I want to actually be able to work on my car, to know enough to actually do a engine conversion, or really work in depth with the car. Is there any good way to do this on the web? I'm just a newbie to most of this, but I would really like to learn. I have lots of friends who are replacing older cars motors, and can work on older cars, but there seems to be alot of people in here that can work on there 91 maxima's pretty well. How should I start trying to learn? I've allready loked through the Complete tear down manual (Company starts with H). but it shows how to do stuff, not how stuff works, or what stuff does(like say, trying to figure out what in the car is hurting performance/ fuel economy).
I'd really like to learn more about cars in general..
I'd really like to learn more about cars in general..
Read here and try to remember some of the stuff that's talked about on here.. that will tell you most of the common things that go wrong with the car. read other people's FAQ pages and see what they've encountered and how they fixed it.
hang around with your friends that are working on their older cars and learn some things from them. your car isn't that much different, really. I learned how to work on cars from experience, not reading. my first ride was an '88 mitsu truck that was a POS and I constantly had to work on it. when I got my max, I said I'd always take it to the shop because I was scared of computers and fuel injection.. Hell, it's easier to work on than trying to tune a carb! you just plug all the fuel stuff and sensors in and the computer does it for you. suspension and brakes and stuff are all extremely similar between cars. once you know the basics, the rest are all just small variations of the one you learned on. discs or drums, that's about it. (unless you're working on an Audi).
hang around with your friends that are working on their older cars and learn some things from them. your car isn't that much different, really. I learned how to work on cars from experience, not reading. my first ride was an '88 mitsu truck that was a POS and I constantly had to work on it. when I got my max, I said I'd always take it to the shop because I was scared of computers and fuel injection.. Hell, it's easier to work on than trying to tune a carb! you just plug all the fuel stuff and sensors in and the computer does it for you. suspension and brakes and stuff are all extremely similar between cars. once you know the basics, the rest are all just small variations of the one you learned on. discs or drums, that's about it. (unless you're working on an Audi).
Senior Member
the best way is to do it in person. there is only so much a book can show. i feel you really can only learn w/ experience. go to a shop or a performance parts store and see if you can watch them do stuff. I dont know how old you are ( i didnt check ur profile) but you could even get a odd jop at a shop and see all the big guys work. u will learn so quickly
Senior Member
i'm in the same boat, and here's what I do.
search and read a lot on the forums. Usually someone has run into whatever issue you're experiencing.
get a chilton's manual. you can get a FSM, but unless you're going down and dirty, may not be worth it right now.
spend time with your friends when they work on their cars. it doesn't amtter what kind of car they are, there's always something you can learn.
don't get discouraged. I spent 2 hours this weekend replacing the fuel filter on my gf's car. It's not that hard, but I was just going over everything three times to make sure I did it right.
work on your car with a friend. swing my their house when they have time and whenever you get into a jam, they can help out. I'm much more willing to get over my head and take things apart if I have someone aroud that can rescue me. Make sure to buy the beer next time you guys are out.
when you take your car to the shop, hang out in the repair bay with the mechanic. You can learn so much while watching them take apart your car and most of them like the company. They will often also take mroe car with your vehicle since they know you a little bit and realize you care about the vehicle.
search and read a lot on the forums. Usually someone has run into whatever issue you're experiencing.
get a chilton's manual. you can get a FSM, but unless you're going down and dirty, may not be worth it right now.
spend time with your friends when they work on their cars. it doesn't amtter what kind of car they are, there's always something you can learn.
don't get discouraged. I spent 2 hours this weekend replacing the fuel filter on my gf's car. It's not that hard, but I was just going over everything three times to make sure I did it right.
work on your car with a friend. swing my their house when they have time and whenever you get into a jam, they can help out. I'm much more willing to get over my head and take things apart if I have someone aroud that can rescue me. Make sure to buy the beer next time you guys are out.
when you take your car to the shop, hang out in the repair bay with the mechanic. You can learn so much while watching them take apart your car and most of them like the company. They will often also take mroe car with your vehicle since they know you a little bit and realize you care about the vehicle.