Name that car….

That goes with this motor.

No prizes involved this is just for fun.

2000 Ford Windstar: How to access rear spark plugs

I had the task of trying access the rear spark plugs on my wife’s 2000 Ford Windstar. This one is equipped with 3.8 liter V6 which is transverse mounted. Upon first glimpse this looks like a daunting task. It can be done but it takes a little more time.

I hit the Internet to do a little research. With today’s automotive tune ups sometimes going 100,000 miles or more, Auto engineers place little priority on ability to do repairs on your vehicle. I can’t imagine professional mechanics having any easier time with this. They may just have a better assortment of tools at their disposal. I think deep in the bowels of Ford’s engineering department there is a memo that challenges them on how difficult they can make automotive maintenance. The goals are to:

1. Have you have to bring it back to dealer for maintenance so maybe you’ll buy a new car while your there.

2. That you’ll forget about maintenance and your car will break down or run crappy. So then you’ll run to the dealer and buy a new one. Sense a pattern here?

Back to my research. Two possible solutions came up the most. One was to jack the vehicle up and reach up underneath. Two was to remove the cowling just over the engine and reach over the top. Both camps seem have drawbacks. From going in from underneath risked hitting your arm on something hot or have rust or debris hitting you in the face. Even then it was a challenge to access the plugs.

The second choice was a bit more tedious because it involved removing the front cowling that houses the windshield wiper motor and assembly. I’m not a big fan of working underneath a vehicle so I chose number two.

 

You’ll need to remove the windshield wiper arms. Flip open the cover at the base. You’ll need to remove the nut holding them in place. Once the nut is off you may need to spray some lubricant to get the arms off. I had one come off easy and the other needed a little more persuasion but, it did come off eventually.

Next just behind the weather strip is a row of Phillips head screws which need to be removed. After these are removed the front you should be able to pry open a bit to see inside. You’ll need to reach in between to disconnect the windshield washer hoses before going any further.

Now carefully along top part near the windshield start pry up the top portion. These are held on by plastic clips and I’m sure they can break off easy. Once it was free I was able wiggle it up towards the windshield and remove it entirely.

Now you’ll have more screws to remove. You can take out cabin air filter. You’ll need to disconnect the wiper motor electrical connect on the drivers side. The wiper motor/arms and all stay connected. There is also a plastic drainage connector (just above manifold)and one for the cabin air filter that needs disconnecting.

Once everything is disconnected the bottom half should lift out. From here you can reach behind to access the plugs. They still are a pain and your working half blind but, it’s doable and better than before. To reassemble just go in reverse order. To get to point in the picture it took me about 30-45 minutes to do. It’s not too hard but it is a bit tedious. I find it better than trying to reach from below. I’m hoping this may help someone attempting to do this. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Technorati Tags: ford,windstar,2000,how to,access,spark plugs,spark plug,v6,tune up

Indy Corvette and 2010 Camaro spotted

While out and about on the 4th of July I spotted a couple of interesting vehicles. The first was a 2009 Chevrolet Corvette Indy 500 pace car convertible. Sticker price was just over $70,000. Just a little( I should say absolutely) out my price range. This kind of spurred me on to find others.

Next up I found a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro RS. This surprisingly was not at a Chevrolet dealership like you might think. It was a small dealer who by the looks of it deals in Porsche’s, Mercedes and other European sports cars/sedans. It had no plates on it so I’m assuming it was being offered for sale. This was my first encounter with the new Camaro. I am impressed by it. I do like it better than the new Challenger or the current Mustang.

Name that car: A piece of the action

Recently I was watching an old episode of Star Trek called “A piece of the action”. In this episode. The inhabitants of Sigma lotia II have taken on 1920’s gangster way of life. In an early scene Captain Kirk and Spock dress up as gangsters and attempt to drive away in automobile of the period. It is pretty funny to see Mr. Spock attempt assist Kirk driving.

Spock - "Must we?"
Kirk - "It's faster than walking."
Spock - "But not as safe..."
Kirk - "Are you afraid of cars?"
Spock - "Not at all. It's your driving that alarms me."

Here’s a bit of trivia for Trekkies(probably get this in no time) and car buffs. What kind of car is Kirk driving? Of course this is a bit weird because I’m sure many of us have seen the the Star Trek movie trailer with the young Kirk driving an old Corvette. I guess those years in space he forgot what a clutch was. Any way no prizes involved this is just for fun.

Porsche 911 Garage

At first glance this might just look like a garage of a lucky 911 Turbo owner. Parts and tools spread as if the someone had just been called away to the telephone. You can almost smell the oil and rubber. This is actually 1/24 scale. If you look through pictures you’ll be amazed by the attention to detail this guy has. Thanks Hemmings Auto Blog for finding this.