Car Beginner - Where do i start?

Well, I grew up upper middle class around a bunch of people that didn't really fix and repair cars. I developed a passion for computers and i know everything about them. Leaving me with no knowledge about cars. I have a Suzuki motorcycle and now i just recently bought a Hyundai Tiburon and i really would like to learn about car maintenance and diy type things. Yet, i get the feeling im too far behind. Anytime someone wants to help me they realize that i really don't know ANYTHING and they get frustrated. I'm not handy at all don't have any tools to call my own, but i want to change all this. Help me get started guys, im tired of having a vagina when it comes to automobiles :O

-Ryan

Reply to
rlahiff
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unless you go take a 2 year training course your not going to learn everything right away so just get that out of your head.

What you need to do is first buy the factory service manuals for your vehicles then start reading them. Start with basic maintainence items like changing oil, changing transmission fluid, changing coolant, replacing belts, etc. Buy the tools as you need them.

Also you should be aware that a lot of the tools you use for working on the bike you won't use for the car and vis-versa. And there are a lot more maintainence items on a motorcycle that you can do yourself. For example learn how to change the bike tires. Learn how to change the chain and sprockets. All these things are in the factory manual.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Mittelstaedt

What you need is a hobby car to play with. Buy an older car, say an old Ford Falcon or Chevy Nova 6. Something with a carburetor and Kettering (non-electronic ) ignition. These cars are quite easy to maintain. Get a manual on it and do tuneup, oil change, etc. Fix it up and then sell it. You will learn a lot in the process.

This gives you a start on auto technology. You can then read about EFI, electronic ignitions, OBD, etc.

Reply to
Don Stauffer in Minnesota

I agree with Ted's advice, also realize that you're going to need to invest in some basic tools before you even start. I'd suggest at a minimum:

1) Craftsman basic "mechanic's tool kit" with screwdrivers, 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" drive socket sets, combination wrenches, etc. I prefer S-K or Snap-On, but most of my tools are still Craftsman for economic reasons and I have a feeling I'm a good bit more serious than you. If you have the choice I'd buy the sockets and wrenches in six point, not twelve point, although you may run into a need for 12-pt. eventually. 2) A good set of pliers, including "water pump" pliers (although you'll never use them on a water pump) regular slip-joint pliers, and needle-nose. Also a set of side-cutters ("dykes") are handy if you anticipate electrical work. 3) a set of Allen head sockets in 3/8" drive. Based on your automotive choices you will probably only need metric. 4) a set of deep sockets to match the sockets in 1) 5) a good set of extensions, both locking and "wobble." 6) an oil drain pan and an oil filter wrench (I actually prefer the big pliers made by K-D I think?) 7) Some kind of tool storage box or cabinet. If you have a garage I'd suggest biting the bullet and buying an actual roll cabinet; you'll fill it up eventually if you stick with it. Having your tools organized is very handy. 8) Some basic chemicals - off the top of my head, some brakleen, Permatex No. 2, Permatex hi-temp silicone (make sure you get "sensor safe") some mechanic's hand cleaner, shop rags, anti-seize paste, silicone grease, white lithium grease, PB Blaster.

you will probably find yourself having to buy some specialty tools as well once you get "into it." Also once you get into more advanced work you will want to buy probably a tap and die set for chasing threads, a good gasket scraper, possibly a bench grinder with a wire wheel for cleaning rusty parts for repainting, and a whole mess of other stuff - it snowballs from here :)

For a REAL basic education, I'd suggest going to howstuffworks.com and reading through some of the automotive related articles there and then trying to correlate that with what you see under the hood of your car. THEN start asking questions and people may be less frustrated with you.

good luck,

nate

Reply to
N8N

Sell the Tiburon, and buy an old car with rear wheel drive, ignition points, and easy engine access. It helps if the old car isn't very reliable. Get the Haynes manual for the car and read it constantly. Keep it in the bathroom.

When the car breaks, fix it.

This is called "trial by fire" and unfortunately it's the only real way to learn this sort of thing. But it is much easier to learn maintenance on a car from the seventies than on a modern car, in part because there is so much more room to work in the older vehicles.

But the Haynes manual is your friend. It's a good introduction to what is inside the car and more or less how it works.

For the most part, the engine isn't that complicated. Fuel goes in, air goes in, spark goes in, exhaust comes out. Most of the stuff under the hood is involved with getting fuel, air, and spark in the right amounts at the right time.

Manual transmissions aren't that complicated either. One shaft is driven by the engine, and you can swap gears around on the fly so that the output shaft is driven from the input at any one of a number of different ratios.

Look inside a VW Bug, for instance. There's just not much there. The vast majority of stuff on a car today has to do with accessories, but those accessories can be problematic too. Learn on a simple car without

them.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

Suggest that you take a car repair class in night school. Seriously...they will have the tools at hand and you will have an instructor to show you the right way to do things.

Reply to
John S.

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