So which repair manual to get
- Thread starter wapacz
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I'd get all the different ones you can. But then, I'm a manual junkie. =-)
ebay is probably the easiest place to locate a factory service manual without the arm and a leg costs.
Alex.
ebay is probably the easiest place to locate a factory service manual without the arm and a leg costs.
Alex.
look on ebay. i was able to get a manual on cd for my 04 neon for about $20 or so. some say a chiltons is the way to go, but they can be expensive.
Would this manual be worth getting for 15 to 20 dollars
http://tinyurl.com/bgn3e
http://tinyurl.com/bgn3e
between haynes and Chilton, Chilton is WAY better.
Wal-mart carries chilton's. I have the very manual you need to buy (I have a '98 chev K1500). This manual is very good.
My rating list for service manuals:
1. Factory Service Manual;
2. Bentley Manual - (Available for european cars)
3. Chiltons
4. Haynes.
Since that appears to be a factory service manual for your truck...it's probably the best resource. Just make sure you know what you're getting.
Wal-mart carries chilton's. I have the very manual you need to buy (I have a '98 chev K1500). This manual is very good.
My rating list for service manuals:
1. Factory Service Manual;
2. Bentley Manual - (Available for european cars)
3. Chiltons
4. Haynes.
Since that appears to be a factory service manual for your truck...it's probably the best resource. Just make sure you know what you're getting.
I'd get a few different manuals as some have mentioned.
But I'd HIGHLY recommend getting the Factory Service manual. I have a Haynes + Factory manual for my Honda and they are a very useful combo. Factory is far superior to Haynes though.
But I'd HIGHLY recommend getting the Factory Service manual. I have a Haynes + Factory manual for my Honda and they are a very useful combo. Factory is far superior to Haynes though.
Haynes and Chiltons pale beside an FSM. The only non-factory manuals I have had good results with are Bentley manuals. The ones for my e-28 BMW and the VW 1200 are excellent. If you are serious about DIYing a car, dont stint on manuals. If it saves a few hours shop time, it has more than paid for itself.
If you want a book that covers all the basics, the Haynes is fine. I have one for my wife's Expedition, & it is surprisingly thorough for the avg. DIY-er.
I think the reason the Haynes & Chilton manuals are not more complex is: Too much information in the hands of a person who is not marginally mechanically competent can be extremely dangerous.
My Bentley manual for the VW is 2000 pages thick, & can be mind-boggling to read. It leaves nothing to the imagination, though.
I think the reason the Haynes & Chilton manuals are not more complex is: Too much information in the hands of a person who is not marginally mechanically competent can be extremely dangerous.
My Bentley manual for the VW is 2000 pages thick, & can be mind-boggling to read. It leaves nothing to the imagination, though.
I've got Haynes and Chilton and they both stink. I got a 1350 page factory manual on CD off of ebay for $6, and it beats both of them hands down!
I have factory service manuals for both my neons (98 + 2k1) ... found them posted in .pdf on a German website!
Thanks Google.
Thanks Google.
Try www.factorymanuals.com Little experience with haynes, but hate Chilton
Yeah I know my limits. Learned not to go to far when I was a kid becuase I had a habit of taking stuff apart to see how it worked. Well lets say then never really got back to 100% working order. Nothing makes you learn that as fast as taking a new rc car apart to see how it works and then it never working agian.
Any ways not looking into going that deep. Mostly I want to save a bit of money / put higher quality parts in. Also save me a bit of time when I decided to take on something. I replaced a composite headlight on my truck this year becuase it was pretty couldy. It took me a good 30 to 45 minutes to figure out how to get the grill off. Would rather spend the 10 minutes reading then spending 30 minutes to find a claspe was holding the grill.
Any ways not looking into going that deep. Mostly I want to save a bit of money / put higher quality parts in. Also save me a bit of time when I decided to take on something. I replaced a composite headlight on my truck this year becuase it was pretty couldy. It took me a good 30 to 45 minutes to figure out how to get the grill off. Would rather spend the 10 minutes reading then spending 30 minutes to find a claspe was holding the grill.
NJC makes an excellent point. If you can have a few different manuals for the same vehicle it can be an advantage.
One will cover spots that are not well covered in the other.
Also, information in manuals is sometimes, if not often incorrect. It's good to have a second manual to go to when you encounter that "wait a second...that just can't be right" moment.
One will cover spots that are not well covered in the other.
Also, information in manuals is sometimes, if not often incorrect. It's good to have a second manual to go to when you encounter that "wait a second...that just can't be right" moment.
Helm Puplications OEM Service Manual is good and so is Chilton. Stay away from Motor Company and Haynes!
I have a couple of Subarus and I find that alldatadiy works very very well for me. I have a Haynes manual for the 96 but I have found so many inaccuracies that I can't trust it. For the 2000 Haynes doesn't make a manual for my Subaru so I bought a factory set off eBay. I use the alldata most often because it's easy to search and it has all the factory manual updates that you might not get if you buy paper manuals. Hope that helps.
Anyway I agree having several different manuals can be useful, sometimes one showing something the other doesn't or giving an alternate approach or something to watch out for.
-Louis
Anyway I agree having several different manuals can be useful, sometimes one showing something the other doesn't or giving an alternate approach or something to watch out for.
-Louis
In my opinion, Haynes has cheapened its manuals to try to cover more years and models with the same basic manual. Theirs used to be the best aftermarket manual. Chilton manuals are much improved and more comprehensive than they were back in the 1970s-1980s. Clymer manuals were much like Chilton's. (Typical Chilton or Clymer instruction for engine overhaul then: "Step 1. Remove engine." Uh, can you break that down a little? I'm exaggerating only a little.
)
The factory manual plus at least one good aftermarket manual is the way to go. In my experience, finding information about specific procedures in the factory manual can be a headache. You have to be familiar with the manufacturer's specific nomenclature for particular parts. Some import factory manuals, especially for older cars, do not cover the procedures you would think they should.
For newer cars, you might find that most procedures are covered in the standard manual, but anything involving the engine electronics and emissions system, including OBD II "Check Engine" codes, will be in a different and far more expensive manual. This is true for Fords, for example. The factory service manual for all but the engine control and emissions systems was $100 for my Escort, but the engine control and emissions manual was nearly $200. Needless to say, I don't have the latter, and it never comes up for sale on eBay.
That's where a good aftermarket manual can help. The Haynes and Chilton manuals for my car largely cover what the standard factory manual doesn't, including OBD II codes.
The factory manual plus at least one good aftermarket manual is the way to go. In my experience, finding information about specific procedures in the factory manual can be a headache. You have to be familiar with the manufacturer's specific nomenclature for particular parts. Some import factory manuals, especially for older cars, do not cover the procedures you would think they should.
For newer cars, you might find that most procedures are covered in the standard manual, but anything involving the engine electronics and emissions system, including OBD II "Check Engine" codes, will be in a different and far more expensive manual. This is true for Fords, for example. The factory service manual for all but the engine control and emissions systems was $100 for my Escort, but the engine control and emissions manual was nearly $200. Needless to say, I don't have the latter, and it never comes up for sale on eBay.
That's where a good aftermarket manual can help. The Haynes and Chilton manuals for my car largely cover what the standard factory manual doesn't, including OBD II codes.
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