Basic car maintenance & repair.

Shimmyhill

Shimmyhill

Shimmyhill

Soldato
Joined
26 Oct 2002
Posts
4,171
Location
Norwich
My car: 1999 Puma 1.7 I use it to goto work, have fun in and track - it isnt the main car in the household and covers around 5-7k year.

I now want to service it myself as its worthless so no need to keep stamps in books! I want to learn the basics as the will be useful for when it breaks down or while at a track etc as much as to save money on labour rates etc.

The most i have ever done on a car is change the HCV on this car, i have changed 1 wheel in my life (sisters car on an emergency callout from her!!) and have been spoilt by either new cars or company cars until getting the puma 1.5 years ago! So limited knowledge is the key but willing to learn!

I need to buy the basic tools, i own an Halfords advanced tool kit - bargain mentioned in these forums a while back. While i have an inspection pit it has been filled in :eek: (kids safety) so i need some axle stands, trolly jack etc.

Can you recommend me what to buy starting out - esp stands, jack, torque wrench etc - brands to look for and to avoid? I will be starting out servicing the car, then moving on to changing pads and discs and potentially the aux belt and tensioner - all jobs i am led to believe are well within the DIY mechanic remit!

tl;dr - what tools should i buy?
 
Interested in recommendations too. I've been DIYing more recently but am limited by lack of kit.
 
I've got two two foot pieces if hardwood sleepers that come in very handy, even on axle stands I chuck them under the wheels to be safe or use them as chocks or for sitting

Lever bars a proper set

Magnetic bowl
 
I would recommend signing up to both pumapeople and projectpuma website. Both good sites with a lot of sound advice from other puma owners - anything that goes wrong then theres a chance they have been through the same and have a solution (obviously doesnt count out on the road/track unless you have a smart phone). Theres a decent wiki section on puma people with a lot of 'how to's' on the pumas more frequent needs including pictures and step by step guides.
 
I am a member of both, have viewed the various guides for doing my minor jobs - both good sites, puma people seems to be slowing down of late - i guess many people are moving on now!
 
Well I do all work on my own cars, and have a variety of brands of tools. Snap on are very good but generally too dear for home users. 75% of my tools are halfords pro/advanced. I've got sealey torque wrenches as well as sealey 3ton jack, axle stands and creeper board. If your planning on oil changes make sure you've got something big enough to drain old oil into. I got a 17ltr drain pan, big yes, but also allows me to empty coolant system into it.

Most tasks on a car can be found on the net. My bmw has loads of sites dedicated to repairing them, i'm sure there are ones for the puma. I'd get a torque wrench to allow you to tighten bolts to right torque, some people say this isn't necessary and just tight will do, but I'd like to ensure they're done up properly.
 
For general servicing I imagine it is pretty straightforward. For anything else then as mentioned check out for guides on the open net/enthusiast sites.

You will likely need 2 torque wrenches depending on where you need to work on the car. Something with a lower range and another with much higher range (for hub nuts etc). The latter could be overkill as you might rarely need that kind of torque.

Feeler gauges, spark plug gapping tools, spark plug socket are all potential things you might need. Infact an appropriately sized spark plug socket is a must have for servicing. (My Halfords kit did not come with a size required for my S2000)

Oh - Oily rags :D
 
I'd also recommend some ramps, some decent rubber gloves & preferably some overalls. They aren't necessary by a long way but they do help :)

Also patience and a few tubs to put nuts/bolts that come off the car in.
 
Blue Roll is handy for when you need to make something clean but your hands a filthy and you're surrounded by oily rags. Also be careful when buying jacks to make sure the minimum saddle height is lower than the lowest point on the car you will want to put the jack on, especially on a track car which may be a bit low.
 
Cheers for all the help.

While i have some spark plug sockets in my Halfords set the only time i tried to use it was on my lawnmower engine and the socket wasnt deep enough! i will get some deeper ones, feeler gauges (i see plugs come gapped but best to check)

With regards torque wrenches, would a halfords advanced one be better than a draper one - halfords one is 70 (not on offer at mo) where the draper one can be had for 30 ish on the good old 'bay.

Similar with jack and axle stands - halfords cheap and cheerful kit or better to spend more and get higher quality one?? Also with jacking, my drive is stones - is it ok to use stands on stones (i can get some ramps from my dad too) or a total no-no?
 
I'd try your spark plug socket on your car before you go and buy a new one. The one's in my halfords set have done every car i've tried them on.

I've just bought a halfords advanced 3/8 torque wrench and it's much better quality than my draper one. Draper one has lost it's locking nut, but it's 6 year old and been used and abused. I've seen sealey torque wrenches for about £40 but never used one.

As for jacking on stones, i'd be tempted to avoid doing this. I've got some wood I use to use when I was jacking car up on tarmac as stands use to sink in slightly. I have done repairs on cars in a layby outside my old house, much to the amusement of the neighbours!
 
Haynes manual is an important part of my toolkit, got a whole row of em on a bookshelf for every car I've owned! They can be found second-hand but even paying full whack (£20 odd) for a guide which clearly shows every single nut & bolt in the car is a worthwhile investment IMO.
 
Shimmyhill said:
They dont do one for the puma, nearest is fiesta but obv doesnt cover the engine :(
Click to expand...

Don't worry, the Haynes manuals are a good starting point, but the work never goes quite as they say it will. "Reassembly is the reverse of removal" is all it ever says :(

What is more useful however would be a full workshop/parts manual. Mine is an inch thick with exploded diagrams and part numbers on every page:

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Great for when you've broken something and need to know its part number, and even better for when you've taken something off and forgotten how it goes back together :p

Some people with gravel drives lay a couple of paving slabs down to act as bases for axles stands, I've never been convinced by how safe this is, and you'll still but really uncomfortable lying on gravel :p
 
Stick to a good make of tools, I use Facom, and just buy as and when you need it, and build up a good collection.

Key points

Always store your tools afterwards, if you don't you will lose them
Never lend tools to anyone, they won't give them back

When dismantling anything, if unsure take photo's for future reference
Keep nuts bolts and washers/small fixings etc in a container

Double check everything you do, even seasoned mechanics make mistakes, such nightmares as loose wheel bolts are not uncommon.
 
Since you are working on a gravel drive I'd recommend a tarp or dust sheet that you can lay underneath the car in case you drop a bolt or screw as it will be a nightmare to find otherwise.

As for buying a decent set op jacks & stands, remember it's them that hold the car above you so do you really want to save money in this area?

Also jacking on gravel isn't something I've done but the slap Idea sounds promising.

Griffo where did you gather your workshop/parts manual from?
 
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