BostonDMD

over the mechanical impaired, like myself?

I personally don't know the first thing about my car's mechanical aspects, and I think that I might be a disadvantage in being completely "in synch" with the car.....

I am lucky by the fact that I have purchased a track car that has been built from the ground up and tuned up and tweaked by a great driver and racer, so all I have to worry about is learn how to drive it......

But what are the minimal mechanical aspects of the car that should I learn about?

I am thinking that knowing about brakes, suspension, and engine is very important, anything else?

Would that make a driver better, safer and faster?

Where would someone learn it from? A book, their mechanic, their track buddies?

Sorry for the long post, I am stuck at the Phoenix airport for a few hours, so.....might as well try to pick your brains and learn something........

Thanks

deep_uv

Start working on it. Use the Rennlist 911 forum, Pelican 911 forum, etc... Use the search function on Rennlist or Pelican to find info on topics you're interested in. Start with minor maintenance like changing your oil or flushing your brakes and work your way up. Buy the manuals, Get a copy of PET and off you go. Buy the well known popular books that cover your model of 911. You'll be surprised how easy they are to work on and how much money you'll save.

multi21

Not necessarily. Mario Andretti often says he never turned a wrench in his entire racing career, even when it was just he and his brother Aldo on dirt tracks.

However, I imagine that is always better to know how to work on the basics in the event something doesn't seem right when at the track. Just like you, I hope to learn more about these cars for my own personal knowledge and the comfort of knowing how to work on things that are consumables or items that require high frequency of care or changing.

One of the things I do when I take my car in to an independent shop, is to watch them as they work on the car and ask them questions as they do it (with their permission, of course).

kurt M

Start with the brakes and related systems. You will work on the brakes as much as the rest of the car it seems. Take it slow, take notes, take pictures and mark things when taking things apart. What seems simple when assembled does not always look so when all apart layer after layer. Many aspects of a 911 are simple some are not to any but the mechanically inclined and informed. To start I would stick with the simple stuff and have a go to guy when you get stuck. Skip the beer and put aside plenty of time to work so you can do so in a relaxed manner and with your head in the full upright position. This will let you do your best and enjoy the work as you complete it. After a while the more complex stuff will become simpler as the rest of the cars systems make sense. Build a good tool kit if you don't have one now. You don't need Snap-On or other uber high $ tools. Craftsman or Husky (home depot house brand) is plenty good enough for the weekend wrench. Save the $ and spend it on more good handy man grade tools. A large $300 or so starter set is a great start. Build on it as you go. Tools will pay back in money time and more so in satisfaction of work well done.

Sign up with your local PCA Tech Crew. You will give some back to the DE team and learn much more in return. This will also let you connect up with experienced weekend wrenches that will help learn and show you where to go for information, tools and parts as well as one on one guide you when needed.

You are more likely to have a satisfying weekend when you have an understanding of your car. Little things often sideline the less informed.

Ok the little one is back asleep. I am out of here.

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Great question!!!!!!

IMHO, you don't need to do your own work to gain value from a thorough understanding about how your car works.

What you DO gain is a sensitivity about the mechanical bits that usually reduces your maintenance costs due to abuse and the ability to help someone accurately troubleshoot any problem that arises with your car,...

In the same vein, I don't need to learn and perform my own dentistry, but I do need to know everything needed to proactively take good care of my teeth,...

Tom W

My $0.02. Knowing how to work on the car won't make you a better driver or go faster. Knowing how the car feels and knowing what needs to be adjusted to make it better will. As one example, Mark (Sunday Driver) started a great thread a while back about learning what shock adjustments do and how it will help.

GUMBALL

That is correct, but Mario became EXTREMELY good at engineering and set-up.

Others have posted the same - you don't need to be a great mechanic, but you do need to know how to do the simple stuff...bleeding brakes, torqueing wheels, setting tire pressures, etc, etc...

If you want to learn about maintenance, driving and setup, there are several good books:
the series by Carrol Smith
the series by Ross Bentley

stownsen914

I would argue that having at least a basic understanding of how things work will help with car setup, especially when you are at the track (unless your mechanic is there with you at the event). I think that having the ability to do basic suspension adjustments (sway bars, shock valving, etc.) yourself at the track in response to sensing over/understeer, etc has to lead to better lap times ...

Also, as noted in one of the other posts, it never hurts in my opinion to have some understanding of your car to help your mechanic troubleshoot mechanical issues (save yourself a few $$).

Good luck!

RedlineMan

Let me put it this way...

There would be nothing worse than sitting at a distant track where you don't know anyone, with an ill handling car, and trying to figure out for your self how to put the jack under the car, and how to remove the lugnuts so you can make a simple sway bar adjustment or change a measly brake pad. I would be embarrassed.

- Nothing is ever mandatory (usually, if you have the money), but a lot of things sure can be helpful.

- I don't subscribe to the theory that Ignorance is Bliss. It's just ignorance.

Even if you have someone to do your dirty work for you, knowing how a car works can be helpful in describing what you need to the Dirty Worker.

smlporsche

I'm definitely a novice when it comes to car mechanics but like John said it's important to know the basics so that you can diagnose why the car is handleing the way it is and hopefully make a relatively minor correction to improve the handleing / performance if you want.

I would think as a minimum you should be able to do the following:
- change brake pads
- change / bleed brake fluid
- adjust swaybars ( and realize what this does)
- change oil & filter
- adjust tire pressures

I'm sure many things could be added to this list but this is where I am..

Bob Rouleau

Boston, knowledge is power. I agree with the comments above. Buy and read Carrol Smith's Engineer to Win.
Best

BostonDMD

Thanks for all your responses so far.....

I do agree I need to learn the basics Eddie listed, but how?

Are there video that show the process......does PCA have tech sessions to show these
procedures to newbies........how did you learn it?

Do you think that by just reading a book I would feel comfortable changing my own brake pads and brake fluids? What if I screw it up, the consequences on the track would be disastrous........

I guess I fear myself more as a mechanic than as a driver......

Anyway, please give me some ideas of how I can learn to do the basics by the "hands on" approach......

I wish there was a course I could take for that, and I am sure I would not be the only one that would pay a reasonable fee to learn from someone who can teach the "mechanics 101" course.......

Any volunteers?.......

Gary R.

As far as brake pads and fluid go, it's a matter of seeing it done once and having the correct tools for the job. Start out small and as you gain confidence you will see it isn't rocket science (or dentistry)... This winter find someone with a garage that can show you how to do things like this.. maybe even me! As far as the "better driver" part, I say no. I WOULD say it's better to know whats in your car and how it works, but plenty of great drivers are not mechanically inclined..

Sean F

On the head. This becomes a lot more important when you start racing. Unless you have track support for your races, you need to be able to care of suspension adjustments as well as emergency fixes. As suggested, start with the brakes. At a minimum you need to be able to:

Replace brake pads and rotors
Bleed your brakes or replace fluid
Adjust front and rear sway bars (remove rear for rain)
Replace fuses and relays (have a map for what does what)
Understand how your kill switch works

More advanced:
Replace fuel pump

I'd suggest that you get the Bentley manual for your car and over the winter replace your rotors, inspect your calipers, replace your pads, bleed your brakes, etc. Get a good basic set of tools and have at it.

joey bagadonuts

+1

I didn't know a lot about automotive mechanics, either, but I was lucky enough to hang out with guys who did. Having someone look over your work or guide you through it is a great way to learn and will help you avoid some of the pitfalls of going it totally alone. It's too bad your car is completely finished because having an upgrade project, one where you'll get your hands dirty, would be a good way to get started.

As for reading, Fred Puhn's "How to Make Your Car Handle" is another worthwhile title. The "How to" articles posted by Rennlist and Pelican members are also very useful. For 964/993 owners, there's a whole library of DIY Stuff available at p-car.com which I refer to time and time again.

Last suggestion: You may want to learn how to measure tire temps. When assessing handling, you'll first want to confirm that your pressures are correct. Pressures should be based on temps and if they're off, then any conclusions drawn thereafter may be off.