Where, How, What to Learn About Mechanics [Merged 4-9] rebuild work

[2.4 turbo Hyped]

DIY self taught. General motor knowledge.

 

[tom1995tsi]

I wanted to know if anyone knows of any websites that actually tell you why your engine works the way it does, it seems like alot of people know what to do to make there car fast, thats the easy part i want to know how my engine works in detail and that would help in the end. IF anyone knows of any websites like this plz tell me. Thanks everyone.

-Tom

 

[TurBoGs-T]

You can find out most of it here but if you want to know exactly how an engine works. go to www.howstuffworks.com they break everything down.

 

[Defiant]

Seconded on HSW.

That and suck, squeeze, bang, blow will give you a firm understanding of what's going on inside there.

Now, once you get it noodled out, consider how _fast_ all that is going on in a motor cruising down the motorway.

Then ask yourself about a racing motorcycle engine turning around TWENTY-THOUSAND rpm.

It's just not possible.

 

[KiMo420a]

Hi I'm going to be done with high school in the next 2 months and i plan on getting a 97+ GSX soon and i really want to learn how to work with my car.. i don't want to go to UTI because that is not the career i have in plan...I'm going to college after high school and I'm going to try and get Auto tech classes at my community college..really how did you learn how to work with your DSM? Any Tips or info you want to give me? Really i want my GSX to be my hobby and i will get a GSX no questions asked ..

 

[turbosax2]

I wasn't fortunate enough to have anybody personally teach me how to work on cars. So these are the two ways I learned:

1. This site. You can find almost any info about your car on this site. Search before tackling any projects on the car.
2. Try things. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty, get in there and do it!

 

[KiMo420a]

hmmm really good point ...i might get scared to mess something up tho..but they say you learn from your mistakes...i wonder if there someone around my area that is working on there DSM that can teach me some stuff..

 

[tunethis]

I learned from reading a lot before starting. Start with smaller procedures and work your way up. I recommend getting a service manual, a jack, jack stands, and a good complete set of tools to begin with.

 

[T Money]

Read everything you can, grab some wrenches and a case of beer, then get your hands dirty. Most importantly, read up on everything.

 

[T Money]

Actually, most important is the BEER!

 

[KiMo420a]

good info i have lots of tools my dad knows all this but hes always working so he never has time to really teach me...i have a jack jack stand n etc and i own a 420a and i think i should start with that car doing little work...well anymore info will be great...also im going to start doing some research on this site see what i can learn

 

[DSM_ThuNDeR]

I was FORCED to rebuld my first dsm a couple of years ago on the count that I did not want to take the car to a shop and charge me more than I actually bought the car for. Plus, I wanted to learn so I could make some $$$ on the side, and couple of dsm friends in the future. What I did was, re-search on MYSPACE since at that time I did not know about dsmtuners.com After doing like 3-5 headgasket jobs until I got the job right I was really happy that I got her goin. When It now comes to doing work in dsm's, I would not hessitate. I think even memorized all the bolt/nut sizes in the engine bay . Anyways, the search option in this site is your best friend. Read, before doing anything to your ride if your not so sure to any of your questions. Have fun with your AWD purchase!

 

[PieEyedPiper]

DSMtuners + wrenches.

 

[PIMking]

well I buy cheap sets of tools. I get very pissed off working on cars and throw things yell new cuss words and tend to take off clothing and walk the block screaming.

So I would say punching bag and a big bag of patience.

 

[KiMo420a]

i really want to learn this stuff... i need to think of a way to get a good start

 

[Killa_dsm]

Like everyone else says. Reading DSMTuners, researching and taking your time when you actually do plan on working on your car.

 

[danny_l_2005]

I wasn't fortunate enough to have anybody personally teach me how to work on cars. So these are the two ways I learned:

1. This site. You can find almost any info about your car on this site. Search before tackling any projects on the car.
2. Try things. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty, get in there and do it!

This, plus I had no tools so I had to borrow my dad's tools of which he used for other applications.

 

[KiMo420a]

thank you all i will be doing my studys...any more tips is more than welcome

 

[DSM_ThuNDeR]

Get a Chilton Manual, and flip/read through it. That helped me out too.

 

[ilco187]

i learned how to work on cars at a very early age around 10 or so cause of my family owned business of building drag race cars and street cars, but then i turned to imports and its like a rival now between American and foreign, of course i cant keep up with a 0 To 320 Mph In 4.5 seconds, i get told from my relatives to get rid of that POS Mitsubishi but hey they encourage me to do it more.

 

[UnsafeAtAnySpd]

Like already said, do a lot of forum reading and start with small projects. The first thing I ever did was the CAI on my Fiero. Had some help for that and another couple smaller projects. Then juat keep doing more. I've made some mistakes along the way, but I guess that's part of the learning process. I haven't done anything REALLY major yet, but getting there. Probably putting headers on my CTS-V and shock/springs on my Talon (had a lot of corrosion) have been a couple of the bigger PITA jobs.

 

[crimsondragon]

If you want a crash course, best way to do it is tear it apart and put it back together again. Or you can read this site, VFaq, etc. Hayne's and Chilton's as well as the service manual. There's really nothing else to it. I'd say 75% of us on here learned by just doing regular reading and maintenance. Each task you do on your car is a project basically. I know my first experience was changing the O2 sensor. It was a bi*** and took me 2 days to do it but eventually I got it off. Now it takes me like 5 minutes. 1 minute to find my tools, another minute to get it off, 2 minutes checking the email, and another minute to put it back on.

 

[david-b]

well I buy cheap sets of tools. I get very pissed off working on cars and throw things yell new cuss words and tend to take off clothing and walk the block screaming.

So I would say punching bag and a big bag of patience.

That's awesome. I yell, swear, and throw things.
I buy cheap tools also because since I go around and help everyone else out, they tend to get stolen or "lost".

But best is to get in there and do it. I knew nothing about cars. I remember installing a UDP and thinking that that was going to be the biggest "engine" mods I would do. Then I built a head. And now building a block. Never had a class or anything. Just reading, online help, and knowing a person or 2 (mine are from the forums living 800+ miles away) that you can call for quick assistance.

 

[Redfwdsm]

learn by doing

 

[Dsmj89]

Best way to learn about your car on your won other than using the forums is the manuals, or as i did, the hardcore way, spend countless hours just looking at the motor and around it, wrenching at it, taking things off and putting it back in, breaking stuff, losing stuff, fixing stuff.
You'll learn a lot that way and it really helps out, it worked for me.