Re: OT wife wants a minivan

The one thing that keeps coming up in lots of conversations is that the transmission used in Mopar minivans is truly awful. We've had 3 of 3 replaced here at work with less than 80K miles on them.

yeah, I'd like to meet the guy who set up the rear manifold/exhaust pipe interface

Before you think about a GM, look at these pictures:

Let me finish that sentence......................AND PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE! I used a 4" wobble extension mated to a 10" impact extension and then an impact wrench to unbolt the flange (went over top of the crossmember), and a butterfly impact to unbolt the manifold from the head (all blind as a goddamn bat I might add; I think 65% of the bolts I had to remove for the job were blind, like the really fun PS pump mounting bolt, the one that you can't see and doesn't quite clear the pulley, you know the one I'm talking about). The REALLY FUN part was getting the manifold back on though. It was really fun trying to get the flange bolts in the damn holes while the flange was bobbing around, and movement was severely limited due to the EGR heat tube, all while trying to line it up with the manifold locator studs................

Hell, even the drivebelt is a chore. Not enough space for even a BOX wrench, much less a nice 15" breaker bar. I ended up using a 12" crescent wrench and stood on it to get the oomph I needed to get he damn belt slipped over the alternator (fell off the car several times trying!). All they would have had to do was cut a 2" notch in the inner fender so us guys could get a breaker bar down there.......................

Doc

There goes the Volvo wagon idea. I don't know how much press this made, but an 18 year old kid ran into the back of a State Police cruiser parked in the break down lane of the 495 extension a few miles West of the Bourne Bridge Saturday morning at 90 mph. The Volvo sedan pushed the cruiser 180 ft where it came to rest in the right hand lane. He walked away from the Volvo. The State Trooper is fighting for her life at Boston Medical Center. We all commented on the structural integrity of the Volvo, which looked to be a mid-90's 850.

Bush

a Volvo might be ok. I don't we were ever at war with the Swedes.

Do you know what year they started making it south of the border? After NAFTA, right? I got 312,000 miles out of my old truck when I rolled it , 2 engines 2 transmissions no complaints from me