Most miserable vehicle repair to date...

[SparkandFire]

I just spent all day yesterday replacing the sway bar bushings on my E250 van. Methinks that all of the 2wd trucks with the IFS Ford system with a swaybar have these bushings. Of all the miserable jobs I've done on these trucks those bushings have to be the worst, by far!



I went with the Moog "problem solver" solid white polyurethane, and the rubber ones were Ford originals. What a royal PITA getting the sleeves out. My harbor freight air chisel was apparently overworked last time I did the rear spring bushings, so it self disintegrated exactly 30 seconds into this project. My propane torch got clogged up so it too was rendered useless.

Out came the old chisel and sledge...
I am recovering from a horrible flu, so I am sure the 50% loss of strength didn't help.

God have mercy on my soul, owning not one, but TWO old Fords really shows I am a glutton for punishment...

In the spirit of things, what was the most miserable project you've undertaken on your trucks lately?

 

[Blind Driver2]

Last time I did swaybar bushing my good ol' sawsall came to the rescue.

 

[diezelcrazee]

what was the most miserable project you've undertaken on your trucks lately?

Changing out and modding the turbo outlet, which turned into a turbo removal project.....

 

[lindstromjd]

My "fix and flip" project '85 F250. I expected to do a front clip swap and paint it and be done with it. Here's a list of what I've done on top of the front clip, because of all the stuff I've found in the middle of other repairs:

-Water pump
-Power steering pump
-Accessory brackets
-Wheel bearings
-Front brake calipers
-Front brake rotor
-Steering arms
-Steering box
-Glow plugs
-Return line kit
-Dash w/ gauges
-2 new batteries

So much for my quick flip. :

 

[riotwarrior]

If I had to say worst repair had to do....was my front hub and wheel bearing repack.

That was friggen nasty, I had to cut the hub apart in order to get the rust frozen locking hub off the stub axle so I could remove the axle retaining nuts and repack the bearings. Fortunately for me I had a complete spare D60 front axle handy for parts.

That has to be the worst one so far for repairs...

As a parts puller for auto wrecking I've done worse but won't get into it...pulling parts is different than repairs...it's 1/2 a repair..

Yup...that's my worse one on this truck so far...

Al

 

[73idi88f350]

my worst was installing the motor(with the truck having a manual and banks side winder and my first time ever), 2nd would be doing the head gaskets with the engine still in the truck and full front clip still on

other then this ive done almost nothing to it since buying it..

changed tail gate
changed rims
painted grill
changed radio and speakers
fixed heater control (the little plastic part that held the cable broke)
changed glow plugs
all seems simple

 

[international]

I'd have to say removing my turbo with the bck half o the truck hanging out of the barn in the snowy drive.I can't wait to have a proper shop! I'm closing on a new home with a sweet pole barn on the 30th. Then I can replace the dented valley pan and grommet I ruined with the stinkin' pedastol.

 

[icanfixall]

I would have to say the worst job was trying to undo the down pipe from the exhaust under the truck when I started to remove the trubo and engine the first time... Wowzer, that was a crapload of trouble. Banks installed the u bolt clamp on the muffler pipe to the down pipe creasing it so the pipes would not pull apart. Everything I tried would not loosen it up enough to slip out because of the pipe dent. I could spin the pipes around.. Just not slip apart. So out cam the engine and some heating with ammap torch. Chiesels and cutting... Finally it was off. Went to Banks cause they are so close to my home and bought another down pipe but.. This time I used a band clamp and its as simple as loosening it and pulling it apart... Big rig stuff now... The second worst job was removing and installing the BTS E4OD rans. The truck needed to be 28 inches clearance so the trans on the jack could be pulled in and out from under the truck.. No floor jack will lift that high.. So I built all kinds of jacking platforms cribbing up under the front tires as I went. Still needed about 2 inches... Isn't that just how it is all the time... Then I got it under the truck only to find the jack would not lift it high enough to meet with the engine bellhousing... Gees.. What a job working alone....

 

[73idi88f350]

I would have to say the worst job was trying to undo the down pipe from the exhaust under the truck when I started to remove the trubo and engine the first time... Wowzer, that was a crapload of trouble. Banks installed the u bolt clamp on the muffler pipe to the down pipe creasing it so the pipes would not pull apart. Everything I tried would not loosen it up enough to slip out because of the pipe dent. I could spin the pipes around.. Just not slip apart. So out cam the engine and some heating with ammap torch. Chiesels and cutting... Finally it was off. Went to Banks cause they are so close to my home and bought another down pipe but.. This time I used a band clamp and its as simple as loosening it and pulling it apart... Big rig stuff now... The second worst job was removing and installing the BTS E4OD rans. The truck needed to be 28 inches clearance so the trans on the jack could be pulled in and out from under the truck.. No floor jack will lift that high.. So I built all kinds of jacking platforms cribbing up under the front tires as I went. Still needed about 2 inches... Isn't that just how it is all the time... Then I got it under the truck only to find the jack would not lift it high enough to meet with the engine bellhousing... Gees.. What a job working alone....

thats when you need more then 1 jack.

 

[IDIDieselJohn]

My biggest job, done twice 6 years apart.

Inframe head gaskets on 2 6.9 Diesel vans!


And I did 'em recently on my van, along with the IP.


http://www.oilburners.net/forums/sh...nd-t-stat-in-frame-in-Van&p=694410#post694410

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

anything to do with brake fluid. good lord i hate that stuff lol.

 

[IDIDieselJohn]

^^^^ The paint hates that stuff to

 

[bbjordan]

The most miserable job I have done is the replacement of a 1995 Eagle Talon DOHC 2.0 water pump. What could be so difficult about replacing a water pump you ask?
Well, let me tell you...

"The Chrysler 1.8, 2.0, and 2.4 are inline-4 engines designed originally for the Dodge and Plymouth Neon compact car. These engines were loosely based on their predecessors, the Chrysler 2.2 & 2.5 engine, sharing the same 87.5 mm bore. The DOHC head was developed by Chrysler with input from the Chrysler-Lamborghini team that developed the Chrysler/Lamborghini Formula 1 V12 engine in the early 1990s." Sounds **** doesn't it?

Well, some brilliant engineer thought it would be a good idea to run the water pump off of the timing belt. ***? you say? Exactly. So when the water pump failed, it took the timing belt with it. Oh, did I mention it is an interferance fit engine? Oh yes! So when the timing belt went away, it bent every single valve in that engine. All 16 of them!

So, because of a water pump I now had to replace the head, head gasket, timing belt, and water pump. To take the water pump off you have to take off the entire front/passenger side of the engine. Yes, even the harmonic balancer. There is barely enough room under the hood for the engine, let alone work on it.
The passenger side engine mount has to come off and you have to jack the engine up so high you think something is going to break. Then you have to lower it the other way to get the harmonic dampner off. Replacing the head is another adventure. This is a job for blind mechanics, because you can't see half the intake manifold bolts.

Definitely the most miserable job I have ever had to do. I would love to have a wall to wall talk with that engineer. Just 5 minutes. Actually, with all the rage I have regarding that design, I think 30 seconds would be enough to "educate" him.

 

[idi_econoline]

anything to do with brake fluid. good lord i hate that stuff lol.

x2 on that, Eric. The brake work on my old F250 was a nightmare, but it can't compare to intake manifold gaskets on the same truck (351W EFI). That truck was hugely cursed:

You must be registered for see images attach

By comparison, head gaskets, IP and injectors on my IDI were a breeze!

 

[02x72]

Replacing the Ibeam on my 77 after the old one exploded out of the bushing is definetly the worst job I have ever done. All the bolt were stuck beyond belief, odd size bolts, it was just a mess