5 Reasons Fixing Your Own Car Will Change Your Life

[Irons]

I have been watching Scotty Kilmer for a couple years now to help me fix my vehicles and the guy is fantastic! This one is really cool because he explains the satisfaction you get from solving your own problems when it comes to your cars. I watch lots of other folks too when I need to fix something specific but Scotty is really good at getting the gist of a repair explained usually in right around 5 minutes. I can only imagine how much money he and other folks on youtube have saved me.

For example I was afraid of drum brakes and didn't touch them. Now my Ford Focus has drums on the back and @ 125,000 I figured I better quit being a girl and take a look lest they fuck up and leave me stranded. Scotty had a video explaining drum brakes, how they work how to adjust them and how to change the shoes.
I brought my laptop out to the garage and went through it step by step and feck me I'm not afraid of drum brakes anymore. I cleaned, lubed and adjusted them. They didn't need to have the shoes replaced they are still in great shape mainly because 90% or more of my driving is highway . So now I know my rear brakes are good to go for another 90,000 or so.

Had I brought it in I most likely would have gotten robbed. You do this a few times a year and you are saving yourself thousands of dollars.

 

[southfork]

At 17 I bought my first car, a willys utility wagon back in 1966, transmission lost 3rd gear, couldnt afford to have it done, bought a chiltons manual and replaced the synchro gears, been doing it ever since, even rebuilt engines. It gives me the utmost satisfaction to repair things myself, I replaced the intake manifold on my 99 marquis this past summer.

 

[davycoppitt]

Know next to nothing about cars. Have been able to fix all my issues based on youtube videos. Had a buddy call me last week on how to do some home remodeling project. I just told him to watch a few youtube videos. He did and it turned out perfect.

 

[Bottom Feeder]

Hummmm...
I've been needin to replace my glow plugs and my injectors in my Powerstroke 7.2

maybe this summer...

 

[Son of Gloin]

Know next to nothing about cars. Have been able to fix all my issues based on youtube videos. Had a buddy call me last week on how to do some home remodeling project. I just told him to watch a few youtube videos. He did and it turned out perfect.

I hear ya. The gas valves in my furnace needed cleaned, so I thought I could call a local heating/cooling company to come out and pay them a couple or three hundred bucks to do it, or buy some tiny brushes from amazon for eight bucks, watch some YT videos and do it myself. I spent the eight bucks. Project was easy.

 

[Son of Gloin]

I have been watching Scotty Kilmer for a couple years now to help me fix my vehicles and the guy is fantastic! This one is really cool because he explains the satisfaction you get from solving your own problems when it comes to your cars. I watch lots of other folks too when I need to fix something specific but Scotty is really good at getting the gist of a repair explained usually in right around 5 minutes. I can only imagine how much money he and other folks on youtube have saved me.

For example I was afraid of drum brakes and didn't touch them. Now my Ford Focus has drums on the back and @ 125,000 I figured I better quit being a girl and take a look lest they fuck up and leave me stranded. Scotty had a video explaining drum brakes, how they work how to adjust them and how to change the shoes.
I brought my laptop out to the garage and went through it step by step and feck me I'm not afraid of drum brakes anymore. I cleaned, lubed and adjusted them. They didn't need to have the shoes replaced they are still in great shape mainly because 90% or more of my driving is highway . So now I know my rear brakes are good to go for another 90,000 or so.

Had I brought it in I most likely would have gotten robbed. You do this a few times a year and you are saving yourself thousands of dollars.

I like Kilmer. I’m not much of a car guy, but he has a great show, very informative and good advice, in my opinion.

 

[Irons]

I changed my fuel filter yesterday and after driving it (runs way better BTW) I noticed a small crack hissing a tiny stream of steam from the top plastic part of my radiator. Hell it's probably been there for quite a while. The radiator and hoses are 19 years old and have 188,000 miles on them so I have absolutely nothing to complain about.

Brand new highly rated aftermarket radiator on rockauto.com and American made Gates hoses are $128 and change shipped to my door in 3 days.
I will get stainless steel hose clamps that fit perfectly from my local hardware store when the hoses get here.

It will probably take me all afternoon to do the entire job learning as I go but what the hell? Nobody's timing me, I have a heater and a radio in my garage and a camp chair if I want to take a break with a nice German NA beer. I try to do all my preventative auto maintenance in the winter when there is not much to do outside anyway and then goof off all summer just driving them.

The radiator and hoses swap is probably saving me $500 minimum, probably close to $700.
Here is a great video showing exactly how to do it on the same model and year as my truck.

 

[Irons]

Tools don't have to cost you huge amounts of money anymore either if you shop around a bit and read reviews. I'm not a professional making a living off my tools so I can get by with good quality. I don't need to take out a mortgage with snap on or mack. It would be a waste of money for me.

I got a basic OBDII Scan Tool off ebay for $15 shipped. It will tell you what error codes on your car are so you know where to look when your check engine light comes on. It plugs in under the steering wheel of your car, every car built in 1996 and after and sold in the US..
It will also clear error codes to shut that check engine light off. I run my truck with no cat converter so my check engine light comes on a couple times a month. I just shut it off and keep driving.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-LCD-V...azVgU:sc:USPSFirstClass!49329!US!-1:rk:2:pf:0

Harbor Freight has great and also total junk tools so read the reviews on their website. Their cheap electric impact driver is awesome and you can usually get one with a coupon for $40.
Sets of deep well impact sockets $20 with coupon, small air compressors for $40, really good floor jacks and jack stands are half the price of name brands, even less with a coupon. Heat gun for $8 etc you can do really well there if you do some homework. This LED work light I got for $20 with a coupon is flat out awesome. Stick it to the hood or a frame rail and it will light the entire underside of your truck. It's rechargeable too.

https://www.harborfreight.com/390-lumen-magnetic-slim-bar-folding-led-worklight-63958.html
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-Heavy-Duty-Electric-Impact-Wrench-68099.html
https://www.harborfreight.com/3-gallon-100-psi-oilless-pancake-air-compressor-95275.html
https://www.harborfreight.com/30000-btu-tank-top-propane-heater-63072.html

Home depot carries Husky tools. They always have sales going on and I love their ratcheting wrenches and socket sets. Very high quality and affordable and a 100% replacement warranty if you break one. Just bring the broken tool to HD and they hand you another one.

 

[Uncle]

If you take drums in they'll most probably contaminate the wheel bearing, or fubar the crown nut or get the torque on the crown wrong.

Some Fords don't have a slit-pin crown and you have to nudge the expanded edge of the nut into a key groove on the axle using something like a blunt cold chisel.

Still don't like working on drums though.

Golden Regards
Uncle

 

[Lt Dan]

Why do I automatically think of Dodge-Dave every time I watch a Scotty video? Ha!

 

[Usury]

At 17 I bought my first car, a willys utility wagon back in 1966, transmission lost 3rd gear, couldnt afford to have it done, bought a chiltons manual and replaced the synchro gears, been doing it ever since, even rebuilt engines. It gives me the utmost satisfaction to repair things myself, I replaced the intake manifold on my 99 marquis this past summer.

Hope you put a metal aftermarket one back on it instead of the cheap ass ridiculous plastic ones Ford engineered.

Been there done that....on a Towncar.

 

[michael59]

darn, just darn....according to the title(OP) my life has change multiple times.

 

[newmisty]

Scotty's great. I love the images he puts in his Q&A vids. Cracks me up every time.

Coincidentally I wanted to post this vid yesterday but didn't want to start a new thread or get it buried in Searcher's mess so I abstained.

Another great channel is ChrisFix Very detailed and exceptionally edited vids for simple tasks. He can sure as heck super clean a windshield:

 

[southfork]

Heres a head scratcher, my 08 Suziki xl7 has service traction and abs lites, my scanner wont detect it, had auto zone do a freebie check, theres wont detect it, firestone told me it lost its program because i changed the battery with out having back up voltage to the car, ive never heard of this being an issue.

 

[newmisty]

Heres a head scratcher, my 08 Suziki xl7 has service traction and abs lites, my scanner wont detect it, had auto zone do a freebie check, theres wont detect it, firestone told me it lost its program because i changed the battery with out having back up voltage to the car, ive never heard of this being an issue.

Wheel speed sensors. Could be a bad sensor or the mounting surface/connector is corroded. One at each front wheel.

 

[Treasure Searcher]

I bought the Haynes manual for my vehicles and it has paid for itself many times.

 

[stoli]

I took photos of my drum brakes front and rears before i started teardown. It definitely helps when putting back together.
Another good youtube mechanic is Eric the car guy

 

[newmisty]

I took photos of my drum brakes front and rears before i started teardown. It definitely helps when putting back together.
Another good youtube mechanic is Eric the car guy

Yes he has some great vids too. There's another guy I recently found that I won't remember until they shove him back in my feed. He worked on a Viper and some other exotic car and I learned several things from one short vid. I'll try to post one of his vids when I come across it again.

 

[michael59]

I hear ya. The gas valves in my furnace needed cleaned, so I thought I could call a local heating/cooling company to come out and pay them a couple or three hundred bucks to do it, or buy some tiny brushes from amazon for eight bucks, watch some YT videos and do it myself. I spent the eight bucks. Project was easy.

K, I had to quit right at your post, sorry don't mean nuffin by it and do not take this derogitoraoliey? sorry mift that word.... so the Butch had...no he is not butch so get out of the gutter so I can get past.... so butch had a company come out and check out his has past'ed mom's heat pump. Yes there is a furnace inside the car port but this heat pump supposedly cuts the electric bill in half with it running in conjunction with the furnace.....and like I have never like ever opened one of these thing up. oH ..darn...OH and the fixit price-?- was $2,700; not kidding. I told butch I think they are selling you a new heat pump. so we did look....

Now I am not saying that I know any thing about high voltage sept I ain't been killed by it yet but I opened that thing up and I noticed that the wires off of the "dual-run-capacitor" were unhooked....so silly me reads the skimatic and rehooks and BUZZZZZZ! hummm? Now the control board had them...(LENOX is the pump manufacturer,) now the control board had them two LED lights flashing at the same time which ment that the control board was not fried and neither was any thing else. The HAVC(?) people told the guy he needed a new pump and on and on....BUT the fact of the matter is: "How did they test the pump when the capacitor was fried?"

So On the interwebs I did go and ordered a new 440/5 or 50 microferid capacitor from HOME DEPO. Had to go through the salem H-D because I guess I just can't do this stuff off my phone....anywhooos….

I took like 10 days and we picked it up and I installed it but it would not operate, I mean the Heat pump. So I investigated. I pulled the breaker bar and the breaker that feeds the pump was shut down and still there was power to the board because them two red LED lights kept flashing in union...Hummmm?

So, yes it took me a while. I acVolt checked the control board and it had three lines that were feeding 29Vac....in frustration I told the renter to turn the thermostat to off. Then I checked again and all of a sudden I had 34Vac on one wire....hummm? and, yes them red LEDs were still blinking; in unison. And, get this...there is a board reset in which you just short two pins out and the board clicks... I didi this and it clicked and re-clicked but after the guy turned off the thermostat IT DID NOT CLICK as in reset.

After frustratingly checking stuff I told the guy to just turn the thermostat back on but do not set a tempature…. AND the dam thing came to life! Been two weeks now and it is still running.

So there ya go....fix it yourself.

 

[hammerhead]

I enjoy repairing buildings but when it comes to motorized anything, I suck. I lack the tools and space to be doing my own fixing. Driveway is on a hill. And I can only break stuff with my sawzall. Nail gun doesn't work too well putting things together on vehicles.

 

[newmisty]

I bought the Haynes manual for my vehicles and it has paid for itself many times.

Good point. Although the Chiltons and Haynes often leave out very crucial steps, tell you the LONG way to do it(drill a hole in your door rather than simply removing the speaker to access window motor for example) For my Thunderbird I have the Factory Manual (used by the Stealership mechanics and an electronic and vacuum manual as well. The factory manuals can cost a dozen silver ounces or so but pay themselves off after a couple fixes.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2000-CHEVY...1:g:4yUAAOSwz5hbspkl:rk:4:pf:1&frcectupt=true

Here's a pic from just before blowing the head gasket in my bird.

 

[michael59]

Good point. Although the Chiltons and Haynes often leave out very crucial steps, tell you the LONG way to do it(drill a hole in your door rather than simply removing the speaker to access window motor for example) For my Thunderbird I have the Factory Manual (used by the Stealership mechanics and an electronic and vacuum manual as well. The factory manuals can cost a dozen silver ounces or so but pay themselves off after a couple fixes.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2000-CHEVY...1:g:4yUAAOSwz5hbspkl:rk:4:pf:1&frcectupt=true

View attachment 121470


Here's a pic from just before blowing the head gasket in my bird.
View attachment 121468

ur funny...

 

[newmisty]

ur funny...

 

[michael59]

don't you goodfellows me....

 

[newmisty]

don't you goodfellows me....

I don't want no trouble. Here, have a drink on the house. I insist.

 

[michael59]

I don't want no trouble. Here, have a drink on the house. I insist.

gots my own stuff, can'tcha tell?

 

[newmisty]

gots my own stuff, can'tcha tell?

Yep, I can smell it from here!

 

[Son of Gloin]

Yep, I can smell it from here!

Well, I can’t smell it, my nose isn’t too good, but I can tell his grammar is 90 proof.

 

[michael59]

Yep, I can smell it from here!

freak

 

[Bottom Feeder]

sniff...

 

[Bottom Feeder]

which reminds me...
do you like Kahlua, michael?

BF

 

[michael59]

sniff...

wtf? you know I set the hound out on her lead this morn and as she passed the ancient Subaru her head went up and dam if she din't double back and jump on the hood and it wasn't a sniff it was a full powered whooofersniff…..

IDK what it was but the dog told me "It don't come around here that often."

 

[TAEZZAR]

I was repairing cars & airplanes, before manuals. I learned a whole new fucking vocabulary along with bloody knuckles. My first big repair was in 1958, on dad's work car, a 51 Chevy that he made me buy from him after I "stripped" the gears in the tranny. I got my training from the local junkyard guy, where I also got my parts. My first repair was to pull that tranny & fix it. Fucking torque tube housing was a job & then I was told that I needed a special tool to get the tail piece off the back of the tranny. So I went to my junkyard buddy, told him my woes. He laughed & told me to taper a hacksaw blade & use it to open a split ring that held it in place. That was my intro to making my own tools.

Shit I have even worked on a Cessna engine, in Loreto, Baja, to repair a cracked magneto cap. There were a group of dentists on a missionary detail that gave me some dental repair epoxy, they said it was a dielectric & would work. I scribed out the crack to make room for the epoxy to fill the crack. Timing was a bitch, we would prop the engine by hand & then take turns at getting shocked by the magneto as we timed it ! We took it up for a test flight, all was good. We got home too !!! More on that in the stories thread.

Doing the repair

Nestled in between the two B-25 bombers, fixed, tested & happy !

 

[michael59]

which reminds me...
do you like Kahlua, michael?

BF

whifkey and cauffiey? u betcha

 

[Irons]

Heres a head scratcher, my 08 Suziki xl7 has service traction and abs lites, my scanner wont detect it, had auto zone do a freebie check, theres wont detect it, firestone told me it lost its program because i changed the battery with out having back up voltage to the car, ive never heard of this being an issue.

https://www.suzuki-forums.com/2g-2007-xl7/35526-traction-abs-lights-messages.html


.

 

[Bottom Feeder]

AM coffee — ½ & ½
couple three cups to get my heart started

 

[TAEZZAR]

whifkey and cauffiey? u betcha

Kahlua & Vanilla ice cream.

 

[michael59]

I was repairing cars & airplanes, before manuals. I learned a whole new fucking vocabulary along with bloody knuckles. My first big repair was in 1958, on dad's work car, a 51 Chevy that he made me buy from him after I "stripped" the gears in the tranny. I got my training from the local junkyard guy, where I also got my parts. My first repair was to pull that tranny & fix it. Fucking torque tube housing was a job & then I was told that I needed a special tool to get the tail piece off the back of the tranny. So I went to my junkyard buddy, told him my woes. He laughed & told me to taper a hacksaw blade & use it to open a split ring that held it in place. That was my intro to making my own tools.
View attachment 121489

Shit I have even worked on a Cessna engine, in Loreto, Baja, to repair a cracked magneto cap. There were a group of dentists on a missionary detail that gave me some dental repair epoxy, they said it was a dielectric & would work. I scribed out the crack to make room for the epoxy to fill the crack. Timing was a bitch, we would prop the engine by hand & then take turns at getting shocked by the magneto as we timed it ! We took it up for a test flight, all was good. We got home too !!! More on that in the stories thread.

Doing the repair
View attachment 121482
Nestled in between the two B-25 bombers, fixed, tested & happy !
View attachment 121483

Since you mentioned prop planes...and I got this off of U-BooBs….K, tke the super glue and lay it on but not too thick and when you have that stuff on then apply the calcium carbonate aka Baking Soda. Let it sit and then brush it off and re apply till crack is ready to be sanded down.

this is how they fix chips in propellers. just one of the many things that gets run out on u-BooBs while sleeping and then ya wakes up.

watch it urself if U think I am full of bullshit....

 

[michael59]

Kahlua & Vanilla ice cream.

I must be a royal cuz I likes my coffie-re-oial

 

[DodgebyDave]

my 40 years xp is cheaper than your mistakes!