About as frustrated and PO'd as I need be.

[Sniper]

For the most part, I have a fairly high tolerance, and a lot of patience for mechanical items and procedures. But today that kind of fizzled away. Here's the poop. Bought a 2005 PT Cruiser from the classified about 2 weeks ago. Had been looking for a project car that can be used as a street version of a 'modified dirt track' car. I have a slant six and manual trans in the corner looking for a home, and the Cruiser was the candidate of choice. Body has the old timey look, and it's still new enough that the body hasn't disintegrated from the winter time salt monsters that reside here in Ontario. In fact, this one has a pretty decent body. To decent in fact. Got to thinking, why not get it mobile and drive it for awhile. I'm not going to start another major project anytime soon, to many irons in the fire right now anyway. I bought this car cheap because it has a broken timing belt, fix that, and wah la, a beater for the next little while. Not only that, it will be licenced, insured, and have a proper ownership when I make it my project car. That alone saves a lot of headaches. Well today is sunny, pretty blue sky and about 45 degrees F, not a bad day at all. Now the first thing I have to ask is who #$@^%?+&%#$@ designed these things? I knew going in that it would likely be a bit of a bear to change out a timing belt since book time is approx 6.5 hours. But come on. You have to be some kind of a shape shifter with an eyeball on the end of your finger just to see what's going on. So after removing a wheel and tire, a bunch of plastic panels, rad support, cross panel, grill, power steering pump, alt, coolant, (refused to open up AC system, just fought my way around it all) I'm down to a big gob of cast iron that is part of the engine mount. Have to get it out of there before I can get the new belt threaded through the pulleys. Tried jacking the engine up, nope, letting it down, nope, push it around with a big bar, nope. Can't get enough clearance no how. Well by 4:30 I've had enough, (started at 9:00) need to clean up and rethink. Well good old Google has revealed I'm not alone, seems to be a bit of a bugaboo with Chrysler products. (I've done a lot of timing belts in my time, but never one of these babies...not looking to do another one either.) So tomorrow I undo the exhaust and loosen up the other mount bolts and give it another try. Apparently the horn button can stay where it is...but then, I'm not real sure about that either. God I'm glad I don't do this for a living anymore. End of rant.

 

[billy]

i have gotten so mad that the curse words couldnt come fast enough so i suddenly began speaking in tongues.

i think i know how you feel

 

[donsrods]

My Ex wife has a PT Cruiser and I have tried to help her out on a few things on it but for the most part there is nothing I can do on it. Her's is a 5 speed and she has had the shift cables replaced twice and just the other day she called me to tell me it wouldn't shift right, so I went over. It would shift ok with the motor off but not when it was running. I could tell by the feel of the clutch pedal the hydraulic clutch wasn't working all the way.

Next day I took her and her car to a local shop and it ended up being over $900 to replace the slave cylinder and a window motor. The car has 40,000 miles on it and she has dumped a bunch of money in it in the time she has owned it. She spent about $1700 having the black paint job redone because it faded out, and then had to have it redone a year and a half later because it faded out again. The bodyshop covered most of the job under warranty.

Every time she calls me it is something else wrong with the car and I wish she would trade it in, but it is paid for and she likes no payments. My opinion is, they are a crappy little car.

Don

 

[maverickmk]

I don't think the people that design these new cars ever think about having to do any repairs on them. They certainly don't try after it has been built. It blows my mind some times on some of these front wheel drive cars how little room there is to do any repairs. Literally clearance is millimeters in some spaces.

 

[echnidna]

I just scratched PT Cruiser off my "would like" list

 

[Snake Farm]

[S You must have forgotten to take the bulb out of the third brake light before opening the hood.

I knew it wasn't going to turn out well when you mentioned "replacing timing belt" and "removing a tire and wheel" in the same sentence.

Ain't no wonder why auto repairs cost so much!

 

[timbo]

I do it everyday. Newer cars can be a bear to work on and for no reason. The PT Cruiser and the VW new beetles are about the worst for not having any room to work on them. Too many electronics also.
Tim

 

[billy]

[S You must have forgotten to take the bulb out of the third brake light before opening the hood.

I knew it wasn't going to turn out well when you mentioned "replacing timing belt" and "removing a tire and wheel" in the same sentence.

Ain't no wonder why auto repairs cost so much!

yeah
if it takes 9 hours before you have the vehicle taken apart enough to even get a peek at the belt.....

 

[Dirtyrat]

I scratch off anything with a timing belt instead of a chain.

 

[RattleCan]

I remember back just before these cars went on the market, a co-worker excitedly came up to me eager to share a sneak peak article in a car mag about a 'way cool looking retro-rod lookin' car from Chrysler'. I'll admit it peaked my interest at first, enough so I delved into some research to find out exactly what this vehicle had to offer to the world of rodding and just what exactly the 'PT" stood for.
The air was popped out of the perverbial baloon as soon as it was revealed the car was built on a Neon frame, would have 4 barely breathing cylinders and there was a huge debate as to which of titles 'PT' was an acronym for..
'Pathetically Tame' or 'Poopy Turd'.

 

[skull]

'modified dirt track'

'modified dirt track' for the street[cl

l've heard that somewhere before[S

on the PT LOSER, that's why l don't work on or own newer stuff.

gotta post some pics of the plan & start a build thread.

Later

 

[Willowbilly3]

Why not just drop the whole cradle sown, seems like it would be a lot easier.

 

[42chevy]

I think PT stands for Pretty Terrible. Good luck.

 

[Sniper]

Why not just drop the whole cradle sown, seems like it would be a lot easier.

Yeah WB, I was looking at it from that angle myself near the end. Kind of 6 of one, half dozen of the other at this point though. Talking to my brother earlier and he mentioned his boss has a PT Cruiser and a manual. A quick phone call and a short drive and I'm now comparing notes on what I did, and what the manual says to do. Guess I was on the right track for the most part. Just need to go a bit farther with it all. Still a poor design brought on by a 'make do' situation. Kind of a Neon to Cruiser conversion. Anyway I should get it all straighten out. Before this brain wave of using it as a daily struck, here's what the haynes manual says. And a couple or three pictures of what I have in mind. If and when I get it started I'll do a build thread then.

I have to resize the pics, they're to big, I'll just put them in another post in a few minutes.

 

[21willys]

I would of already had the torch out and a big pile of scrap by lunch time. I hate chryslers and hate fwd cars even more!

 

[offroadrolls]

@ 150,000 miles the chain in my daily rattles on cold start up if it's a 1/2 quart low on oil. So I did a little research to see what it would take to replace it. Maybe this should be in the what the heck is it forum...any guesses? Here's a hint, this is the firewall end of the engine.

 

[donsrods]

Locally we have a PT Cruiser club and they go enmasse to some of the shows. It really is snicker time because they actually think their cars are cool and some have every accessory sold by Pep Boys on them, or a bunch of stuffed animals inside.

When my daily was not working one time my Ex loaned me hers for a few days and I couldn't give it back fast enough.

Don

 

[RattleCan]

@ 150,000 miles the chain in my daily rattles on cold start up if it's a 1/2 quart low on oil. So I did a little research to see what it would take to replace it...

If after removing that pile of 'designed to trouble' it leaves enough room in the engine bay to drop in a crate 350, go for it.[

 

[Sniper]

Here's some pictures of what it's all about;

1 The actual car I bought, still sitting on my trailer.

2 Just a picture I found on the net that I photoshopped. Not a lot of hackin and slashin done. Fill in the back side glass, fill the head and tail light holes, shave rear door handles, (rear doors will still function, I have grandkids to motor around). Remove plastic bumpers and will install tube 'push' bumpers and rub rails.

3 Same picture, but with the hood extended a bit. To me it looks a bit more in proportion.

4 Another pic I found that has the rear glass filled in and replaced with a split window. A terrific idea that I will use, gives me the look I'm after.

Last but not least....I wonder what one of these would look like in a coupe version?? Might have to warm up the photoshop again. Don't ya just love havin ADD?

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

Sniper, I have a cool snapshot somewhere. I'll try to find it...

@ 150,000 miles the chain in my daily rattles on cold start up if it's a 1/2 quart low on oil. So I did a little research to see what it would take to replace it. Maybe this should be in the what the heck is it forum...any guesses? Here's a hint, this is the firewall end of the engine.

No idea, but that's the biggest freakin' micrometer I've ever seen.