Ok, I'll be straight... I don't know much about cars... so, what's the best way to learn besides going to your local garage and paying the mechanic to let you job shadow? hahahahahaha

 

to be perfectly honest with you! if you really wanna know your car... Go to Autozone or any autoparts store and buy your self a manual for your car for less than $10 bucks. that will end your misery in knowing your car. aight peace out.

 

Yeah, I know you can buy manuals for specific cars, but I mean cars in general... how specific parts of the engine works, etc, etc, etc. I'm talkin' like, Cars 101 man, haha.

 

that's what i meant..!! you buy the manuals, if your car breakdown, you consult the manual, you fix it it, car runs, and then u'll gain the knowledge and the most importanly is the EXPERIENCE. this will give you the knowledge of diagnosing cars and you can apply this to any car you'll have in the future. u got mah point???....

 

ah yeah, now I've got what your saying. Sorry I didn't get it the first time... I'm dying for boredum here at work, lol. Sounds like I'm buying a manual. Thanks for the tip dude.

Mysterio2099 ... soon to be car mechanic genious [8D]

 

cars 101.... the car takes in air intake valves open a feed air into cumbution chamber intake valves close, injectors pulse fuel into the chamber spark plugs ignite at TDC, explosion pushes the pistons down and exhaust valves open release gases out threw exhaust.

I might have a few thing wrong but im not sure ...write this up in a hurry as I am out the door lOL

 

You REALLY want to learn about a car go find one that's beat to hell running would be nice but not really necessary. Get a general book on the car (Haynes manuals run about $15 BTW not $10) Or you can get a Chiltons on engines themselves that will give you info on engines in general but will also explain things a bit better. It just won't have particulars on your new project car. NHow when I say get a cheap car I mean find soething fairly common and it doesn't matter what it is. If you can only find a minivan GET IT if it's cheap. Then start reading the book on the car and start tearing into it finding out what things are and put your d**kskinners on everything. This is the reason that it's not necessary for the vehicle to be running. Now that you've torn the engine apart you'll have a good idea what goes where and what things are called (MAKE SURE you look the stuff up in the book so you KNOW what it's called by the proper name. You can learn slang later). Now if you want to start learning how to do things right go by the book and reassemble the engine making sure you buy the new gaskets/rings/bearings/seals/head bolts. Check all your specs and make sure that any bad parts are replaced. (Only do all this if you plan on driving the car afterwards for a bit cuz you'll be starting to sink $ into it now but learning ALWAYS costs). Get the tools necessary to fix things the right way and you'll have when you're finished if all is done right a good solid engine in a car you didn't pay hardly squat for, a good buildup of basic tools and some engine specialty tools, and most importantly a bit of knowledge as well as experience on an engine. And if you need any help feel free to either PM one of us or post questions in the forums. Good luck man

 

Well, when I get the Eclipse I'll still have my current car which is a 1991 Chevy Lumina. I already have some sort of manual on it.. never used it for anything though.. lol. The only thing is, I'm in a money bind right now, so I'll probably try to trade it in or sell it to help pay for the Eclipse. It would be great for some learning though... so I don't know what I'll do... Plus I don't have specialty tools of any kind and I'm sure they're pretty expensive. Aside from actually working with a car to learn them, is there some sort of book or website that has pictures (I'm a very visual and hands on learner) and descriptions? I cant really understand this stuff by words, ya know? Thanks for the help so far guys.

 

Working on cars is rather simple, take out bad part put in good part. The hard part is knowing what the bad part is. That's what makes a good mechanic. Knowing what part is responsible for what function. I have been working on cars a long time, and yet I posted here about a miss in the engine. All suggestions pointed to wires, and that s exactly what it was. But, not being familiar with the Eclipse engine, I wanted to ask Eclipse wrenches their opinions. You never know if some emissions device could have caused this, or that there is a known problem, like a vacuum hose that expands with heat and causes a leak. You will find replacing brakes, or mufflers or shocks and suspension parts are a snap. It is the diagnosing of electrical, fuel, and ignition problems that are the difficult part.

 

You don't get it man.. I don't know much of anything about ANY car... not just a mitsubishi.. I'm not going to be able to jump right in and change things... I dont have a clue of anything! get it? lol... Act like your speaking to a guy who doesnt know what a steering wheel is, maybe that will help you understand me more (yes... I do know what a steering wheel is)