The stupity of manufactures Range Rover related

[roblane65]

bit of a rant , well no a full on rant actually I.ll try to be brief. if anyone s seen my previous thread about the non cranking RR here we go it's almost
certainly been narrowed to the starter motor now . So sunday afternoon being pretty mild and sunny I thought I'll get it of and drop it in to be rebuilt .
let the rant begin , trolly jack and axle stands up she goes heat shields off and a cursory look , should'nt be a problem was an understatement the starters only on with two bolts .
now landrover ( BMW ) in their infinate wisdom put one from the back of the bell housing through to starter ( thats at the bottom ) and the other at the top through the starter back to bell housing and this is the fecker ! you can't see it and even with my tiny hands I can just about squeeze enough in between the ginormous cat exhaust manifold to feel the head of the bolt with the tip of me finger . Even the cable connections are on the side of the motor sandwiched between the starter and the block so you can't even disconnect it with out dropping it which ever you turn spanner ratchet long long bars all seem to foul something or other . you'd thing they'd used a stater of something else and rotated it 180 degree just to f**k with you .
So if anyones done one these and got any pearls of wisdom I'm all ears
And to add to my frustration I've just had to get a new laptop and I'm having to deal with window11 it's not going well for this old technophobe and just received a notice of prosecution for some exuberant driving bringing the new car back up from Bristol last friday . oh and the DVLA ONLINE service for a sold vehicle only works 7am to 7pm really !
Rant over and out for now I'm off to bed shortly mind I'll be up for 7 for the DVLA

 

[winchman]

I try to stick to my rule of never buying a vehicle beginning with the letter F or R.
I do have a P38 though and have been hankering after a L322 but reading too many tales of woe

 

[minimutly]

Like my Jaguar - nice drive but dreadful to work on

 

[ajlelectronics]

The Essex engine is little better, the top bolt being buried too deep even to touch it. Technique is a 3/8" drive ratchet with three short wobble extensions and a compact 9/16" socket all laid on line along the top of the starter motor. Once loose it then gets obstructed by some exhaust systems.

Refitting requires the bolt to be Blutaked to the socket and someone to hold the motor in place while the assembly is probed for the fixing hole. There is enough movement on the starter radially to slightly obstruct the top hole if the lower one is pulled up tight.

It gets easier with experience!

 

[JOEPRO]

Like my Jaguar - nice drive but dreadful to work on

You drive a Jaguar and you give off about the quality of Sealey products??

 

[Hood]

Think yourself lucky, took me 8 hrs of struggle to replace a starter motor on a boat once. It was an inboard engine on a catamaran so no room. Exhaust heat exchanger was above the starter and the turbo and rubber exhaust hose were filling the side. I tried to remove the rubber exhaust hose but it was threatening to break the plastic pipe out the back of the hull. Ended up having to go by feel at full arm stretch to unbolt the starter which wasn't too bad. Putting the new one in was worse as I had to try and hold the starter and get the first bolt in one handed at full stretch and blind.

I knew I would have to do the other engine at some point but I was prepared for this one and had machined up a 5" sleeve so that I could cut the rubber exhaust pipe to get it out the way, only took an hour for that one.

 

[Guineafowl]

We used to have a Disco 3 and 4. Best cars in the world [when they’re working]. Now replaced by a sensible V40.

I still wake up terrified, with these words going round and round:

- Limp mode
- Body-off job
- Crossover pipe
- Limited access via the driver’s side wheel arch.

 

[reb78]

We used to have a Disco 3 and 4. Best cars in the world [when they’re working]. Now replaced by a sensible V40.

I still wake up terrified, with these words going round and round:

- Limp mode
- Body-off job
- Crossover pipe
- Limited access via the driver’s side wheel arch.

Haha. I still have mine. I still have that fear. I have an l322 range rover sat in the yard which was a massive mistake. The rust is crazy on the bottom.of the c pillar/sill.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Think yourself lucky, took me 8 hrs of struggle to replace a starter motor on a boat once. It was an inboard engine on a catamaran so no room. Exhaust heat exchanger was above the starter and the turbo and rubber exhaust hose were filling the side. I tried to remove the rubber exhaust hose but it was threatening to break the plastic pipe out the back of the hull. Ended up having to go by feel at full arm stretch to unbolt the starter which wasn't too bad. Putting the new one in was worse as I had to try and hold the starter and get the first bolt in one handed at full stretch and blind.

I knew I would have to do the other engine at some point but I was prepared for this one and had machined up a 5" sleeve so that I could cut the rubber exhaust pipe to get it out the way, only took an hour for that one.

Nissan Bluebird 1600. Automatic.

3 bolts.
2 can be seen.
1 can not.
1 can be reached.
The other 2 you have to bend yourself into odd shapes.

 

[Wildefalcon]

The more I learn about modern cars the less I want to have to do with them....

 

[8ob]

Modern plant and machinery would win the top buggerance awards, makes working on cars look like a breeze.

Bob

 

[bricol]

Not just "modern" cars.

Manufacturers want to build things quickly, easily and therefore cheaply.

When things get old enough to need repairing, then they can charge you for the time it takes to repair.

Clever thinking really

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

The more I learn about modern cars the less I want to have to do with them....

1967 Rolls.
Stearing lock and top searing column.
In 2018 the parts cost £235.

Fitting took 7 blood hours.
As each part had to be fettled to fit.

It was a pig

 

[Happy Hacker]

I replaced the blower motor on my daughters BMW mini. How hard can it be?

4 days work!

Everything in front of the seats had come out, and I mean everything up to the bulkhead. Made more difficult by me being 6ft, 15 stone with large hands. Having got the dash and steering wheel back in I found a multiway way plug with no corresponding socket. All out again.

She got fed up with replacing the low profile tyres and getting the alloy wheels refurbished due to pot hole damage and I got fed up with trying to repair it. She finally saw sense and got a Skoda.

My first car repairs were on Rover P4s, they were properly engineered. I had five at one point.

 

[NickW]

Modern plant and machinery would win the top buggerance awards, makes working on cars look like a breeze.

Bob

Or any sort of aircraft. One autogyro manufacturer fits the battery at the base of the rotor post. Behind the seat and the fuel tank

 

[arther dailey]

I was told its body off to replace starter on range rovers(hopefully not)

 

[Morrisman]

The more I learn about modern cars the less I want to have to do with them....

The starter motor on my 2012 Mondeo, hidden down behind the engine, I can’t even see it without a torch and a mirror.
It failed on me.

It had to go to a garage to get replaced.

It cost £460

 

[reb78]

I was told its body off to replace starter on range rovers(hopefully not)

I dont think anything is body off on the RR L322 - it doesn't have a chassis so 'body off' really means engine out which would be silly to change a starter motor.

 

[colnerov]

The starter motor on my 2012 Mondeo, hidden down behind the engine, I can’t even see it without a torch and a mirror.
It failed on me.

It had to go to a garage to get replaced.

It cost £460

I believe that's a front subframe drop and subsequently and supposedly a realignment as well.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Gearbox valve body cover on the Volvo xc70 took 2 of us a long long day...restricted access and stupid torx fasteners...and that was with us dropping the sub frame!

Second time I had to do it took 30 minutes....but that's because I had sensibly learned my lesson previously and binned their stupid torx fasteners and replaced them all with hex bolts!