[Miller335]

Buddy of mine just found a one owner pearl white 300zx with only 80k miles, thing is mint.
But F me does that engine bay looked cramped to work in and its loaded with all kind of random hoses of various sizes and shit.

The RX7's were like that also, know a fellow with one.
The 3000GT VR4's were a transverse V6, the worst engine config to work on.

Our cars might have weird issues but at least Ive found it to be pretty easy to work on, Ive owned it two years now and it's never seen a shop other then when it got new tires and alignment and Ive done quite a bit to it now, even the clutch job.

In fact under our engine bays it just flat out has way less shit going on vs. The turbo cars of yesteryear, its less complicated and way more straightforward to work on.

[B.M.W.]

The 300zx, FD Rx7 & 3000GT VR4's all used sequential turbo systems so they were pretty bit & in the amount of space it's no surprised how cramped the engine bay turned out.

[Miller335]

I believe only the RX7 and Supra used sequential turbos.

[sk55]

Originally Posted by Miller335

Buddy of mine just found a one owner pearl white 300zx with only 80k miles, thing is mint.
But F me does that engine bay looked cramped to work in and its loaded with all kind of random hoses of various sizes and shit.

The RX7's were like that also, know a fellow with one.
The 3000GT VR4's were a transverse V6, the worst engine config to work on.

Our cars might have weird issues but at least Ive found it to be pretty easy to work on, Ive owned it two years now and it's never seen a shop other then when it got new tires and alignment and Ive done quite a bit to it now, even the clutch job.

In fact under our engine bays it just flat out has way less shit going on vs. The turbo cars of yesteryear, its less complicated and way more straightforward to work on.

i find the turbo volvo pre 2k pretty easy to work with also pretty reliable...

yup i think e46.... and the n54 are pretty good for DIY....

audi a4... seem like PIA to do anything... just not designed for easy maintenance...

[CantCatchMe]

I had a Stealth TT...same engine as the VR4. I hated working on that car.

[Antetokounmpo]

Originally Posted by B.M.W.

The 300zx, FD Rx7 & 3000GT VR4's all used sequential turbo systems so they were pretty bit & in the amount of space it's no surprised how cramped the engine bay turned out.

Only the FD TT, MKIV Supra TT, and Porsche 959 used sequential turbos in the US.

[335idle]

Both STI, I've owned have been a pain in the ass.

[kdbryce]

Why do people put apostrophes on 335s. Or RX7s. Or VR4s.

[Memaxndapickel]

I always felt that the ej series of Subaru engines were extremely easy to work on. Everything is pretty easy to access and the engine bay is pretty large with the engine being pretty small. Took me two and a half days to do a full engine swap plus rad and all other little miscellaneous hoses/thermostat's/water pump/belts and everything was relatively cheap. The only part that sucked was negative degree weather.

[AWDBooSTIn90]

Originally Posted by Memaxndapickel

I always felt that the ej series of Subaru engines were extremely easy to work on. Everything is pretty easy to access and the engine bay is pretty large with the engine being pretty small. Took me two and a half days to do a full engine swap plus rad and all other little miscellaneous hoses/thermostat's/water pump/belts and everything was relatively cheap. The only part that sucked was negative degree weather.

That kind of defeats the purpose of working on the car. removing an engine in any car is pretty straightfroward. so while having the engine out you could change anything you wanted.

i've had (3) 3000gt's. two of them being vr4's. ive loved the car but just about anything you needed to work on that didnt require removing the engine was a hard, hand scraping job.

i would rather remove the engine in that car and then do the work on pretty much anything more than maintenance or basic 3-4hr repairs. very tight. lot of parts. since the engine was mounted transversely and being AWD and twin turbo. there was just a lot of parts. everywhere they could find an empty space, they put something there lol. i know every bolt, hose, bracket, and part from that car from working on it so much in the years of owning them.

dont get me wrong i loved the 2 vr4's i had, (not worth the trouble of owning, to have a non-turbo fwd), but i sold it because i got sick of working on it.

the 335i is like working on a civic compared to a vr4 lol

And 3000GT VR4 is a V6 twin turbo. same size front and rear turbo.

It used (2)- Mitsubishi TD04-9B.

The 335s use a Mitsubishi TD03-10T i believe. so smaller turbine wheel/housing, but bigger compressor wheel. The wastegate flapper on the vr4s was a much better design, but if you lost a vacuum line, you were going full boost!! So not as safe.

[Nitrousbird]

Originally Posted by sk55

audi a4... seem like PIA to do anything... just not designed for easy maintenance...

You are correct...I hate working on my wife's 2.0T A4. Even oil changes suck. Canister filter under the car, where you have to take the whole belly tray off. Then its a special tool (that I bought) to drain it.

Then they decided to put the sensor connection for the engine mount right in the way of the filter. There is a ton of room all around it but they decided that's where it should be located. Total crap.

Thermostat sucked too, but N54 is worse. Diverter valve could have been easier too. I dread doing the timing belt (pretty big job) and it's about due...

N54 has PLENTY of design flaws and stupid item placement. The cowl alone is a dumb design...they should have just used the M3's cowl to begin with (which I need to get around to retrofitting).

[Welcome to NBA Jam]

Every car has its ups and downs for maintenance. There's a lot of plastic to remove for our engine bays, but it's overall really not that bad.

We win on the fuel pump though. Doesn't get any easier than removing the rear seat!

[Some Asian Guy]

Originally Posted by Memaxndapickel

I always felt that the ej series of Subaru engines were extremely easy to work on. Everything is pretty easy to access and the engine bay is pretty large with the engine being pretty small. Took me two and a half days to do a full engine swap plus rad and all other little miscellaneous hoses/thermostat's/water pump/belts and everything was relatively cheap. The only part that sucked was negative degree weather.

I agree. My WRX was really easy to work on. I pulled the transmission once for a rebuild, the engine once for timing belt and clutch/flywheel. Everything was straightforward and went back together with no issues. The only thing that was really a pain was doing the turbo inlet pipe.

[hockeyplayer]

Originally Posted by kdbryce

Why do people put apostrophes on 335s. Or RX7s. Or VR4s.

becaze they're grammar bro

[jgoens]

My last car a Nissan altima v6 required removal of the plennum, several vacuum hoses and bolts that were unseen in order to do a spark plug change. So I never did it even with 11500 miles. I see why thy put 100k plugs in those because it is a several hour job. Did the plugs on my 335 in under an hour and that included yapping with the neigbor.

[patsbimmer1]

The n54/n55 is pretty simple to work on. Audi/VW can be a real PITA, the 2.7t comes to mind as being a nightmare. Replacing suspension parts on Audi/VW is also a real pain compared to most cars.

GM managed to make something like changing a headlight an adventure with some of their designs that require front bumper removal.

Z31 and Z32 300zx are a pain in NA form let alone Turbo. Great driving cars but not a mechanics special.

Like it's been stated before, a lot of vehicles have quirks but some of them are more notable than others.

[N54Society]

Originally Posted by Welcome to NBA Jam

Every car has its ups and downs for maintenance. There's a lot of plastic to remove for our engine bays, but it's overall really not that bad.

We win on the fuel pump though. Doesn't get any easier than removing the rear seat!

Isn't that the LPFP? As I understand it, the HPFP is located just below the charge pipe, which is still accessible but a little less than under the seat.

[Miller335]

Originally Posted by kdbryce

Why do people put apostrophes on 335s. Or RX7s. Or VR4s.

Sorry man.

[Miller335]

Originally Posted by jgoens

My last car a Nissan altima v6 required removal of the plennum, several vacuum hoses and bolts that were unseen in order to do a spark plug change. So I never did it even with 11500 miles. I see why thy put 100k plugs in those because it is a several hour job. Did the plugs on my 335 in under an hour and that included yapping with the neigbor.

Transverse V6s are the worst.
I had a gen 1 SHO years ago and while I LOVED that Yamaha engine it was a pain in the ass to do even minor things due to the engine being turned sideways.

I told myself I would never buy a transverse V engine again.

[Memaxndapickel]

Originally Posted by AWDBooSTIn90

That kind of defeats the purpose of working on the car. removing an engine in any car is pretty straightfroward. so while having the engine out you could change anything you wanted.

i've had (3) 3000gt's. two of them being vr4's. ive loved the car but just about anything you needed to work on that didnt require removing the engine was a hard, hand scraping job.

i would rather remove the engine in that car and then do the work on pretty much anything more than maintenance or basic 3-4hr repairs. very tight. lot of parts. since the engine was mounted transversely and being AWD and twin turbo. there was just a lot of parts. everywhere they could find an empty space, they put something there lol. i know every bolt, hose, bracket, and part from that car from working on it so much in the years of owning them.

dont get me wrong i loved the 2 vr4's i had, (not worth the trouble of owning, to have a non-turbo fwd), but i sold it because i got sick of working on it.

the 335i is like working on a civic compared to a vr4 lol

And 3000GT VR4 is a V6 twin turbo. same size front and rear turbo.

It used (2)- Mitsubishi TD04-9B.

The 335s use a Mitsubishi TD03-10T i believe. so smaller turbine wheel/housing, but bigger compressor wheel. The wastegate flapper on the vr4s was a much better design, but if you lost a vacuum line, you were going full boost!! So not as safe.

I was just giving an example, and btw it was my first time ever pulling an engine. I still think the ej series is extremely easy to wrench on even if your not pulling the engine. I've done a lot of work on my EJ's and that was the first engine removal but all things have gone smoothly.

[csu87]

compared to some I4 Turbo cars Ive had, no. Those had so much room in the engine bay and everything was easily accessible.

Compared to a 99GMC Jimmy I had, yes. You had to lift the car, remove a wheel and go through the wheel well to get to the spark plugs. Then, on the driver side, you had to have a flex socket since 2 plugs are right behind the drive shaft, and once you got them about halfway out, you had to hand unscrew them since nothing else would fit.

[Dann]

The most annoying bit about working on the 335i is the cables that run across the engine.

If they weren't there it would be so much easier.