Pacifica Least of Chrysler's Worries

[Nomen Nescio]

Art, there is no trolling on this newsgroup, only free expression of
thought, a treasure we hold very dear to our American hearts.

The Pacifica and Crossfire are only the latest two iterations of bad
product. Chrysler will continue to offer bad product that won't sell so
long as it ignores customer feedback. FOR INSTANCE, DO YOU EVER SEE
"OFFICIAL" CHRYSLER RESPONSE ON THIS NEWSGROUP? Never!

Sales are always customer driven. Chrysler has everything bass akwards.
They actually think that people will keep buying every junk the factory
pushes out the doors. Maybe that was true right after the war (WWII) but
it ain't no more.

Every new car since 1950 has been engineered by rejects from the plumbing
industry. Its insane: You would think the sophisticated materials
developed during the first half of the last century would tend to make for
lighter vehicles. But the exact opposite took place. Just look at a 1953
Corvette. That sucker weighed in at 2850 pounds, way too heavy. So what
does 51 years of "progress" yield? A 2004 Crossfire that weighs in a 3600
pounds, almost 800 (EIGHT HUNDRED) pounds MORE!!! And its the same
two-seater capacity. The Crossfire is the epitamy of the 1928 school of
design. Chrysler needs to hang their heads in shame for peddling that
lumber wagon off as a so-called state-of-the-art automobile.

Maybe Chrysler designers actually believe that heavier cars hold the road
better than lighter ones! If so, I recommend they fill in the frame
members with cement. Heavier is better. Maybe I should consider buying a
dump truck for performance -- they're good'n'heavy.

As for fixability, you can't beat a V-8 crammed in nice and tight. Better
use good sparking plugs 'cause the number 7 is the 100,000 plug. The way
Chrysler fits plastic covers over the engine I doubt even a professional
mechanic can find all 8 anyways. People, when you open the hood of a
prospective buy, if you can't see all the plugs and injectors sticking out
in plain view, WALK! Don't be a sucker for a maintenance unfriendly car --
after the new car smell wears off, you will curse it when you can't do the
work yourself and worse, can't pay the exhorbinant bills to get somebody
else to do it for you.

Exactly what was in Chrysler's twisted agenda when they stuck the SINGLE
fuel pump deep within the bowels of the gas tank? When, not if, it goes
south on you, it will strand you. And its not field fixable. It will cost
you a FORTUNE. A high school auto shop student could design a better fuel
supply system; an aircraft mechanic could design a completely failsafe one
that would never let you down. And it wouldn't cost much to make it 100%
failsafe. Probably not more than $40 on that $30,000 bomb you just bought.

I just love those frustrated owner's complaints when they get this here
intermittant. Is it ignition? Is it fuel injection? Is it mechanical? I
love it. Serves you right for buying cars with space age want-to-be
systems. YOU try to figure out where the problem is, because I don't have
the foggiest. Start with the 100 wires that come and go out of 50 wire
connectors. Can you believe it when I tell you Chrysler has put some of
those inches away from unshielded lead-acid car batteries that spit acid on
them? Its true. Like a stick of dynamite with the fuse lit. Hasn't Lee
Iaccocoa ever hear of corrosion? And he was one of the BEST Chrysler ever
had.

Overheating engine? That's a given. Everyone of those head gaskets are
going to go bad on you, given enough time. The solution is simple: No
water jacket holes thru the gasket. And no oil passages through it either.
Don't know how to do it? Chrysler, read the posts. Some smart guy alread
told you how to do it.

Hydraulic lifters have been used on Continental aircraft engines and they
do not fail from "leakdown" and knock. Its a late 30's design. Chrysler
read up on the correct way to make hydraulic lifters. Yours leak down and
knock.

Ever had a suspension collapse? Bad bolts. Chrysler learn about AN bolts.
They're the only kind that should be on cars. And use self locking nuts.
Even British motorcycles used them and everybody knows how backwards the
Brits are. Those bikes were made to order for the rubbish bin.

Chrysler front suspension alignment mechanisms are no good. They rely on
pinch bolts to hold the adjustment. Cams and pinch bolts are no good. Use
micrometer screw adjustments and lock nuts. A car should take a stout curb
slam and still hold adjustment. I have slammed into curbs and the whole
adjustment pops out of specifications.

Chrysler water hoses can rupture and leak. That's because they don't use
SCREW ON FITTINGS. Clamp ons on so 1920's. Use genuine Airquips on $30,000
cars; they never bust.

Where's the safety wire? A Chrysler oil drain plug can unscrew and drop
off on the street. Where do you think the oil is going to go and what do
you think will happen to your engine (or transmission)? Come to think
about it, Chrysler transmnissions don't even have an oil drain screw.
While on the subject, why not a screw-on transmission filter? And a
screw-on fuel filter too?

Timing belts. You can cut one in two with a dressmaker's scissors. Try
it. Enough said. Chrysler: Use GEAR DRIVE.

I have just scratched the surface, but you should now have a feeling why I
say ex-toilet designers do Chrysler cars these days.

 

[Matthew S. Whiting]

Art, there is no trolling on this newsgroup, only free expression of
thought, a treasure we hold very dear to our American hearts.

The Pacifica and Crossfire are only the latest two iterations of bad
product. Chrysler will continue to offer bad product that won't sell so
long as it ignores customer feedback. FOR INSTANCE, DO YOU EVER SEE
"OFFICIAL" CHRYSLER RESPONSE ON THIS NEWSGROUP? Never!

Have you ever seen an official response on any ng from any auto maker?

Matt

 

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

Student Mechanic, your beefs have been answered time and again. Your not
kidding
anybody by using a different handle. But just for the newbies to the group,
here we
go again:

long as it ignores customer feedback. FOR INSTANCE, DO YOU EVER SEE
"OFFICIAL" CHRYSLER RESPONSE ON THIS NEWSGROUP? Never!

Newsgroup posts can be forged, you cannot have an "official" response on
Usenet.
See the manufacturer's website for any official response to anything or
write a letter
to Chrysler.

Every new car since 1950 has been engineered by rejects from the plumbing
industry. Its insane: You would think the sophisticated materials
developed during the first half of the last century would tend to make for
lighter vehicles.

Like what? Fiberglass? We already tried that on cars and it's a bust - the
goofball in the grocery store can bang a cart into your fender and crack it.
And there's little industry knowledge about the best way to make plastic
panels, all of them seem to be different, plus you can have paint adhesion
problems
and discoloring, etc. Plus repairing any kind of serious dent means total
panel replacement, you can't just bang them out and fill with Bondo and
paint.

Ford tried plastic intake manifolds on the Crown Vics and they cracked.
There's also been 100% aluminum engines built but reliability is a problem.

There's always a tradeoff between cost and "other gain" with that other
gain being weight or whatever. Well we have had a glut of steel on the
market for years, it's cheap. Plus manufacturing it doesen't create toxic
chemicals and use up precious hydrocarbons. And on top of that there's
never a disposal problem with steel, it's easy to recycle and doesen't end
up in a landfill, nor is burned and create toxic gasses. There's 100 years
of
paint technology to cover it, a tried and proven method called "galvanizing"
to make it rust proof, and it's easy to repair either by welding or
hammering
back into shape. And customers just plain enjoy the solidity of a
car manufactured out of metal.

Maybe Chrysler designers actually believe that heavier cars hold the road
better than lighter ones!

The auto buying public doesen't accept a car if it's too light. They don't
like
the feel of driving it, and they are afraid they will get smooshed in a
crash.
There's a whole raft of deragotory terms, "econobox", "rice burner" etc.
to describe them. The automakers aren't going to make something that
people won't buy. Even the New Beetle was made deliberately heavier than
the original Bug.

in plain view, WALK! Don't be a sucker for a maintenance unfriendly car --
after the new car smell wears off, you will curse it when you can't do the
work yourself and worse, can't pay the exhorbinant bills to get somebody
else to do it for you.

99.9% of the buying public isn't competent to do more than change the oil
in their cars, and with Jiffy Lube coupons in the Sunday paper for $10 oil
changes, few of them even do that much. And today the new car warranties
seem to be getting longer, apparently the people who actually work on cars
for a living know how to fix them cheap enough for the factory to pay them
to do it.

Exactly what was in Chrysler's twisted agenda when they stuck the SINGLE
fuel pump deep within the bowels of the gas tank? When, not if, it goes

By the time most OEM fuel pumps go, the vehicle is getting to end of life,
unless the owners regularly ran the gas tank to empty before adding in fuel,
thus exposing the pump and letting it run hot.

I just love those frustrated owner's complaints when they get this here
intermittant. Is it ignition? Is it fuel injection? Is it mechanical? I
love it. Serves you right for buying cars with space age want-to-be
systems. YOU try to figure out where the problem is, because I don't have
the foggiest. Start with the 100 wires that come and go out of 50 wire
connectors.

Troubleshooting hasn't changed, you take the complex problem and break
it down to simpler problems. The newer vehicles are more complex and have
more components but their systems still break down to simple ones.

Can you believe it when I tell you Chrysler has put some of
those inches away from unshielded lead-acid car batteries

This is no different than any computer UPS that I've ever replaced
batteries in.

that spit acid on
them? Its true.

Yes, if you are the type that never replaces your battery and never looks
under the hood at the battery terminals. Batteries age. Keeping them in
the car until the car won't start is the old, stupid way to run your vehicle
and it's what keeps AAA in business. Lead acid batteries should always
be replaced on a regular schedule based on number of years in service
and their terminals should be covered with the correct anti-corrosion
electrolytic grease, if this is done they do not spit acid all over the
place
nor do your battery cables corrode into pieces.

Overheating engine? That's a given. Everyone of those head gaskets are
going to go bad on you, given enough time. The solution is simple: No
water jacket holes thru the gasket. And no oil passages through it either.
Don't know how to do it? Chrysler, read the posts. Some smart guy alread
told you how to do it.

Only a handful of engine designs have this problem. Most of them the head
gaskets last to 200 thousand miles and beyond. And unlike most car engines,
airplane engines are regularly serviced. If everyone checked their auto
engine
headbolts for correct torque at regular intervals, as part of an overall
preventative
maintainence, most engine head gaskets would last forever.

Ever had a suspension collapse? Bad bolts. Chrysler learn about AN bolts.
They're the only kind that should be on cars.

Thus adding greatly to the cost of the vehicle. People aren't going to pay
for
this and they DO use hardened bolts in places where they are required.
Suspensions collapsing isn't a common problem.

Chrysler front suspension alignment mechanisms are no good. They rely on
pinch bolts to hold the adjustment. Cams and pinch bolts are no good. Use
micrometer screw adjustments and lock nuts.

In which case the screw threads will get crammed with gunk, making a routine
aligment into a major production.

Chrysler water hoses can rupture and leak. That's because they don't use
SCREW ON FITTINGS. Clamp ons on so 1920's. Use genuine Airquips on $30,000
cars; they never bust.

Once again, adding greatly to the cost of the vehicle. And water hoses
burst in
plenty other places than where the clamps are. Furthermore, once again if
people followed the manufaturers recommendations and dumped and replaced
their antifreeze at the recommended intervals, and inspected the water hoses
they wouldn't have these kinds of peoblems.

Where's the safety wire? A Chrysler oil drain plug can unscrew and drop
off on the street.

If oil is changed at the conservative 3000 mile mark, and a new copper
washer is
used on the oil drain plug, and the plug is properly torqued, this won't
happen
either. Blame the Amsoil freaks and their extended drain interval for this
problem.

Where do you think the oil is going to go and what do
you think will happen to your engine (or transmission)?

Nothing if the driver knows what they are doing. I have had oil pressure
die
on the highway, due to me plumbing in a oil pressure guage and using a brass
rather than steel fitting on the oil pressure sender to tap off the pressure
guage
fitting. The brass tube fractured and the oil pressure dropped from 80 psi
to
nothing in about 10 seconds. In my case I saw the idiot light go red,
identified it
immediately as an oil problem, and simply took my foot off the accellerator
and
let the engine idle and coasted to the side of the road then shut off the
engine
as soon as I was stopped. There was no engine damage of course.

And as for a catastrophic loss of tranny fluid, well what is going to happen
is equally anticlimatic. Simply put the torque converter will freewheel and
the transmission will decouple from the engine, leaving the driver reving
his
engine and no power to the wheels. If the driver simply coasts to a stop
at the side of the road turns off the car, there will be no damage.

Sure, if the low oil pressure red idiot light turns on and the morons
keep driving, then their engine is going to grenade itself in a few miles.
Is driver moronicity a reason to criticize the machine? Is the goal of
automotive design to make a vehicle so moron-proof that 8 year
old children can drive them?

Come to think
about it, Chrysler transmnissions don't even have an oil drain screw.

Because to properly drain the tranny you supposed to drop the pan
and replace the filter then wipe out all the dust and crud in the bottom
of the pan. If they figured that intelligent people were going to be
draining tranny fluid they probably would have put a courtesy drain
plug in, but they know that shortcut takers like you would just
drain the fluid then add new fluid and tell the customer the tranny
had been "serviced" before asking the customer to bend over so you
can "service the customer"

While on the subject, why not a screw-on transmission filter?

Some do have that. But your still going to end up with the pan full
of sludge unless you drop it.

And a
screw-on fuel filter too?

A large, correctly sized fuel filter should last to the 100K mile mark
without needing replacement, if the vehicle is filled with gasoline from
gas stations that are selling clean uncontaminated gas. And with fuel,
it is safest to have a can-style filter that uses thread-on couplers for
the in and out fuel lines.

Timing belts. You can cut one in two with a dressmaker's scissors. Try
it. Enough said. Chrysler: Use GEAR DRIVE.

You can cut a seatbelt in half with scissors but people trust their lives
with them. Oh I know, we should get chains for seatbelts. And in
any case, there's still plenty of engines that use metal timing chains
and sprockets. Once again, this is an item that would not be a problem
if correct Preventative Maintainences were done.

I have just scratched the surface, but you should now have a feeling why I
say ex-toilet designers do Chrysler cars these days.

You seem to know a lot about ex-toilet designers, you must be one yourself.

Ted

 

[Richard Benner Jr]

Yep, there is NO DOUBT who wrote that drivel. The StudentMechanic is
back again and again and again and STILL hasn't smartened up yet. A
new name does not work with him, you can see right thru the writing.