Scary lack of knowledge and responsibility !
Discussion
AVV EM said:
w00tman said:
So, in the interests of self-learning and all of that, how does one go about learning how to do bits and pieces around the car?
I'm a big fan of driving and cars, but outside of topping up of various fluids, checking tyre depth, the real basic-of-the-basics, I couldnt tell you how or what to do to sort brakes, or diagnose a fault or ...
How does a beginner (mechanically speaking if not shown in age!) start to learn how to do more without f*cking it all up?
Don't shoot me!!
Haynes Manual.I'm a big fan of driving and cars, but outside of topping up of various fluids, checking tyre depth, the real basic-of-the-basics, I couldnt tell you how or what to do to sort brakes, or diagnose a fault or ...
How does a beginner (mechanically speaking if not shown in age!) start to learn how to do more without f*cking it all up?
Don't shoot me!!
CharlesdeGaulle said:
motco said:
It doesn't mean crack on at all - as normal or slowly! What it will mean if you do is that you'll have to put a lot of money in to it, never mind the oil. If you have been running so low on oil that the pump pick-up is exposed, then you will have overheated the very reduced volume of oil and degraded it, and had transient pressure losses for some time before the light comes on due to sloshing in the sump. The engine will possibly have already suffered some damage anyway. The pressure warning light is a big red DO NOT IGNORE THIS light!
Look, I know all that. My point was simply that the low oil level warning light does indicate that the car needs oil. I'm not suggesting for a moment that you run a car until you see that light, or that you don't need to take immediate remedial action, but it does mean you need to add oil. Honestly, it's like pulling teeth in here.
The only time I had one illuminate was on a Transit van which did indeed seize. There was plenty oil in it. The oil pump had failed.
That's the point. Maintaining oil pressure continuously is absolutely mandatory. Interruption to oil pressure will absolutely f
k the crankshaft main journal and conrod big end bearings in very short order.ikarl said:
It's actually a hell of a lot easier than buying a Haynes manual, or attending a college course nowadays..
Google it.
YouTube it.
Pretty much a guide for everything.....and helpful people talking you through step by step exactly how to do it.
When I did a car mechanics evening class it was in a fully equipped workshop and we were welcome to take our own cars in to work on, which several of us did. Google it.
YouTube it.
Pretty much a guide for everything.....and helpful people talking you through step by step exactly how to do it.
P5BNij said:
No! The little Hornet had the same transverse engine layout as all the other Mini variants.... car on the cover looks like one of the bigger Farina based Wolseleys.
I was going to suggest the Wolseley Brochure but the grilles to the left and right of the centre one don't look right.. I do have this variant though, quite appropriate for all leyland era cars -
S. Gonzales Esq. said:
Seriously, this is a good place to start for the basics:
That's a nice illustration. Good hands. Did batteries used to be that big or is everything else small?silverfoxcc said:
Oh FFS they walk and more worrying, drive among us.
I hope you were joking when you posted that s you left off the winky smiley face!
If not. get a bus pass, you sir are a danger on the road
I don't understand why you correlate mechanical curiosity with driving skill. Good road driving is primarily about giving a damn about other people, surely. Being capable of viewing things from their position, and so on: driving is a social skill. I hope you were joking when you posted that s you left off the winky smiley face!
If not. get a bus pass, you sir are a danger on the road
The technical knowledge to understand how an engine works, and the instinctive skills to control a careering car on its limit, are useful enough elsewhere, but not much to do with road driving, no?!
EDIT: AVV 'EM:
Edited by Jodyone on Wednesday 20th July 19:31
P5BNij said:
AVV EM said:
S. Gonzales Esq. said:
Seriously, this is a good place to start for the basics:
Wolseley hornet? ikarl said:
It's actually a hell of a lot easier than buying a Haynes manual, or attending a college course nowadays..
Google it.
YouTube it.
Pretty much a guide for everything.....and helpful people talking you through step by step exactly how to do it.
Good idea.... as long as you can trust the competence of the video author. Mk3 Mondeos and Jag X-Types (among many others) have screw-back pistons in their rear calipers. Look at This gem of a video from 12min onwards. I wonder where he bought his new calipers after he forced the pistons back with a big fGoogle it.
YouTube it.
Pretty much a guide for everything.....and helpful people talking you through step by step exactly how to do it.
k-off G-clamp with no attempt to rotate them?velocemitch said:
The other day it came as a surprise to my 29 year old daughter that there were such things as automatic cars!.
'what it changes gear by itself???? !!!'
She is another that genuinely wouldn't know how to fill the bloody washer bottle too.
Friend of mine, mid 50s, was shocked by my cruise control. She'd never heard of it. Thought it was dangerous and a recipe for disaster.'what it changes gear by itself???? !!!'
She is another that genuinely wouldn't know how to fill the bloody washer bottle too.
AVV EM said:
Haynes Manual.
You could buy some old banger for £100 with problems, with a haynes manual tear it apart and see how it works, service it and learn from that.
Most modern cars can be diagnosed with an OBD2 scanner £15 off the usual suspects
Ummm, yeah... OBD2 can help. On occasion it might even give a fault code that correctly identifies the fault. Many times it doesn't even get you close to the problem or may even not throw an error at all. That's where properly understanding engines helps, and also logical fault finding. You could buy some old banger for £100 with problems, with a haynes manual tear it apart and see how it works, service it and learn from that.
Most modern cars can be diagnosed with an OBD2 scanner £15 off the usual suspects
Edited by AVV EM on Wednesday 20th July 18:50
Shame most garages can't get this right and seem to prefer a game of changing parts till it works.
J4CKO said:
SturdyHSV said:
J4CKO said:
I am all for equality, but it is a two way street.
That's hilarious, do you have any upcoming gigs where I could pay to see more of this humour?
I know it should be a two way street, and it just perpetuates the problem to joke otherwise, but come now, men are the chimpish oafs at the butt of marketing jokes, that is our place. To be the simple minded moron who tries so hard but always gets it wrong, because we're just men, like Homer Simpson.
Now back to your lager and football, you childish oaf, and don't forget to carry all the shopping in at once and treat that as a huge victory because you're a blithering simpleton, whilst your good lady diversifies her investment portfolio on her iPad and rolls her eyes at you
Chris Hemsworth in the new Ghostbusters is a case in point, I am not going to be a male Germaine Greer or anything and can deal with a bit of stick but its going too far the other way now.
The fascinating exception to this is Absolutely Fabulous where the main female characters are the butt of the jokes, and this was written by women. Whether women just find it easier to create funny female characters than men or there is an element of Nixon going to China I don't know.
I must admit I'm a little confused with some of the admissions in this thread. This isn't Mumsnet, it's Pistonheads. It's for people that are into cars. If you are into cars then surely you enjoy driving them and take a pride in doing it properly so surely you should know how it works and how to look after it? It's a bit like saying you enjoy sex but don't know what a G Spot is.......
My wife , doesn't like to get her hands dirty, not even with me sometimes. But she checks the oil and fluids (a must on our last car RX-8) is aware when tyre pressures are low and general health checks as well as being tuned in with the car so she knows when something isn't right. I suppose owning a Renault Megane when we first met put her on the right path.
J4CKO said:
its the "Gravy Boat" light, I read a tale that a chap came home to a screwed engine, knocking its tits off and he asked his partner if there had been any lights and she said "no, nothing, well actually, just the gravy boat one" 
My daughter seized her car solid on the motorway ... as it started to slow she applied more throttle.When asked about dash lights, she said that the "genie lamp" light had been on for a while!
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