She wants to do it!

[Kcbell73]

Ok. I am new here and so I want to give a little background.

I am not the usual diy mechanic. I am a 47yo female. I am 4’9” tall and I weigh 130 lbs. If you saw me on the street you would never suspect that I would have ever even changed a tire.

However, ten years ago, on a whim, I bought my daughter a project car. It was nothing special. No collector car. Just a little tool around car that we could work on together and if our repairs weren’t perfect no big deal.

So, she was supposed to help. And she did ... at first. But she was a teen and her interest wavered so OUR project car quickly became MY project car.

Coil packs. Head and valve cover gaskets. Pumps. Fans. Sensors. Suspension. Transmission. You name it...I laid hands on it.

And I loved it.

Anyway. Right now, as my business is shuttered by covid, I am taking my spare time to get major maintenance done on my car. It’s timing chain time and all the fluids changed, and update suspension and a couple leaky gaskets I have avoided since I hadn’t had the time.

So the other day my daughter, who has seen all the work I’m doing on my car says, “I want to work on my Jeep. Can you help me? I don’t want you to do it. I just want you to tell me what I should do and I’ll do it.”



She starts with brakes, rotors and calipers. And she has a failed speed sensor keeping her in limp mode and a rear axle seal that needs replacing.

This is going to be fun.

 

[MarksmanAkula]

Ok. I am new here and so I want to give a little background.

I am not the usual diy mechanic. I am a 47yo female. I am 4’9” tall and I weigh 130 lbs. If you saw me on the street you would never suspect that I would have ever even changed a tire.

However, ten years ago, on a whim, I bought my daughter a project car. It was nothing special. No collector car. Just a little tool around car that we could work on together and if our repairs weren’t perfect no big deal.

So, she was supposed to help. And she did ... at first. But she was a teen and her interest wavered so OUR project car quickly became MY project car.

Coil packs. Head and valve cover gaskets. Pumps. Fans. Sensors. Suspension. Transmission. You name it...I laid hands on it.

And I loved it.

Anyway. Right now, as my business is shuttered by covid, I am taking my spare time to get major maintenance done on my car. It’s timing chain time and all the fluids changed, and update suspension and a couple leaky gaskets I have avoided since I hadn’t had the time.

So the other day my daughter, who has seen all the work I’m doing on my car says, “I want to work on my Jeep. Can you help me? I don’t want you to do it. I just want you to tell me what I should do and I’ll do it.”



She starts with brakes, rotors and calipers. And she has a failed speed sensor keeping her in limp mode and a rear axle seal that needs replacing.

This is going to be fun.

I love reading stories like this! Theres nothing more satisfying than fixing an issue yourself and knowing you didn't have to pay someone hundreds or thousands to do so!

Me and my girlfriend have a similar story. Im a 6' 200LB male. Shes a 5' 0" 130LB female. I got her a jeep liberty for $400. Solid drive train, just neglected suspension wise and interior wise.

I've gutted the interior, done front and rear axles, front and rear suspension and breaks, rebuilt and replaced the transfer case, replaced transmission pan and filter, rebuilt front drive shaft, replaced the U-joints on the rear shaft, did spark plugs, master cylinder and brake booster, and so much more.

Shes been showing more and more interest on how things work, how to do them herself, and such. What tools to use, where to look up things for the car, ordering parts, etc.

I think our next project is to reinstall the front driveshaft and then take the rear end off and rebuild the axle and rear diff.

 

[Kcbell73]

I love reading stories like this! Theres nothing more satisfying than fixing an issue yourself and knowing you didn't have to pay someone hundreds or thousands to do so!

True. And knowing it was done right also helps. I let our tire guy do a simple brake pad change while I was getting tires last year. I had the pads in the seat and he offered so I said yes. But I told him to check and grease the slides since I was feeling a little drag on one side. Days later, still feeling the drag, I took them off and found a torn caliper boot and nearly dusty slides. I know he couldn’t fix the caliper on the fly like that, but he could have at least told me.

Me and my girlfriend have a similar story. Im a 6' 200LB male. Shes a 5' 0" 130LB female. I got her a jeep liberty for $400. Solid drive train, just neglected suspension wise and interior wise.

Sweet!

I've gutted the interior, done front and rear axles, front and rear suspension and breaks, rebuilt and replaced the transfer case, replaced transmission pan and filter, rebuilt front drive shaft, replaced the U-joints on the rear shaft, did spark plugs, master cylinder and brake booster, and so much more.

Funny how we always start with cosmetic.
When I started on our project car we did the same. Then, before too long we got it just barely running. Then it needed oil leaks sealed up. Then a head gasket. Then dropped the transmission to be rebuilt.
It’s kinda daunting when u start tinkering with stuff that if done wrong can be catastrophic. I wouldn’t have done most of the things I did on our project car if it was a car that I had to rely on. Lol. Just in case I screwed it up.

Shes been showing more and more interest on how things work, how to do them herself, and such. What tools to use, where to look up things for the car, ordering parts, etc.

I think our next project is to reinstall the front driveshaft and then take the rear end off and rebuild the axle and rear diff.

If all goes as planned, my daughter and I will be working on the transfer case and front driveshaft soon. Gotta seal up the rear axle, get her out of limp mode and get the brakes to top shape. Safety first!

Thanks for sharing. Hope to see pics of your girlfriend covered in grease looking over a rear differential some day. Lol

 

[tommudd]

Always great to have a girlfriend/wife /son etc help and be interested
Back in 1973 I had a 55 Chevy , 302 Z28 motor, M21 Muncie etc that I street raced and also DD,
clutch was getting weak so rode to work with a buddy.
Came home to find the transmission laying beside the 55
Found out my girlfriend at the time called two of her friends and they removed it. ( she had helped me before doing repairs etc )
Kept her around for the next 8 years LOL
Then recently my step son was finally allowed to come to the US, ( from Tanzania )
Never worked on a vehicle before , didn't know a 3/4 inch wrench from a screwdriver
I had a built 4.10 diff for the 04 that I was going to install
told him what we were going to do, he looked at me strange and asked how many days would it take
LMAO!!!!
Jacked it up, swapped diffs and drove it to dinner 2 hours later , he still talks about that
But he learned tools, what they did, how they worked etc
Next was set of plugs in the 03 , he wanted me to be there but I could only say something if he was doing it wrong
I stood silently by while he swapped them all.
Throughout my life I've always helped those who truly want to learn how to do it right and not watch stupid YouTube videos

 

[Kcbell73]

he wanted me to be there but I could only say something if he was doing it wrong
I stood silently by while he swapped them all.
Throughout my life I've always helped those who truly want to learn how to do it right and not watch stupid YouTube videos

Watch and advise. That’s what my daughter wants. I’m just happy she is interested.

Don’t knock ALL YouTube vids. I wasn’t raised into mechanic work. I am female and was 35 before I ever touched a wrench. YouTube videos convinced me I could do it. I often watch videos on new procedures just to boost my confidence. Lol. I’ve boosted my confidence too much at times. Lol. But yeah.

I just sent my daughter a link to YouTube on the rear wheel seal replacement to give her courage.

 

[tommudd]

Been wrenching over 50 years, have never seen one Youtube video that was done right, some are sort of close but.....
I watch some of them just for the laughs , none are to be taken serious from my point of view

 

[Kcbell73]

Been wrenching over 50 years, have never seen one Youtube video that was done right, some are sort of close but.....
I watch some of them just for the laughs , none are to be taken serious from my point of view

Well probably right there. Never watched a video and went out and had as easy a job as the video shows. Lol. However, the videos encourage me and give me a direction. I also read comments before I trust a video is steering me right. For me, being a small single woman with no guidance, watching a video makes the job seem less daunting.
I did watch a video on my drum brakes only to go out and find my HHR is one of those that benefited from a mid year production change and my drums are completely different from the video I had watched.
I don’t rely on YouTube for my instruction, but I do watch to get an idea what I’m getting into.

 

[Leeann]

That is awesome. Teach her right and she'll never have to depend upon (and pay!) someone else to fix her stuff.

I wasn't raised to fix things; my dad would tell you he was the most unhandy man on the planet. My uncle, my mother's baby brother, taught me the basics and some of the advanced stuff and I've expanded to I'll try anything and ask for help if I get stuck (which doesn't happen often).

I replaced the trans in my Liberty in my backyard. I only asked for help when I needed 2 more hands than I could provide; other than that, I did all the work myself.

My daughter's '00 Nissan Xterra is parked in the driveway at the moment. She neglected to tell us of the noise when she braked until the noise stopped...aka when she couldn't drive it any more. She was in DC at the time. Now that we have our septic system all fixed, it's time to work on her truck, but she's going to do the work with one (or both) of us supervising.

 

[Kcbell73]

That is awesome. Teach her right and she'll never have to depend upon (and pay!) someone else to fix her stuff.

that’s what my daughter did. She’s been driving around for months on only short trips and when she pulled in the other day I heard how bad it was. I immediately put her Jeep out of commission until we can work on it. It’s a death trap.
She has leaks from multiple locations. Her differential is leaking and she has never even checked it. Her rotors in the back are nearly non-existent. And a vss sensor has her in limp mode. Ugh.

I have always done her car work since she had no interest. But I know she will be more aware of her vehicles nuances if she does it herself. Right now she just tends to turn the radio higher when something sounds off. Lol

This past month, on my car, I replaced motor and transmission mounts, rebuilt half the front suspension that was age worn, replaced brakes calipers and cylinders all around and replaced the timing/balance shaft chains on my HHR. That’s in addition to the regular 200,000 mile maintenance tasks (plugs and all fluids checked and changed).
In the process I found and fixed a couple niggling oil leaks and found a cracked exhaust manifold which I will be swapping out in the morning.

she has been very interested in what I am doing. She’s amazed at how I’m not intimidated by anything. And she has said she wants to do it. If she DOES do it I will be happy to let her.

 

[daves06lrenegade]

Been wrenching over 50 years, have never seen one Youtube video that was done right, some are sort of close but.....
I watch some of them just for the laughs , none are to be taken serious from my point of view

Watch "southmainauto" Eric has a gift of showing how to repair cars...He is modest, honest, and funny
and he's someone you can watch with your 10 year old daughter...
Dave