The good and the evil: engine bays

[pshome]

Can't find a topic about engine bays... if there is one, we now have two!

 

My candidate for the best engine bay:

 

Opel Kadett B

 

just perfect, everyting is where it should be, nothing in here that is not needed or understood. A lot of space to easily reach every bit of the engine. 

Lousy engine though...

 

My contender for the worst engine is (surprise surprise)  the Tagora SX.

 

 

No room, lots of bits that i still don't fully understand their purpose. Everything is just in the wrong place and even when you manage to sneak your spanner onto a screw, there is no room to turn it. Worst of all, before you can reach anything, that huge airfilterbox needs to go off. In spite of a lot of practice i still need 20 minutes to get all the tubes, cables, fiddly screws of the carb cones etc removed. All that just to check a sparks!

 

Lovely engine though...

 

[Rocket88]

Try changing the plugs on this.............

[Dick Cheeseburger]

The MGF engine bay is a little unpleasant until you start taking bits off.

[fatharris]

Anyone post the v12 XJS bay yet?

 

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[omegod]

Omega V6, guaranteed to shred your hands if you so much as try and change a spark plug !

[UltraWomble]

Eurovan 2 ( Citroen C8 et-al)

Tighter than a nuns chuff, even changing headlamp bulbs requires the use of a small child with tiny hands.

Timing belt is (technically) and engine out job, but can be done by undoing the engine mounts and pulling the whole lot forward in the bay by a few inches - even then the use of small children to do the tensioners is a distinct advantage and will reduce the need for swearing.

[twosmoke300]

Grande punto 1.2 is the best modern I've worked on . Engine looks lost in there .

 

Nearly all modern vans are the worst - such a small bonnet opening , like stroking a dog through a letterbox .

 

Oh and having changed all 12 plugs on a xjs he they can go to hell too

[Richard]

Anyone post the v12 XJS bay yet?

 

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I think the V12 BMW engine bay is worse. I have a picture of one somewhere but I can't post it from my phone.

[Richard]

[fatharris]

 

V12 E38 BMW

 

 

V12 XJS

 

Do not want.

 

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[MarvinsMom]

this is a pretty horrid place to try and work, unless you have rubber fingers, each about a foot long.

 

 

[NorfolkNWeigh]

The Disco 3,4 and RR Sport.

 

Land Rover ,in their infinite wisdom* realised that access could be difficult for DIYers ,so made the body easily removable for turbo, clutch changes etc.

[stripped fred]

I always found the engine bay in my Alfa a bit of a squeeze.

[Asimo]

Transverse V engines I don't want, especially ones with complex cam drives!

 

This is how to install a V6: everything easy to get to, even space for the spare wheel. Spoiler makes a nice shelf for leaning on and radiator at the other end of the car means nothing in there is a stretch.

Avoid the Turbo version though, a real plumbers nightmare in comparison.

 

(Renault GTA, non standard carburettors)

[cros]

Surely some mistake, Disco body off for a clutch change?

[mrcitroen]

Citroen GS:

 

A bit tricky, but once you get used to it..............

 

 

Front comes away for extra accesss. This is just the top part off, the bottom valance / under tray comes away with a few bolts giving perfect access to the front bits.

 

 

[bub2006]

Omega V6, guaranteed to shred your hands if you so much as try and change a spark plug !

Right hand bank as you are stood at the front? Wiring harness runs along it too!

[gordonbennet]

Year 2000 Landcruiser 90 (Colorado), this is a nice little V6 installation, some of the plumbers nightmares above give me the willies.

Note the indelible marker on the air intake, oil changes noted.

[Rocket88]

Surely some mistake, Disco body off for a clutch change?

 

On some Disco models, body has to come off to change alternator, let alone clutch.............

[omegod]

Right hand bank as you are stood at the front? Wiring harness runs along it too!

Oh yeah that's a bastard, early coil pack at the back is a twat done by feel 

[spike60]

I always found the engine bay in my Alfa a bit of a squeeze.

I did the clutch on my 10v 156. I won't be doing another.

[mercrocker]

 

All of life should be this simple....

 

[Asimo]

Citroen GS:

A bit tricky, but once you get used to it..............]

Is that LHM reservoir really gold plated?

[willswitchengage]

 

This VOLVO looks tricky to work on

 

My boss very quickly regretted buying an Audi V6 when it went wrong:

 

[mercrocker]

Oil cooler was a bastard on the GSA if I recall, not helped by the car slumping down to the floor when parked....

[Matt]

Grande punto 1.2 is the best modern I've worked on . Engine looks lost in there .

 

You're not wrong, the motor is tiny for the physical size of the car. Fuck Fiat for holding the air filter housing with bolts instead of clips though. That reminds me I need to clean and seal the ground straps on my sisters one. Believe it or not it's having electrical problems.

[Matt]

Swift isn't bad for a modern-ish. Everything you need to get to with any regularity is easy.

 

[cros]

Citroen GS:

 

A bit tricky, but once you get used to it..............

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brings back only good memories seeing this. Doing a clutch outside the house in 3 hours with no lifting gear. I seem to remember they have lots of unusual 7mm fasteners if my memory is still working.

[sierraman]

I think most moderns are easy access for servicing, it's the jobs like clutch changes that are tricky. Fortunately unlike the old Cortinas, Sierras etc you aren't changing the clutch every 40-50k

[R9UKE]

The Renault Modus isn't great.