Help with essential basics

[Boomerang]

Originally Posted by why?

So I don't see any threads with this type of stuff, probably because it is obvious to most. But I've never really done my own maintenance on my car and have no real idea of where to start.

Basically I want to be able to change my own oil, rotate my tires, etc, start with the simple stuff, but I need the tools. I have a set of basic tools, aka wrenches, hammer, measuring tape.

I have a dirt with some gravel driveway, so I don't trust the jack that came with the car, and I know there are all sorts of different ways to raise the car for both oil changes and changing tires, what are the easiest and least expensive tools for someone getting started?

What other basic type of stuff do I need to buy that a beginner wouldn't even think of?

I obviously need a good jack, stands or something to keep the car off the ground, a good torque wrench for the wheels,etc. I've seen special wrenches for oil filters, but is that really necessary?

What type of containers do people use to drain the oil into, where do I get them, and what do I do with the used oil?

What else would be handy and what other basic maintenance would a beginner be able to do without too much hassle? I know I have the ability to do this type of stuff, I just don't have any clue about how or where to begin and I am looking for help.

I have found a set of ramps is really handy for oil changes, just drive up and go, no jacks required..

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Back in the day...
I was aboard a destroyer escort (the biggest ship in the Canadian Navy) and they had to change a screw while still moored to the service jetty. Since it was stuck they used small C4 charges to loosen it up. Every time they set off a charge a dozen or so fish would float to the surface. Want too guess what we had for dinner that day?
Or there was the wonderful time we went out for six weeks and supply screwed up and sent us with no meat other than frozen veal cutlets. There are only so many ways you can make veal cutlets edible.
On the plus side the beer in the vending machines was only 25 cents and the wardroom had a fully stocked bar.

Let's see now, cooking veal with beer:

veal cordon bleu schnitzel

beer battered & fried

deep fried in beer

marinated overnight in beer

oven roasted, basted with beer

BBQed, basted with beer/catsup

veal and eggs

veal burgers

veal meatloaf

veal meatballs




humfrz

[RichardsFRS]

I worked on a few cars I had once and those experiences were enough to hunt out people to do it. I found I didn't have it I had to buy it, take old krap off it breaks or its rusted apart or whatever, I had to go buy it. Took my brakes apart once, caliper had siezed, had to buy them, couldn't find them, had to order them. And I'm not into working on cars. I have a job, I don't want another. My job pays me enough to pay others to do the work. But I know its a hobby for some, but not me, I have hobbies too. How I handle oil changes, online, toyota, make apointment, show up, read a magazine or surf the internet while folks do the oil changes. Done, pay out

[why?]

Hey everyone, thank you for all the info. Oh my, so much to ponder. I think my brain is full.

Originally Posted by swarb

You don't need the oil filter wrench, good grip/gloves/belt works.
Oil container you can get at the auto parts store, the same place where you dump the oil.
Torque wrench/jack stands/jack. I wouldn't trust gravel as there is too much chance of slippage or not being level.
If you are working under the car, you must use jack stands for safety.
Torque wrench, put it back to 0 after you are done using it.
Jack, you need it to have it around 5 inches height to fit it under the car.
Look in the manual for the jacking points.

Look for videos on youtube or diy guides on here. Start with oil changes and tire rotation and then eventually move up to trans/diff fluids, brake pad swap, brake fluid bleed.

Other things- gloves, eye protection, jack pad/jack stand pad to protect paint, take pics before you take stuff apart, magnetic tray to hold screws etc, untorque/torque wheels on the ground, but remove them off the ground. Take your time and make sure the tool is on the fastener so you don't strip stuff. And take your time threading the fasteners so you don't cross thread. Good luck, have fun.

Thank you that is good stuff.

I didn't even think of minimum jack height, especially as my car seems to be a little lower. Or that might be my imagination. This will be interesting to find one low enough. Good catch. Time to go get my tape measure.

Okay it looks like it is about 5". Maybe a bottle jack will not work.

Taking pictures is a great idea I would never have thought of.

Originally Posted by justatroll

People here will bash me for this but...
For a beginner on a budget the tools from harbor freight or home depot will serve many years hard labor sitting (mostly) safe in the tool box. (youre not wrenching daily).
You can get a 130 piece set on sale for $40 this weekend at HF.
Then if you want to spend more for quality take it up a notch for craftsman (these days not too much better than HF) or really spendy for Mac or Snap-On.
You want better quality in a set of open/box end wrenches, sockets, & racthets.
I use the floor jacks from HF and never had a problem.
I never use a creeper even on concrete, it has just never been more benefit than the hassle.
For jackstands I use mostly the 'ratcheting style' from sears, but the telescopic kind with the pins are supposed to be safer.
I have one set of those, & two sets of the ratcheting style.
If you are really on a budget have lumber laying around, and room to store shit, you can make blocks from wood by basically stacking a bunch of 4X4s like Jenga and screwing them together. ( Do NOT use cinder blocks)
You cannot use a floor jack on a gravel or dirt surface.
That is the #1 cause of accidents with floor jacks.
They MUST be allowed to move freely.
So for a gravel driveway situation, you can use the jack that came with the car, or a bottle jack.
Put a wheel chock to keep the car from moving either way.
If you are going to remove the wheels, crack the lugnuts BEFORE lifting the car (bust them loose then retighten to 'hand tight').
If you are forced to use the OEM jack or a bottle jack, just lift each corner enough to get a jackstand under in its lowest setting, then do all 4 corners.
You might have to take more than one time around the car raising it a little more to lift the wheels off the ground.
Once you set all 4 jackstands, I go around and hit each one with a deadblow hammer to settle them (and check them).
You will usually find one jackstand that is loose a little because our cars are so stiff. thats OK, just make sure it cant get knocked out by accident.
Sometimes I just use a shop towel between the jackstand and the car to take up that gap.
If you have a flat surface and a floor jack, you jack the rear up by the center of the differential and it lifts the whole rear of the car at once.
The front is similar with a crossmember.
Look in the owners manual it has picture of the jack points.
Do the front first as it is easier to get the jack in the back after elevating the front first.
Then you can remove each wheel if you are doing that kind of maintenance.
Store the wheels under the car, it has saved lives when jackstands failed or the car shifted.
The wheels make a big enough buffer that you dont get flattened.
Craftsman torque wrenches are my choice, but Im no pro that uses them every day.
I have three for the various ranges you need.
in-lbs for things like tranny internals or pan bolts, etc
20-75 ft-lbs for most things
100-250 ft-lbs for things like wheels, hubs, flywheels, etc.
I have never needed a wrench to get an oil filter off.
I would just grip the filter with sandpaper and have almost always been able to get them off.
For the odd time that didnt work, you just pound a screwdriver through the filter to wrench it off.
As I get older I find that I cannot rely on my grip strength like I could, so depending on your age...
Harbor freight or your FLAPS will have the oil drain pans that you can close up for transport, but they are always a mess to transport.
So I bought an extra oil collection jug that is ~10 quarts that I use to take the old oil to a local FLAPS (Oreilys, pep-bros, advance, NAPA, etc.)
Of course they appreciate it when you buy the new oil from them when you drop off old, but not required.
My greatest tool lately is the internet.
Almost every single automotive task I have needed to do recently, I could just find a guy showing us how to do it on youtube.
You will find plenty of 'dont do it that way' moments as well, but there are a few where you can save HOURS and a lot of headache when a seasoned mechanic shows you - "but instead of removing ALL THAT, you can just reach behind here and do THIS" it will have been time well spent

Holy crap, thank you for writing that up! I agree completely about not buying expensive tools unless it becomes a serious hobby. All my tools so far have come from Sears simply because I was given a massive gift card and I grew up with craftsman.

So swarb made a good point about the car's height being only 5", so maybe I might have to use the jack that came with the car for now.

So when it comes to sockets and ratchets, do I really need all three sizes like this kit? Or would the automotive sockets all be 1/2 inch? And while I have the tools for the locking lug nuts, are normal sized lug nuts just a standard socket wrench size?

Oh and then torque wrenches. It is odd I always spell it the british way and then have to delete the extra "u". Oh my tool overload. And this wrench even has a video.

Thank you for all that info. I just have to reread if a few times, digest everything, and then get to buying and figuring everything out. That was so helpful.

Originally Posted by Boomerang

I have found a set of ramps is really handy for oil changes, just drive up and go, no jacks required..

That would be good for oil changes, no dealing with a jack or stands at all. Good idea.

Originally Posted by RichardsFRS

I worked on a few cars I had once and those experiences were enough to hunt out people to do it. I found I didn't have it I had to buy it, take old krap off it breaks or its rusted apart or whatever, I had to go buy it. Took my brakes apart once, caliper had siezed, had to buy them, couldn't find them, had to order them. And I'm not into working on cars. I have a job, I don't want another. My job pays me enough to pay others to do the work. But I know its a hobby for some, but not me, I have hobbies too. How I handle oil changes, online, toyota, make apointment, show up, read a magazine or surf the internet while folks do the oil changes. Done, pay out

Yea, I wouldn't even think about getting into it except I've decided since my Yaris hasn't sold still I'm just going to keep it, so 2 cars means I can tinker with no issues about not having a car. I need a hobby, and playing on the internet isn't one that makes me feel like I am learning something.

[Overdrive]

One bit of advice I'll give, that may be disagreed with, is to not use the car's jack except in emergencies. It isn't really designed for regular use, more for those few times (hopefully only ever once, preferably never) you need to quickly lift the car to change a flat tire. I wouldn't use it on a regular basis to lift the car for maintenance and have it possibly fail on you.

Tough thing having to work in dirt and gravel but a set of rampsbshould help you to access just about everything in the front you'd need to work on. I like the plywood and carport suggestion that was made to you. That seems like a great solution.

Harbor Freight isn't a bad place for you to get some decent hand tools inexpensively. I wouldn't buy everything you need from there, but most hand tools you'd need for car work can be found there at decent quality and price. There you'd also find ramps, safety stands, wheel chocks, and bags of rags.

Working on your own car turns out to be pretty easy when you take your time and do a little YouTube searching to out your mind at ease, or to even have a live guide to reference while you're working. Someone out there almost always has done a video to show how to do a lot of typical work on most cars. You should check out ChrisFix on YouTube. He does a great job showing how to DIY tons of stuff on your own car.

Most important, if you're going to get under your car, no matter what method you choose to elevate it, just make sure you take the necessary steps to ensure it is secure and won't drop down or roll away on you. Don't ever rely on just one method of lifting/securing the car. If one fails for some reason, you have another.

Pick up a maintenance manual or two for your car. They'll show you many jobs you can do on your car, tools you'll need, and steps to get it done.

As for oil, I found a container at AutoZone that doubles as both a drain pan and storage. You layout flat, open a hole in its upfacing side, and drain. Your fluid. When done, cap the hole and you can store the container upright like a gas can. To empty it, there's a large cap so you can pour it out like a gas can. I think it was maybe $15. To dispose of the oil, see if a local shop will take it (they often burn it for their indoor heater), and also look out for local Hazmat disposal events put on by the town/state and bring them the fluids in something like gallon jugs you have for milk and water.

And as always, ask questions of folks like you're doing here. Someone else always has a different spin on things and you can learn something from everyone, even the people who are wrong, lol.

[why?]

Originally Posted by Overdrive

One bit of advice I'll give, that may be disagreed with, is to not use the car's jack except in emergencies. It isn't really designed for regular use, more for those few times (hopefully only ever once, preferably never) you need to quickly lift the car to change a flat tire. I wouldn't use it on a regular basis to lift the car for maintenance and have it possibly fail on you.

Tough thing having to work in dirt and gravel but a set of rampsbshould help you to access just about everything in the front you'd need to work on. I like the plywood and carport suggestion that was made to you. That seems like a great solution.

Harbor Freight isn't a bad place for you to get some decent hand tools inexpensively. I wouldn't buy everything you need from there, but most hand tools you'd need for car work can be found there at decent quality and price. There you'd also find ramps, safety stands, wheel chocks, and bags of rags.

Working on your own car turns out to be pretty easy when you take your time and do a little YouTube searching to out your mind at ease, or to even have a live guide to reference while you're working. Someone out there almost always has done a video to show how to do a lot of typical work on most cars. You should check out ChrisFix on YouTube. He does a great job showing how to DIY tons of stuff on your own car.

Most important, if you're going to get under your car, no matter what method you choose to elevate it, just make sure you take the necessary steps to ensure it is secure and won't drop down or roll away on you. Don't ever rely on just one method of lifting/securing the car. If one fails for some reason, you have another.

Pick up a maintenance manual or two for your car. They'll show you many jobs you can do on your car, tools you'll need, and steps to get it done.

As for oil, I found a container at AutoZone that doubles as both a drain pan and storage. You layout flat, open a hole in its upfacing side, and drain. Your fluid. When done, cap the hole and you can store the container upright like a gas can. To empty it, there's a large cap so you can pour it out like a gas can. I think it was maybe $15. To dispose of the oil, see if a local shop will take it (they often burn it for their indoor heater), and also look out for local Hazmat disposal events put on by the town/state and bring them the fluids in something like gallon jugs you have for milk and water.

And as always, ask questions of folks like you're doing here. Someone else always has a different spin on things and you can learn something from everyone, even the people who are wrong, lol.

Here's the thing then, if I don't use the jack that came with the car, where do I find a non floor jack that is less than 5" so I can squeeze it under our car? I would love to be able to use some massive pieces of plywood like what was pictured above, but I have nowhere to store it and I wouldn't want to leave it outside and exposed to the elements. My apartment in only about 750 sq feet. I just have to figure out how to get creative. =)

[gravitylover]

^^ Most low profile jacks will fit under the car. When using ramps for oil changes you may run into the car not being level so the oil won't drain completely.

[Overdrive]

Low profile 3-ton jack at Harbor Freight usually runs about $100, often there are coupons to get it for less, and with both my cars being less than 6 inches off the ground, it serves them both well. Remember, you're not lifting the car at its corners. You basically have one central jack point in front, and one in back. As gravitylover said above, you can get all four wheels off the ground so the car is level and be pretty assured that you've drained all your oil (our drain plug faces straight down unlike a lot of cars that do a side drain). The emergency jack in the car really isn't suited for a lot of uses.

As for the plywood, you could get a bunch of smaller sheets of it to lay out when needed and store them away when done. That will store a lot easier than one giant piece. If you do the car port thing, try to find one that breaks down easily so you can have an easier time putting it away.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by why?

Here's the thing then, if I don't use the jack that came with the car, where do I find a non floor jack that is less than 5" so I can squeeze it under our car? I would love to be able to use some massive pieces of plywood like what was pictured above, but I have nowhere to store it and I wouldn't want to leave it outside and exposed to the elements. My apartment in only about 750 sq feet. I just have to figure out how to get creative. =)

Ya know, why?, I have found over the years, that sometimes it's just best to let go of a project, until you have a more appropriate place to carry it out.

Case in point, back in the 60s we moved to California and rented an apartment that had 2 bedrooms and a little balcony.

Where I worked, I could borrow hand and small power tools. So, I found this full sized oak teachers style desk, which I bought to refinish.

So, I disassembled it and took the pieces up to my balcony on the 3rd floor where I would use a belt sander to start the refinish job. My "neighbors" complained of the noise, so the apartment manager made me stop.

Well, I was bound and determined to continue the project, so I moved it into the spare bedroom. After I got it all sanded down, I screwed and glued it together ...... real good, I applied several coats of varnish. It looked GREAT!

After a few months, we bought a house and when we moved out of the apartment, guess what ....... yep, you guessed it, ....... no way that desk would go through the door......without cutting off the legs ......

The moral of the story is ........ you guessed it ......


humfrz

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by humfrz

The moral of the story is ........ you guessed it ......

On the flip side, sometimes the fun is in overcoming the obstacles. I lived in an apartment in Chula Vista the last 3 years I was in the Navy. I was bound and determined to build myself a custom guitar but I didn't have a source for dry compressed air.

I did, however, and still have all my SCUBA gear so I chatted up a guy at one of the dive shops and scored an old first stage regulator he had on the "back shelf" as well as an adapter for the pipe threads I needed. I used that setup to lay down three coats of color to match the body to the neck and another fifteen coats of clear to build it up. I think I went through three fills so, all in all...