Mechanics 101

[freegander]

I know nothing about auto mechanics, but i feel the need to understand. i've been reading various things on the internet, but it pisses me off that most of them end with "but really, you should take it to the all-knowing, wise mechanic along with an offering of 30% of your income and the blood of a young goat"

why is the mechanic such a revered figure in our society?

and why does nobody know anything about autos beyond the basics for their own rig?

our religion is commerce and the mechanic is the shaman, the priest, the imam...

i want to be the pastor of this church.

where can i learn about mechanics? is there a website, a book, a place i can go to apprentice?

much obliged

 

[deleted user]

The best most can get is a job at auto zone for 2 years and then a flimsy auto shop program or pay outright for a 2 year tech school. Really learning about the vehicles in front of us is the best way to get any idea of practical mechanics.

I personally have a mechanic friend and co workers who know what they're doing, and don't ever even begin to pencil in a moment to think about owning a vehicle any time soon.

That aside, I know eventually I'll have to drive/own wheels again and I hate the thought. The best you can do is tech school, next best thing is YouTube. Like any skill, you would need to practice and learn alittle as much as possible by any means necessary.

That said, why would anyone wanna be a pastor of mechanics? Mechanics SUCK!!!

 

[landpirate]

I've been thinking the exact same thing.

YouTube is the only way I have learnt anything about vehicles but I'm still really only capable of topping up/changing liquids, changing a tyre, battery or bulb. Really basic shit. I also try if I can to watch when ever a mechanic does anything to my van to see how they did it.

I've just got back from the garage after spending £480 ($598) to have a new power steering pump fitted to my live in van. I want to cry. But I have to remember that it's cheaper than rent!

I've also realised that a lot of the jobs I would be able to do I don't have the tools do to do them. Special star shaped screw drivers and extra long wrenches to reach bolts buried deep in the engine, that kind of thing and they're not cheap to buy.

I hate being so inept.

Oh if you can get hold of a Haynes manual for your vehicle they are pretty awesome at explaining how to do stuff.

 

[ped]

1. working on cars sucks
2. there's a million +1 thing to know for one car, let alone thousands of different ones
3. tools are expensive
4. car makers don't like mechanics, they want you to buy a new car not fix your old one

the only way to learn is to dive in and do it yourself. It takes years and many hundreds of hours laying on the ground tired, frustrated, and filthy. Then you find you need some specialty tool and its sunday no one who would have it open.

then a bolt breaks in the engine block

that's the easy part, knowing what the hell is wrong in the first place can be a huge headache. you use any and every resource you can. youtube, internet forums, haynes/chilton manuals. (always buy a manual when you get a different vehicle....first thing).

you will end up spending at least $2,000 in tools. even at harbor freight.

 

[ped]

then on the other hand it can very fun and rewarding fixing up something that isnt already broke down lol

 

[Kim Chee]

+1 for whoever said Haynes or Chiltons manuals. Many procedures can be found online for free.

Buy a simple mechanics toolset (sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, etc.)

Look up "preventative maintenance" for your vehicle (tune up, oil change, belts, hoses, filters, fluids, etc.)

Complete those procedures and feel good knowing you didn't have to spend a bunch of money and hopefully fixed something before it became a major problem costing even more or disabling your vehicle. At this point if you didn't spend crazy money on tools they have paid for themselves.

Still want to learn how to be a mechanic? Go to a technical school or the military (I learned on helicopters).

...and have somebody who is a mechanic nearby keeping you from getting in a jam or getting you out if you do get in one. Don't sit there and watch them work, you will need to do it if you want to learn.

 

[ped]

I should say spending $2k in tools if you plan to always DIY.

ideally you need at least two of every socket and wrench metric and standard, 6pt and 12pt, deep well and shallow well. that's not including 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 sizes. Vice grips, step down adapter, extensions in all sizes, adjustables, good hammer, manual impact, torque wrench, c-clamp, pipe wrench, a welder is nice to have, cut-off wheel, tap/die set, multi-meter, OBD reader, drum brake tools, harmonic/steering wheel puller, mighty vac for brakes, extra large sockets for say axle nuts, etc

then after all that you will still run to the store for something

 

[jack boy]

My step dad is a used car dealer and he also restores antiques (Hudson, Studebaker, Corvair, many others) so I grew up in a garage. I totally hated it when i was younger but now that I live in a vehicle it was one of the most useful things I ever learned. The most important thing I would say you could learn is how to properly diagnose the issues you're having. Get a scanner and learn to use it if your vehicle has a computer. Learn how to use a voltage tester to trace electrical problems back to the source. If you can figure out what the problem is and you have an understanding of how an engine works they really aren't that hard to work on. I usually check out youtube and forums for videos about the specific part I'm working on. Its also useful to have a mechanic friend you can call for advice. The mechanic bibles are definitely useful but sometimes they are hard to find free. You can sometimes find them on ebay but if you have to pay they can get expensive. Sometimes you can find decent prices on tools at pawn shops. Hands on is the best way to learn. Be prepared to lose a lot of skin on your hands haha

 

[todd]

the mechanics of an object isn't that hard. Its the congestion and computer controlled sensors of modern autos that are a bitch. and every fastener now a days breaks to easily.
An old carbureted gasoline combustion engine is a thing of beauty. adjusting spark, timing and fuel is a thing of the past, CPU does all that now.
Having a basic knowledge of how things work is the basis of any DIY plan. and yes Chilton/Haynes manuals are a godsend. most auto parts houses will rent/ loan specialty tools if your buying replacement parts so all those torque wrenches, harmonic pullers, transmission jack etc. aren't needed to own.
A descent ( < 100$) mechanics tool set will allow you to change starters, alternators, water pumps, filters, gasket covers, drive shafts, even transmissions/ transfer cases. It also will allow you to get to the insides of major components like under the heads, intakes, inside transmissions, rear ends.
99 % of the work is just replacing components as they wear out/ break, not really fixing/ fabricating anything new.
If you've never been exposed to taking things apart and putting them back together you might have a hard time, but its not impossible to learn. take pictures as you dissect things and keep bolts, nuts, fasteners, small things etc. in baggies and write where it came from with a sharpie.
I always suggest just trying. good luck!

 

[ped]

Don't forget the torch to change u joints

Google fixing drive shaft...Says burn nylon spacers out

Oh shit run to the store lmao

 

[freegander]

the only way to learn is to dive in and do it yourself. It takes years and many hundreds of hours laying on the ground tired, frustrated, and filthy. Then you find you need some specialty tool and its sunday no one who would have it open.

then a bolt breaks in the engine block

thanks everyone for the advice, warnings, and encouragement. i'm putting together a list of all the things i want to learn about from this thread and i'll google the shit out of them. i just wish there were automotive courses online like all the free courses for computer programming and whatnot. though being able to diagnose and fix real automobile problems is the goal, i also just want a general theoretical knowledge of motors.

 

[ped]

motors run on electric

 

[freegander]

thanks, so helpful.

 

[kecleon]

Mechanics can be simple or complicated as hell.

For example a 2 stroke dirt bike you can rebuild the whole engine top & bottom and disassemble then reassemble the whole bike in a day with a handful of tools. No sensors, no pumps, no fuel injection, no computer, no emission control systems..

You can diagnose any problem in a few minutes with ease because it's simple and easy to understand.

You could feasibly learn to be competent at 2 stroke mechanics in a day or two with good instruction and it's really satisfying because it's so easy and you get to enjoy the results of your work quickly. On top of that everything's cheap in comparison to other vehicles. Tools, parts, and the actual bikes.

But modern vehicle mechanics is more like a never ending cycle of learning and misery. They're horrible to work on, tight spaces crammed with stuff make simple tasks huge problems. The entry requirements are really high with the sheer amount of knowledge required to adequately diagnose and complete a repost, cost of tools, vehicle,shop or school costs, then parts are really expensive, a lot of things require highly specialized highly expensive tools. It's not like the old days where mechanics were accessible and easy to understand. And it's not really fun. If you want to go down that path yeah an apprenticeship is probably your best bet like you said I think.

Ignore this guys politics and this is a really useful resource online to learn a basic foundation of mechanics how engines and various parts work together etc http://www.dansmc.com/mc_repaircourse.htm

 

[freegander]

Ignore this guys politics and this is a really useful resource online to learn a basic foundation of mechanics how engines and various parts work together etc http://www.dansmc.com/mc_repaircourse.htm

Thank you! This looks like the sort of thing i'm looking for. (and i don't expect to find many mechanics who have reasonable politics.)

 

[marmar]

Omg this. I've had this van I live in for two years, and it's the first car I be ever owned or driven and this rig is one year older then me, so I was so done with autoshops after a couple trips there at the beginning. I just watch YouTube tutorials. And was lucky to have met a couple good mechanics that taught me a few things. Learnt some basic stuff, and it feels so good to be able to fix your own car, I gotta tell. I was just looking into mechanics schools, but it's 17k for two year school, fuck that. Plus I just really wanna only work on my car, not anyone else's. But yea, YouTube has some really good videos you can find step by step tutorials on your make and model etc.

 

[Kim Chee]

Learnt some basic stuff, and it feels so good to be able to fix your own car, I gotta tell./QUOTE]

What kinds of maintenance have you done and how mch did your toolsies cost?

Awesome you diy!

 

[marmar]

Well the latest I did was changed rotor and distributor cap, you only need screwdriver as a tool, and fixed the heat that it workes now, which is very useful in winter haha, it didn't work before, no ac no heat, but as it was mentioned above it's all about the right diagnostics. I learnt on YouTube. Turned out the whole issue with the heat and ad was one bad wire connection. Took a year to figure out the issue and 10 min to fix.

 

[todd]

a lot of times you can get a deal on whole tool boxes full of auto tools (wrenches, sockets pliers) at pawn shops.
I stop in there a lot just to see what's on sale.