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Oil pan gasket on a 2003 Regal. You can't get the pan out without disconnecting the one motor mount bracket and hoisting the one side of the engine. To add to this ridiculous setup there is one bolt for the bracket that is between the transmission and engine that is nearly impossible to put back in. The only easy way to put it in is if the engine is not bolted to the transmission. The space was so minimal the bolt had to go about 5 inches through this very narrow opening where it could then be turned 90 degrees to line it up. When I say turn it 90 degrees I mean the length of the bolt, not the threads. Threading it in required open end wrench about 1/8 turn at a time.
Here is quick tip and how I got it back in. I hot glued the bolt to the end of a long skinny screw driver. Got it lined up and that allowed me to put some pressure on it while I used the open end wrench to get it started. The thing about the hot glue gun is it easily breaks off and it's very fast to harden so if you have to try it multiple times there is very little wait time.
Mid 80's boat of a Buick Station Wagon.. Had to unhook the engine mount on the drivers side and jack the engine up to change 1 spark plug..... Engine was so big in the engine compartment with all the crap in there, that you could not get to the plug any other way....
I managed to do it on my '03 Grand Prix GT with the 3.8 with some flexibility on my part and extensions and universals.
That was the worst car I ever had. A pulley seized up and the belt snapped. Fortunately it was only a few miles from home so I drove home like that. The knob to operate the air system broke. Rear brakes warped after a couple months of ownership. It was also the shortest time I had a car at 1.5 years.
Just loosen the dogbone mounts and use a ratchet strap to pull the engine forward. It's real easy to reach the back spark plugs then
Oil pan gasket on a 2003 Regal. You can't get the pan out without disconnecting the one motor mount bracket and hoisting the one side of the engine. To add to this ridiculous setup there is one bolt for the bracket that is between the transmission and engine that is nearly impossible to put back in. The only easy way to put it in is if the engine is not bolted to the transmission. The space was so minimal the bolt had to go about 5 inches through this very narrow opening where it could then be turned 90 degrees to line it up. When I say turn it 90 degrees I mean the length of the bolt, not the threads. Threading it in required open end wrench about 1/8 turn at a time.
Here is quick tip and how I got it back in. I hot glued the bolt to the end of a long skinny screw driver. Got it lined up and that allowed me to put some pressure on it while I used the open end wrench to get it started. The thing about the hot glue gun is it easily breaks off and it's very fast to harden so if you have to try it multiple times there is very little wait time.
I'm surprised you went through the trouble of changing the oil pan gasket. I've had probably ten of these cars and while they almost all leaked to one extent or another, it was never a serious leak.
Honda CRX 88-91 Alternator can not be removed from top as it will not fit between brake cyl and intake mani. Can't drop to bottom as it will not fit between drive shaft and body cross frame. Wheel must be removed, remove mud splash flap, remove alternator between frame and engine crankshaft.
Fuel pump- no access panel in car. Tank must be dropped.
02 sensor- impossible to remove without special tool [available at Auto-zone with deposit]
This was the car that broke me of self oil changes. Mine was an SI, the oil filter was behind the engine, only 2 ways to get to it. Snake your arm down from the top, or up from the bottom, both ways are thru space barely able to fit, with little room for leverage and high chance of warm to hot oil spilled on you.
^^^^^
Replace oil filter- Not too bad for me. Jack car, crawl under at front, on back, stick arm up between firewall and engine. Turn filter. When loose, immediately place filter vertical so oil doesn't drip down arm.
Fan on/off sensor is right next to filter.
I'm surprised you went through the trouble of changing the oil pan gasket.
I have a driveway. It wasn't enough to worry about losing too much oil but enough that it was making a mess... and I can smell the oil after parking it. Beside that I didn't actually research it before taking it off, who thinks to research if the oil pan is going to come off easy. It didn't look like there was going to be any trouble with it until there was the WTF moment when I realized it was not coming off.
I saw pictures of one online with the side all bashed in, I knew exactly why. LOL It's actually a bit ridiculous because a slight redesign and there would have been no trouble.
Last edited by thecoalman; 07-04-2016 at 09:31 PM..
The HVAC blower fan motor, on BMW E53 X5s...this older model, 2000-2007, is notorious for eventual fan motor failure.
Our '01 version has the tell tale squeal and it's only a matter of time.
Dlrs typically charge 8-9 hours of labor. Some Indies charge 6+. I am told a good tech can do it in 5, but the parts R&R to get to the damn blower motor looks like a cadaver in med school, at the end of the semester.
The dashboard, interior and front of the car were seemingly built around that blower motor...By comparison, on my '02 Vette Vert, the AC Delco oe replacement part was < $100 and it took less than half an hour to R&R it.
GL, md
Last edited by motordavid; 07-05-2016 at 12:25 PM..
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