How to become do-yourself-mechanic

You need a manual, some tools, a few supplies, a workspace, and lots of time. If you need to get repairs done right away then you're pretty well stuck taking the car to a garage. But if you have the time to puzzle over problems you can do a lot of stuff yourself.

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If you live in a city where community colleges offer auto mechanics courses, this can be a good and inexpensive way to learn something.

I used to work 5 days a week as a chemist, go to mechanics school at night, and work as a mechanic on non school nights and weekends.

Some high school's offer basic classes at night in my nick of the woods.

Good Luck!

Erik

That's probably the answer of about 99.9% of car owners in this highly computerized age, when the stuff under the hood is much more opaque in its structure and function. (Even in the old days, I wonder about the percentage of owners who could actually take an efficient path toward something useful when their car broke down; but never mind that.) And really, it's a fine answer for most people.

But still, it's good to know what's under the hood and how it works. Onward...

Sounds like, as luck would have it, your first literature about cars was a copy of "5.0 Mustang Getting Tickets and Voiding Warranties Monthly." You named various items for the performance modification community (mostly street or strip drag racing, in this case).

For ordinary street driving (or even enthusiastic though prudent street driving, for that matter), you need the things from those magazines in general, and these items in particular, about like you need a Bactrian camel in the passenger seat.

None of that knowledge actually has anything to do with troubleshooting of the basic "my car won't start -- now what?" or "what's that funny noise?" variety, although most people who would desire a shift kit or an underdrive pulley would also happen to be knowledgeable about cars and how to fix them.

Anyway, if you want to learn more, and gradually start doing some things in your own garage, good on you. In my experience, the better mechanics often like dealing with knowledgeable and somewhat self-sufficient customers who know their own capabilities and have good sense about what to bring into the shop. Knowledge also helps you choose a good mechanic... and helps you spot problems when they are small so you can get to the mechanic in time.

So how to get knowledge and experience? There are some online resources such as

The aftermarket repair manuals (Chilton's, Haynes, Bentley...) available at auto parts stores often have beginner-oriented information that might not appear in the factory manuals. The factory ones are usually meant as reference materials and advanced guides for people who already generally know what they're doing.

Last and hardly least: as others have mentioned you might want to check into basic courses at community colleges in your area. Sometimes this is helpful in conveying a system-level overview of how the car works and a strategy, an intellectual framework, for solving problems. You might also find more tools than you will have in your own box at first, and last but hardly least, somebody else's car to work on.

The main thought I'd leave you with: when first starting out, don't buy parts, don't buy tools -- buy knowledge.

Best of luck,

--Joe

You all are wonderful. I will first buy the manual in book form and will go from there. If my level of interest stays the same then will go to school. I know I will not learn in week so have to be patient too :) Great advice. Buying knowledge before tools. Know what that means :-)

Thanks all

Abbas

Ad absurdum per aspera wrote:

You are not from another world, rather another time. Home mechanicing is much less common than it used to be. When I was growing up (forties and fifties) any boy who didn't work on cars was considered not quite normal :-)

But then, cars were much simpler then. One thing to do is to buy an old car- one with a carburetor and coil/points ignition. No computers, no electronic ignition. Then, learn how to work on THAT car.

There are a number of books on auto repair that are general, NOT shop manuals. You need a book like that more than you need the specific shop manual. In fact, for the older car, a shop manual is NOT all that necessary. You need to know points and plug gaps, but that is about it. The auto parts stores used to have those settings, so none of us had the manuals for our cars.

Also, a number of community ed courses offer a home car repair course. This is much cheaper and shorter time period than attending a formal mechanic training program.

Abbas wrote:

When I bought my vette in '92, I knew NOTHING about cars. Didn't know how a internal combustion engine worked, or a tranmission, or even know that cars had different rear end ratios.

Taught myself by buying the service manual, and bought tools as needed for repair. I've rebuilt the engine, swapped trannies, painted the car myself, replaced all the interior, and numerous other small repairs (if a water pump can be called a small repair!!). All very different jobs, but it's not magic.

With all due respect to mechanics out there (which there ARE good and bad, for sure), it's not brain surgery. Most everything is removing bolts, putting in a new part, reattaching bolts. More extensive repairs require you to remove other non-broken stuff to get to the broken part, and if you break down repairs like that into smaller repairs, it doesn't seem overwhelming at all.

Having the right tools is a HUGE part of doing a good job, or at least a timely job, and diagnosis is something that can be learned.

There's more to being a good mechanic than wrenching. It's about proper and effective diagnosis.

Agreed.

[snipped]

Agreed. My most recent purchase is a 1995 Z28 and it's proven to be quite a chore to do even the simplest of things, as compared to my four previous Z's (latest was an '81).

Case in point: spark plug wire change. My 69 or 74,

78, or even 81 were a snap to change - under 1/2 hour with cut-to-fit wires.

Not so with the 95 Z. Almost two hours and TWO people (my brother's arms are skinnier than mine). I had to take the alternator/serpentine belt off and had to route the wires in the tightest of nooks-n-crannies. To my surprise, I discovered the "distributor" is on the front of the engine, requiring a combination of laying under the car and working under the hood to complete the work.

I also disovered that the front wheel bearings and the rotor are a one-piece unit - how stupid is that? There is plenty of rotor surface left, yet I have a bearing going bad, so I have to spend $130 just to fix a borked bearing?

Or how about if the fuel pump goes out? It's inside the gas tank and you have to drop the rear axle to remove that tank.

You have to question the engineers sometimes. I'm all for modern technology, but against bad engineering. They should put the engineers in the repair shops for a year (wrenching) before putting them in an office.

Your're not supposed to fix them, you're supposed to buy a new one.

The goal of the designers (engineers or otherwise) is not to make the car easily service-able. The designers come up with a spiffy-looking car that they think people will want to buy. The engineers have to figure out a way to fit all the necessary bits into that design in such a way that it can be assembled at the least cost by semi-skilled labor. The ease and cost of maintenance to you is not high on the list.

Many of todays crop of "technicians" would call tripple A as well. Without the computer they get lost.

Most auto repair items are not intuitive unless you understand how the various parts interact and operate. For a basic understanding find a library and borrow some of the older books on auto repair. The basics are still the same regardless of what or when the vehicle was made. In reality not much has changed in the internal combustion engine operation since the beginning. Understanding the 4 strokes and what has to occur during each for the engine to operate is still the same. The parts (block, head(s), crankshaft, camshaft(s), ignition, induction) still do the same jobs. They are now computer controlled but they are still there for the most part. Learn the basics and build from there. Just understand that some items will be beyond your skills for a while. Oh and if you come to an area that looks like it could be very difficult or needs specialty tools that you don't own it is no sin to take it to a shop. Some items take many years of practice to get real good at. Automatic transmissions/transaxles, Differentials, A/C are the three big items that the average DIYer won't have the skills to tackle without lot's of help, not saying it can't be done but with the tools and supplies you need they are not cost effective to DIY on a vehicle you need to depend on.

You don't need to go to school BUT it doesn't hurt to look into taking an auto course given by a BOCES or community college. You get instruction and hands on both that way. You also get to see different problems and learn how to deal with them. I also recommend you buy an older vehicle that runs as a practice vehicle. Don't use one you need daily. You will learn many of the basics repairing items on it. Things like how to remove stuck fasteners, brake components, steering components, suspension parts are very similar regardless of make. Some diagnostics are a real PITA, but knowing the basics and what needs to happen in normal operation helps a LOT. If you know that the engine needs Fuel, Air, Compression, Ignition, Exhaust and how they relate, it becomes easier when the engine dies.

The shift kit, underdrive pulley set, are mostly oriented to a performance vehicle and are something you won't normally run across on the average street vehicle.

4.10 : 1 gearing refers (usually) to the final drive ratio in the differential assembly in the drive axle of the vehicle. It means that the pinion gear turns 4.1 times for each full turn of the ring gear.

Some links to get you started in some of the basics.

Wow. Lotta good stuff. Thanks all.

Today I borrowed movie from library about basic maintenance. Was good.

What car you call "an old car"? a ford tempo 1989?

Old is relative to your age. To me, (I'm 46) an old car would be something from the early 60's or older.

Ken

Old is relative. For a practice vehicle you just want a vehicle that runs, is cheap, and is NOT the vehicle you use as a daily driver. Having a similar vehicle to the one you drive could be helpful but isn't needed.

That would be okay, but I'd go even a bit earlier. The Ford Maverick was indeed designed with home maintenance in mind. Really open engine bay with reasonably sized straight six, attempt made to reduce number of different wrench sizes, well-placed oil filter, virtually no fancy emissions controls.

Chevy Nova six also good, Mopar slant six okay.

management computers, fuel injection.

I don't know if I'd recommend going back that far - what are the odds you'll be working on a car with points unless you're a car collector? :)

I would recommend getting a second car much like the OP's current car. It's one of the reasons I usually buy a GM - they may do some stupid stuff, but at least it's the same stupid stuff from model to model.

My buddy had a 2.8, the wife has a 3.1 and my Jimmy has a 2.8 - one carb, one TBI and one MPFI - but a lot of the knowledge "interchanges" - much more than if one was a Ford and one was a Honda.

I also encourage learning HOW it works - don't just replace the MAP sensor when the scan tool says so, find out WHAT it does and WHY it's needed. That comes in handy when you get a car that won't behave and the fancy tools don't help - you sometimes need to go back to the basics of air, fuel and spark.

I think your typical FI setup is more "idiot proof" too... I've seen more cars with carbs running like crap after everyone "tweaks" it than I have with FI. (and as far as regular street cars go, it's been close to

20 years since the carb went the way of 6V generators and points ignitions.)

Ray

Um, you're ranking the Slant-6 *last* behind the Ford and Chevy sixes? What planet do you live on?