What is the most difficult maintenance item on a 308

The little piece of water hose under the intake manifold wasn't an early favorite of mine.

 

Heater hoses in front scuttle area was no fun. More sliced and scraped flesh than most any other job I have completed on my car.


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It's really the small things...

- applying sealant on the front bank when replacing valve cover seals. Hard for me to see/reach

- dealing with the AC compressor when replacing timing belts. I've found a method that makes it tolerable, but still the worst step of the procedure

- cam timing adjustment: haven't done it, need to do it, and dreading it.

 

Agree re the AC compressor/cam belts. Why do you need to do a cam timing adjustment, are you wanting to change the cam timing to other than stock?

 

When I replaced the camshaft seals (leaked), I used the witness/assembly marks to reinstall... I wasn't aware that they aren't meant to be used for final timing. So they're close enough that valve damage isn't occuring, but the cycle itself isn't optimal.

 

Replacing the starter with the engine in the car. Almost got the best of me.

 

Replacing the bushes on a 308 - what were they thinking with the welded bushes?

 

This is a notion I've never been able to come to terms with because frankly, it makes absolutely no sense. That they would make permanent witness marks that were just in the ballpark and not accurate even though they were obviously going to set the valve timing to the "optimal" position in the end before putting the engine in the car and selling it to the customer. Why on Earth would they make those marks before doing that? How would they even decide where to put them? Furthermore there is a spec for valve clearance that has a range, also the shims are manufactured in steps of thickness that have their own tolerances of error. So it is impossible to build an engine that has the exact same clearance on every single valve down to a gnats hair and even if you did it would not remain as such throughout the operational life of the motor. So which valve are you going to use to set up this uber-optimal timing position? I like working with my dial indicator too and I like precision but there is a myriad of potential anomalies that can introduce errors into your results so be wary of them. It might be worth it to verify your marks just in case Jussepie goofed up when he built the engine but I really think this is an OWT

As for my least favorite 308 task: window regulators - hands down.

 

I'm going to take the argumentative stance. The timing notch is spot on. I know it's been days that it was done at the factory during build. I'm not sold on that, only because I've had dozens run thru for new cam profiles and out of sheer curiosity I had about a dozen of them encoded with reference to that mark... Guess what? Either ol jussepie was a wizard or they were marked by the mfg. They were all identical. Not to mention.. ever try and Mark one? Hardened.

 

I'm sure the marks on the cams are manufactured and identical, the "witness" marks are stamped onto the #1 bearing cap with a punch to correspond with the cam mark when the timing is set. There would be no reason to stamp that mark on the cap prior to setting the timing for the particular engine.

 

The caps are not stamped during assy. Just snapped a couple pics...
Notice the wear of camshaft on the face and how far down the "notch" is.

This why I don't follow the claim of the marks not being correct.
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For me, rebuilding the AC system after 22 years of ownership without having it, it was a ****ing nightmare For my 328 89 GTS.

Big G

 

It's not about correct or not, it's about accuracy. The diameter of the cam where the mark is is what? About 1" or so. That means rotation of the cam 1 degrees would move the mark less that 0.01". That corresponds to 2 degrees of crankshaft rotation. One degree of crank rotation would move the mark a little over 0.004".

Given that, even the WSM states when possible time the cams with a degree wheel.

 

Very true but also not what's in question. I was simply pointing out that the claim that the marks were made during assy doesn't jive with what I've seen over the yrs while working and engineering these engines. The cap is cast and machined with the timing Mark, the camshaft is very likely also mfg with the timing Mark, as they all have the exact same index point.

The variation is going to be the shim and seat.

 

Removing and installed US spec exhaust manifolds with heat shields and air injection pipes in the way. That job SUCKS

 

I have owned my GTB for almost 20 years and done all kind of work but replacing the starter with engine in car and no lift gets my vote for the nasty job.


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Replacing the steering rack on a GT 4 .Bolts on the clamps / brackets are almost inaccessible near the bulkhead.

 

This.
Doing the job on axle stands, with the fuel tanks out. I was squeezed into the wheelarch/bulkhead and was concerned I would get stuck. It was the automotive maintenance equivalent of pot-holing.

 

There is a pretty long list for the 308 and GT4. But, the one that really sucks is the heater hose replacement.

 

I’ll go with headlight stalk replacement and ring, distributor seals, shift shaft seals, axle boots and window motor clean up. All because I haven’t done any of it on my Euro 308, lazy and I haven’t driven it forever, the other ones get all my love

 

Well.. I've done it all, well almost!!! ... IMO everything was extremely difficult or a nightmare to replace or rebuild components on the car. I'm hoping I'll be done with it after the first of the year 2023!!!! yay!!!!

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When I first got my car I looked at those heater and defroster duct tubes and came to the conclusion that this is what the big black fiberglass cover is for, so you don't have to see them.

 

Just added an ‘85 GTS to the collection. Planning an engine out service to replace all seals and belt. Also doing all suspension work. Curious though what else I should consider doing since the car will be apart for a few months? Mileage is 28,700. Aside from the clock, everything works.

I’m not intending to enter the car to be judged in shows. But, my goal is to make it as close to perfect as possible…with peace of mind that aside from necessary routine things periodically, the car won’t need anything for years. I really don’t expect to put a lot of miles on it. But, I also don’t want to have to ship it off each time I drive it, because something needs service that I should’ve had done. So, suggestions are appreciated.