Why Some Cars Don't Survive, I Can't Find The Original Post Options

[windforfun]

Porsche has always used the highest quality materials. Also, the 914 design was in a class by itself. The British & Italian cars in a similar price range were really pieces of junk (no offense intended), but they were. Brand new Jags at the dealership would have drip pans under them. They may have been faster, but they haven't stood the test of time. This is where material science & reliability statistics have come into play. The Japanese auto industry have the statistician Deming, who trained Taguchi at the end of WWII, to thank for their success. We sent Deming over to Japan at the end of WWII to help them get their shit together. I took many statistics & probability theory courses in college & grad school. One such course was taught by Prof. Bonus who used to work on the reliability of Cadillac engines. I would typically attend his classes while tripping on LSD. His course was lots of fun. I think my final grade was a B. FYI. Cheers.

[Shivers]

"you can always fix the ford and the volkswagen with a elastic band or a bit of string. even now." (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Superhawk996]

"you can always fix the ford and the volkswagen with a elastic band or a bit of string. even now." (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

There is a lot to be said for simplicity and ease of repair of 70's era.

I have a 2008 Jeep Wrangler (don't ask . . ). The chassis is great for off-road use. The modern electronics are (IMG:style_emoticons/default/stromberg.gif)

Deep within the Totally Inegrated Power Module (TIPM) is a $5.00 relay that is not easily servicable. It is soldered to the control PCB. They have a tendency to fail without warning. Did I mention it controls the fuel pump?

So when it fails, it will crank till the cows come home but it will never start given that fuel is part of the combustion process. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)

Not really a good failure mode when you use that vehicle to get you 30 miles out into the mountains and logging roads. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

Luckily a brilliant soul has developed a jumper harness that can bypass the relay by pulling some fuses and bypassing that POS relay.

If you have a Jeep Wranger of this era and use it to get way back in the woods, I highly recommend you PM me before you find yourself on a 30 mile hike hoping a logging truck or some random sportsman comes along!

Oh did I mention that if a cam or crank sensor fails you'll be walking too? So yeah, lots to be said for simplicity of years gone by.

[barefoot]

"you can always fix the ford and the volkswagen with a elastic band or a bit of string. even now." (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

There is a lot to be said for simplicity and ease of repair of 70's era.

I have a 2008 Jeep Wrangler (don't ask . . ). The chassis is great for off-road use. The modern electronics are (IMG:style_emoticons/default/stromberg.gif)

Deep within the Totally Inegrated Power Module (TIPM) is a $5.00 relay that is not easily servicable. It is soldered to the control PCB. They have a tendency to fail without warning. Did I mention it controls the fuel pump?

So when it fails, it will crank till the cows come home but it will never start given that fuel is part of the combustion process. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)

Not really a good failure mode when you use that vehicle to get you 30 miles out into the mountains and logging roads. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

Luckily a brilliant soul has developed a jumper harness that can bypass the relay by pulling some fuses and bypassing that POS relay.

If you have a Jeep Wranger of this era and use it to get way back in the woods, I highly recommend you PM me before you find yourself on a 30 mile hike hoping a logging truck or some random sportsman comes along!

Oh did I mention that if a cam or crank sensor fails you'll be walking too? So yeah, lots to be said for simplicity of years gone by.

That's why I haven't upgraded my 914 ignition beyond points & condenser, they've provided spark for hundreds of thousands of our cars for a very long time.
One day pooling with a mate form college car quit running on a Saturday evening. Looked in the distributor and realized the points had failed (broken cam follower).
Easily fornd a replacement and were off on the road again.
Tru that with anything more modern. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)