Figured I'd just blow off little steam and give you peeps a place to rant about your wrenching forays of frustration. I'll start off:
So, one item of maintenance that has been on my to-do list for a while has been replacing the heater hoses on Radio Flyer. I already have done the radiator, the main hoses and thermostat a couple years ago.
I've had the replacements in the back of the Waggy for 3 months, just haven't had the time to tackle the job.
So, this weekend was the time-before Murphy made me have to do it in the middle of a freak blizzard-in white out conditions- at 17* below 0- with a Mariachi band playing beside me.
Figured I'd tackle the hardest spot first. The clamp on the water pump, behind the alternator bracket.
Some idiot at the AMC factory thought it would be cute to position the clamp where the worm screw would be completely inaccessible directly behind the alternator bracket.
Insert long-winded, profanity-laced tirade about doing sadistic acts on said factory employee......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
After a bunch of Nope-not gonna work attempts with various tools, I resort to two options. Remove alternator bracket and potentially destroy water pump gasket, thus causing me to decide-"Welp, while I'm at it, might as well replace every ****ing thing" (water pump, gasket, fan clutch-cause that will be off as well, inspect timing cover-etc, etc).....
Or break out the dremel and notch the alternator bracket to access head of screw clamp (head was just under edge of triangle opening of bracket).
One ****ing hour and 15 ****ing minutes later, I had a notch cut, the clamp loosened, old hose removed, and finally had the new hose pushed into place.
Talk about a ****ing tight spot to shove a heater hose through. Not to mention the water pump fitting being at a different angle than the space you have to shove the hose through above the alternator.
Forty-five (yes, just forty-five) minutes later, I had the other three clamps off, the hoses broke loose, the new hoses in place, the radiator refilled, the antifreeze washed off of the motor, tools put away, the Jeep at operating temps verifying no leaks, and was putting away my tools.
One hour and fifteen minutes because of some inept factory line worker installing the clamp in the ONE SINGLE position it should have never been installed in!
Any way. Rant over. Jeep is good to go. No worries about Murphy and a heater hose issue when I really don't need it. About to cook some loaded smashed potatoes for Christmas with the family. Three get-togethers the next couple of days. Life could be worse.