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Just one simple question


Chaparral2f

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Question 1: What are Haynes manuals good for other than door stops? (If only they were printed on softer paper that wouldn't clog the toilet!)

Question 2: Do the Haynes publishers really believe that people need a manual to be told that anything more complicated than making sure that ones feet are in the car before closing the door "must be taken to an authorized dealer"?

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There was a time they weren't liability-constrained to such phrases...

 

Go pick up a Motor Manual from the mid 60's. All SORTS of cool things you could fix on a car.

 

Rebuild the Voltage Regulator, Adjust the Contact Points and Regulated Voltage....

 

Arc Diameter Specifications for your Shoes...

 

The less professional manuals had information like how to rustproof using such nice things as Red Lead Paint! wink.gif

 

My training presentations are throwbacks. I see how many people even KNOW what "Carbon Tetrachloride" is...

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KTM that is a good point, I've seen some overseas in Australia and the UK which appear quite a bit more detailed than current US offerings.

 

I remember the old MOTOR manuals, with all the grilles to identify what you were working on...and being shocked when I got the Chevy FSM and compared them to realize they were just compilations of factory instructions!blink.gif

 

FSM's, even on a 66 Corvair kick arse on ANY aftermarket manual! What would be awesome if we could get them is the assembly-floor manuals. You can get these for Chevy's, I know (I have them!) When you read those Assembly Line Procedures and Instructions, it makes restoration pretty detailed. "Grommet to be placed into hole after application of 0.04oz weatherstripping adhesive P/N 938475584 and rotated 1/4 turn to orient cut at 6 o'clock position allowing for proper drainage."

 

Kinda makes anal car show judges happy to see that grommet out of place! -1...cool.gif

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I loved Motor Manuals. Of course I've always been a sucker for books that actually tell how to repair things, not just change parts.

Carbon tetra chloride was a spot remover when I was young, not to mention being used in glass fire extinguisher "grenades".

Even though it was really bad s##t, you gotta admit that red lead paint worked extremely well. If there is any thing that is truly deadly that I used back then that worked incredably well it would have to be the tri chlor ethelene [sp] vapor degreaser. That crap could kill you, but greasy parts didn't stand a chance.

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Carbon Tetrachloride? We used that at high school in the mid '90s in NZ...

 

My gripe is I used to tan skins using a battery acid and salt recipe, now that sulphuric acid (what old lead batteries use, not so sure of the new calcium tech ones) is on the govt watch list due to being used in part of the Crystal Meth/P/Methamphetamine manufacture it is now a pain to get battery shops to give me any...

 

Oh well, I'm in china, nothing to shoot and nothing to shoot it with here so no tanning skins until I get home to my trusty .303 and wild animals.

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1, 1, 1 Trichlorethelyene.... I still have an empty 1 gallon can. I keep it around to freak out people.

 

I used to fill a five gallon bucket, and start on one bank of the engine with an air eductor and start blasting away. 15 gallons per engine.... By the time I was finished cleaning all three engines at my plant I was a stumbling stuporous idiot with a smile that made the Cheshire Cat look like he was smirking. I would then hit the control room and trip for quite a while.

 

i'm sure my liver will get me later on. Same as my mom and my uncle ralph.

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That is something I brought out to our Technical Manuals Section.

They simply responded by deleting our traditional "Chapter 4 Maintenance and Inspection" in lieu of "Contact your local Authorized Service Representative"

 

What does that mean? Now our Distributors call ME to get the skinny on how to do it, and train the new guys to do it.

 

Mark up one for the Technical Writers, the successfully turfed it to Technical Services.

 

We can't say "put it together the way you took it apart" ... especially after witnessing HOW some of these guys take stuff apart!blink.gif

 

To be honest, our older manuals were pretty good with at least someone taking the time to list in reverse order the disassembly procedure and telling you when you had to take clearance checks and stuff... But it was generic. There are tricks to getting a 4,500 HP bearing out that you don't need to know on an 800 HP bearing assembly (one being a crane isn't helpful on an 800 HP Bearing Set, but is a lifesaver on the 242# 4,500 HP unit!cool.gif)

Edited by Tony D
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How about this? Haynes PCM test. This is a word for word quote from the manual:

 

"Using the tips of the fingers, tap vigorously on the side of the computer while the engine is running. If the computer is not functioning properly, the engine may stumble or stall, and display glitches on the engine data stream obtained using a SCAN tool or other diagnostic equipment."....."If there are no obvious signs of damage, have the unit checked at a dealer service department."

 

Of course if you happen to be trying to figure why the engine won't start.......

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