Knowing about cars

[coolguycooz]

Hey you guys like RST how did you learn all the stuff you know about cars did you just kind of pick it up as you worked on them with people did you take lessons or what how did you all of a sudden know how everything works and this and that with an eclipse?

[joemathews]

The best way to learn about cars is to start fixing stuff yourself and learn! Buy a shop manual, and do a maintenance item. If something breaks, you have the shop manual and you can fix it!

The best part is, your car won't run again until you fix the problem, so it gives you incentive to learn . I don't know half as much as many of the other guys on this forum, but what I've learned I have picked up from doing work on the car myself.

If you need a basic understanding of how engines work, check out www.howstuffworks.com!

[coolguycooz]

NOO not like that. I mean when people are like blue smoke came out from here while this started to vibrate while purple smoke is coming out of the left side while my right arm turns the wheel and this and that and people like RST are like OHH well then if purple smoke came out of this wire and green came out of that one and this and that and they are like oh well then its this or that or this sensor or that one. Not exacly like that but you know what i mean its like WTF do you guys have like 5 dSM and have experienced every single problem ever possible in a DSM? and fixed them all yourself .

[helliviknow]

basically they have

[Shpyder]

keep reading, keep researching.... all the time. thats the only way.

[96spyderman]

Osmosis

[96TSi]

not me... i woke up one day and knew how they work

[joemathews]

Yeah, basically Kevin and Jake and the guys who race have experienced many more problems than the rest of us--because they drive their cars so hard and so much.

So, when you break your car that often, you tend to learn how to fix it rather quickly and easily!

[EclipseRST]

i learned a lot from kevin and from many of the other websites out there! when i first got my GST i spent the first 4 months of owning it, on the internet everyday researching about what i can do to it, what its capabilities are, and everything about the car. then i went to work on it... pulled the motor and building a new one! it just takes a lot of paitients and A LOT of love for the car to make it work perfectly and to know how everything works... i am far from knowing it all but i can usually make do with what i have in front of me! i learn something new everyday

i'm on my 4th motor in 2-1/2 weeks and now its finally running good!

first motor - bent valves cause of valve float and a connecting rod bearing spun

second motor - oil plug vibrated loose and fell out causing the motor to seize

third motor - balance shaft belt broke entangling the timing belt, shredding it causing the pistons to hit the valves (bent valves again)... put a new head on and the balance shaft bearings came loose and ended up in the bottom of the oil pan, balance shafts flopped around in the block for about 50 miles with me not knowing it so it hollowed out the holes quite a bit and fucked up the oil pump pretty bad... thats where my oil leak was coming from, i'll post a pic from my webcam if i can find the crank case cover, the oil pump shaft looked as if it go CW itself and tried to walk out of the crank case cover... so i said screw that block so i put a new one in, this time making sure every little think was perfect!

we'll see how long this one lasts~ sport compact day is in 1-1/2 weeks so i am expecting to break something then, if not before!

[JoeWagon]

Site list, especially 1000AAQ will help you with a lot, in case you haven't been.

[real_madridcf]

IMO visiting this forum occasionally is one way to increase your knowledge of an eclipse. Search for other websites, there is a good list you should check out located in the sticky at the top of the page. Once you got a basic understanding of how things work, apply it to your car. Once you've actually done it on your car, you know what your talking about.

Im still learning by reading, too scared to touch my car. Hopefully ill get past this stage, lol.

Good Luck!

[rodknock]

Buy a dsm and take it up the ass once a month when that fucker leaves you on the side of the road. Im on my 2nd dsm, first 92 gst and now my 97 awd its much like a love and hate relationship. Love to drive it and drive it hard and it hates me for it. But id buy 6 more just like it.

[BoostedSpyder]

research and more research...

many people neglect the power of the search button...

when i first got into DSM tuning i was all up on it for like the first 4... wait i still do it all the time! this site is my mainstay, although i have not really been too much of a player like i used to be. RKO is also a wealth of superlative knowledge. the AEM forums are a good read [mostly EMS related, but still great deep tuning info].

mostly i studied the 'upgrade paths' like crazy. find out what people are upgrading and you will also find out why. along the way you will pick up the other stuff that gets tacked on [stories and the likes].

as far as general automotive knowledge i just picked it up along the way. i'm always thinking of how i can tweek things. having a somewhat analytical and creative mind also helps. having the 'can-do' attitude is great too. but most importantly try to find out by yourself before asking a question. then bring the evidence you have researched to the front so you will have an intelligent question to follow it. this will also lead you to mostly finding out your own knowledge.

oh ya, and go take a good look at your enine, its all basic stuff...

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