Any good books or whatnot on the subject that you know of?
“My hovercraft is full of eels.”
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- Cars nowadays aren’t the simple machines of days gone by. If you want to work for a car dealer, usually the only way is to go to a trade school or technical college and take courses. Locally, there’s one such institution that has a two-year degree in automotive technology. - MC
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Assuming you want to do it to save money on your own car repairs, and help friends then the best real way is to practice. You’ll need to go to a library, and possibly take some courses at the local Junior College. As has been mentioned, if you’re hoping for a career, you’re going to need to enroll in a intensive technical school. Devry etc.
If you want to start rebuilding older cars, and maybe build a hot rod, you should be able to learn how to do it very easily. Cars from pre-1970 are really quite basic. Repairs of items newer than that frequently require complex computer diagnostic systems and calibration. You may be able to save labor, disassembling, or installing certain parts, but the final timing and computer adjustments are probably best left to professionals, but like I said you might want to still save some cash and give the mechanics a head start.
The best way to learn is to have to. Be broke with an unreliable car. Fix anything wrong yourself. Start with older cars and work your way up to newer. Also, read everything you can find on theory of operation (including magazine tech articles). It’s so much easier if you know WHY you’re doing what you’re doing.
Chilton, Haynes, and Motor manuals are probably available at your local library. They cover mechanical repair very well, and also give you a head start on the electronic side.
Don’t fear the electronics. Up to OBD-II can still be diagnosed and repaired with just a jumper wire and a multimeter, you just need to find the code list for your specific car. The specialized diagnostic equipment just makes it easier.
If you do want to make a career of it, then think about school. If you are really disciplined, your library has self study books to help you pass the certification tests without school.
There are some good show on cable too, like the shade tree mechanic.
The best way to learn is the apprentice method. Try to find a motorhead. Make friends with him and offer to help him the next time he’s working on a car some weekend.
Usually that person will be only too glad for the company, and help. You’ll learn a lot.
It really depends on your previous experience. If you have NO experience I would not suggest even trying. Even tech schools require,some mechanical ability,to get started.
However there are some pretty good books with titles like Automechanics for dumbies .Computers for dumbies etc.You get the picture.they stick with the simple things.
Most people I know who do Shadetree mechanics started with their first car which broke down and necessity caused them to get pretty good at fixing them.
If you are sixteen,get into automechanics class in your school.
The new cars aren’t Shadetree mechanic friendly.You can’t pull a transmission on friday night in your back yard and be cruising for chicks on sunday afternoon.
Automechanics for Dumbies .Sckar Current ebay bid $6.00
don’t forget “Click and Clack” 
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- I’m not sure of the name of it right now, but when I was ten years younger and had the patience to attempt some of my own repairs, it was common knowledge that the only repair manual worth paying for was the same ones the dealers use, and the only way to get them was to buy them used at flea markets (“Haynes Motormanuals” is the name that comes to mind). The dealer books tell you exactly how to do everything right, and usually for the least amount of money. - All the books you see in bookstores had a reputation far and wide for showing the wrong diagrams, giving wrong part numbers and not having complete listings of options. One very common problem was that they try to be too general: the dealer’s books might cover (for instance) Ford Tauruses for model years 1997-1999. The dealer book will show every exact variation of all the possible options that was available on those cars during those years, plus all correct part numbers as well as how everything has to be taken apart, and put back together again. - The cheapo-books (Chilton, etc.) don’t do this: they will often say things like “Ford Taurus: 1990-2000”, implying that if the outside of the cars looks kinda alike then the insides are probably pretty much alike also (they aren’t). The cheap books will have only one or two examples (where there’s a bunch of different options that should be covered) and often try to use “generic” diagrams that don’t show exactly what your car has, but are supposed to be close enough for you to fix it. The main problem with the “generic” diagrams is that they will not give part numbers for anything in those assemblies they don’t show, and often don’t have part numbers for those that they do: so instead of enabling you to replace the one part that broke, they give an “assembly” part number and don’t say if the individual parts are available separately or not. The part will cost $5, the assembly will cost $150. If the crankshaft of your car’s engine goes the cheapo-books will give the right part number to order a new one, but that’s generally not a repair you can do yourself anyway: it’s the little stuff all over the outside of the engine block that goes bad most often. That’s the stuff you gotta know exactly how to fix. - MC
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All of the manuals That I’ve used assume that you have experience.Chiltons Clymers Motors.
If you want to look at a manual try the public library. Most guys have their own because it is impossible not to get grease on one if you are working on some project.
Oh yea I spelled the authors name wrong in the post above.It’s Sclar. Barnes and noble have several books on the subject.
Torgo, what type of car!!!$#&
The ones from about 84, there are only a nfew things you should [can] do. Change the oil, air filter, plugs, battery, radiator water, etc.
Course, I can’t read minds so I don’t know what car you have.