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We had what felt like a pretty dire transmission issue last week.
As soon as the CEL came on, I grabbed my little $20 code reader, pulled the code, hunted for it on my favorite model enthusiasts' forum, and got some pretty detailed instructions (complete with pics, diagrams and part numbers). We used that to replace what turned out to be a fairly simple replacement of a shift solenoid.
Seriously, my 12 year old and her dad's socket set could have replaced this thing...
But that got me to thinking--without the internet, I wouldn't have even known where to start on this fix. I remember shade-trees before the internet and can't help but think there must have been a lot more shooting blind, throwing parts at an issue and hoping this might be the solution.
Or not?
Fellow DIY-ers, once you're out of the realm of what you're sure of, how do you go about diagnosing and fixing your car?
Last edited by itsMeFred; 02-11-2015 at 09:00 AM..
I've been on various car forums for the past 20 years or so. Not so much of forums in the early days but mostly mailing list.
Without the Internet, people had to order service manual in the past. I used to have access to Mitchell and OnDemand systems and they have troubleshooting diagnostics steps. You don't actually shoot from the dark.
I look for tutorials now and visit forums. Which have saved me on a number of occasions due to other owners writing up their experiences and fixes.
Prior to the Internet I had simpler cars that one could troubleshoot via manuals as in Chiltons or powertrain specific books. Ironic the older vehicles owned with less computer control-1991 Mustang, 1985 442, 1979 Trans Am had less electrical gremlin issues than current 2004 model still owned. Hence my wariness when contemplating purchasing a new vehicle with even more electrical and computer related aids.
We had what felt like a pretty dire transmission issue last week.
As soon as the CEL came on, I grabbed my little $20 code reader, pulled the code, hunted for it on my favorite model enthusiasts' forum, and got some pretty detailed instructions (complete with pics, diagrams and part numbers) and used that to replace what turned out to be a fairly simple replacement of a shift solenoid.
Seriously, my 12 year old and her dad's socket set could have replaced this thing...
But that got me to thinking--without the internet, I wouldn't have even known where to start on this fix. I remember shade-trees before the internet and can't help but think there must have been a lot more shooting blind, throwing parts at an issue and hoping this might be the solution.
Or not?
Fellow DIY-ers, once you're out of the realm of what you're sure of, how do you go about diagnosing and fixing your car?
Isn't this so true. Without the internet, often times, we'd have no clue. Now, we try to tackle whatever we can and the internet is a plethora of advice. Definitely use the internet.
Thanks Felix. Of course the worst part was having to drain the transmission fluid in order to reach the solenoids. My 12 year old could have done it, but she would have complained about that part lol
And yeah, I still have the Chiltons/Haynes for every car we've owned up til the '98 Metro.
I haven't bought one since then, though...
But even then, you had to have somewhat of an idea what you were looking for. They were usually good for fixes, but diagnostics was still a bit of a fishing expedition.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I have been doing my own car repairs and maintenance since I bought my first one, a 1958 Chrysler for $30 at age 14. Over the years as they became more complicated I have bought manuals, but now it's just as easy to look online. Just about anything you need to know has a video available on Youtube. I do have a code reader, the problem is that many codes can bhave multiple causes, and without more sophisticated equipment you have to guess and throw parts at it. The latest example is a code that P1443 "Evaporative Emission Control System - Vacuum System - Purge". I knew it was either the sensor or the valve, so bought the cheapest one ($18) but the code came back, so I ended up replacing them both. Still, at a total cost of about $50 it was much less than going to a shop.
Auto repair, small engine repair, home improvement, gardening, cooking...
About 7 years ago my daughter (toddler at the time) decided to dunk my mobile phone into a glass of orange juice. Guess what, the phone died.
I went online and discovered a thread dedicated to the exact model of phone that had been dunked in orange juice and how to revive the phone. After some minor surgery, cleaning and a piece of strategically placed aluminum foil my phone was working again!
Lot of reading on the forums and of course youtube, has helped me do most of the things i tried or wanted to do.
For me reading about others experiences and their dos and donts works best (procedures or steps). They might be off on the torque specs and such, thats when i refer to the manual.
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(and even care. There's a lot of stuff where the entire SM is overkill) 
