Author: James Coy

Becoming a Shade Tree Mechanic

The Mechanic’s Apprentice

With the advent of the internet and especially YouTube, “self-apprenticeship” in automotive mechanics has become possible. Even so, some of the projects seem daunting to the uninitiated. We all have a comfort zone… I know I do. Also, many of the projects are limited by the selection of tools we possess. Most of us can change out a flat tire because we own the tire iron and the jack that came with our car. Even if you’ve never changed out a tire before, you most likely have a tire iron and a jack.

Building a Tool Collection

Since we are limited to what we can do by the tools we possess, it is essential to build a quality collection. I don’t like to borrow tools because I may break them or lose them and subsequently strain a friendship. By quality I don’t necessarily mean expensive professional brands like Snap-on, MAC or Proto. If you only do one or two projects a year, higher end tools from Harbor Freight tools will suffice. For a little extra money, Craftsman tools are just the thing.

Many people have at least a small collection of tools perhaps scattered around the house or in that one drawer in the kitchen, dresser, bathroom or side table. You know the one… the junk drawer. Now would be a good time to take inventory of all the tools and put them in one place. A small toolbox would be ideal but a plastic tub will do to start with.

Once you have all your tools collected in one place you could either buy the tools as you need them for each project or preemptively purchase some basics at the local hardware store. There are good deals to be found at garage sale and online marketplace too. Since all newer cars since the 1990s have metric fasteners, metric tools would be the place to start.

Here is a list of common basic tools:

  • A set of jack stands and a jack. (Jack stands are listed first because they are the most important for safety when working under a car.
  • Safety glasses and a box disposable nitrile gloves. (Safety first)
  • A set of combination wrenches. (A wrench with both an open and a box end.)
  • A 3/8 ratchet wrench and socket set with both a long and short ratchet wrenches.
  • A screw driver set with both Philips and blade tips of various sizes and lengths. A set of Torx drivers are also useful.
  • A set of “persuasion” tools. (ie. pry bars, dead-blow/ball-peen hammers and a breaker-bar for leverage.)
  • An oil filter wrench. (Or an oil filter socket that fits your specific oil filter.)
  • A basic electrical multi-meter to test voltage and resistance.

Starting Small

With these basic tools you will be able to do most small jobs. Jobs like swapping in a new battery, changing out headlights and tail lights, oil changes with oil filter swaps, alternators, starters, serpentine belts, brake pads, installing new spark plugs and much more. These tasks are the most common and, with the right tools, are relatively easy to do. Even if the first time is difficult, the more you do it the easy it gets.

Larger Jobs

Jobs like rebuilding an engine or transmission will require additional specialty tools, honed skills and specialized knowledge. Generally speaking, these jobs are not performed by the home mechanic or even the shop mechanic.

The easiest way to accomplish these tasks would be to purchase an already rebuilt engine or transmission and perform a swap. Even this is a formidable but completely doable task. As long as you document the removal process the reassembly will go a lot smoother. I usually use a video camera as I go. I’ll review the video when it’s time to put it all back together again. I also make use of the shop manual for the specific vehicle. The shop manual is the single greatest resource you can have.

More Advanced Jobs

Once you’ve expanded your comfort zone, skill and knowledge, you’ll be willing to take on more advanced projects. With modern cars you’ll need specialized tools like an ODB2 scanner to read and clear diagnostic error codes. With this tool and a little research you’ll be directed to replace various sensors and valves. Sensors like the O2 sensor and valves like the EGR valve will eventually wear out. The only way to determine the state of the various components is with the ODB2 scanner.

Additional Resources

Having friends and relatives already skilled in automotive repair is an invaluable resource. You could ask them if they’d do the work for you but, alas, you would want that since self-sufficiency is your real goal. Fixing the car is only a secondary concern. Am I right?

YouTube videos are a quick and useful tool in most cases. Sometimes not so much. I usually watch several videos on the same topic to get a greater understanding. Sometimes the video creator glosses over the sticking points and does provide tips to get past them. The videos are good but are not a replacement for the shop manual.

Purchasing the shop manual for your car of paramount importance. It will be the most valuable tool you own. It will have diagrams such as the routing of the serpentine belt, torque specifications, and much more.

An Experiment in Gardening

The Experiment

Last season’s garden was for the most part an experiment. I wouldn’t say that it was a failed experiment, even though the yields were not really good. As with any experiment the purpose is to learn, and since there was plenty to learn, I’d say it was a successful experiment.

Living in a forested lot entails a great deal of challenge in finding a good, or even adequate, location for the garden. Having just purchased the property, I didn’t really know the locations with the most sunlight. Since there was an existing garden surround by stones, I thought I’d give it a try.

Since it was getting late in the planting season, being in a hurry was the root cause of the biggest mistake. I purchased the plants before working the soil. After I brought home the tomato and pepper seedlings, I only then attempted the turn the soil. What I found was deep rooted weeds in a thick clay soil with absolutely no possibility of drainage. Being a complete novice, I proceeded in ignorance and dug holes with the aid of an auger drill attachment. It was hard going even with the auger as the soil was a rocky clay. So much so it was only good for pottery making.

Sometime after planting, I began to worry about the soil condition and promptly consulted the web. My concerns were indeed valid. There was little chance this garden would be successful. In a hasty attempt to save this doomed project, I purchased a pickup load of soil and composted manure mix and subsequently heaped it into the garden raising it about 4 inches. My hope was the recently planted tomatoes would root into this new soil from the newly buried stems. This did seem to help some as soon after I did notice a spurt of growth.

What I Learned

The lesson learned here is a garden can’t be just thrown together in a few days with the hopes that it would be possible to patch it up later. What I needed was a solid plan from the very beginning coupled with diligent preparation and execution.

The first step is to find the locations in the yard that get the most sunlight. I found that areas where the grass grows the greenest and the thickest are good starting places. Then I would watch these areas and take note of the shadows from surrounding buildings and trees at various times of the day.

The next step would be to either condition, or replace, the soil in the ground, or better yet, build a raised bed filled with a good soil preparation. Such soil can be purchased at the local nursery or locally sourced from your property and then conditioned with compost from household yard and food waste. If, like me, you have a clay, rocky, or otherwise poor soil it may be necessary to purchase a load or two of good topsoil to serve as a base. Then prepare the topsoil with the addition of as much as one third compost. This was the recommendation of the nursery owner.

Finding Helpful Information

I found it helpful to find folks that have the know how and skills needed to be successful gardeners. The internet is useful but your mileage may vary. Some folks are really good at making videos and may not actually be good gardeners. This is where I’ve found people like local growers and nursery owners helpful. They may not be good a editing a video but their results in growing plants are real and proven. Although I personally haven’t availed myself of this, I’ve heard that the local university extensions are also a good resource for gardeners.