Easiest to Hardest DIY?
10-20-22, 12:41 PM
#16
I've always found Lexus/Toyota vehicles an absolute joy to work on compared to other manufacturers. Japanese engineers are on another level.
YouTube videos and even this forum can be a slippery slope for someone with little or no experience. What I mean is they can both foster a false sense of accomplishment that can sometimes be reckless. I'll come back to this...
There's a lot to be said about fundamentals and basic learning curves. A video or tutorial doesn't talk in detail about basic safety procedures like how safely jack up a vehicle. No one talks about the hard lessons we've all learned about cheap vs quality tools.
Obviously, some jobs are easier than others but even a YT video can be misleading. If the OP owns a 95 he needs to be aware of the pitfalls of any car of that age. A simple procedure often turns into a struggle because of frozen bolts, stubborn wiring connectors that break, etc... I recently watched a YT vid posted on the 430 side on how to replace spark plug tube seals. The car in the vid had approx 100k miles and the tube seals popped out rather easily with a gentle pry. If you've done this procedure you know the longer those seals are in place the harder they become. I replaced mine on a 400 with 200k miles and they were hard as a rock. This seemingly simple step added about an hour to the job as they had to be chiseled out in 100 tiny pieces. This same video also didn't go into detail how critical the proper use of FPG is when replacing VC gaskets where they change direction vertically. My point is a video or tutorial can make things look easy to the untrained eye and quickly get someone in over their head. But of course we've all been in over our head and that's part of the learning process👍
To the OP- learn the basics of how an engine actually works. Learn the different parts and be able to identify them on any vehicle. i.e. know how each part contributes to the overall system.
Always practice safety and don't buy cheap tools they will only cost more in the long run.
When in doubt come back to the forum and ask questions. What's are the potential unforseen issues when replacing a ________________ ?
YouTube videos and even this forum can be a slippery slope for someone with little or no experience. What I mean is they can both foster a false sense of accomplishment that can sometimes be reckless. I'll come back to this...
There's a lot to be said about fundamentals and basic learning curves. A video or tutorial doesn't talk in detail about basic safety procedures like how safely jack up a vehicle. No one talks about the hard lessons we've all learned about cheap vs quality tools.
Obviously, some jobs are easier than others but even a YT video can be misleading. If the OP owns a 95 he needs to be aware of the pitfalls of any car of that age. A simple procedure often turns into a struggle because of frozen bolts, stubborn wiring connectors that break, etc... I recently watched a YT vid posted on the 430 side on how to replace spark plug tube seals. The car in the vid had approx 100k miles and the tube seals popped out rather easily with a gentle pry. If you've done this procedure you know the longer those seals are in place the harder they become. I replaced mine on a 400 with 200k miles and they were hard as a rock. This seemingly simple step added about an hour to the job as they had to be chiseled out in 100 tiny pieces. This same video also didn't go into detail how critical the proper use of FPG is when replacing VC gaskets where they change direction vertically. My point is a video or tutorial can make things look easy to the untrained eye and quickly get someone in over their head. But of course we've all been in over our head and that's part of the learning process👍
To the OP- learn the basics of how an engine actually works. Learn the different parts and be able to identify them on any vehicle. i.e. know how each part contributes to the overall system.
Always practice safety and don't buy cheap tools they will only cost more in the long run.
When in doubt come back to the forum and ask questions. What's are the potential unforseen issues when replacing a ________________ ?
10-20-22, 03:28 PM
#17
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
Completely agree. This entire experience has been very humbling so far, as far as how much I have to learn and how ignorant I was just pulling the trigger on an older used car if even from a storied brand and running ok so far. Perhaps it is so refreshing because it is so far from my day job which is a desk job, and it is nice to get your *** kicked from time to time I guess, reminds you that you are always learning and always need to rely on wisdom and experience of others.
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LEXOVE
CL of Southern California
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10-21-14 09:11 PM