Good place to get some auto knowledge?

[Eleanor]

I'm looking for somewhere in town where I can take just a general knowledge in auto mechanics course. I just want to learn from a pro. Something preferably during the summer. I've looked at SAIT but all their programs seem to be career preps. Any help would be appreciated.

[Slashin_]

not possible in 2 months.....just go to howstuffworks.com and get the basics down of tranny and the motor.....internet help alot out with theory......then pop your hood and do it your stuff

[2EFNFAST]

Originally posted by Slashin_
not possible in 2 months.....just go to howstuffworks.com and get the basics down of tranny and the motor.....internet help alot out with theory......then pop your hood and do it your stuff

Agreed - just jump into it - before I got into building kit cars I had *0* automotive knowledge - heck, I paid a shop $150 to install a CAI in my mustang, haha!. Picked up a few books, read the internet and started wrenching. Now I find myself wrenching all the time, both on cars (fixing and building them!) and other equipment.

[pyar_deewane]

well u could take summer school courses...at i think chinook college...

edit: depending on ur age its uber expensive...like under 18 get it for super cheap....but for adults its like 300 or 700 cant really remember

[ercchry]

pay a buck and spend a day at pick n pull and fuck aroud with different cars

[Sharpie]

Get a job at canadian tire as a mechanic.

[pyar_deewane]

Originally posted by Sharpie
Get a job at canadian tire as a mechanic.

[Mikespecr1]

I have been wrenching almost 10 years and the best advive that I have had is "If is aint going easy then there is somthing wrong"

[sr20dets13]

just get a job as a mechanics helper or a mechanic..thats what im basicallly doing right now anmd its great

[rc2002]

Originally posted by ercchry
pay a buck and spend a day at pick n pull and fuck aroud with different cars

That's a great way to learn. Just start taking stuff apart and you'll figure out how it works.

[Proboscis]

I did that with lego, smash up the cars I built and rebuild them time after time as a kid

[Proboscis]

well a good place to start is at a junk yard. I worked at pick your part and Canadian tire years back. The best thing I liked about pick your part is that any car with a amp/deck/sub that came in the shop was yours for $5 a pop. And the T3 turbos and paxton superchargers!!! The rule in that shop was never let the good shit hit the yard unless the bosses noticed. But seeing all those cars that are about to get crushed soon makes you appreciate the value of making a car work to its full potential.

[Mitsu3000gt]

If your looking to learn how to do any particular job for you car, many model-specific forums have tech sections where there are step by step posts with tool lists, descriptions + pictures that allow most people with little or no mechanical knowledge to do a job by guiding you through it.

If your strictly concerned with general knowledge, I second the suggestion to spend some time on "howstuffworks.com". Try Wikipedia too.

[Whitetiger]

+1 for howstuffworks

[alloroc]

Basic mechanical work is quite easy. If you have a particular car/model in mind hit up the library for a copy of the Haines and Chilton repair manuals for that model. These books will have a multitude of diagrams explanations and pictures for you to learn from.

The electrical side is a bit trickier - especially with newer cars. A fantastic resource that I recommend is ...
Kevin Sullivan's www.autoshop101.com
The online articles are a bit slow going but the Toyota technical PDF's will take you right from the basics of electrical circuits to explaining OBDII data interpretation with not much more than a week or two of reading.

[msommers]

Basic theory: Internet, lots of good quality websites out there

Hands on: Factory service manual, it's how I learned

That pick a part idea is really good, and seriously cheap!

[Eleanor]

Thanks for all the replies guys. i've been on howstuffworks and learned alot. I'm also in mechanical engineering so I understand basic principles. I guess I just need to spend some time putting diagrams to the actual thing. Thanks again.