Post by Rob Bell on Mar 22, 2004 7:30:41 GMT -5
Have I mentioned how much I hate Haynes manuals before? I'll try and spare you the full rant...
Metro fuel pump replacement. In the Haynes manual, an apparently simple 9-point procedure. Reality - 6 hours under the car, and the fuel tank is resolutely still in situ (albeit held by only one bolt).
Haynes manual with Babelfish translation in green:
Jack up rear of car - Jack up rear of car, but place axle stands under the sill jacking points
Remove right side road wheel - Remove LEFT road wheel, although you'll need to remove them both in the end
Release exhaust pipe from its rubber hangers - Release exhaust pipe from the rubber hangers including the one on the rear subframe - d'oh!
Release right front corner of subframe, supporting the weight with a jack - Har har har! I'm not going to tell you how to do this, nor will I tell you that you really ought to remove the whole subframe to make the rest of the job actually physically possible to do
Release the fuel filler hoses and breather pipes - We did this on a brand new car, so it was a piece of cake: you, with your 12 year old car will have to suffer and dig through 2" of dirt and debris and stuggle with rusty jubilee clips with jammed wormed drives - muhuhuhuh!
Release handbrake cable from fuel tank clips, and pass cable over top of fuel tank - But I am not going to tell you where these clips are, nor will I tell you that there isn't enough slack in the cable to run it over the fuel tank as I suggest
Unbolt fuel tank and remove - I bet you didn't realise that there are four retaining bolts, nor that the fourth next to the sill is in the path of muck from the road wheel and has very restricted access due to its proximity to the sill. In fact, only one bolt is readily accessible, because the remaining two are partially obstructed by that subframe that I said need only be dropped on the right side
Needless to say, this was all made a good deal harder than it need have been. It would be so easy to write a manual that actually contained more useful pix, some hints and tips, and clear descriptions of what to look for (no attempt was made, for example, to describe where the electrical connectors are for the fuel sender/pump - arrrghhh!!!)
So job is nearly half done. Tim, Andy, if you guys are still up for tea and biscuits at Chez Bell this coming Sunday, assistance, cunning tools and ideas and general encouragement would all be gratefully recieved! ;D
Haynes manuals. Not even useful as bog paper (not very absorbant).
Metro fuel pump replacement. In the Haynes manual, an apparently simple 9-point procedure. Reality - 6 hours under the car, and the fuel tank is resolutely still in situ (albeit held by only one bolt).
Haynes manual with Babelfish translation in green:
Jack up rear of car - Jack up rear of car, but place axle stands under the sill jacking points
Remove right side road wheel - Remove LEFT road wheel, although you'll need to remove them both in the end
Release exhaust pipe from its rubber hangers - Release exhaust pipe from the rubber hangers including the one on the rear subframe - d'oh!
Release right front corner of subframe, supporting the weight with a jack - Har har har! I'm not going to tell you how to do this, nor will I tell you that you really ought to remove the whole subframe to make the rest of the job actually physically possible to do
Release the fuel filler hoses and breather pipes - We did this on a brand new car, so it was a piece of cake: you, with your 12 year old car will have to suffer and dig through 2" of dirt and debris and stuggle with rusty jubilee clips with jammed wormed drives - muhuhuhuh!
Release handbrake cable from fuel tank clips, and pass cable over top of fuel tank - But I am not going to tell you where these clips are, nor will I tell you that there isn't enough slack in the cable to run it over the fuel tank as I suggest
Unbolt fuel tank and remove - I bet you didn't realise that there are four retaining bolts, nor that the fourth next to the sill is in the path of muck from the road wheel and has very restricted access due to its proximity to the sill. In fact, only one bolt is readily accessible, because the remaining two are partially obstructed by that subframe that I said need only be dropped on the right side
Needless to say, this was all made a good deal harder than it need have been. It would be so easy to write a manual that actually contained more useful pix, some hints and tips, and clear descriptions of what to look for (no attempt was made, for example, to describe where the electrical connectors are for the fuel sender/pump - arrrghhh!!!)
So job is nearly half done. Tim, Andy, if you guys are still up for tea and biscuits at Chez Bell this coming Sunday, assistance, cunning tools and ideas and general encouragement would all be gratefully recieved! ;D
Haynes manuals. Not even useful as bog paper (not very absorbant).