where did you get your maint & repair skills?

[gillmore]

I'm curious about where or how most of you got your mechanical skills related to the repair and maintenance of your Jeeps.

• Father or family taught
• High School or College (auto shop class)
• Self taught (just figure it out)
• Books/manuals
• Other

I'm generally good with figuring things out, but I also want to be efficient with both time and money to get my CJ5 to the point where it could be a daily driver in terms of reliability if needed.

I've been thinking of taking an introductory class at the community college, but I expect that it will be painfully slow and may not be as applicable to 30 year old Jeeps as I need it to be. I've also thought about asking my "regular" mechanic (who is semi-retired) if he'd spend a day with me doing some hands on teaching using my CJ and his shop/tools. I'd like him to walk me through a significant inspection checklist and show me how various systems work. I want to be able to do my own "tune up" and diagnose problems. Kind of a automotive boot camp in a way.

 

[CJ]

Completely self taught and just hung out with others who always worked on vehicles. Way back in the late 70's / early 80's that is all we did. Work on cars and race them.

I also read every Car Craft, Hot Rod, 4 Wheel and Off-road, car magazine and manual I could get my hands on. About the only real class I ever took that had anything to do with working on cards was a welding class. All my college had to with engineering - not really getting greasy...

 

[iCEMAN]

Got it from my father. Grew up learning to do things for myself rather than having others do it for you.

Son is learning the same from me, I hope, as he has built his own Jeep as well. Great to be able to have a hobby we can do together.

 

[Old Dog]

I'm curious about where or how most of you got your mechanical skills related to the repair and maintenance of your Jeeps.

• Father or family taught
• High School or College (auto shop class)
• Self taught (just figure it out)
• Books/manuals
• Other

I'm generally good with figuring things out, but I also want to be efficient with both time and money to get my CJ5 to the point where it could be a daily driver in terms of reliability if needed.

I've been thinking of taking an introductory class at the community college, but I expect that it will be painfully slow and may not be as applicable to 30 year old Jeeps as I need it to be. I've also thought about asking my "regular" mechanic (who is semi-retired) if he'd spend a day with me doing some hands on teaching using my CJ and his shop/tools. I'd like him to walk me through a significant inspection checklist and show me how various systems work. I want to be able to do my own "tune up" and diagnose problems. Kind of a automotive boot camp in a way.

I also grew up helping my dad work on his cars and than later my junk.
Any class you take will teach you something, but your mechanic would be better. Do you have any friends that know anything. Books like chiltions manuals are a must have also.
There's been a few people join our jeep club without knowing how to work on them. Club members are happy to help teach them.

 

[CoreyYoungCj577]

I also grew up helping my dad work on his cars and than later my junk.
Any class you take will teach you something, but your mechanic would be better. Do you have any friends that know anything. Books like chiltions manuals are a must have also.
There's been a few people join our jeep club without knowing how to work on them. Club members are happy to help teach them.

My dad has taught me everything and then my uncle is a retired mechanic so between those two i ask alot of questiong and 2lostinspace is a good source but anything else i plan on doing like rebuilding a engine or Transfer Case i plan on teaching myself, and manuals help

 

[mylittlecj5]

I learned (and still do) by tearing it apart and seeing if it will go back together...
The only thing I dont work on is fuel injection, and thats mostly because I dont have/dont need the tooling and diagnostics to work on it.
The best thing to be is able to admit when its a bit too much for you (even if its just at that particular time) and getting help or sending it to another guy to work on. Less headaches that way. But there is not much on a early Jeep that will require that step...
I have tore apart every part of many different drivetrains (even got a few back together and working!) Just to see how they work. Learned a lot that way.
Get some good manuals, read them a few times, then grab a tool box and get to work.
IMO, any college level class will assume you are going to be a mechanic on newer cars and will be a waste of money after the first week....BTDT


Last summer a buddy needed a new water pump on his truck so we pulled it into the garage. First thing he asked me was, "where is the manual?" I just laughed at him.
He seemed surprised that we did a 4 hour job (freakin' PITA new trucks...) without cracking a manual at all.

 

[Jokenring]

I started by hanging out with dad as he was fixing stuff. Had a high school shop class where we were introduced to welding, practice took me the rest of the way with that.

Trial and error is where I have learned the most. I am not afraid to jump into things, sometimes it wasn't such a smart idea as it cost me more or about the same to have just had someone do it, but I never would have gained that knowledge. I consider everything a learning experience and I can't really put a price on that. My Jeep is not a daily driver, so it doesn't matter if a repair takes a little, or a lot longer than it should. When it comes down to it I walk away with the knowledge of how not to do it next time.

Now my dad calls me and asks me how to fix things. It is surreal sometimes I think, that the teacher is asking the student how to fix something.

I also read alot and try to apply what I have read to what I am doing.

 

[coldwater]

100% self taught.

 

[elwood blues]

I grew up on my grand dad's small farm and my dad is semi driver. So, basically since I was big enough to go fetch tools, I've been helping fix something, farm equipment, tractors, lawn mowers, my dad's semi, you name it. At 16 I got a job at a full service gas station / garage. At 18 I got my PA State Inspection licsence. For a few years during and after high school I ran around with a couple different guys that ran dirt track race cars. Everything from spectator class all the way up to the World of Outlaws Late Models. I had started working on my ASE master mechanic, but the garage closed, then I joined the Navy. Now I'm an electronics technician, but I'm not a computer nerd electronics type, I'm a RADAR tech, I work on RADAR systems with 2 ton antenna's.

I've got lots of manuals, Haynes, Chiltons, The Ultimate Jeep Rebuilders Guide, Navy instruction and technical manuals, I think I've even got a couple books on welding (and I don't even own a welder). But for me, I can read all about it over and over again and not get it until I tear it apart and see how it works.

 

[biohazard cj]

50% proudfully said learned from my father (RIP)
50% learned myself.

my father showed me the basics and some secrets and one good piece of advice was take a minute and look for the best way of disassemble and reassemble.

nuts and bolts are nuts and bolts take it apart and and try to remember hot it went back together.

 

[BajaEdition]

electrical IBEW electrician
mechanical Took a professional class out of high school for 2 years, decided I wanted a job that did not leave grease under the nails every day
welding, self taught

grew up in the south where every guy seems to mess with cars, I decided to become an mechanic but after taking a course decided I really wanted to work construction. I joined the IBEW and have never looked back, along the way I learned to weld because I was always having a welding project and it was just easier to have my own welder, first learned on gas rig. I do not regret the Mechanical training as it has saved me umtemept thousands during my life being able to just do things on my vehicles others pay way to much for. I mean this guy I know just paid 300 dollars labor to have a oxygen sensor replaced, I can do that in 15 minutes, sometimes they just bend you over and insert there.

 

[hole]

My Dad and I started building my first truck when I was 14, a 1949 Ford F1. I'd always helped him work on the cars and work trucks before that, but it was mostly PM work. We stripped that truck down to the frame and completely rebuilt everything. I've had a couple very good friends who are mechanics teach me alot through the years as well.

 

[jswatson0917]

100% self taught.

X2

 

[rushpowersystems]

70% self taught other 30% is industry level training from vehicle manufactures and vendors work shops. I say just dive in it’s the best way to learn.

In the late 80's I owned White Hot Performance, we did power build-ups on Grand Nationals, Conquest / Starion, Supra, and just about anything with a turbo.

The market hit a bit of a slump in the 90's with an over aggressive IM laws and about that time the high wattage stereo bug bit hard and I opened Rush Power Systems, well more like WHP evolved into RPS.

We have been building the worlds greatest high amp alternators ever since, always liked the electrical aspic of automotive, for some sick reason I always liked wiring cars.

Do what you love and the learning is easy.

 

[xj287]

I guess you could say I'm mostly home schooled....my grand dad own a jeep dealership, my dad ran the service dept and tought me everything he knew. I did 2 years of high school auto shop with a very knolagable old timer....well knowlageable about flat heads and his old scout 80 anyway, very interesting shop class, but didn't do me a whole lot of good scince it was 1985. Spent my free time after school hot rodding my 2wd F100 and all my friends cars. Then after graduation went to work in the car business, been turning a wrench ever scince (and getting paid for it).

 

[Cweed]

Completely self taught and like CJ being an engineer does have it's advantages. Hands on grease, fabricating and welding were all self tuaght.

 

[BrockGrimes]

P.F.M.
Self Taught

 

[Petescj]

My dad wasnt around when I was younger so My older brother started my interest in motor vehicles. Mainly my expierience has come from the fact I have to save money where I can. That and I enjoy it for the most part. Cant believe no one mentioned it yet but yes, Ive learned stuff over the INTARD NET also. Even a few things here.

 

[elwood blues]

P.F.M.

You may have to explain PFM to the non-squid types out there

 

[Petescj]

I figured by the PINK it was Pre F***ing Mentsrual.

You may have to explain PFM to the non-squid types out there