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[sluissa]

So, I have an old car (Late 80s old, not "Polish it up and take it to a show" old.) and some stuff is starting to happen to it which impacts the driving. This isn't the first time, it's just the latest in a long line of "what is it now?" problems that have been taken care of by professional mechanics.

As stupid as it probably is, I don't entirely lack a mechanical touch so I thought I might look at handling some of the simpler stuff on my own to save cash.

I'm looking for service manuals and coming up with basically nothing. I've seen used versions of the official dealer service manuals, which run about as much as a single major repair would and are thus outside of my budget and $20 "Haynes" manuals which almost everyone agrees is complete crap.

Anyone have any suggestions? I've also looked for free sources, in every sense of the word and come up short. Next stop is the local library to see if they have anything in stock, but library around here isn't all that great, so I don't know how helpful that will be.

I'd be happy buying the Haynes manual if it'll help at all, but few people are happy there. Otherwise I'm kind of lost and while I"m sure I could handle stuff with a manual, I'm a bit hesitant to start digging around the guts of a car without any sort of guidance. Last resort is to put out a local call to a car guy who I might be able to convince to look over my shoulder in exchange for buying lunch. Might do that anyway, but I would like to have a book on hand either way.

Also note, I also have a 2009 car which is more of my daily driver which while very reliable is probably entering the era where it will need some significant work done on it anytime soon. At the very least i know it needs new brake pads. A less thorough search has come up with nothing for that either, other than a Haynes manual, some overpriced dealer manuals, and a "diy" site the dealer puts out that's subscription based. Any suggestions for that era would be helpful as well. But seeing as I'm less confident with the newer cars(especially something I'd be driving regularly as opposed to the fun but mostly just sentimental garage filler 80s car.) I'm more inclined to take the 2009 to a professional.

Youtube is also a good resource, but not my ideal reference material, if you understand me.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

[LordBucket]

What make/model/year of vehicle?

[sluissa]

A 1989 Lincoln Town Car
and a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe.

[LordBucket]

A 1989 Lincoln Town Car

That's pre-public internet and pre-DVD. Going to be tough to find something you can simply download. But here's the shop manual on ebay for $75

and a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe.

Try hyundaiusa.com. They want a specific VIN, but they claim to offer free manual downloads to owners.

[sluissa]

That's not a terrible deal for the Town Car manual, if it's still in decent condition. Might consider that. The Hyundai website is a little less useful though. I think that link leads to the normal owner's manual that you get with the car. There was a separate site that required a login that was supposed to give dealers the full repair manual and owners a more limited version, but that turned into a pay service for owners a few years ago.

[acetech09]

Honestly, the best source will be youtube and car forums. Also find a Chilton manual (if there is one) - it's a bit better than Haynes. If you can find a factory service manual, that's always a good bet.

Also, once you get the hang of wrenching, you'll find that a LOT of procedures (the vast majority) are well-doable without a manual. Especially on a '89 American freedom barge.

[sluissa]

Not sure if it would help with the 89 car, but in the mid 2000s Chilton was bought out by Haynes, even though they kept printing under both names for quite a while. Any Chilton Manual for the 2009 car is going to be the exact same as the Haynes manual. (Some reviews say the print is bigger to make it seem like there's more to the book in the Chilton manual. But basically the same text and the exact same pictures in both.)

[acetech09]

Not sure if it would help with the 89 car, but in the mid 2000s Chilton was bought out by Haynes, even though they kept printing under both names for quite a while. Any Chilton Manual for the 2009 car is going to be the exact same as the Haynes manual. (Some reviews say the print is bigger to make it seem like there's more to the book in the Chilton manual. But basically the same text and the exact same pictures in both.)

Yes, but irrelevant.

[Reudh]

Is this thread okay for general use? If so:

So I drive a 1990 Holden VN Commodore. Lately, its battery runs flat if I haven't used it in a few days - i don't know what's causing this. My best bet is it's a faulty boot light (apparently a common VN fault) or the ancient aftermarket alarm system draining too much power. I don't have a multimeter so I don't know what the battery's voltage level is, either, but it's a new battery so that shouldn't be an issue.

Additionally, the thermofan is deader than disco. This is not an issue if I am driving long distances without stopping, as there's enough airflow to keep the engine cool, but in stop start traffic it will boil quite quickly.
So, my question is: how much do you fine folks reckon replacing/rewiring a thermofan would cost me?

[acetech09]

So I drive a 1990 Holden VN Commodore. Lately, its battery runs flat if I haven't used it in a few days - i don't know what's causing this. My best bet is it's a faulty boot light (apparently a common VN fault) or the ancient aftermarket alarm system draining too much power. I don't have a multimeter so I don't know what the battery's voltage level is, either, but it's a new battery so that shouldn't be an issue.

Use your phone's camera to see if the boot light stays on. (I assume that's the problem, just a fautly trigger). If that's not it, then you can try disconnecting the alarm system. That could certainly be the problem but might not be straightforward to disconnect.

Changing out a radiator fan should be 2-3hrs of labor + parts. Possibly DIYable with basic tools + knowledge.