<VV> Why Do Manuals...? My rantings

[Frog Princezz]

As a computer person then you may recall a magazine called "PC NOVICE".  This was strictly a computer iliterate's computer mag.  It basically took the reader from kindergarten to computer user.  It assumed that a computer just fell out of the sky into the hands of a caveman and I must say I loved it.  I guess that's what I'm looking for in a car manual.  So what I'm getting from all of you is... " Hey Sista, It's cool, take it down a thousand yooou're doing fine.  You can't expect to perform brain surgery when you've just learned to use a knife!"  But until I get a chance to take a basic mechanics course is there a... dare I say... a manual for basic mechanics that you guys would give your 7 year old sons as a birthday gift so come summertime he can help work on the hotrod?  Like  "Everything you need to know about Cars" or "Cars for Dummies" or "A Chick's Guide to Auto Mechanics 101(How to win a guys heart and not get screwed at the auto shop)"
 
Alesia


"N. Joseph Potts" <pottsf at msn.com> wrote:
Well, I never wrote a car service manual (Craig Nicol of our list does
that), but I wrote manuals for computer software, and you may be sure that
we manual writers exert ourselves considerably trying to figure out (a) what
questions or needs our users might approach our manuals with; and (b) what
terminology ("headwords") such users might have in their minds as they seek
to access the information, which usually IS buried somewhere in all that
information in the manual, that seems useless because all you see it doing
is interfering with your access to the 1% of the contents that you happen to
need at any particular moment.
That said, you may find it helpful to consider (this may be the answer
to your question) that most car service manuals are written for PROFESSIONAL
mechanics in dealerships that SPECIALIZE in the marque in question (say,
Corvairs). The Corvair Shop Manual (the automotive manual on which I "cut my
teeth," and from which I learned much of what I know about automotive
terminology) is at least a semi-internal publication that, like other
service manuals, is made available to do-it-yourselfers and owners as
something of an afterthought.
Outfits like Brooklands, Haynes, and Bentley publish "aftermarket"
service manuals for specific marques and years that are ostensibly more for
owners, but I often find these manuals somewhat lacking in depth or
year-specific detail. Such manuals DID exist for Corvairs, and a few are
still carried by Corvair vendors, but for the most part, they have become
unobtainium - for good reason, I suspect.
You approach working on and fixing your Corvair hardware as a learning
process (most admirably). I'd suggest you approach the task of finding and
understanding the contents of your Corvair software (manuals, mostly) as a
learning process ALSO. You apply much patience to working with your Corvair
hardware. Carve off some of this patience and apply it to working with the
software, as well.

Joe Potts
Miami, Florida USA
1966 Corsa coupe 140hp 4-speed with A/C

-----Original Message-----
From: virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org
[mailto:virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org]On Behalf Of Frog Princezz
Sent: Saturday, June 25, 2005 8:26 PM
To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
Subject: Why Do Manuals...? My rantings


Why do the tech manuals suck hard boiled eggs through coffee stirs?
I have gone over the collection of manuals I now own and still have a hard
time finding what I'm looking for if I ever find it. The reasons I suppose
I can't find what I'm looking for is
1). I don't know the proper name nor the proper system that it is a part of
2). It's just not in the manuals
3). It's there but not enough information is given for my needs
Yes I said collection... OK it's only four but I started out with two
purchased the chaassis manual at everyones suggestion and it does me little
good and even bought Corvair Basics it's a nice book but again does me
veeery little good.

I just descovered that I need thermostat bellows... and how did I discovered
this? NOT from the manuals but from one of my fellow VV'ers, Thanx Del!!!
Being the novice that I am and no car genius after dropping the engine lower
shrouds and see how it looks like part of the exhaust system, I thought to
look ing the exhaussst section of the manuals and NOTHING!!
But with a name like thermostat I thought OH cooling system!!! and what did
I find NOT A DING DANG THANG! And that big ole hose that runs from the
driver side baffle to the passanger side wall what is that and what's it
connected to and how do you change it? Hell if I know... can't find
anything on that either!

So I guess someone will suggest I purchase yet another manual to explain the
manuals RIGHT?!?! OH I DARE YOU!!! I DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU!!!

If the manual companies are gonna sale these, IMHO, senseless misuse of a
perfectly good tree could they at least give me some useful information?!?

This has been a 60 second commentary by one ticked off sista!
Alesia

P.S. If it wasn't for you guys I'd still be stuck with a really cute lawn
ornament!