinging a wrench.

sad to hear this from a youngster like yourself - if you have no lift you are not supposed to slow down until 65

if you DO have a lift, 75

maybe the problem is too many old cars (a vanagon counts as 3 old cars) and too little beer?

I don't know that I see a problem with it (not wanting to wrench that is).

I enjoy the little jobs, something that I can do in an afternoon or maybe even a weekend of something that's not too big a pain in the rear like a timing belt change or something. Something that you can plan for and do with little drama. I enjoy upgrading something.

I don't think I really want to do any big jobs like swapping a motor if I don't have to. Dropping a motor in a 911 probably shouldn't count since it's a very different thing than pulling the motor in most cars.

I've done some front wheel drive clutches in the past when I was a teen. The last time I had to do one, I farmed it out to a local shop. These days my time is worth too much. I balance the complexity, potential aggravation and time involved in a job with the cost.

I think I've become used to working on bicycles which, in addition to being simpler, are generally not greasy and grimy. I think it is the grease that bugs me the most. Nowadays I don't start working until I've sprayed the engine, brakes, whatever down w/ Simple Green then blasted it with the pressure washer. Working on a clean car is barely tolerable.

I love working on bicycles. I hate working on anything bigger/heavier than that.

Cleaner is definitely better. I used to hate cleaning up afterward. These days most of my cars are cleaner, and I usually wear nitrile gloves which helps a bunch, even if I go through 5-10 pairs for a job.

My frustrations usually involve not getting it done right the first time, forgetting a step and having to take it back apart again. I t didn't used to be that way.

That, and it seems like I need 3 hands to get something done. Or you can't quite get a good angle on it.

Sucks getting old.

When I was a teen, my dad taught me to work on cars. What that meant was that there were usually 4 hands in any job.

Unfortunately, my son is just not mechanically inclined, so I've generally only got two hands. I can usually get stuff done with just the two, but sometimes I really wish I had three or four.

Not having the right angle is actually part of the process that I enjoy, trying to figure out how to get my hand where it needs to be in a way that works. I usually end up a bit scraped up and possibly bleeding, but I usually get the angle that I need.

It is gonna be fun mating the motor on the crane with the transaxle in the van, all at wonky angles. Didn't plan it that way, but two of the CV Torx bolts are stripped and I'd rather get it together, then drive it to a pro mechanic to deal with that. Unless you tell me that I (not a pro) can Easy Out two Torx bolts in < 2 hours.

When I grew up, my dad fixed our cars, for routine stuff anyway. That was because we hadn't money, but I've grown up believing that a man should do at least the basic maintenance on his cars. Note that "his" cars does not include the wife's cars. I've never touched the Prius.

the older I get, the ROI/fun ratio becomes more demanding.

Ouch! I HATE broken bolts. I've never had any luck with them. Hell, I've broken easy-outs off in broken bolts.

Pics of the broken bolts?

Funny, I usually like working on bikes too but in the past three weeks I've fixed up two bikes for a friend and his daughter and built up a bare frame for another friend. I'm pretty sick of working on bikes!

Vanagons are a special kind of masochism
I bet you could get those CV bolts out by hammering an allen in or a 12 point socket over

have a MIG? They must be 10mm bolts, I'd weld something to them, either a lever or a nut, or a bolt inside the torx.

I dislike wrenching on cars that are not designed for efficient service/repair. The 911 is a pretty easy car to work on. I've worked on some cars that were an absolute PITA to work on. They really killed my interest in wrenching (temporarily).

They are not broken, the teeth inside the Torx head have just rounded off to the point that I cannot undo them with the correct size Torx bit, and the next size up won't hammer in. I confess I spent more time cussing than looking for a solution. I don't encounter Torx much, outside of an iPhone.

I might try the hammering Allen or 12 point. No MIG here. Actually one of the boots is cracking so I should really service that CV joint.

What are we looking at there? What is that engine?

Motorcycles for me.
I am so thankful I found another career than being an auto mechanic. I can't imagine crawling under cars for a living at my age (60).
Jim