Is there some kind of "cars for dummies" book that someone can recommend?

gopunk

Lifer
Jul 7, 2001
29,239
2
0
i know jack sh!t about engines and what not.... any books i can read to learn more?
 

Kadarin

Lifer
Nov 23, 2001
44,296
16
81
Would you all like to learn this from a mechanic's perspective, towards just fixing cars, or from an enthusiasts' standpoint, towards modifying them to produce more horsepower?
 

gopunk

Lifer
Jul 7, 2001
29,239
2
0
Originally posted by: Astaroth33
Would you all like to learn this from a mechanic's perspective, towards just fixing cars, or from an enthusiasts' standpoint, towards modifying them to produce more horsepower?

mm... both i guess. but wouldn't one lead to the other at some point?
 

Colt45

Lifer
Apr 18, 2001
19,720
1
0
my dad and half of my uncles are mechanics. I kind of just absorb it.

heh.:D

maybe a book would work, but i think hands on is the best.
 

Kadarin

Lifer
Nov 23, 2001
44,296
16
81
These are dated, and cover neither import tech nor, for the most part, computer tech, but they're still quite excellent for getting the basics down:

link

Reading these will give you a lot of the theory as to how engines make horsepower, and you can apply that to whatever you're driving.
 

toph99

Diamond Member
Aug 25, 2000
5,505
0
0
this may be what you're looking for. It's a 'cutified' version to make it easy to understand for even the least mechancially inclined person, i am halfway through reading it. It deals with general car repair with step-by-step instructions on how to do it
 

Electric Amish

Elite Member
Oct 11, 1999
23,578
1
0
If you have a specific car in mind, you could always get the Haynes or Chilton manual for said auto. They're not much about how things work, but they'll teach you how to repair stuff.

amish
 

Evadman

Administrator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Feb 18, 2001
30,990
5
81
I would recommend any high school autos class book. Just go to the library and pick one up, or borrow one from school.
 

SSP

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
17,727
0
0
How stuff works can give you a basic understanding of cars and engines... But the best like Colt45 said is hands on. My dad is a Mechanic, and I help him out sometimes.

Chilton?s are good and all, but expensive for a beginner, and I think he want engines in general.

BTW NightFlyerGTI, I'm surprised you request that... with all the opinions you have in car threads and all. ;)
 

cherrytwist

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2000
6,019
25
86
maybe a book would work, but i think hands on is the best.

BTW I have an '85 golf that could use a tune up and new struts if anybody is in the St. Louis area and wants to learn....
 

Electric Amish

Elite Member
Oct 11, 1999
23,578
1
0
Originally posted by: cherrytwist
maybe a book would work, but i think hands on is the best.

BTW I have an '85 golf that could use a tune up and new struts if anybody is in the St. Louis area and wants to learn....

Struts are kinof a pain because you have to have a spring compresser.

amish
 

Draknor

Senior member
Dec 31, 2001
419
0
0
Woohoo!

Great thread - I've been thinking about this myself!

Wow.. it's amazing how much one learns on ATOT! And to think of all the money I'm spending going to college ;)
 

Migroo

Diamond Member
Jul 14, 2001
4,488
9
81
Well why not look for some car enthusiast sites? Sure the information you get will be biast towards the particular car etc, and not just 'general' but you still get the same gist :)

Try here Club4ag. Club4AG is a webby about the famous Toyota 4AG engine featured in a lot of 80s/90s cars. Give it a look, theres LOADS of technical information that doesnt just apply to Toyota :)

Tuning, Performance upgrades, Different types of tuning (NA, forced induction (be it Turbo, Supercharged or Twincharged!!)

Interested yet? :D Check out the Reference section and the Corolla light tune guide (this is perfect for newbies and doesnt get too technical)
 

notfred

Lifer
Feb 12, 2001
38,241
4
0
What kind of car do you have? I suggest going to the auto parts store and picking up a chilton's manual for your car. Then, proceed to fix everything that's wrong with your car, starting w/ the easier things. You learn alot more by actually working on it than you do by reading about it.
 

LAUST

Diamond Member
Sep 13, 2000
8,957
1
81
Originally posted by: notfred
What kind of car do you have? I suggest going to the auto parts store and picking up a chilton's manual for your car. Then, proceed to fix everything that's wrong with your car, starting w/ the easier things. You learn alot more by actually working on it than you do by reading about it.
You know I learned by the need to have a vehcile and always having used cars and no money to pay a mechanic.. I had a master cylinder go out on my old 69... I went to have a place look at it, they wanted $90 just for the labor.. and $70 for the part... I went down to Checker spent $11.99 for a new one with a lifetime warranty, went home and changed it, 2 AN bolts and 2 bolts into the booster They wanted $90 to change out 4 bolts. Screw that... ever since then I have NEVER had anyone work on my vehicle, I had a tranny built for me buy a Tranny guy I knew, but it wasn't a stock tranny, this was a performance tranny with hard parts made to handle serious power.
 

Evadman

Administrator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Feb 18, 2001
30,990
5
81
You know I learned by the need to have a vehcile and always having used cars and no money to pay a mechanic.. I had a master cylinder go out on my old 69... I went to have a place look at it, they wanted $90 just for the labor.. and $70 for the part... I went down to Checker spent $11.99 for a new one with a lifetime warranty, went home and changed it, 2 AN bolts and 2 bolts into the booster They wanted $90 to change out 4 bolts. Screw that... ever since then I have NEVER had anyone work on my vehicle, I had a tranny built for me buy a Tranny guy I knew, but it wasn't a stock tranny, this was a performance tranny with hard parts made to handle serious power.

That is also the only thing I will not do if I can afford it. I have rebuilt a total of one tranny, ( a 4L60E ) and that was because after I took it apart, realized I was over my head, and tried to take it to a shop. no one would touch it because i did the tear down. about $200 woth of specialy tools and 2 weeks later, it was back together. I still had a coffee can of important looking parts left over, but it worked fine. I do not really want to do another tranny. Maybe a manual, but not an auto.

<edit>
If you want to learn about engines in general, just pickup an old lawnmover and tear it down and put it back together. Only 2 specialty tools are needed, a spring compressor and a puller. ( maybe $40 total ) and you can learn. If you are in the Chicagoland area, I can give ya a go-cart engine and I think I have an extra spring compressor, along with a B&S teardown manual. That is how I learned about engines, small engines. There are only about 150 parts to most small engines.
 

OS

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
15,581
1
76
Originally posted by: Evadman


That is also the only thing I will not do if I can afford it. I have rebuilt a total of one tranny, ( a 4L60E ) and that was because after I took it apart, realized I was over my head, and tried to take it to a shop. no one would touch it because i did the tear down. about $200 woth of specialy tools and 2 weeks later, it was back together. I still had a coffee can of important looking parts left over, but it worked fine. I do not really want to do another tranny. Maybe a manual, but not an auto.

<edit>
If you want to learn about engines in general, just pickup an old lawnmover and tear it down and put it back together. Only 2 specialty tools are needed, a spring compressor and a puller. ( maybe $40 total ) and you can learn. If you are in the Chicagoland area, I can give ya a go-cart engine and I think I have an extra spring compressor, along with a B&S teardown manual. That is how I learned about engines, small engines. There are only about 150 parts to most small engines.


Hehe, I understand how basically every system in a car works except for auto transmissions. :Q Even manual transmissions I know how they work, but when I look at the diagrams for auto trannies, I'm like WTF??? I understand how a torque converter works but that's it. All those planetary gear sets, spider gears, etc. make no sense.

I've heard people say that the most complex consumer mechanical device ever created are automatic transmissions.


As for the topic, my dad has an old reader's digest repair manual and it's like a bible to cars and driving. Explains good driving and travelling tips, all the major systems of a car, and how to repair them. I would readily recommend it, but I don't know if an updated version is still printed.







 

loup garou

Lifer
Feb 17, 2000
35,132
1
81
Originally posted by: Electric Amish
Originally posted by: cherrytwist
maybe a book would work, but i think hands on is the best.

BTW I have an '85 golf that could use a tune up and new struts if anybody is in the St. Louis area and wants to learn....

Struts are kinof a pain because you have to have a spring compresser.

amish
You can rent a spring compressor from autozone for like $5. :)
 

Willoughbyva

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2001
3,267
0
0
Transmissions are the hardest to deal with. It takes some experience to get them right. Repair manuals is a good idea since it gives you a guideline on what to do. It is neccesary in some of the things that need to be "set" in the proper place or order.

I agree that places will try to rip people off, but then again not everyone is mechanically inclined. If you know someone who is good with a wrench then you could ask for help and advice.

Will