Basic car mechanics. A "how to"?

[samdale]

At the moment I'm half way through changing the rear pads on my car. It's something I haven't done before but I really want to start making myself do/teach myself how to fix things on my cars.

This has got me thinking If there are any very simple, picture based, step by step guides out there for absolute amatuers.

Just an idea but would it be worth starting one on here? I can take some photos when I do the other side and post them on here. Others can add similar for different tasks. Changing shoes on drum brakes, changing oil/ filters etc.

For anyone else like myself something to refer to that's clear and concise (allbeit for a very simple task) may be the difference between having a crack at it myself, or paying someone else to do it.


Just don't ask me how long it took me with a G-clamp before I came on here and Googled to find out that I had to SCREW the piston back in...

[gsd2000]

Haynes manual is a good start

[sparkythecat]

Have a look on Youtube. There are already loads of car fixing vids on there.

[voicey]

The internet is your friend. Back in the day we had to rely on Haynes manuals and if they weren't quite complete or accurate then we'd spend ages scractin our heads (just ike you were today).

These days, there's an internet forum for everything - pretty much all of the jobs I need to do now have been done before and written about on the net. Do your research before embarking on a task and you'll be fine.

[samdale]

gsd2000 said:

Haynes manual is a good start

There's isn't one for my car

sparkythecat said:

Have a look on Youtube. There are already loads of car fixing vids on there.

Have used Youtube before but prefer pictures and writing (shame about the lack of Haynes)

voicey said:

These days, there's an internet forum for everything - pretty much all of the jobs I need to do now have been done before and written about on the net. Do your research before embarking on a task and you'll be fine.

Indeed there is, my idea was that it could be THIS forum.

If it was all on here for people to read, (and see how easy it is), maybe more of us would be inclined to get out and try it. In a prevention rather than cure kinda way, showing people the problems they'll face before they start rather than (like myself) stopping half way through and trying to Google your way out of the situation you find yourself in.

[phillpot]

samdale said:

Just don't ask me how long it took me with a G-clamp before I came on here and Googled to find out that I had to SCREW the piston back in...

Lot of stuff like that is fairly generic, can't be sure but reckon there's a good chance the Haynes MR2 manual might have helped (profile up to date, you do have an MR2)?
Brakes, engine, gearbox etc. are no doubt common to many other Toyota's (which are covered by Haynes) so specific info like removing gearbox may vary a little but changing a head gasket, for example, should be pretty close?

[maniac0796]

Undo what's attached to it. Undo it.

[Evoluzione]

Join a forum specific to your car, it will just get lost on here.
No point in trying to reinvent the wheel.

[samdale]

phillpot said:

there's a good chance the Haynes MR2 manual might have helped

samdale said:

gsd2000 said:

Haynes manual is a good start

There's isn't one for my car

My question wasn't really about me fixing my car. It was more whether or not it would be worth posting some "how tos" on PH in the hope that more people would be inclined to get there hands dirty and give it a try.

It would seen not, no worries, just a thought