supersailor
Contributing Partner
We all have complained about the great difficulties we have with the difficult "sailboat" access to pretty well anything. I, maybe more than many because pretty well every panel has been removed and every nook and cranny has been checked and an amazing array of stuff has been replaced in the last year.
I offer a challenge to those that think sailboats are difficult to work on. Fix your wife's modern car. The fuel pump went out on Rae Ann's car. That doesn't seem like much but the modern fuel pump is inside the fuel tank. That wouldn't be much of a problem except that the car manufacturers have forgotten how to install access hatches. That means that the tank has to be removed from the car. Of course, the tank has to be empty and this one had 3/4 of a tank in it. The factory manual says syphon the tank. No big dealie except they forget to mention there is an anti-syphon plate in the tank and there is no drain plug. After a few (many) choice words, I finally got the 1/8 line oil drain line past the plate after disassembling the fuel filler tubes. It took forever to drain 12 gallons. The tank can't be dropped without disassembling some sub systems. Once finally out, the pump is now a module and you end up buying a $270 unit that is not the slightest bit easy to install. Also there were none available on the West Coast so there was a three week wait for the part. Then you reverse the procedure. It is running again.
My wallet is $1500 heavier than it would have been if I subbed this little job out. I don't like her car much better, though. I now revel in the ease of maintenance on my E-34
I offer a challenge to those that think sailboats are difficult to work on. Fix your wife's modern car. The fuel pump went out on Rae Ann's car. That doesn't seem like much but the modern fuel pump is inside the fuel tank. That wouldn't be much of a problem except that the car manufacturers have forgotten how to install access hatches. That means that the tank has to be removed from the car. Of course, the tank has to be empty and this one had 3/4 of a tank in it. The factory manual says syphon the tank. No big dealie except they forget to mention there is an anti-syphon plate in the tank and there is no drain plug. After a few (many) choice words, I finally got the 1/8 line oil drain line past the plate after disassembling the fuel filler tubes. It took forever to drain 12 gallons. The tank can't be dropped without disassembling some sub systems. Once finally out, the pump is now a module and you end up buying a $270 unit that is not the slightest bit easy to install. Also there were none available on the West Coast so there was a three week wait for the part. Then you reverse the procedure. It is running again.
My wallet is $1500 heavier than it would have been if I subbed this little job out. I don't like her car much better, though. I now revel in the ease of maintenance on my E-34