why is there so many basic mechanic questions

do not be alarmed by this young americans, ask away! learn as much as you can, and then pass it on!

 

today's kids are lazy if its not right in front of them they wont look, we have all learned by doing, making mistakes and learning not to make the same ones twice. I don't see that in kids anymore its a real shame.

 

I second this. As a kid that lived in a neighborhood with all kinds of stupid rules, I wasn't allowed to drag home non-running cars, and certainly didn't have the money to buy anything cool! As a result, I got into 80's VWs, which allowed me to hone my skills without breaking the bank or pissing off my parents. (too much anyway) While I can build an efi ecu from scratch and tune it with a laptop, I've never adjusted points or replaced a ballast resistor. I know what they are and how to do so, but have never done either. When I have a question, I will always make an attempt at answering it myself, but sometimes I'm not able to find an answer, or need help understanding it. Having probably rebuilt carbs before I was born, I would imagine you'd have trouble understanding why someone may be daunted by the task of tearing into one

 

.........That's classic, Tommy. I can just imagine the look on your face the first time someone asked this question.

 

i think it's because the younger generation doesn't even get a chance to learn the basics.

1)a lot of schools don't have shop classes anymore.

2) they grow up in the city and don't get exposed to mechanical things early..unlike kids who grow up on a farm and are driving/wrecking/fixing tractors and equipment at a very early age

3) their fathers/grandfathers are often missing/divorced/don't have the time/don't know anything themselves to be able to pass on any info

4) no place to work and no tools... the average house has a two car garage and it's filled with a min vans. most are lucky to have a crescent wrench

 

People eventually will learn, regardless of how they obtain the information..this is todays information highway.
Does it really matter that they don't use traditional teachings/text to obtain the information?..they will get their answers, and with a lot less effort (hard to argue with that).
"the times..they are a changin"

 

I thought the same thing!

 

Chefmike is right, kids a lazy today. After over 40 years as a line tech for Chrysler I've seen all kinds. Most of them aren't stupid, they're lazy. I've seen a few young guys (18-20 yrs old) that were extremely smart and applied themselves. They would run circles around some of the older driveability guys. I think it was the better knowledge and understanding of computer run systems. Then there are the deadbeats. They only want to do the minimum to get by, come in late and watch the clock to be the first to leave. Those are the ones who ask you the same thing over and over. They don't care. What's scarey is this generation will be running the country one day soon. Ken

 

"... and RUINED some cars on my own before leaving high school"


THIS is the reason to ask questions, first.

 

Here whare i live you can not find shops that will mentor
they have no time to explain anything.
no old gas stations that do repairs that would alow us kids to hang around and learn.
the insurance industry has help stop that they raise the rates you pay for having a trainee because they may make a mistake.
not just this fourm and others is what is avalable for them to learn from
no shop classes
i will menter when ever i can i was full of dumb guestions 55+ years ago
sone of the books that were around are hard to find unless you know the name of it.
my grand father would not answer questions because his knolage was how he kept his job
so help menter
i answer many questions by pm because i get flamed for open post
OK kick the Soap Box Out From Under Me
I am through

 

There's a big difference between helping someone and doing it for them.
My dad taught me that. We just lost him so this is pretty fresh memory.

There's different kinds of help and guidance, those are " Go That way" , " Follow Me" , and " Let Me Do It"
The most beneficial to the person in need can be any one of those depending.

The "let me do it " needs the great discernment on when you should do it.

The "follow me " will still leave people lost but get them where they need to go. We all get lost sometimes but should also stick to familiarity.

The "go that way" will help and and and and build confidence, learning, stretch the realm of familiarity, grow people into guides.

Most of the stuff here is people asking or looking for someone to follow because they are outside their realm of familiarity. Perhaps that's because they continually wonder off into the forest on purpose or were set adrift by some strange set of circumstances and face a daunting problem now.

Some are looking for the internet equivalent of someone to do it for them because they haven't a clue or are too lazy to get dirty. These threads end with "I'm going to take it to the shop" . Some of those are very educational but only if they are read and understood. Those threads sometimes have a happy ending were the info provided actually helps the guy get his car back on the road.

There are few that are related to "Go that way" and the ones that are are short , maybe a link and they guy is off and running. May be the theories behind the practice- very cool stuff sometimes.

Go that way creates guides - follow me builds a cool internet sight

 

I usually don't bother with piss & moan threads, but....

It's just a sign of the times. People don't grow up anymore learning to fix their own stuff. Been that way for some time. When we were young, we learned to fix our own shit, or we walked.

Truth is, it's easier now days with the Net. Look it up, or dare to ask a question if you can't find the info you're looking for.

Hell, I just fixed one of them new fangled front load clothes dryers. I'd have figured it out eventually, but the info I found on the net made it quicker, and a lot less painful. Nets just a new tool, use it.

 

There are no stupid questions.

A large number of us greybeards have been building and working on cars most of our lives but with the advent of the internet thousands of guys & gals have found sites like this and really want to join in on the fun.

The major problem with many of these new enthusiastic members is they have no previous experience and many never have been exposed to Hot Rods & Customs.

Most of us grew up around old cars and if we didn't do the work ourselves we didn't drive,,fortunately most of us had a mentor or a friend to help us when we didn't have a clue.

Like it or not,we (The Hamb Collective) are the Encyclopedia Britannica of today.

We are from every walk in life and everyone has knowledge to share whether it has been acquired through extensive study's or actual first had experiences.

I'm sure I have ask questions that some here have thought WTF,,while others were eager to try and help. HRP

 

Hotrodprimer nailed it.
But i'm sure when we were young we never ask any stupid questions. Most of us were just born knowing it all.

 

If the new generation is always worse, isn't it the previous generation's fault?

They are the one's who taught them. Or didn't teach them, I guess.

The specifics of the "trade" are outdated realistically.
Obviously, there's value in thinking for yourself and solving problems.
I don't think that's the argument though.

I do know, my 2 year old can use an Iphone as well as I can.

I also know, my mother doesn't know how to use one.

Everything depends on perspective.

 

Haynes is about the worse repair manual out there....I once wrote the publisher and asked for my money back....had more contact the dealer than help....and when it did try to help...it was like you say....remove the bolts...what bolts?

 

DINGDINGDING!!! We have a winner!

 

Well thought and written post.

All you older guys like me still remember going to the library or flipping through encylopedias to get the knowledge we needed for school, projects, homework etc. The internet is full of good info though often you need to sift through carefully.

Laziness is one thing ( which has and never will change) but what I think is a real problem is simply time perception. People today want to click a button and have the problem solved. The internet has added to that issue. Some things take time.
I do estimates for jobs. The engineers that put the specs together are rushed by the client due to there lack of understanding and often poor planning ( but they are being pushed by fast moving market changes) and the results are poorly written plans. I then have to wade through this mess and come up with a cost. I have to ask a million questions for clarification prompting umpteen addenda... inevitably getting the job closing extended while they scramble to correct all the inacuracies.
The long and the short of it is if they had taken their time at the front end planning, they would have got the quote in the time they needed.

As Trad V8 said " preparation"

One of the sayings I like is "There's never enough time to do the job right but there is always enough time to do it over"

 

My Dad was a very good structural and a fairly good trim carpenter."C'mon boy,we're putting on a roof."
My uncle was a very good mechanic.When I was there I was handing him wrenches and trying to absorb what he was doing.
Some of it's how your environment involves your action and learning,some of it is how you're allowed at your hobby?

How well can guys address vinyl siding or drywall or ?
Good mechanics always amaze me.

 

my son likes my hot rods, but he personally owns O/T foreign sports cars. He was raised watching me build stuff, rebuild stuff, and I've always had a lot of tools and equipment. When his O/T 4x4 pickup needed brakes, he went to the internet did a lot of reading up (it's amazing how many forums there are out there) from comments made by guys that had done brakes on that particular truck, then he asked what day I'd be around to at least help, if he needed it. In one day he completely disassembled and replaced the calipers and rotors, cylinders/drums/shoes, along with other necessities and had it back late that afternoon. Yeah - he took a couple of trips to the computer and I gave him a bit of advice on a couple of things. Thing is, he educated himself first, then tackled it. I know it helps a ton that we had every tool he needed (including the dreaded metric stuff, and specialty brake tools. When he was done he was so proud of himself, as was I. Since then he has done brakes and other mechanical repairs on subsequent cars, but he always heads for the computer first to make himself familiar with problems that other guys like himself have already experienced and solved. Isn't that what we "silverbacks" here do also? Provide a modicum of advice based on our experience?

 

Gene, that answers your own question. English was not of interest or your strong point and you didn't chase after it. Same goes for many kids today. We have a generation of kids that don't even own or know how to ride a bike let alone work on one. They get driven everywhere and never have to get their hands dirty. I recently stopped in at the local BMX store with my Son to get some parts. A Dad and Son brought a bike in with a flat tire to be repaired! Conversation ended with them leaving the bike for tires, tubes, brakes, chain and a "tune up". After they left, I asked the owner how prevelant this was? Said it's about half of his business. Other half is selling parts and bikes.

Slowmotion touched on a good point. Most folks nowadays don't repair their stuff, but prefer to replace it. Just read something on Sears' appliance repair. They've continuously had a decline in work over the last several years. The cost of parts, labor and a service truck roll has folks opting for a new washing machine, etc. over repairing the old.

Also, many High Schools have done away with auto, wood, metal and electronic shop classes. I took them all in HS and hung out at the local gas station starting when I was 10 (wouldn't be allowed to for liability/insurance reasons today). With fewer kids growing up with mechanical abilities, there's less peers to gain knowledge from.

My Dad had zero mechanical ability, but he bought me tools and a subscription to Hot Rod at age 10 to get me started. Mine was all self taught, hanging around others, classes, reading and trial and error repairs-just tear into it and figure it out!

 

its cold up there?
cabin fever so early ... have some ketcup ... watch the fire

 

I'll respectfully add my take on a very good subject. I'm totally nuetral here on the young/old stance.

New Edelbrock carbs come with a Tuning DVD, and Holley and the aftermarket offer some excellent books as well as DVDs for setting and tuning them up.

Now Eugene as well as those following along, when it comes to the radical cams scenario, my take is that it would almost be impssible to cover all the different aspects of each level of performance, manifold vacuums, engine combos/trans/converters/ignitions etc. So you can only be educated and taught the " basic " and theory here, the rest comes from experience and trial and error. Having a engine or chassis dyno helps as well, or the ability to pay for the use of one.

Remember tuning at the " radical cam ' levels requires A/F ratio monitering, exhaust gas temps, etc, so ususally out of the hands of the home engine tuner anyways for presise tuning, all the best guys TR.

 

Some of the best advice given to me was given by a Machinist 1/2 my age, I'm 61. We were in an antique store coming back for an old truck get-together and he said, "If you don't buy those two books I will". AUTO MECHANICS Fundamentals by Martin W. Stockel, Copyright 1963, and AUTOMOTIVE MECHANICS BY William H Crouse, Copyright 1970 were the titles, I keep one in the shop and one at my shitter.

I am here on this board for the collective sum of intelligence and comment which range from the ridiculous to the sublime. In my experience even the most ridiculous post or thread can lead my thinking to an alternative way of looking at a problem and possibly a solution.

My problems with the old paper manuals are two-fold. The first is the admission that the grainy small scale diagrams are just that...1940's and '50s technology, I defy anyone to show me a clear picture of which way a balk gear and
blocker ring are assembled if they were taken apart for cleaning. The fine detail just isn't there. At the time they probably thought it was fantastic and cutting edge (It was!). The second has to do with the technical writer... and here it is where it applies to the internet...one can be an ace mechanic but not be able to explain the challenge in such a way that a person that has never been there before can understand. How many times have you said to yourself 'the writer missed a step' or 'I could have explained that better'. I think that the muddy explanations are one of the reasons for so many reposts of the same old questions, another, of course, is the lack of an extensive search.

The school teachers active and retired on this board have said it best, DO YOUR HOMEWORK KIDS, then come to us with your INFORMED questions.

Yes, I was the first to give this thread a 5* because it is just a great learning tool.

 

That's what these forums are for to learn from each other and share the enjoyment together.

 

I agree 100%,some may scoff at this thread but it has opened up both sides of thinking,,I am sure a lot of us,me included,have rolled our eyes at one time or another when the questions were ask that see on almost a daily basis then it becomes easy to ridicule the OP and say it's a stupid question.

I personally don't have a background in the automotive industry,,I've never worked as a mechanic or a body man and have learned all I know by asking questions that some here may consider stupid. HRP

Old Chinese proverb: He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes,, he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.

 

Maybe the question should be "what book do you recommend to help me rebuild a holley carburetor? Is it available through Internet vendors?" I'm still dumber than dirt about some (many?) aspects of this hobby and having folks willing to help me has been a huge plus. But my pride tells me that the firing order on an SBC best be found in a tech manual rather than asking the question here.

I've mentored a few dozen up and comers in my industry in 46 years. Today's apprentices are looking for an immediate fix at the touch of the enter button. There doesn't seem to be that basic fear of appearing stupid in public anymore. Maybe it's the anonymity of the Internet that causes that.

An old sage once said "better to remain silent and appear a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt".

 

Ridiculous! I rode BMX as a kid and by the time I was 12 I had more than one "frame off" resto under my belt, changed my own flats (after buying the tube myself), adjusting brakes and chains and replacing cables. I can remember being daunted by the thought of pressing bearings into the frame, but a trip down to the bike shop to hang around allowed me to see how the pros do it.

 

I've tried to make it a rule to never scoff at anyone asking a sincere question.

When you do, the questioner walks away still not knowing the answer and you just look like an a-hole.

I was raised in deep south Texas (an area pretty detached from the world in the 70's) and when I joined the service and ended up flying through LAX all by myself to get to my permanent duty station, it was like traveling to the moon.

As I was departing, my dad told me, "don't afraid to ask questions if you don't know".

I've tried to live by that advice and still ask a lot of questions.

As I'm getting older, I find myself answering more than asking, but I never, ever scoff at a sincere question.