Technical "Where'd you learn that.. You Tube?"

My 1st clutch job was helping a friend with the one in his Falcon. Neither of us were hip to an alignment tool... took turns hefting the transmission up and giving it a try. Until our arms were dead and we were covered with gear oil.. good times.

 

I can think of many useful tricks I've learned on Youtube videos. It walked me through the blower motor resistor install on my 08 Escape, and turned the job into a painless 10 minute affair. It showed me how to replace the rotor in my Fisher & Paykel dishwasher, and saved me $1200+ on a new one when I was able to fix it for the cost of a $50 part. It also showed me a great trick of slipping bread in a copper pipe to solder when doing plumbing, the bread prevents water from entering the area being soldered, but once done, will dissolve when the water is turned on. I could go on.

 

Common sense helps you sort the bs info from the good, not all of us have common sense though.
My only real problem with you tube, is the fact that all Hot Rods are called RRs.
That really annoys me.

 

Like any other information source, you have to sift through it and be savvy enough to know what's good and what's crap. YouTube has helped me fix the motor on my table saw, figure out how to unlock the rear door on my Saturn so I could get it open, cut dovetails on my table saw, fix the agitator on my washing machine, and a host of other projects that would have taken a lot longer had I resorted to figuring it out on my own.

 

How do you not use a resource that's readily available? Ego? Seriously?

 

I learned to play guitar on you tube, I learned to work on cars under the shade tree in the back yard. I do use the internet and you tube to get the necessary info needed to work on modern cars. Good information in book form is getting harder to find. My local library does not buy service repair manuals anymore, they use to have Mitchells Manuals for every year and manufacturer.

 

Harmonica for me, lots of great content and shortcuts from people with years of practice.

 

This is the HAMB, diss the Dong at your own peril...He is omnipresent, and always listening...

 

Clark--Hey maybe we are brothers--sure sounds like we had the same dad.
Interesting thing was that when we were working toghether on a project we got involved in so many more things
than when we worked alone. Sure miss that guy and thank you for giving me pause to think about this!
Pete

 

Im 30. Bought my first old car 2 years ago - 66 years old. Before that my oldest car was 16 years old.

Prior to that I had never messed with a carburetor, U joints, water pumps, welding, brake line flaring, points ignition.....and the list goes on.

If you dont have a family into cars or friends into old cars your resources are limited......hence youtube. Luckily my father in law has been a huge source of info.

But ya gotta learn however you can.

 

I bet there's a shirt for sale somewhere that says, "GOOGLE it Bitch". And it's kinda right.

 

I like you-tube, but where do you think all that info came from?
Somebody figured it out a long time ago and a kid came along and uploaded it!

 

After a customer had spouted some utter BS he heard "on the internet", and dismissing some of mine own hard-earned knowledge... -
"Sir, I've been doing this for 40 years. 40 years ago, we didn't have the internet to lie for us, we had to invent our own lies".

But, yes, the internet PLUS common sense, not a bad thought.

Cosmo

 

I usually search YouTube before attacking any repair on the family's late model cars. I didn't unsnap much plastic while working on cars as a kid. Later on, I would go to the junk yard and tear apart a similar car then go home and do ours - make the mistakes on their stuff first. YouTube saves me a trip.
My step son comes out and starts tearing into his Cobalt..... I ask, "how do you know how to do that?" "I looked it up on YouTube" Ok. But he stares at the tool box not knowing what tool does what.
So that's where I come in. That, and showing him those little tricks that time and skinned knuckles have taught me and now I get to teach him. The internet gives him meaningful information to offer as we work together and makes our old guy/young guy relationship work great.
These days the best days working in the shop include my stepson, his Iphone, my tools/parts and his music (Metallica, BeeGees and Dean Martin!). Hot rodding in 2016!!!

 

YouTube...pick the peanuts out of the poop!

 

One of the the reasons I joined this site was to get info on stuff I could not find on the "net" including u tube. But I needed help a while back on a newer car .. not HAMB acceptable... I posted knowing this ahead of time. Even though the thread was deleted because of the year of motor/car a fellow HAMBer replied with a link to u tube within minutes.

That link saved me a lot time and money to fix the problem. So do not knock it until you try it.

Just my opinion !

 

There is a lot of great stuff the internet, hey we're on the internet!

 

If we all stuck to the Pre-65 rule on the HAMB we'd be mailing each other letters, not using the forum. All info sources need a BS meter. You tube and Google are just another source, although a great one.

 

I sure can't knock the youtube, it has saved me from buying a lot of manuals like I had to long ago. I bought a lathe and mill, a friend asked me " How do you know how to use them?" I told him that I watched youtube for a week and became a machinist. I learned from guys who have been machinists all their lives but I still have a ton to learn but the process has been speeded up a lot. I'm not the best reader and I don't comprehend well from books so videos work so much better for me. Just like this H.A.M.B., it has been a great source of information that I tell anyone into cars about it. We live in the best of times.

 

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be worth 100,000!
Lots of times a picture helps understand how something goes together or works, a video showing how that works in real time can really be helpful and time saving. Even with all the stuff I've learned the hard way over the years, there's always something new to learn.

And there's always those around that can't comprehend what they read very well, but can pick it up quick by looking at a pic or video or watching somebody else do what they're wanting to do. Nothing wrong with that, we all have to learn however works best for us...

 

I also used Youtube for my late model issues. One reason why I am building a 51 GMC for my next daily! It has saved me a TON of time on various issues. Some times I learn to take it to a shop and let them fuck with it!

 

All I can say is "thank you" to the folks that video and post that stuff. For us guys who fix things on the weekend having a walk through you can play over and over is a blessing.

 

Hey Bob, if he's truly interested in old cars, it's a Hot Rodders duty to take your Brother in Law (or any acquaintance) under your wing and teach him everything you know. It's traditional too!!! We need more car guys!

Take him along to a few shows in your car. Let him drive it. He'll be hooked. Then have him help you on your car with the promise that you'll trade labor once the two of you find him a suitable project car (hint).

Like a lot of us, I learned things as a kid by hanging around other mechanically inclined kids (many were older) and working on bikes, go-carts, etc. My Grandfather took notice and bought me a subscription to Hot Rod magazine for my 12th birthday. Also, hung around the local gas station in my early teens, then took auto shop in High School.

YouTube has saved my ass on a few things; the late model family cars, appliances, etc. Most recently was my Husqvarna chain saw that had a high RPM bog. Wasn't sure if it was a carb adjustment or ignition. Guy on Youtube showed that the fuel line on my model was prone to cracked fuel line at the bend just before the carb causing an air suck/lean mix at high R's. $8 fuel line and filter and ten minutes later I was in business.

 

ANY information from ANYWHERE needs to pass the "common sense" test...

 

It really is useful when you have to work on some late-model POS. They are designed with a different mindset than the stuff we are used to, and some of the shit they design into them is counter-intuitive, which is putting it nicely. You can waste a lot of time trying to figure it out, and I dont want to waste a lot of brainspace trying to figure a job like that out, I want to get it done as quick as possible, so I can move on the something I actually LIKE working on.

 

I downloaded the manual for my Juki off the internet, gotta LOVE it!

 

My daughters off thread car needed a radiator and the first place I looked was YouTube, found a couple of videos that helped me struggle through the problem. Turned out it needed a water pump instead, valuable learning experience for me Besides "knowledge, hints and tricks" that are on YouTube I take the iPad to the shop, plug it into the amp, and listen to music concerts etc that I couldn't have done 30 years ago, love it.

 

My daughters 04 trailblazers gauges went wonky , chev. wanted $550 for a re-man dash module , looked around the net , found the :stepper motors" & a toolkit for $26 delivered , wached a couple u-tube videos , from the time I got in the car , to the time I turned the key w/the replacement parts installed was about 3 hours , pretty good cost saving .. I love the internet !!
dave

 

YouTube is one of the few truly useful things on the internet.

 

I love youtube. I watched a couple of videos a while back and got 4 antique clocks up and running that hadn't run in many years.I just refreshed my memory on making wire seperators from tie wraps,and learned the trick to Taurus rear brakes. I have been a mechanic for many years,,but these modern cars aren't really built using common sense,so what seems like the logical method of repair is not always the best way.