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A haynes is only good up to a point. I find myself needing information not provided in the haynes manual quite a bit of the time. Example, the haynes manual did not give an instruction on removing control arm bushings from the control arm, just how to remove the control arm itself.
If you find yourself needing info not provided in the haynes/chilton, you might want to invest in a Factory Service Manual.
+1. It seemed like every time I worked on my cars, neither manual had the info I needed.
Many factory service manuals can be found online for free. I just found ones for my 2001 Cherokee and a friends 95 Dakota today. As others have said, these manuals are NOT for the novice, just wanted to let everyone know that a little google-fu goes a long way to finding the info you need for free.
I have been a shadetree mechanic almost all my life. Started doing simple tuneups with my uncle at 8yrs old. I was in charge of gapping the plugs and changing the air filter. lol In my experience, if a Haynes or Chiltons manual doesnt cover it, its not a simple DIY type repair. I have maybe 30 haynes/chiltons manuals, 15-20 factory service manuals and another 40 or so in PDF format for the cars ive worked on over the years.
The only caution I would give you is when it comes to brakes. They are simple enough once you've done them a handfull of times. But if you do it wrong, dont take care of your flexible hoses, forget to put a spring or bolt back, you can lose your brakes when you need them or have your wheels lock up and cause an accident. Please have someone who knows what they are doing check your work the first few times you work on your brakes just to double check and make sure you will be safe.
I have a 1993 Cadillac Deville 4.9 L I replaced the O2 sensor and plugs wires cap and rotor and still cant get it to pass NJ emissions at standard idle. It failed for high hydrocarbons 550ppm when I need 220ppm but it passed at high idle it had 88ppm when it needed 220ppm to pass any help is needed
You vehicle manufacturer makes the BEST service manual there is. These are usually 2000 pages of service information for one specific model year vehicle!
Forget those manuals you like Haynes and Chilton's. They cover multiple model years for each vehicle. they may go into detail for one year, then only give a paragraph for another. If you want a real manual, find the service manual for your model of vehicle. Buying them from the manufacturer can be spendy, but you can find them cheaper on ebay or amazon. those will tell you everything you need to know about your vehicle.
Also, YouTube has a lot of car care videos. One guy I like is Eric the Car Guy. A1 Auto Parts has a channel with a lot of info too. You can also join online forums specifically for your car. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on them that are more than willing to help DIYers do things right the first time.
Forget those manuals you like Haynes and Chilton's. They cover multiple model years for each vehicle. they may go into detail for one year, then only give a paragraph for another. If you want a real manual, find the service manual for your model of vehicle. Buying them from the manufacturer can be spendy, but you can find them cheaper on ebay or amazon. those will tell you everything you need to know about your vehicle.
Also, YouTube has a lot of car care videos. One guy I like is Eric the Car Guy. A1 Auto Parts has a channel with a lot of info too. You can also join online forums specifically for your car. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on them that are more than willing to help DIYers do things right the first time.
Yep in this day and age if you have a common vehicle (Toyota, Ford, Honda) there should be a YouTube video or dedicated forums with DIY on almost anything from brakes, filters, spark plugs, etc.
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For a beginner looking to do basics like brakes, coolant system, alternators, fluids etc
Hanes/Chilton
If you plan on going more in depth there are plenty of manuals out there. Imo the best there is to buy is the factory service manuals. I buy one for all my vehicles. They used to be really 3xoensive but you can get a factory service manual CD or download off EBay for 15/25 bucks
Buy both a used Chilton and Haynes off Ebay, they are well worth the money.
Maybe not the greatest, but you can supplement these with scads of info off the Internet and Youtube.
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