I found that website quite a great place, that's why I shared it. I would agree that it's great to learn about working on your truck (or car, etc...), I just have had to pursue it on my own, which I slowly am doing. My parents did not spend time working on thier own vechiles, but with some of the ones I've owned, we have had to drop everything and do "emergency repairs" in thier driveway when I still lived there. I'm ready to learn - and not become a stastic in the process I hope.

Oh yeah, one other thought - working on a car/truck with a son or daughter is an excellent way to spend quality time with your kids - and teach them aboout work ethics, dexterity, not giving up, safe work habits, and being persistant - and patient at the same time.

 

So much for using my impact gun to install injecters.....

I agree also. A lot of people post knowledge, however it's the way they do it. I looked at one who had spliced like 50 wires to make his motor get a bit more power and I'm sitting there, saying man you do one wire wrong and your gonna fry the whole system. So yes some of them are bad ideas, and also the explination of things

One guy who was trying to break the nut off on his truck got hit in the no name part. The nice thing was he wrote up a long article about what he did, how he did it, and better yet so everybody else on here WOULDN'T do it. So that was great.

I wrench on what I can, most mechanical things, pistons, rings, cams, this and that. The electrical stuff, I'm not gonna touch. I saw and electric car in front of us the other day (me and the wife) and they drove around a puddle, of course I had to laugh but who knows, maybe it would short out? Only handle what you can. I always ask questions.

Sad but funny storry is we had a guy working on his S-10 truck the other day, let a friend drive it to work (works at the same place) and all of a sudden we see smoke coming out of the garage, yup, worked on some fuel lines and pow, big ole fire in the parking garage. Luckly I was parked on the other side, but again, be careful. This was all caused by using a piece of some kind of rubber hose (not fuel hose) for a fuel line patch.

 

I'm one of them.


I'm lucky if I can manage to do, well, much of anything.

Simply a matter of never doing anything before.


But, you can always figure out how to do stuff on here.

You just have to, you know, not feel bad about being stupid enough to have to ask the question...

 

I don't think anybody on here would make anybody feel stupid, or dumb because they asked something they didn't know. Some people are capiable of doing things, some arn't. With help and knowledge Many can do anything (then again I know some who can't) Most of the time arogance is what gets in the way. i was going to help a guy change his oil for the first time, dead set on he could do it, pulled the transmission plug and poured in 5 quarts of oil. I saw it being towed and figured he did something like that. Nobody should be ashamed of something they don't know. Biotech, I know that pretty good, welding, machining good, cutting hair, nah.

 

As Foreman for an low pay airline I get to deal with a abnormal percentage of people rejected else where. Simply there are some people that should not change a tire on a hand truck, let alone an automobile. Some people don't have experiance and some people just will never grasp it. Some just need some couching and pick things up. Others I can't trust to properly put tools up.

I can't sing or dance. I'll never be able to. Same concept. Know when to ask for help and know when to let someone else do it.

Randy

 

well most people wouldn't try something if they are not sure on how to do it! i for one am new to the whole deezel seen and have took apart more gassers then i can remember. never diesels but i will tear it apart the first chance i get got to learn from your mistakes. (only way to learn) practice makes perfect didn't your mom ever teach you that?

 

As much as we say "I KNOW WHAT I'M CAPABLE OF", there are a few too many posting on here about "MISTAKES" they've made and THEN ask for help after the damage is done.
It just scares me about something some of us claim to be able to fix could be the same thing that FAILS and hurts or kills someone.... eg (brakes or steering)
It's nice to be helping someone upgrade to something better. It's just sometimes the questions people ask or they explain what they're doing makes you wonder if they're thinking at all. Most things are just plain common sense and other things are technical.
Like I said before, I'm not a "KNOW IT AL" by any means. I've been a mechanic (licensed since 1987) AND i'M STILL LEARNING. Part of learning though is rational common sense and asking for help BEFORE the damage is done.

 

Good post..
I used to do a lot of mechanic work on the side back when I worked as a diesel mechanic for the county but I outgrew that.
I used to see all the stupid things people used to do, Transit Bus drivers were about the worst.

I had one driver that tried to fix his brakes on his car and after he figured he couldn't tackle the job, he brought it to me. The brake shoes were in the trunk, brake fluid running down the wheel and the tire was held on with ONE lug, the tire wobbled like crazy when he came up the street.

Another guy tried to rebuild his carburetor on his Volare and got it unbolted before he brought it to me, the only thing that kept it on the engine was the vacuum.

Installed a CB antenna on a Ex CHP car, a security guard I called Barney Fife had installed it on the roof and the wire came through the headliner and hung over the rear view mirror.

Another tried to recharge his air conditioner but every time he opened the can of freon with a screwdriver he couldn’t figure where to put it cause it leaked out so fast.

I agree that if you do not think you know how to do something ask for help.
If you are repairing your brakes, and you do not know what you are doing, it is ok to learn BUT have someone showing you what to do, then you will know how next time.
And don’t mix the learning experience with alcohol.

I like to listen to the kids at Pep Boys telling the customers wrong information or sell parts they don't need and you know these poor fools are going to screw it up before they even start.

Some people have absolutely no logic or common sense when it comes to things mechanical and you wonder how they get the key in the door.

Jim

 

Oh yeah, one other thought - working on a car/truck with a son or daughter is an excellent way to spend quality time with your kids - and teach them aboout work ethics, dexterity, not giving up, safe work habits, and being persistant - and patient at the same time.[/QUOTE]


everthing i know, i learned from my step dad since i was about 6. he fixed lots of different things around the dairy, expescialy late at night and i was there for every second.

 

This is how it still is for me. With our trenching buisness if something breaks down out in the field you fix it. It gets to expensive to have a mechanic coming in all of the time to fix your problems. I have learned just about eveything I know from my Dad and my Grandpa, and I will always remember the times that we have spent working on stuff together. It really teaches you the fact that if your going to fix something you fix it right the first time so you don't have to the second time.

 

I remember about 5 years ago driving down the street and seeing a fella working right under his old Chev car....being held up by... you guessed it... a bumper jack....no wheel chocks....no safty stands...I just shivered in my shoes and got out of there fast....truly scary!

Not a nice way to die, being pinned under a car....and likely not a fast way to go.

 

Unless you're lucky enough to have it crush your skull..........

 

Yep! I learned everything from my grandpa. The best part was going back 5 years after I moved away and building a Cummins with him:


brandon.

 

Just because a guy decides to work on his truck himself doesn't make it unsafe. Most of us are only going to do things that are "Safe" to our $35,000 trucks. I can't recall seeing anything "unsafe" in the recent past on this board.
Now where's my other 7 lugnuts for this wheel I just changed? Heck, they are just dead weight anyways! I don't need them and this wheel feels nice and tight.......

 

What's unsafe is all this $$$ I've spent on the truck recently and the wife has no idea how much it really was!!!!!!!