• I Desire to Learn How the Internals of a Car Function
    24 replies, posted
So, as the title implies, I want to learn how the components of a car function and what they all do. I don't have the resources at hand to just go figure it out myself, so I figure I will ask you guys. I would love to eventually be able to work on vehicles and do tuning shit for fun, but as I stated previously I do not have the resources to jump in. Any recommended websites/reading on understanding how car pieces are fit together, how they all work, and compatibility stuff? tldr; mechanics 101 does want
get a haynes manual, dunno what they are called in the US or UK. [editline]16th March 2011[/editline] [url]http://www.haynes.com/products/sfID1/115/sfID2/116[/url]
Also called Haynes here in the US, of course. And yeah, best way is to get one. Better yet, pick up a $100 junker and a matching Haynes manual, rebuild it. Feel awesome. Rinse, repeat. Soon You'll know everything you need to be a shadetree mechanic.
[QUOTE=worm;28632824]get a haynes manual, dunno what they are called in the US or UK. [editline]16th March 2011[/editline] [url]http://www.haynes.com/products/sfID1/115/sfID2/116[/url][/QUOTE] Thanks, I'll take a look at their books. [editline]16th March 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=bradley;28632877]Also called Haynes here in the US, of course. And yeah, best way is to get one. Better yet, pick up a $100 junker and a matching Haynes manual, rebuild it. Feel awesome. Rinse, repeat. Soon You'll know everything you need to be a shadetree mechanic.[/QUOTE] So would you honestly recommend just buying a junkass Mirage or something, tearing it apart, then finding a manual to put it back together?
I watch car shows, not like top gear though, the informative type of car show.
only car show i watch is 4x4'ing shows. if i want to learn something about a car i just go buy a haynes manual. i have literal hundreds of them.
Listening to Car Talk on NPR Saturdays is an informative (And entertaining) experience. If you are in the US. Although you could listen online anywhere else I suppose. [url=http://www.cartalk.com/Radio/WeeklyShow/online.html]Here[/url]
[QUOTE=worm;28634060]only car show i watch is 4x4'ing shows.[/QUOTE] give me names
Pat Callinan's 4x4 Adventures 4WD TV The 4x4 Show YOUR4X4 take your pick [editline]16th March 2011[/editline] these are all australian shows btw
[QUOTE=worm;28634224]Pat Callinan's 4x4 Adventures 4WD TV The 4x4 Show YOUR4X4 take your pick [editline]16th March 2011[/editline] these are all australian shows btw[/QUOTE] well australia and iceland are the best offroad places :buddy:
As the first few posts said, you really cannot beat a Haynes manual. They have absolutely everything you need to know in them!
[QUOTE=JamesMay;28634256]As the first few posts said, you really cannot beat a Haynes manual. They have absolutely everything you need to know in them![/QUOTE] Helpful advice from Captain Slow. but yes my dad has some Haynes manuals from the cars he has owned and they are really great and easily understandable
[QUOTE=Ldesu;28634246]well australia and iceland are the best offroad places :buddy:[/QUOTE] damn straight.
[QUOTE=JamesMay;28634256]As the first few posts said, you really cannot beat a Haynes manual. They have absolutely everything you need to know in them![/QUOTE] Actually I'm sure you could learn alot listening to James May drone on about boring things like fuel injection- Jeremy Clarkson
You put gas in and magical fun stuff happens. But anyways, if your wanting to try a book about them. I know that Books a Million has an entire three isles dedicated to cars in my town. I'm not sure about other ones though.
You magically start the car by inserting a key! You then proceed to drive around extremely fast until the car stops running or when the fuel needle is on E. You then throw it away and get another one. :downs:
I'm still not sure on how heads work. I know whats in them but not where/how. Well air and fuel come in through the intake valve(s), in time with the piston coming up to compress it, as stroke 1, then the spark plug ignites the air/fuel mixture, foricing the piston down as stroke 2, which is connected to the crank through the connecting rod. The bottom of the connecting rod spins on bearings on the cranks journals. This causes the crank to spin as the other cylinders push down in motion. Stroke 3 is the piston moving back up, pushing the spent gases out the exhaust valve(s). The last stroke is the piston coming back down, drawing the air/fuel mixture in through the intake valve. This whole description is different for diesels and a little different for these new direct injected engines.
Suck - Intake Squeeze - Compression Bang - Power Blow - Exhaust Just how I remember how a 4-stroke engine works.. Which, is in essence, the basic working of most Engines.
[url]http://www.howstuffworks.com/[/url]
Official service manual + Haynes Manual= Car god.
[QUOTE=Ca5bah;28632891]So would you honestly recommend just buying a junkass Mirage or something, tearing it apart, then finding a manual to put it back together?[/QUOTE] Yes sir, find the cheapest piece of shit you can and fix it into running condition. You've no idea how amazing it feels to make a car run by yourself. My first car I ever fixed was an '85 Nissan Sentra coupe, it felt great to hear that thing start after changing the ignition coil, fixing a hole in the gas tank, and swapping the brainbox for one out of a Nissan Pulsar. It ran alright but I do believe it had a blown head gasket as well. The car was pretty but it was a $100 junker I wanted to try and fix. I learned a lot and made a little bit even just scrapping it like I did. Since then I took on bigger and bigger projects, and now I can do anything. The last few Civics I've had were motors built completely by myself, and I've even gone as far as CAD'ing up some of my own engine designs. I love engines, every type of engine but jet turbine. Those are boring to me. Also if you're a cheapskate or have a lot of land buy some riding lawnmowers and fix them up, I had a blast with the few I picked up for free here and there, they made great buggies since the mowing parts were generally broken. Anyways, that's about all the advice I can give. Good luck!
[QUOTE=bradley;28648493]Also if you're a cheapskate or have a lot of land buy some riding lawnmowers and fix them up, I had a blast with the few I picked up for free here and there, they made great buggies since the mowing parts were generally broken.[/QUOTE] Oh god. When I was like 12, my cousin helped me fix up my old lawnmower (which only needed the carb cleaned out) and my dad got a new John Deere. I ripped the deck off of the old one, primered up the whole thing, painted it black, and pained some flames on it. We flipped the belt to the other side of the "brake" pulley so the brake would then act as a throttle. Rode around on that bitch all day. Damn, I gotta try and find a picture of it sometime.
power block on spike tv
-snip 6 year bump-
Honestly you do learn a TON from taking apart a cheap shitty car and rebuilding it.
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