How to become a better DIY mechanic ??

[PositronicRay]

CSLmarson said:

Hi all
I'm very much so an amateur DIY mechanic and love
Nothing more than getting stuck into a project on my cars,
I've done things like suspension and brakes ect ect but
Never delved into the guts of an engine and am quite keen to learn
More. Does any one know of any evening courses or good ways
To learn new skills after work or on a weekend ?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Jon

I would also appreciate a DIY mechanics course. The only courses I can find in my area are full time aimed at apprentice mechanics.

[Jaguar steve]

You need to have the right attitude and approach to mechanical work so before you even open the bonnet just stop and read Zen and the art of motorcycle maintainence by Robert Prisig.

I worked as a multi franchise mechanic for several years in my yoof and then moved onto maintaining peciscion electronic component manufacturing equipment with not much more than on the job training. Sometimes I'd be working competely blind on jobs I'd never done before with no workshop manual to fall back on and on top of that have the commercial pressure of a production line standing idle or an irate customer waiting in reception.

The simple diagnostic techniques and general advice on keeping an open mind and absolute clarity of thought given in that book got me out of the st far more often than any workshop manual or manufacturers helpline.

[BritishRacinGrin]

Four letters: JFDI.

Personally I track prepped a car and eventually raced it. A literal 'crash course'.

Get the right tools, take your time, fear nothing. It's much easier than you first think, provided you aren't cack-handed or impatient with it.

I think the most important and useful skill I have developed in spannering is how to attack seized / corroded fixings (and how to deal with them when they snap!)

[LimaDelta]

OP - what do you do for a living? How good would somebody be at it with only a few hours experience?

Just get stuck in. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, and buy good tools!

[PositronicRay]

BritishRacinGrin said:

Four letters: JFDI.

Personally I track prepped a car and eventually raced it. A literal 'crash course'.

Get the right tools, take your time, fear nothing. It's much easier than you first think, provided you aren't cack-handed or impatient with it.

I think the most important and useful skill I have developed in spannering is how to attack seized / corroded fixings (and how to deal with them when they snap!)

I'm self taught, when a youth I couldn't afford garages. Had a break for many yrs and now (with more time) like to do some work on my cars again. I find it very satisfying when I fix things that pros are struggling to diagnose. I'd just like some more confidence that I'm doing things right, this is where I'm sure an evening course would help.
You tube, internet and workshop manual are my friends but some help from an experienced mechanic would be great.

[g3org3y]

Jaguar steve said:

You need to have the right attitude and approach to mechanical work so before you even open the bonnet just stop and read Zen and the art of motorcycle maintainence by Robert Prisig.

Of all the suggestions, this is unfortunately will only be a waste of your time.

400 pages on the metaphysics of quality is not helpful imvho.

That's not to say clear thinking and a very logical though process isn't important.


Buy old car. Buy Haynes manual/read online. Take apart. Refit. Learn from your mistakes.

[Challo]

Luckily I was fortunate to spend my youth watching my dad fix and service his cars, plus most of the neighbours. Plus I inherited all of his tools, jacks when he passed away.

I would start by getting the basics, decent socket set, spinners, jack and axle stands. Then the first jobs would be servicing. Often changing filters, oil, and plugs will be a good introduction to car mechanics.

After that you tube, Internet are your friends. Plenty of videos people have made on certain tasks.

[996TT02]

CSLmarson said:

Hi all
I'm very much so an amateur DIY mechanic and love
Nothing more than getting stuck into a project on my cars,
I've done things like suspension and brakes ect ect but
Never delved into the guts of an engine and am quite keen to learn
More. Does any one know of any evening courses or good ways
To learn new skills after work or on a weekend ?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Jon

You seem to be mechanically minded. IMHO, that, and the specific guidance related to the job you are doing, is all you need. Apart from the appropriate tools of course, but that's a given.

You can tackle anything, I have done everything to a car save rebuilding a diff or a gearbox, as never needed to (and may be simplest to swap).

In my experience the main mistakes that you may be liable to make are not technical ones, but 1) diagnostic, and 2) decision-related. 1) is self explanatory and 2) refers to "should I replace this item while I am in here or is it likely to be fine for another 100k". Another "mistake" of sorts often relates to over enthusiasm, doing stuff that really does not need doing.

In reality where experience helps greatly is when things don't go to plan. Seized bolts, and the like. Unfortunately no course can possibly cover all (or any, perhaps) of these eventualities.

[julianm]

Go back in time to when you were 7 and buy a huge box full of lego technic.

[BritishRacinGrin]

Challo said:

spinners

Those haven't been in fashion since... ever...

P.S. Was mostly self-taught because even though my old man is a proper mechanic I was mostly too stubborn to be dependant on him. I got up to a reasonable standard by making my own mistakes and learning the hard way, but along the way I picked up some top tips from the old man too.

[Jaguar steve]

g3org3y said:

Jaguar steve said:

You need to have the right attitude and approach to mechanical work so before you even open the bonnet just stop and read Zen and the art of motorcycle maintainence by Robert Prisig.

Of all the suggestions, this is unfortunately will only be a waste of your time.

400 pages on the metaphysics of quality is not helpful imvho.

That's not to say clear thinking and a very logical though process isn't important.


Buy old car. Buy Haynes manual/read online. Take apart. Refit. Learn from your mistakes.

Apart from the Quality metaphysics - which is hard going and not always relevant to day to day stuff I'll admit, ZMM is the most useful book I've ever read. Exactly the techniques of clear thinking and diagnostic logic and of focussing on the here and now, not jumping to conclusions and making problems worse not better given in the book served me well for several decades. Just the one example of laying out parts as you dismantle components in the same way as you read a book then working backwards on reassembley can save hours of frustration and is worth it's weight in gold. That's simple enough to do once you know it but having watched probably hundreds of other people working on cars and machinery it's obvious not everybody does.

Used as the author intended it's a powerful tool. Used any other way or with a lack of attention to detail or real understanding it's easy to dismiss the whole book as a load of Hippy rubbish. If the OP really wants to become a better mechanic rather just a panicking weekend spanner jockey 'cos he's surrounded in random parts without a clue what to do next and needs the car for work tomorrow ZMM is a good place to start IMO.

[lufbramatt]

I just learnt by having a go. Having an older car that has a good online following (enthusiast forums etc. ) where people actually get their hands dirty, not just prissy about choosing fancy alloys or paint bits of trim silly colours helps massively. Anything ford or VW would be a good start. Old Haynes manuals are pretty good, say pre-95ish, and go into detail about torque settings etc. New ones just say "take it to a garage" at the first sight of anything mildly interesting.

Take pictures of stuff as you take it apart. Not only does it mean you can see what it used to look like, it helps when you get stuck as you can post it online and ask the internets for help! Label wires and parts with masking take and a permanent marker. Put removed nuts and bolts in freezer bags so they don't disappear into the flower bed etc.

Be careful, learn when the use threadlock, get a decent torque wrench. None of it is that hard if you take your time. Safety first- support the car properly, don't go under it if it's just on a jack and never use the jack in the boot. Use eye protection when needed, and try not to get old oil and brake fluid on your skin.

Edited by lufbramatt on Thursday 27th November 08:59

[Lugy]

OP, I think you are already pretty much there. Electronics aside, everything is just nuts and bolts on a car. As my old MD said, everything in engineering is lots of small processes, break a big job into little steps, get them in the right order and it becomes much simpler, even an engine/gearbox rebuild if you use the same principles.

[g3org3y]

Jaguar steve said:

g3org3y said:

Jaguar steve said:

You need to have the right attitude and approach to mechanical work so before you even open the bonnet just stop and read Zen and the art of motorcycle maintainence by Robert Prisig.

Of all the suggestions, this is unfortunately will only be a waste of your time.

400 pages on the metaphysics of quality is not helpful imvho.

That's not to say clear thinking and a very logical though process isn't important.


Buy old car. Buy Haynes manual/read online. Take apart. Refit. Learn from your mistakes.

Apart from the Quality metaphysics - which is hard going and not always relevant to day to day stuff I'll admit, ZMM is the most useful book I've ever read. Exactly the techniques of clear thinking and diagnostic logic and of focussing on the here and now, not jumping to conclusions and making problems worse not better given in the book served me well for several decades. Just the one example of laying out parts as you dismantle components in the same way as you read a book then working backwards on reassembley can save hours of frustration and is worth it's weight in gold. That's simple enough to do once you know it but having watched probably hundreds of other people working on cars and machinery it's obvious not everybody does.

Used as the author intended it's a powerful tool. Used any other way or with a lack of attention to detail or real understanding it's easy to dismiss the whole book as a load of Hippy rubbish. If the OP really wants to become a better mechanic rather just a panicking weekend spanner jockey 'cos he's surrounded in random parts without a clue what to do next and needs the car for work tomorrow ZMM is a good place to start IMO.

I'd like to agree but I felt the book was too centred on the metaphysical aspect and that's coming as from someone who has read a decent amount of philosophy (both Eastern and Western) and does a reasonable amount of automotive DIY.

If one wants to be a good mechanic one needs an understanding of systems and a logical thought process. Systematic thinking is important in all aspects of diagnosis and problem solving.

I'm a scientist by trade so the idea of objective observation, hypotheses, diagnostic testing etc is bread and butter to me. It might not be to others and perhaps that is where the book can help. However, there's a lot of stuff to wade through to get to the gems and ultimately I think the OP's time could be better spent elsewhere.

[BobToc]

Is there a list of tools every aspiring amateur mechanic should have?

[Challo]

BobToc said:

Is there a list of tools every aspiring amateur mechanic should have?

Trolley Jack
Axle Stands
Socket Set
Spanners
Screwdrivers (Flat/Phillips)

Im sure others will be along with more to add. To be honest you will pick up more tools as you go along, as you often find you need a certain tool for a job. My collection is growing as I get more confident on certain jobs.

[waynedear]

CSLmarson said:

Hi all
I'm very much so an amateur DIY mechanic and love
Nothing more than getting stuck into a project on my cars,
I've done things like suspension and brakes ect ect but
Never delved into the guts of an engine and am quite keen to learn
More. Does any one know of any evening courses or good ways
To learn new skills after work or on a weekend ?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Jon

That was me until this summer, though i have stripped and rebuilt a few 2 and 4 stroke motorbikes in my past, they though are much, much easier than cars.
I knew that this year my Alfa would need quite a bit of work, clutch, gearbox and shims which involve camshaft removal.
I can not afford to have a garage do all this so i needed a plan, 2 months before tha Alfa came off the road i bought a cheap Mazda 323 with a bit of tax and test and a knackered water pump and slipping clutch.
I only have the drive to work on but a decent selection of tools, joined a Mazda forum, found some 'How to do' bits on the internet and set to work.
Tons of head scratching and cursing and shouts of 'i can not do this' followed, but i got there, using the mazda every day now, runs as smooth as silk.
I learned to remove a gearbox, make my own alignment tool, change a clutch, do the belts, pulleys and tensioner and the water pump, had to backtrack a few times but did everything with NO parts left over, feel confident to sort my Alfa myself now.

[lufbramatt]

Challo said:

Trolley Jack
Axle Stands
Socket Set
Spanners
Screwdrivers (Flat/Phillips)

Im sure others will be along with more to add. To be honest you will pick up more tools as you go along, as you often find you need a certain tool for a job. My collection is growing as I get more confident on certain jobs.

I wouldn't be without:

1/4" socket set
1/2" socket set with 6-sided sockets (less chance of rounding stuff)
set of hex sockets (i.e. allen key but on a socket)
set of proper spanners in the right sizes- don't use an adjustable if you can help it
torque wrench
dead blow mallet
can of penetrating lube
lithium grease
copper slip
threadlock
mole grips
supply of old sheets/towels to lay on and mop stuff up. An old sofa cushion is good too. I end up with bruises all over my hips and back otherwise.

You end up with random stuff too like odd size sockets bought singly, gooseneck spanners for hard to reach nuts, spline sockets for driveshafts etc. But if you research each job before you start then you get an idea of if anything out of the ordinary is needed. Most of the battle with older cars is loosening old bolts without rounding or snapping them.

Edited by lufbramatt on Thursday 27th November 11:35

[MC Bodge]

Jaguar steve said:

Used as the author intended it's a powerful tool. Used any other way or with a lack of attention to detail or real understanding it's easy to dismiss the whole book as a load of Hippy rubbish.

It wasn't quite a load of hippy rubbish. The first half, about the trip and the 2 approaches to life were interesting, up to a point, although nothing that profound to an adult with a technical background.

Jaguar steve said:

If the OP really wants to become a better mechanic....ZMM is a good place to start IMO.

A Haynes Manual or something like Vizard's "how to modify your mini" that I read as a teenager (despite not owning a Mini) is probably a better place to start.

I read "Zen &..." In my early 30s. Well, up until the point I gave up, when it had became all about Phaedrus.

[Calza]

BobToc said:

Is there a list of tools every aspiring amateur mechanic should have?

Halfords do big tool sets, normally around 150pc and normally half price.

Combine that with a trolley jack + axle stands + some screw drivers and you can tackle most stuff to be honest.