Mechanical Ability
- Thread starter Merkava_4
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I've never believed in people being 'talented' in one area, you can do anything you like if you have some common sense, the intelligence to learn, and the interest to keep at it.
Frankly, I've always been interested in cars as my dad was a petrolhead, but I didn't do any spannering at all until I got my own car, but, I was interested, I'm not scared of learning, and I got stuck in.
I pretty much taught myself everything from routine maintenance, replacing parts, to upgrading, improving, fabrication, bodywork, welding, machining, to the point now where I now build spaceframed cars from scratch from with a delivery of steel tube and sheet and a lot of hammer work. Ive made everything from my own suspension links and uprights, brake discs, diffs, machined my own gearboxes, made my own dampers, about the only thing I'm not so good at at the moment is composite work and aluminium welding (I can weld it, just not as neat as I want), but that's mainly down to lack of practice.
Frankly, I've always been interested in cars as my dad was a petrolhead, but I didn't do any spannering at all until I got my own car, but, I was interested, I'm not scared of learning, and I got stuck in.
I pretty much taught myself everything from routine maintenance, replacing parts, to upgrading, improving, fabrication, bodywork, welding, machining, to the point now where I now build spaceframed cars from scratch from with a delivery of steel tube and sheet and a lot of hammer work. Ive made everything from my own suspension links and uprights, brake discs, diffs, machined my own gearboxes, made my own dampers, about the only thing I'm not so good at at the moment is composite work and aluminium welding (I can weld it, just not as neat as I want), but that's mainly down to lack of practice.
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also worth noting:
with heavily electronic controlled automobiles nowadays, mechanically-inclined folks need to have strong, very strong electronic background and understanding in order to properly diagnose issues.
Gone are the days where a 12V test light can do pretty much anything. Nowadays, you need to seriously understand EFI systems, able to observe/understand how the pulse-width of the injector openings (duration, etc.) and so on.
The rest of them are fairly fundamental, I'd say, for the hydraulic braking systems remained relatively unchanged for many decades, except these days there's ABS, EBD, etc. incorporated within.
Q.
with heavily electronic controlled automobiles nowadays, mechanically-inclined folks need to have strong, very strong electronic background and understanding in order to properly diagnose issues.
Gone are the days where a 12V test light can do pretty much anything. Nowadays, you need to seriously understand EFI systems, able to observe/understand how the pulse-width of the injector openings (duration, etc.) and so on.
The rest of them are fairly fundamental, I'd say, for the hydraulic braking systems remained relatively unchanged for many decades, except these days there's ABS, EBD, etc. incorporated within.
Q.
That's something else I'm still learning, I can make wiring looms, install standalone ECU's etc, for the wiring side, but I'm not good enough with the more advanced reverse-engineering for CAN signals, etc, so I'm trying to get more familar with them (I'm making myself a touch screen digital dashboard that works by reading CAN data through the ECU network at the moment, and hoping to make a controller that will send it's own signals out shortly to control modern components such as steering pumps, etc - but I don't know enough about coding yet) it's a never ending learning game!
I used to be amazed that fewer and fewer people were doing their own minor repairs, but I got used to it. And now I'm surprised that more and more people are getting comfortable with loading different software into their PCMs, gathering log parameters to e-mail off to a tuner and get back a custom program, doing their own programming, etc.
As for me... I'm getting too old to lie on my back in a puddle of PS fluid with a steering box resting on my ribcage before I lift it into place. :-/ I still enjoy it a lot of projects, but I'm more hesitant than I was to rip something completely apart and expect to have it back together by the end of the weekend after pulling a near-allnighter. The disks in my back just won't agree to that anymore. It was less than 10 years ago I had an A-727 out of my convertible, onto the bench, apart, and back together in two weekends. Just the thought of that now makes me stiff and sore!
As for me... I'm getting too old to lie on my back in a puddle of PS fluid with a steering box resting on my ribcage before I lift it into place. :-/ I still enjoy it a lot of projects, but I'm more hesitant than I was to rip something completely apart and expect to have it back together by the end of the weekend after pulling a near-allnighter. The disks in my back just won't agree to that anymore. It was less than 10 years ago I had an A-727 out of my convertible, onto the bench, apart, and back together in two weekends. Just the thought of that now makes me stiff and sore!
When I was in 2nd grade I was fascinated at a fellow student's science project that involved simple electric circuits, batteries, knife switches, etc. I demanded of my parents to be able to make my own.
When I was in middle school I had my own bike and rode it everywhere and my dad couldn't maintain it to my standards... he only was available weekends and I didn't have the patience.
When I was in college I was broke and inherited a car. It blew a radiator hose which I successfully patched where it sat.
When I rented my first place with my wife, we were trying to save for buying a house. My cutlass ciera needed cat-back exhaust. I made it happen. Wife's corsica needed a starter. Ditto.
I was afraid of working on FWD cars because I just couldn't picture how ball joints came apart. Couldn't imagine the taper in the knuckle. This was before youtube videos explained every step.
I was given a free saturn s-series with a twisted subframe. I replaced it with a junkyard frame and sold it for $500. This got me seed money for another, and another...
I made a new years resolution to get into engines. I bought a dodge spirit with blown head gasket and did the gasket with directions from the allpar.com website. It started, it ran 45 seconds, it stalled. I panicked. It started right back up. I drove it up the road, it blew all sorts of smoke. I rubbed two brain cells together and figured the exhaust had all sorts of condensation and leftovers from previous issues. I was right, it blew out and cleared up.
I pursued my state inspection mechanic license, worked weekends at a tire store, busted my ankle, and retired to my desk job. I'd do it again, though.
When I was in middle school I had my own bike and rode it everywhere and my dad couldn't maintain it to my standards... he only was available weekends and I didn't have the patience.
When I was in college I was broke and inherited a car. It blew a radiator hose which I successfully patched where it sat.
When I rented my first place with my wife, we were trying to save for buying a house. My cutlass ciera needed cat-back exhaust. I made it happen. Wife's corsica needed a starter. Ditto.
I was afraid of working on FWD cars because I just couldn't picture how ball joints came apart. Couldn't imagine the taper in the knuckle. This was before youtube videos explained every step.
I was given a free saturn s-series with a twisted subframe. I replaced it with a junkyard frame and sold it for $500. This got me seed money for another, and another...
I made a new years resolution to get into engines. I bought a dodge spirit with blown head gasket and did the gasket with directions from the allpar.com website. It started, it ran 45 seconds, it stalled. I panicked. It started right back up. I drove it up the road, it blew all sorts of smoke. I rubbed two brain cells together and figured the exhaust had all sorts of condensation and leftovers from previous issues. I was right, it blew out and cleared up.
I pursued my state inspection mechanic license, worked weekends at a tire store, busted my ankle, and retired to my desk job. I'd do it again, though.
Originally Posted By: Donald
Fixing your own car requires mechanical ability but also a place (heated), maybe a lift, time, specialized skills (welding, collision repair, painting). Even most good mechanics at indy shops do not work on transmissions.
I stripped and rebuilt my engine and transmission on my first car outside on axle stands in the street, in the middle of winter, half the time in a covering of snow, using a jack and some blocks as I didn't have an engine crane, and a basic cheap Crescent toolset I got on offer in the christmas sales, and a Haynes manual, as I'd never done either before.
It's nice to have all the above, but it's not always necessary...
Fixing your own car requires mechanical ability but also a place (heated), maybe a lift, time, specialized skills (welding, collision repair, painting). Even most good mechanics at indy shops do not work on transmissions.
I stripped and rebuilt my engine and transmission on my first car outside on axle stands in the street, in the middle of winter, half the time in a covering of snow, using a jack and some blocks as I didn't have an engine crane, and a basic cheap Crescent toolset I got on offer in the christmas sales, and a Haynes manual, as I'd never done either before.
It's nice to have all the above, but it's not always necessary...
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My dad was a mid-level Bank Manager.
His dad was a winter dock worker.
I never got to meet my grandfather, but apparently I inherited his knack for being resourceful, and handy with a set of tools. My dad, love him, but the man wouldn't pick up a screwdriver unless he had no other option in life.
I learned how to wrench on cars from my neighbors.
I had one who lived next door, and was always working on his Mazda 323, and his wife's Cougar XR-7. Neighbor across the street was always working on a Buick Electra 225, an AMC Eagle 4x4, and his wife's Caddie 2 door Fleetwood. They were always very nice to me, even if I was a pesky little guy, but after a while, they started enjoying having the younger hands getting into tight spots, or crawling under the cars, saving their bodies whenever they could.
Started translating my car maintenance skills that my neighbors were teaching me with being able to work on motorcycles owned by kids in the neighborhood. Eventually got my own first car, and it was so much easier working on my own car than taking it to my parent's (not very good) mechanic. Anything I couldn't do, I then took to him, and watched very carefully as he performed the repair, and typically could ask a few questions of what he did to diagnose the issue, and how he determined what was the best way to resolve the issues.
Eventually my skills improved to the point I went to college for an AS degree in Auto Technologies and Science. Analytics was my strong point. Troubleshooting, wiring diagrams, study, study, study. I couldn't read enough about repair procedures.
Eventually life changed directions, and I found myself working in a business field that uses the analytical side of my brain, and I make a comfortable salary not having to abuse the body. But, I still have bikes and cars to work on, though they typically don't need much other than the normal maintenance, which is the best way to run a small fleet of vehicles, anyway.
BC.
His dad was a winter dock worker.
I never got to meet my grandfather, but apparently I inherited his knack for being resourceful, and handy with a set of tools. My dad, love him, but the man wouldn't pick up a screwdriver unless he had no other option in life.
I learned how to wrench on cars from my neighbors.
I had one who lived next door, and was always working on his Mazda 323, and his wife's Cougar XR-7. Neighbor across the street was always working on a Buick Electra 225, an AMC Eagle 4x4, and his wife's Caddie 2 door Fleetwood. They were always very nice to me, even if I was a pesky little guy, but after a while, they started enjoying having the younger hands getting into tight spots, or crawling under the cars, saving their bodies whenever they could.
Started translating my car maintenance skills that my neighbors were teaching me with being able to work on motorcycles owned by kids in the neighborhood. Eventually got my own first car, and it was so much easier working on my own car than taking it to my parent's (not very good) mechanic. Anything I couldn't do, I then took to him, and watched very carefully as he performed the repair, and typically could ask a few questions of what he did to diagnose the issue, and how he determined what was the best way to resolve the issues.
Eventually my skills improved to the point I went to college for an AS degree in Auto Technologies and Science. Analytics was my strong point. Troubleshooting, wiring diagrams, study, study, study. I couldn't read enough about repair procedures.
Eventually life changed directions, and I found myself working in a business field that uses the analytical side of my brain, and I make a comfortable salary not having to abuse the body. But, I still have bikes and cars to work on, though they typically don't need much other than the normal maintenance, which is the best way to run a small fleet of vehicles, anyway.
BC.
For me, it's been a combination of interest and upbringing. In spite having below average coordination, I liked helping my dad at a young age and had the patience to stand around for hours handing him tools. He put me behind the wheel of his brother's new '63 Impala when I was nine, driving it 4 or 5 miles back to my uncle's place, so working on cars always offered the allure that I was closer to operating one.
And, I was lucky to have a friend on my high school basketball team whose dad owned a Chevron station where I had a blast working my senior year.
Nevertheless, I consider myself at the level of a junior apprentice at best. If I had to, I could eventually R&R an engine and transmission, but I cannot fathom having the time or courage to do it. When a window regulator broke on the '99 Honda last month, it was no-brainer to turn it over to someone I knew could do it quickly, at a reasonable cost, with no drama and less than a day offline.
My net opinion, it's mostly another case of the proverbial nature versus nurture argument...
Kevin
PS: Speaking of time... that's a big issue today compared to the past. Two ASE friends who own successful autmotive-related businesses have independently told me that parts procurement is one of their biggest headaches these days. When I engage one or the other for a project, they're quite happy if I round up the parts.
And, I was lucky to have a friend on my high school basketball team whose dad owned a Chevron station where I had a blast working my senior year.
Nevertheless, I consider myself at the level of a junior apprentice at best. If I had to, I could eventually R&R an engine and transmission, but I cannot fathom having the time or courage to do it. When a window regulator broke on the '99 Honda last month, it was no-brainer to turn it over to someone I knew could do it quickly, at a reasonable cost, with no drama and less than a day offline.
My net opinion, it's mostly another case of the proverbial nature versus nurture argument...
Kevin
PS: Speaking of time... that's a big issue today compared to the past. Two ASE friends who own successful autmotive-related businesses have independently told me that parts procurement is one of their biggest headaches these days. When I engage one or the other for a project, they're quite happy if I round up the parts.
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
I do everything mechanical that doesn't require the need for an enclosed garage or a lift.
This is how I am with our vehicles.
I do everything mechanical that doesn't require the need for an enclosed garage or a lift.
This is how I am with our vehicles.
I don't think being an illustrative artist or having an opera voice isn't in the same league as mechanical ability. An illustrative artist requires talent and an opera singer requires a special voice. Mechanical ability is just turning wrenches. I think a lot of people have the mechanical ability to repair their car, but they let fear get in their way.
OVERKILL
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Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I don't think being an illustrative artist or having an opera voice is in the same league as mechanical ability. An illustrative artist requires talent and an opera singer requires a special voice. Mechanical ability is just turning wrenches. I think a lot of people have the mechanical ability to repair their car, but they let fear get in their way.
You are right, turning wrenches isn't special. But being able to troubleshoot something; possessing problem solving skills and doing more than changing parts like being able to diagnose and troubleshoot electronics and the like are certainly talents. Some people are significantly better at it than others and all the training in the world doesn't change that.
I don't think being an illustrative artist or having an opera voice is in the same league as mechanical ability. An illustrative artist requires talent and an opera singer requires a special voice. Mechanical ability is just turning wrenches. I think a lot of people have the mechanical ability to repair their car, but they let fear get in their way.
You are right, turning wrenches isn't special. But being able to troubleshoot something; possessing problem solving skills and doing more than changing parts like being able to diagnose and troubleshoot electronics and the like are certainly talents. Some people are significantly better at it than others and all the training in the world doesn't change that.
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
You are right, turning wrenches isn't special. But being able to troubleshoot something; possessing problem solving skills and doing more than changing parts like being able to diagnose and troubleshoot electronics and the like are certainly talents. Some people are significantly better at it than others and all the training in the world doesn't change that.
I once took my Buick to a suspension shop to troubleshoot a noise I was having. I assumed it had something to do with the suspension by the direction the noise was coming from. Come to find out, it was the transmission mount that was allowing the engine to rock over and bump into something under torque that was causing the noise. I paid the shop the $35 diagnostic fee and took the car home. My first step was looking at Alldata for the instructions describing the repair procedure. My second step was seeing if I needed any special tools. My third step was ordering the part. After those preliminary steps were done, I proceeded in changing out the part. No big deal, a 10 year old girl could've done it.
You are right, turning wrenches isn't special. But being able to troubleshoot something; possessing problem solving skills and doing more than changing parts like being able to diagnose and troubleshoot electronics and the like are certainly talents. Some people are significantly better at it than others and all the training in the world doesn't change that.
I once took my Buick to a suspension shop to troubleshoot a noise I was having. I assumed it had something to do with the suspension by the direction the noise was coming from. Come to find out, it was the transmission mount that was allowing the engine to rock over and bump into something under torque that was causing the noise. I paid the shop the $35 diagnostic fee and took the car home. My first step was looking at Alldata for the instructions describing the repair procedure. My second step was seeing if I needed any special tools. My third step was ordering the part. After those preliminary steps were done, I proceeded in changing out the part. No big deal, a 10 year old girl could've done it.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Sounds about right. They determined what was wrong, and then you were able to fix it.
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
An illustrative artist requires talent
Does it? Or does it just require a lot of hard work, practice, experience, and probably a few hundred poor pieces where they've spent a lot of effort and it's still been naff?
An illustrative artist requires talent
Does it? Or does it just require a lot of hard work, practice, experience, and probably a few hundred poor pieces where they've spent a lot of effort and it's still been naff?
I think its genetic tendancy. Kind of like how dog breeds have certain behaviors from birth.
You can train yourself to some degree, but it's good to work with your nature.
You can train yourself to some degree, but it's good to work with your nature.
I can do some minor repairs if it doesn't need to remove 3-4(or more) different items to gain access to it. I know my ability and I don't try to do what I can't.
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
From reading various posts on this board, it seems like a lot of people don't have the mechanical ability to repair their own cars. Why is that? Is mechanical work that difficult? Is this a skill that some people are just born with? If something is bolted on and needs to be unbolted in order to be replaced, what's so hard about that? I've never considered myself superhuman by possessing some kind of supernatural powers, but maybe I am.
buy one of those Haynes repair manuals for your vehicle.
but a set of good 6 point socket set, read, ask questions and go for it.
Some repair are worth buying xx$$ of tools to save $110.
From reading various posts on this board, it seems like a lot of people don't have the mechanical ability to repair their own cars. Why is that? Is mechanical work that difficult? Is this a skill that some people are just born with? If something is bolted on and needs to be unbolted in order to be replaced, what's so hard about that? I've never considered myself superhuman by possessing some kind of supernatural powers, but maybe I am.
buy one of those Haynes repair manuals for your vehicle.
but a set of good 6 point socket set, read, ask questions and go for it.
Some repair are worth buying xx$$ of tools to save $110.
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
I would say my mechanical ability to what I'm going to do is mostly to what I "want to do". If the turbo goes out in my car, I don't want to replace it. I probably could but that's too much work for me. Same with pulling the transmission or engine or doing internal engine work. I don't want to. I could probably figure it out but for me it's money well spent to have my mechanic buddy do it.
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