[A/S] Re: was Towing with a Titan? Now French Engineers

[John Dorsey <jrdorsey@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I fully agree with you Tom.

The French may be wonderful people, but their skill as automotive 
engineers leaves (IMHO) something to be desired.

Let me explain. My daily driver is a Jeep Cherokee. This poor thing was 
designed back when AMC had some sort of affair going on with Renault. 
As a result this illegitimate stepchild has an French designed and 
built engine control system. Even after Chrysler bought them, they kept 
the same system. What a nightmare! The whole thing makes no sense.

I've been an ASE (http://www.ase.com/) certified mechanic for about 
twenty years now, and when I looked at the wiring diagram in the shop 
manual, excuse me, the 79 pages of wiring diagrams, I though I was 
looking at the space shuttle manuel.

The basic attitude near as I can tell was never to use one wire for 
anything and always use two sensors to do the job of one.

While most vehicles put the crankshaft position sensor some place 
accessible they mounted it on the top rear of the bellhousing where you 
can't even see one of the bolts.

And prices! An ignition control module for a Chevy of the same year, 
$30, for the Renault/Jeep $250! Almost everything cost about 8 times 
what an American designed part costs.

Bottom line, check to see how much of that Titan was French designed, 
and don't ask the salesman, look at the parts under the hood, if they 
have Renault labels, or say Made in France, run! Run fast! Run long!

As an aside I also don't like what Nissan Motor corporation is trying 
to do to Mr. Uzi Nissan of Nissan Computers. They are suing him for 
using the name Nissan even though he's been using it for his computer 
business longer than they have used it for their cars (remember 
Datsun?).