Where to Find the Free Online Auto Repair Manual You Need?

If you need an online auto repair manual that can help you precisely fix your problem, the internet has an incredible amount of car care information. What you won't find however, is a Chiltons or a Haynes auto repair manual, because they're copyrighted material. You don't need them anyway, because there are a lot of good car repair web sites with individual pages or articles that can solve your specific problem.

In fact, you'll find articles on all kinds of car fix and vehicle maintenance topics, such as

auto body repairs

automatic transmission replacement

bleeding brakes

car audio systems fix

changing oil

finding the causes for a bearing failure

how to install a replacement ignition system

how to upgrade an exhaust system

troubleshooting car stalling

troubleshooting car starting problems and much more.

Here is a good place to search for vehicle fix manuals: Go to the search site at 10w40.com and type in the problem you want to solve - and the likehood of finding the instructions you need is high. On this website you can also post your problem on an advice and discussion board, and get your problem solved almost instantly by an expert in this repair field or by an ordinary person who has experienced your problem and solved it already or might know where to go to get the answer you need. And it doesn't cost you a cent.

There are many other good websites where you can get an online auto repair manual that will fit your needs. Go to google.com and type in [the problem you want an answer to]+repair manuals, and you should find lots of valuable vehicle repair resources that might solve your problem.

Car and Truck Alternators

Has your vehicle's alternator failed? Are you absolutely certain that it isn't your battery or starter? Determining which part has failed is essential toward avoiding unnecessarily replacing something that hasn't failed, like your battery. Let's take a look at some steps you can take to determine that your alternator, in fact, has bit the dust.

If you own an alternator testing machine, you can test to see whether your car's alternator is charging correctly. For most people this isn't practical as few motorists own such an expensive piece of equipment. For everyone else, there is a practical way for you to easily check to see if your alternator is working properly:

Connect a volt meter to your car's battery
Start your car
Observe the voltage output on the volt meter so that you can make an accurate determination.

If there is an increase in voltage when you start your car, then your alternator is more than likely working just fine. Likely, you battery is the culprit; check the battery itself and the connections to make a final determination.

If there is no increase in voltage, you are likely looking at having to replace your alternator.

The next step, of course, is to determine whether you will replace the alternator yourself or have someone else do the job. Some things to keep in mind as you weigh your options include:

If you trust your vehicle to a mechanic, what will the total cost of the work be including the part and labor? Is there a guarantee?
If you decide to do the work yourself, do you have all the tools on hand to get the work done? Do you own a repair manual? Do you want to purchase a new alternator or will a remanufactured unit suffice?

Your choices today are much greater than they were ten years ago, before internet shopping became a strong factor in reigning in high auto parts prices. Several online wholesalers, including the Auto Parts Warehouse, are in business to sell auto parts directly to you. Costs are generally much lower than local retail establishments and parts are from well known manufacturers, names you can trust in the business.

Doing the work yourself can save you time and money as well as give to you a sense of accomplishment. With a trusty repair manual at your side you can replace your vehicle's alternator quickly and accurately.

A Perfect Choice For Your Second House

When you consider the road as your home, the word "quality" takes on new grandness. People want to spend more times with their families and to be in control of their travel plans. The camping experience is about getting out to the great outdoors, spending some quality time with family and friends, and avoiding the acts of day-to-day life. Going outdoors and communing with nature seem to be one of the solutions, which can be greatly attained by motorhome traveling.

An RV is a shortened form that is used to describe a recreational vehicle. A recreational vehicle often called as a mini mobile house, is fairly commodious to meet the day to day conveniences like bed, refrigerator, television, etc which you enjoy at home. A recreational vehicle generally refers to a dual-purpose vehicle, which can be used as a temporary or a full time home and a motorhome. Typical RVs contains beds, table, storage areas and food preparations. Larger RVs comes with more modern amenities. The whole intention of buying RVs is mainly for recreational purposes.

Hundreds of thousands of RV fancier each month look for products and services to add on their recreational vehicles. Motorhomes are also very popular and are preferred by many for a number of reasons. Comfort and hassle-free journey top the priority list of anyone who plans a vacation or an outing. The manner of traveling got revolutionized with the invent of RVs. It's a perfect example for the old saying "home away from home."

If you are interested in buying a new or used motor home soon, it is perhaps wise to begin by examining their different types. Check out the motorhome vehicles' categories, in order to consider which one will better cover your present or future needs. There are three basic types of motorhomes, also called recreational vehicles which are generally used for vacating purposes; hence the term "recreational." Class A motorhomes consists of bus-type custom body vehicles build on a truck chassis and look like busses. Class B motorhomes are mainly van campers and travel trailers, while finally Class C RVs are called mini-motorhomes and due to their smaller size are much easier to handle on the road and fit nicely in large car parking spots. Each class has its own advantages for the individual buyer depending on a few factors including how many people will be using the RV and how it is going to be used.

RVs are like mini apartments and are available in various styles and price ranges. Some of the motorhomes are inexpensive where as few are very expensive. With the growing years, motorhomes have become more comfortable and more luxurious since the release of the first RV.

RV and motorhomes with its plush interiors, warm and cozy ambience, always draw attractions to people. Motorhomes are the ideal form of travel for those who like to spend their vacation time going camping in the mountains, running on the beach, or sightseeing along the highways and byways. So get hold of a new RVs and motorhomes and be a proud owner of it. Choose your recreational vehicle, which has innovative design, and quality construction to enable you to get the most out of your camping experience, while you get the most for your money.

Does it Make Sense to Rebuild Your Auto Engine?

Is the engine in your car or late model truck worth rebuilding? Is the time, trouble and expense worth it or should you check one of other alternatives available to you such as a used engine, a full or partial professional rebuild or a factory service like rebuild - many of which now are being done offshore and being shipped back to U.S. automotive consumers?

The do it yourselfer is faced with these options to evaluate when it comes to the dreaded time of a potential engine overall. Most likely you have gotten a good number of relatively trouble free services from your automotive engine and are now faced with the prospect of an engine overhaul. The decision to replace the engine bloc, piston, connecting rod assemblies as well as crankshaft depends on a number of factors, with the number one consideration being the condition of the engine block. Other considerations are cost, ready access to machine and auto shop facilities, parts availability, time required to complete the project and finally the extent of prior mechanical experience on the part of the do-it-yourselfer home auto mechanic.

Next consider the value of the vehicle. It has turned out that frequently the total end cost of the parts required to complete the task of rebuilding the engine is greater and more than the actual value of the vehicle. It can be said that often ego and pride of ownership gets in the way of a fair and true evaluation of the situation, its costs and reasonable conclusions on the suitability of the project at all. As a case in point one proud owner of what might be considered a truck that was long past its prime and in great need of repair convinced himself that expensive repairs were in order by himself when a quick tour of local area junkyards should of convinced that the truck itself could be replaced by any of the similar vehicles that were laying about these auto parts recycling facilities.

In such situations where the cost for a full engine overhaul is greater than the cost of a full and proper engine rebuild one option to consider is a used engine from one of above auto junk yards. True the engine may not have the full engine life of a rebuilt engine but there may be more than enough lifespan in one of these replacements which come at a much lower cost and may indeed outlive the body components and lifespan of the vehicle itself. In addition most of the professional auto parts recycling shops will both have tested and warranty the engine for a reasonable initial automobile test and evaluation time period.

It can be said that the vehicle may seem to have great value to you. The question to ask is "If I sink in this money and time of a full rebuilt engine will anyone pay me more for my vehicle or if I sell this vehicle will I get my money back?" The answer is usually "Probably not". However it can be said that devil you know is better than the devil you do not. You will have a vehicle whose history and maintenance background is well known to you. You will know the quirks and characteristics of the vehicle - of what to expect and what repairs as well are upcoming. Thus said sinking money and time into rebuilding your engine or engine block may make good sense to you overall in the end.

Auto Repair Information - What Source is Best?

When looking for automotive repair information, you will find that there are numerous different sources you can use. There is the old standby, the OE factory service manual, but is it always the best resource for auto repair information? What about the aftermarket manuals from Haynes, Chilton, or others? Computers and the internet provide many more sources, such as subscriptions to AllDataDIY, Mitchell's e-AutoRepair, and online forums.

So where is the best place to go for auto repair information? The answer is that there is no simple answer! Each of these sources has advantages and disadvantages, and each has its own place. The answer will depend on your knowledge and experience, what type of information you are looking for, and sometimes it is actually helpful to have access to two or three different resources.

The OE factory service manual for the most part is written for the professional technician that has been trained in automotive repair. A certain level of knowledge, experience, and access to special tools is assumed. That is not to say that it is not useful for the average car owner that does his or her own repairs, because in certain cases there is no substitute. I find the factory service manuals frustrating at times, because it can be difficult to locate specific information. But, they usually have the most complete, comprehensive, and detailed automotive repair information that is available.

Aftermarket repair manuals such as those from Haynes or Chiltons are geared more towards the average car owner with a do-it-yourself mindset. In most cases, they are perfectly adequate if you are doing mechanical repairs. Where I have found them lacking is in the computer diagnostics and automatic transmission repair areas. Of course, your average do-it-yourself car owner my not be attempting these repairs anyway. One of the advantages to these manuals are that they have lots of photos, which many other resources (including the factory manuals) are lacking.

A subscription to AllDataDIY or Mitchell e-AutoRepair provides you with the exact same auto repair information that many independent auto repair shops use. Yes, it is geared towards the professional, but it is searchable and much easier to navigate through than a factory service manual. These are probably the best all-around sources for general repairs. They still leave out some things that are covered in the factory service manuals, but go much more in-depth than the aftermarket repair books.

Online forums can be a very valuable tool when you have a specific car repair questions or a problem you can't solve. Many have a ton of people with real-world experience with similar vehicles that will bend over backwards to help out a fellow car owner. You do have to be careful, though, because you really don't know the knowledge level of the person that may be answering your question. Sometimes it is possible to get bad advice from someone that really doesn't know what they are talking about, or is mistaken about something but is honestly trying to help.

As I said earlier, sometimes it is helpful to have more than one auto repair info source for certain repairs. Case in point: I recently replaced a convertible top myself rather than pay someone else to do it. When I was trying to get the new top installed, I had a factory service manual, two aftermarket repair manuals, the instructions that came with the top, and a step-by-step tutorial with photos that I found online, and I used every one of them at one point or another!

Each of these auto repair information resources has value. If I could personally only have one source, it would be the factory service manual, but I am a certified ASE Master Technician. For the dedicated do-it-yourselfer, I think a subscription to AllDataDIY or Mitchell e-AutoRepair is the best all-around source. If all you want to do is replace a timing belt or do a brake job and you don't mess with computer diagnostics, then an aftermarket repair manual may be your best bet. The online forums and question/answer services are great places to turn to when you get stuck.

Car Fuel System Repairs

A car would be stranded without a fuel system. Before experiencing this bad situation, learning some repairing techniques might be helpful. One might want to learn repairs for an automotive fuel system. A car's fuel system is based on either a carburetor or a fuel-injection system. The car service manual can tell which one is present.

Carburetor Replacement
The carburetor is a vital part of a car's power system since cars first drank or guzzled gas. To replace a carburetor, follow this simple guide:

1. Open the car's hood and find the carburetor. It is under a metal part known as the air-filter housing. The large hose has to be disconnected and remove the nut from the housing.
2. After seeing the carburetor, the throttle linkage and carburetor fuel line has to be disconnected.
3. Now the carburetor has to be removed. Many cars would require removing a couple of nuts at the edges.
4. The gasket between the intake manifold and the carburetor has to be removed. You must rub it off if it's stuck.
5. Rebuild or buy the carburetor. Rebuilding a carburetor means to take it apart, drench its parts in a cleaner, re-assembling the parts and then adjusting them by following the kit instructions.
6. Now put in the rebuilt or new carburetor in a reverse way in how it was taken out. Install the new carb, new gasket, attach the lines, a new air-filter housing and then the earlier one.
7. Finally, the carburetor can now be adjusted by following directions in the service manual.

Repairing Fuel-Injection
Fuel-injection systems are simpler as compared to carburetion systems. For proper working of the car, they may need sporadic repair or replacement. Throttle-body and multiport are the two most common types of fuel-injection systems nowadays. A throttle-body fuel-injection system is comparable to a carburetor while a multipart fuel-injection system controls the fuel distribution electronically.

To repair fuel-injection systems, follow this simple guide:

1. First, the pressure has to be relieved in the fuel system because fuel-injection systems are pressurized. The procedure is mentioned cars service manual or an aftermarket manual. Normally the filler cap on the fuel tank is removed and the specified pressure reliever is loosened.
2. The manufacturer's directions have to be followed for testing, repairing or replacement of components. Sometimes, a system can be simply fixed by tracing down all the wires and hoses.
3. In case the car's fuel-injection system is repaired within a reasonable time and cost, one should not try to act superior.

Repairing Fuel Tank and Fuel Line
For repairing fuel tanks and fuel lines, follow these steps:

1. Inspect the car's fuel tank and fuel lines and look for little wet spots. Touch them with a touch and sniff it to see if it is gasoline. If it is, then find other leaks and it should be repaired or replaced.
2. For repairing the fuel tank, buy an external or internal fuel tank sealer and apply it. External sealers are easily applied to the external holes of the engine and internal sealers seal all seen and hidden holes.
3. For replacing the fuel tank, it has to be depressurized first. Then draw off the fuel from the tank into gas cans. Separate the fuel tank from the output fuel line and inlet pipe. Take out the straps that attach the fuel tank to the car, Replace it with a re-built or new replacement tank.
4. For repairing a fuel line, it should be first determined how much replacement it needs. A rusted fuel line will quickly entice other holes and must be replaced while a damaged line can be repaired. A rubber fuel line which has a leak is probably old and needs to be replaced completely. A straight fuel line along with some flaring and bending tools would have to be purchased to fit it in the car.

Fuel Pump Repair
For repairing the fuel pump, follow this short guide:

1. Locate the fuel pump, the car service manual guides in pinpointing it.
2. Test it by removing the fuel lines from the pump. Use Vise-Grip pliers for clamping a rubber input line or use a cap or a wad of putty for a metal line. Check the fuel pump output pressure and volume.
3. For removing the fuel pump, remove its mounting bolts. Disconnect any electrical wiring. Draw off any gas present in the fuel pump. Be cautious and don't smoke while working.
4. The fuel pump has to be replaced with the one which has the same output. The car's specifications tell about the volume and pressure produced by the fuel pump.

Used Cars For Sale By Owner

Thinking of selling your car? You have two options: you can either sell it through a dealer who will make the transaction on your behalf or sell it personally. If you have the time and know-how, it is definitely wiser to opt for the second option.

The Benefits of "Car for Sale by Owner" Strategy

Selling your car yourself has two very obvious benefits. First, you will be able to highlight the good features of your car to the prospective buyers. You can also answer all the prospective buyer's questions more adequately and accurately than any dealer ever can. Nobody knows your car like you do.

Second, you will be able to save yourself an incredible amount of money that would have been your dealer's commission. If, for example you sell a car for $15,000 through a dealer, the dealer will take at least three percent of the amount - that's at least $450. There are even dealers whose commission rates go up to six percent. Instead of the dealer earning money from selling your car, why not take it for yourself? With a little extra effort and know-how, you can sell your car successfully on your own and pocket some extra money.

Some Tips Before Selling

Assess your car's worth carefully before you determine its price. Take note of the mileage, external and internal damage, frequency of oil changes, and repair history.

Negotiating is the same as playing the game of poker; it is important that you do not show your emotions. The buyer can sense if you are desperate and may use it to try to buy your car for a very low price. Explain to the buyer how well you've taken care of your car, how good its condition still is, and how many years he or she can still use the car without problems. Be firm on your price, especially if you know that it is fair.