The owner maintained/tuned thread

[88sins]

Fellas I was fixin a few minor issues in my ride this mornin about 2 o'clock & I started to wonder, how many ppl actually maintain/repair/tune their own vehicles themselves? I know a lot of ppl aren't so inclined & prefer to drop the vehicle of by a mechanic/electrician/whoever, but still many of us do our own work on our cars & that's actually something to take pride in.

So I decided to make this thread for all 3ne2nrs that properly maintain their rides themselves. Could be almost anything you'd normally find most people paying someone else to do. Things like engine & transmission work, changing mechanical or electronic parts, tune ups, tuning, electrical repairs, radiator work, a/c repairs, etc, whatever. As long as it's not minor things like putting gas in the tank, oil in the engine, pulling a dipstick or only topping off a radiator bottle or wiper washer reservoir. You can say what work you've done if you want.

Sound off fellas, & be happy in the knowledge that you know your ride well enough to take care of it.

[Ted_v2]

i doing anything except welding bc no machine but i can weld and painting.

fixing my dad and my vehicles since i was a youth..

[black start]

I do all mechanical and electrical work on my vehicles and those in my yard.

Honestly, it's not hard. Just need to have tools, and a little determination

[hydroep]

Nice idea for a thread OP.

i doing anything except welding bc no machine but i can weld and painting.

fixing my dad and my vehicles since i was a youth..

Same here. Learnt most of my stuff on an old Morris 1100 he bought to restore. That thing was one rust bucket, so we had everything to do. My brother and cousin even fabricated a muffler barrel for it. The day it started up you coulda swear we win the World Cup...

I can't weld but handle my own filler-work and painting. Things like suspension work, mounts, brakes, a/c and electrical are fairly straight forward as well.

Changed a timing chain tensioner once but never did any major engine work, and doubt I will ever touch a transmission.

[rspann]

Good idea. I think there was one with" what you did on your ride today "or something like that but this could be an official thread with advice and questions like the "building a house" thread. Most guys would lie to do work on their cars themselves ,bit might think it's hard or they are not mechanically inclined. With a guide or advice ,any type of maintenance or work is possible. Good luck.

[matix]

Good thread

[maj. tom]

ok so having the right tools for the job is probably the biggest hurdle for minor self-service issues.
Can you all list the basic and necessary tools that a man must have in order to perform basic car maintenance? The Haynes Manual or something similar, of the car is necessary right?

[*KRONIK*]

Gonna change 2 fog light bulbs after lunch

[coltspeed]

Anything bolted sized 19mm and downward I do myself, anything upwards of that, requires welding or a cherry picker - my mechanic lets me use his garage. Minor and medium repairs including service, I can handle. Anything major it's just easier over there.

[wagonrunner]

Posted in ole talk.
Lots of DIY in the technical forums at http://www.trinituner.com/v4/forums/viewforum.php?f=49
There are manufacturer specific forums, where DIY folk ask questions, as well as some guides with what was experienced doing it themselves.

[rspann]

ok so having the right tools for the job is probably the biggest hurdle for minor self-service issues.
Can you all list the basic and necessary tools that a man must have in order to perform basic car maintenance? The Haynes Manual or something similar, of the car is necessary right?

Nowadays, a manual isn't all that important with all the information on the internet. A socket set, a set of combination spanners, screwdrivers, torx bits and you're basically set. You can get all of the above and more at a minimal price. The key is to buy tools that would last , and keep adding as you go along. Oil service, brake service and basic maintenance is within the reach of nearly anyone. The money saved and the satisfaction of doing it yourself, is enough reward.

[Les Bain]

Would like to try more but for now things restricted to checking fluids, changing the occasional light, and washing.

Cause without fail, somebody coming to sell you something, or some roaming religious person have good news from the lord. I just want to spend time with my car...FOH with that.

[streetbeastINC.]

I use to do Most of my stuff myself but old age has taken me,,(laziness) , but now I just diagnose and get a mech to change ..... hardly any mechs who can trouble shoot accurately new cars , even if they have a scan tool most can't read live data and interpret without a generic code, which most times are inaccurate without live data,

Due to laziness 2 cars and one 4x4 have become derelict vehicles in my garage...


In my younger days I built some good shyt...now I just chill with my Nissan note

[linton]

I enjoy cleaning inside out, but does washing the engine have any adverse effects? Someone told me I could cause damage

[hydroep]

ok so having the right tools for the job is probably the biggest hurdle for minor self-service issues.
Can you all list the basic and necessary tools that a man must have in order to perform basic car maintenance? The Haynes Manual or something similar, of the car is necessary right?

Nowadays, a manual isn't all that important with all the information on the internet. A socket set, a set of combination spanners, screwdrivers, torx bits and you're basically set. You can get all of the above and more at a minimal price. The key is to buy tools that would last , and keep adding as you go along. Oil service, brake service and basic maintenance is within the reach of nearly anyone. The money saved and the satisfaction of doing it yourself, is enough reward.

Would also recommend a "Vise Grip" (locking pliers) and a decent Digital Multimeter to check the battery, alternator and do other basic electrical troubleshooting.

[Ted_v2]

Good jack and jackstands are worth it, invest early.
buy a torque wrench for wheels and oil drain nuts, i torque everything i could find proper specs for.

did a ranger yesterday, torqued to the caliper bolts till the drain nuts, wheels ect.

trust me it does pay off. people might laugh but one day u will all learn the importance

[airuma]

ok so having the right tools for the job is probably the biggest hurdle for minor self-service issues.
Can you all list the basic and necessary tools that a man must have in order to perform basic car maintenance? The Haynes Manual or something similar, of the car is necessary right?

Nowadays, a manual isn't all that important with all the information on the internet. A socket set, a set of combination spanners, screwdrivers, torx bits and you're basically set. You can get all of the above and more at a minimal price. The key is to buy tools that would last , and keep adding as you go along. Oil service, brake service and basic maintenance is within the reach of nearly anyone. The money saved and the satisfaction of doing it yourself, is enough reward.

Good quality tools will save you from some nasty cuts! Gloves will help but sometimes you need to feel your way around and it becomes counter productive. Use an adjustable wrench as a LAST resort!

[VexXx Dogg]

I used to do it, but I currently don't have yard space, nor the time, nor the inclination to firetruck with my daily.
Don't have a project car anymore.

[nervewrecker]

Raises hand.

[rspann]

I started on my father's car when I was under 12. I used to wash, repair , maintain just for a little drive in the yard. Now I could do almost anything on any vehicle. Mechanical(built a Chevy small block right out of school) ,body, electrical, upholstery( my first paying job) and could do all professionally. The best thing about it is that I enjoy it as much as when I started.

[88sins]

Gonna change 2 fog light bulbs after lunch

aight boss, u een d crew dey. I still waitin for meh lil test drive wit d black diesel monster eh. i eh need d highway, I go happy to take meh lil run in d yard


I get that some ppl outgrow the love/idea of doing their own work, nuttn wrong with that. But a lot of us don't outgrow it, & we actually enjoy it.
Me personally I fixin up a project
Today so far fixed the lights, horn & a/c
tomorrow God willing for engine management tuning
next wknd is to detail the interior & see what could be done with the seats, carpet & trim

sometime during Dec. if the wife allows me a moment it's to install ICE

[rspann]

So you buy it without an Internal Combustion Engine?

[nervewrecker]

A little dirty so excuse it.
Changing the compressor and rerouting the lines..

[gastly369]

A little dirty so excuse it.
Changing the compressor and rerouting the lines..

How the xs holding up to the heat?...need to relocate mines to trunk ...need "bae" space

[Morpheus]

Nice thread. I do a lot of stuff myself. Bought a lot of stuff/tools along the way. From impact driver to compression tester to spring clamps. Once the job ain't too big, I give it a go.
Google, YouTube and workshop manuals(if I can get it) are my friends.

Changed a Heater Core Valve on an Audi A4 the other day. Was losing coolant.

[speedmelter]

Having the time and physical space to carry out repairs are the biggest challenges for me. What peaked my interest years ago of doing things myself was mechanics doing nonsense and also the ones that rip you off.

When i was really young a mechanic took down my transmission to change the rear engine seal. My dad told me to get the torque converter seal changed one time as the tranny was down. I purchased both seals plus the axel seals. Mechanic took down the transmission and changed the engine seal, i handing him the torque converter seal in his hand and he telling me to not interfere with the one already installed as it already in and broken in. I insisted and he still refused. he put back up everything and charged me $600 labor this was about 10 years ago. It didnt take more than a drive out of his driveway for him to be shouting stop stop something leaking... long story short he say transmission fluid leaking and it cud very well be the torque converter seal because i bad mouth the scene and you dont say them kinda ting it does cause them kinda ting. so now he wanted to charge me a next 600 to take back down i say firetruck off i will pay a different guy 600 to do it.. after that i started being brave to do more than just oil change and brakes myself.

Then there was this other mechanic who keep tightening the rear hub center nut so tightly with his impact hammer that it was compressing the wheel bearing and damaging it. It was always the pattern with most mechanics until i began to realize that most of them are not very intelligent especially when it comes to methodology and physics because they were mostly school dropouts who were more hands on kinda guys. It grew to the point where i would have to be telling the mechanic how to operate technically and giving him precautions.

Eventually i met a guy who had the same issues as me and became a mech and he has the garage space and tools where i go do my stuff. Its difficult to trust a monkey to work on your ride that you work so hard to maintain

[hydroep]

A lot of so called mechanics don't know their arse from their elbow. There was a time when the in thing was to remove an engine's thermostat because "Trinidad have hot weather so yuh doh need dat dong here"...

Another thing worth mentioning is that some vehicles are easy to work on so you can handle jobs without getting frustrated. Others...not so much. Someone showed me a Tiida's engine with its valve cover buried under all kinda sheit. I was like "WTF, how you changing the spark plugs?" Man say is some special spark plugs it have so it doh have to change often.

[88sins]

So you buy it without an Internal Combustion Engine?

I.C.E. has more than one meaning eh In Car Entertainment, also In Case of Emergency. & in this instance it's both.

for now I just trying to figure out where & how to put certain things like the fire extinguisher & tools& if to use a 12v compressor vs pancake. 12v takes up less space & uses less power, but pancake is faster, more powerful & more versatile.

[nervewrecker]

A little dirty so excuse it.
Changing the compressor and rerouting the lines..

How the xs holding up to the heat?...need to relocate mines to trunk ...need "bae" space

So far, no issues.
Wanna relocate mines too.

Tedv2 usually assists with my vehicles.
Everything in that engine bay came out already at home except the brakes booster, fuse box, head, block and turbo.

[whizzard]

A lot of so called mechanics don't know their arse from their elbow. There was a time when the in thing was to remove an engine's thermostat because "Trinidad have hot weather so yuh doh need dat dong here"...

Another thing worth mentioning is that some vehicles are easy to work on so you can handle jobs without getting frustrated. Others...not so much. Someone showed me a Tiida's engine with its valve cover buried under all kinda sheit. I was like "WTF, how you changing the spark plugs?" Man say is some special spark plugs it have so it doh have to change often.

True, I've heard such complaints from the Tiida & Y12 guys.