Ohh how I wish for todays automobiles to be repairable without all the new stuff auto makers keep putting in them. My first vehicle (66 Ford P/U) was the easiest truck to work on. No chips, OBD's, 5000+ wires.....ohhhh those were the days:drool:
Olden days
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2,403 Posts
no easy fix on new cars..
boy am i with u on this.. had an '01 ford tk and didn't know how to get to the 2 back plugs.. don't even touch the wife's '05..
boy am i with u on this.. had an '01 ford tk and didn't know how to get to the 2 back plugs.. don't even touch the wife's '05..
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2,474 Posts
let me knock on some wood first BRB..
I've had have gone 200+k some 460 k(89 grand mark)
older cars, love them but they where the money pits, we are spoiled today
the old days dam I miss changing points 5-6 times by 100k
distributor cap and rotors every 15-20 k
ign module maybe once in 100k
if it was a mopar, carry'n an extra ballast in the glove box
spark plugs every 20k if not sooner
oil changes every 3k
carb tune up's and choke issues from 25k on
plug wires every 40-50k
alt/water pump by 50-60k because of the v-belt , most times after you replace the belts, kinda like todays serp belt that when replaced takes out the tensioner..
valve jobs at 90-110k
pissing oil every where
tires that lasted 35k and that was good,
ya the good ole days, we are spoiled with todays cars and the lack of work it takes to go 100-200k+
then when it might take a little money to trace an issue we dump them.. as a trade in..
ya the good ole days, great stuff for the hobby cars, as you don't need 100k in tools to work on them,, but for a daily.. nope..
add up the cost it be if cars still had the "good ole days" parts replacement , even if you do the work.. you're talking a few grand, that you don't spend today.. nevermind the mpg most get over the family truckster of the 60-70's
believe me, many shops wish the good ole day, parts replacement was still a fact of life
I've had have gone 200+k some 460 k(89 grand mark)
older cars, love them but they where the money pits, we are spoiled today
the old days dam I miss changing points 5-6 times by 100k
distributor cap and rotors every 15-20 k
ign module maybe once in 100k
if it was a mopar, carry'n an extra ballast in the glove box
spark plugs every 20k if not sooner
oil changes every 3k
carb tune up's and choke issues from 25k on
plug wires every 40-50k
alt/water pump by 50-60k because of the v-belt , most times after you replace the belts, kinda like todays serp belt that when replaced takes out the tensioner..
valve jobs at 90-110k
pissing oil every where
tires that lasted 35k and that was good,
ya the good ole days, we are spoiled with todays cars and the lack of work it takes to go 100-200k+
then when it might take a little money to trace an issue we dump them.. as a trade in..
ya the good ole days, great stuff for the hobby cars, as you don't need 100k in tools to work on them,, but for a daily.. nope..
add up the cost it be if cars still had the "good ole days" parts replacement , even if you do the work.. you're talking a few grand, that you don't spend today.. nevermind the mpg most get over the family truckster of the 60-70's
believe me, many shops wish the good ole day, parts replacement was still a fact of life
my problem is i cant afford newer cars and i need one i can fix myself. i can do it on the old ones no prolblem but no dang way on the newer cars. i'll take the 60's cars and earlier any day .like said already. its easy to work on um. heck, on my chevy II i could open the hood and bend over and put my hand on the starter.had a dang mazda 626 and i couldnt even find the dang thing or nothin else.frustratin as heck tryin to get my dang hands and a wrench in them tight little spaces. hahaha. . i agree the newer cars run way way more miles than the old ones did with much less up keep and fuel for dang sure.
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8,552 Posts
I love the 60s and early 70s cars.
I work on the new stuff , and I am L-1 certified as well as A1 through A8. (Certified Master Auto Tech)
I love the new cars, and you guys are right. A lot of money can be spent getting a new one fixed. Some are just a real crap design, but mostly the problem is that their aren a lot of techs, even at the dealerships, who really understand them.
It is a lot to grasp but I see a lot of times guys overthink the thing and fake themselves out, and forget just to check the basic stuff.
All that wiring is not intimidating, as long as they are not all the same color and you have an EWD.
Understanding systems like CAN (Control Area Network) is helpful.
Interpreting codes CORRECTLY is the very first and most important thing to remember
I m allways here to help with questions about newer cars,I am sure there are some other guys here too, that can also help.
I own one of those ford with the hard to reach spark plugs in the back.
You can get them by using a nagnetic socket, short extension,a swivel next and then a longer extension.
The mag socket keeps the plug, the short extension reaches into the hole, the swivel allows you to get to the plug from under the cowl and the longer extension give some distance to reach back there, unless you have ape arms. LOL
I love the electronic part of cars these days, its like a good game of chess. LA Tech
I work on the new stuff , and I am L-1 certified as well as A1 through A8. (Certified Master Auto Tech)
I love the new cars, and you guys are right. A lot of money can be spent getting a new one fixed. Some are just a real crap design, but mostly the problem is that their aren a lot of techs, even at the dealerships, who really understand them.
It is a lot to grasp but I see a lot of times guys overthink the thing and fake themselves out, and forget just to check the basic stuff.
All that wiring is not intimidating, as long as they are not all the same color and you have an EWD.
Understanding systems like CAN (Control Area Network) is helpful.
Interpreting codes CORRECTLY is the very first and most important thing to remember
I m allways here to help with questions about newer cars,I am sure there are some other guys here too, that can also help.
I own one of those ford with the hard to reach spark plugs in the back.
You can get them by using a nagnetic socket, short extension,a swivel next and then a longer extension.
The mag socket keeps the plug, the short extension reaches into the hole, the swivel allows you to get to the plug from under the cowl and the longer extension give some distance to reach back there, unless you have ape arms. LOL
I love the electronic part of cars these days, its like a good game of chess. LA Tech
oldie days
The number one problem I have is color blindness. Really hard to trace what looks different. At the connectors are REAL fun.Have you read the problem I'm still having? If not, it's a battery killing issue from the distribution box to battery....it pulls a lot of current with the key off. I leave wire off and it will start every time. Getting ready to invest in a toner, for a hopfullly 1 time use, I hear better than tell colors apart.
The number one problem I have is color blindness. Really hard to trace what looks different. At the connectors are REAL fun.Have you read the problem I'm still having? If not, it's a battery killing issue from the distribution box to battery....it pulls a lot of current with the key off. I leave wire off and it will start every time. Getting ready to invest in a toner, for a hopfullly 1 time use, I hear better than tell colors apart.
More like "the GOLDEN DAYS"!!!
I too miss a time when cars were more basic. I used to be able to do anything on a car! Building engines, transmissions, setting up third memebers, wiring a car, building body parts, upholstering, painting, or building a chassis.... but cars, like everything else in our lives, are becoming too complex. That just adds many times more possibles failures to the list of basics. Remember the ancient phrase....
"KISS"..... or "KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!" The person who wrote that piece of wisdom is spinning in his grave!
Even trying to title old cars today, or getting through emissions with modifications, can be a challenge, as our society overthinks EVERYTHING! National debates break out over problems with obvious solutions, as we need to solve every future possibility, in an imperfect world... (which makes that a lost cause!)
As an example, I can't even go to the store without people trying to text or phone while attempting to drive in front of me... the stores won't just lower prices, because they have to use coupons and sale ads to attract us in... and we can't even check out at the stores without looking for rewards cards.
I could go on, but you get the idea. ...(or maybe you won't.) {:-(
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8,552 Posts
You have an unacceptable parasitic draw that kills the battery.
Get a DVOM , turn it to amps (probably 10 amps on most) and hook it between the battery - and the cable with the neg cable unhooked.
Give it about 10-15 seconds after hooking it up for the memory circuits to energize and stop drawing current. Then the draw that is left will be the culprit. Pull one fuse at a time untill it dissapears,that will rovide an indicator of which circuit the problem is on. Like the cigarrete lighter fuse, which is used at times for the radio memory, you get the idea.
Ignore the wire color thing for now, isolate the affecting circuit, then unplug the devices on that circuit one at a time to narrow it down.
Just a systematic approach like this will yield far better results than pouring over schematics for hours.Peace.
Golden Days
I think this should be in the electrical fourm, but I'll ask anyhow. The common Lead will go to the cable even though it's positive? I know the one lead goes to the terminal. Hope I'm not confusing. And do unconnect the negative/black whichever. Ok much thanks LATECH, will try that & let you know. Maybe for awhile til I'm able to preform this. Again, much thanks, this will save me $.
I think this should be in the electrical fourm, but I'll ask anyhow. The common Lead will go to the cable even though it's positive? I know the one lead goes to the terminal. Hope I'm not confusing. And do unconnect the negative/black whichever. Ok much thanks LATECH, will try that & let you know. Maybe for awhile til I'm able to preform this. Again, much thanks, this will save me $.
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550 Posts
I bought my only new car in 1975, a Ford Maverick for $3400. It was powered by a 200 cubic inch six with a 3 speed column shifted transmission. I got a consistent 30 miles per gallon with it. It had less power than my 70 Grabber with the same drive train setup but it still got good gas mileage. Back then the Ford mechanics around here didn't think too highly about all the pollution equipment the government mandates were adding to the cars and they removed most of it from my car at one visit to the service department. I remember the mechanic saying, "You don't need this, you don't need that and removing it." I don't remember the gas mileage or the power changing any after they took the stuff off of it. Aside from the power difference and the big stupid looking bumpers that only major difference between the 70 and the 75 was the electronic ignition, I no longer had to mess with the points, this was a big advancement and I liked it. The next time I thought about buying a new car the price had jumped so much that I just refused to buy another one.
I've owned a lot of vehicles since and it's my opinion that I prefer the older ones. I can't walk into a dealer and just buy a plain vehicle without all the crap on it. I have about zero interest in buying a new car now.
I don't remember the gas mileage or the power changing any after they took the stuff off of it. Aside from the power difference and the big stupid looking bumpers that only major difference between the 70 and the 75 was the electronic ignition, I no longer had to mess with the points, this was a big advancement and I liked it. The next time I thought about buying a new car the price had jumped so much that I just refused to buy another one. I've owned a lot of vehicles since and it's my opinion that I prefer the older ones. I can't walk into a dealer and just buy a plain vehicle without all the crap on it. I have about zero interest in buying a new car now.
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