Autos Books

...do not purchase this manual. It fails to cover the '83 fuel system; 70-82, and 84-88, no problem. The illustrations are very poor as well. I don't know what went wrong, perhaps whoever wrote the specs couldn't find an '83? S'pose you shouldn't expect too much from a book that covers 18 years of model history.

I bought the Toyota Truck 1970 - 88 Repair manual, to assist me in the removal and replacement of my water pump. I am not an avid mechanic; I have several tools, and wanted to try to "Do It Myself". The manual was very easy to use; it was separated into divisions for engine, body, drive train and so forth. I quickly found the engine cooling system section, and located the water pump "R&R" (Removal and Replacement)section. I read the directions, and started in. I found very detailed instructions, and pictures that not only showed the bolt locations, but verbiage told me what to do first, It instructed me on how to replace the fan belts, in what order to avoid any mistakes. Wow this manual made it easy to do my own repair. I saved over $100 from the estimate I received on the replacement. I have read through the manual and realized I can perform additional preventive maintenance on my truck, to avoid problems. This is the best money I have spent in a long time. The Chilton manual makes me feel more comfortable about "Doing It Myself" Thanks for the Great Book. I am going to but one for my other car as well, they make repairs fun, and money saving.

I have a 1988 Landcruiser and am in the process of changing the water-pump so I bought the book by Chilton seeing as it "claims " to cover Landcruisers thru 1988. Well, I got into the job and it turns out that the Chilton book fails to accurately describe how to remove the water-pump. Specifically, the book fails to mention the need to remove various parts like one of the pulleys/pulley tensioner and bracket, and unbolt the AC compressor bracket from the engine so as to be able to remove the water-pump once it has been unbolted. It seems that in order to reduce costs and in an effort to "appeal" to more Toyota owners, Chilton has skimped on their research/detail in putting this repair manual together. I am a very dissatisfied customer! A word to the wise, look elsewhere for a competent repair manual

This book was a big part of reason why my 240 DL lasted 18 years. Even though it is limited on many detailed repairs and tries to cover several models and engines, it is sufficient for the weekend mechanic that wants to save money on general maintanence. Great for water pumps, brakes, starters, injectors, tolerances, specs, and emission guidance. Should be used in tandem with the Haynes book to get a clearer understanding and second view on more serious repairs. If things get too tough, I lay the book down and take it to a mechanic. Fortunately, that is a rare event.

For my 1989 740GL Wagon, this manual is useless. I believe that, in general, Chilton books are useful, but this book simply covers too many models and years to have any level of detail in its instructions. Buy a different book!

i loved this book, it was so hard to find a mechanic who could work on my car. This book was a life saver! it was direct and straight to the piont.

Don't count on finding out how to remove spark plugs #1, #2 or #3; it doesn't have enough details and only shows how to take the easiest one out (#4); you don't need a book for that. I guess you get what you pay for! :-)

I use to repair my own vehicles (my dad was a mechanic) but with the new cars I have mostly given up and rely on the pros. This book helps with the small items, but I wouldn't trust it for the major stuff without a good base knowledge of mechanics. My opinion, but it is worth the bucks you can save doing the small things.

this book is a good book for people who love to fix there cars and also for people who are in love with the VW Beetle.

I purchased this book expecting it to be a basic electric book on modern cars It's not. It does however have a great chapter on explaining basic auto electric in everyday terms. This book is geared mostly to the antique/collector area as most of the examples are from old cars.

Having made the mistake of purchasing this...this...book, I strongly urge no one else do the same. It contains nothing that can be of use and Randy makes it a point to refer one to the "instructions" and "diagrams" that accompany various wiring products. Luckly I paid little for this waste of a good tree. Therefore I will use it along with kindling to start fires in my fireplace as I curse Randy this winter. I actually rate this book a zero - NO Stars!! Not even fit for the bird's cage!!!

I was extremely disapointed in this book. It has NO buisness with the title it was given. There is an inconsistancy in the way he tells you to polarise the generator/ regulator on the "A" circuit from one page to the next and he tells you how to update and wire from a generator to an alternator, but he leaves out where to connect the last (white) wire. Should have been corrected before print.

This book has an interesting concept. Hagen interviewed ordinary people, collecting stories of their favorite cars they've owned. Most of the cars turn out to be lovable old jalopies, and the stories revolve around how reliable they were (or weren't).

This book is really just for fun, but it explores the relationship between cars and their owners in a unique way, quite unlike anything else I've ever read. The illustrations are well-done, especially considering the rarity of some of the cars--where does one find a photo of a 1947 Simca, anyway?

I'd like to see an updated edition to see if people love newer cars the way they loved older ones, but that's just a quibble. Reading this book was a lot of fun, and it made me nostalgic for all the old cars I've owned.

This collection of short reminiscences about people and the lingering memories of their automobiles proved to be very disappointing. The concept of collecting "auto-biographies" is a good one. After all, the automobile was the quintessential technology of the twentieth century, and an analytical examination of the relationship between the car and individuals could tell us much about not only technology-society interactions but also perceived and real human needs.

Good autobiographies reflect more than personal ideosyncracies, but unfortunately Hagen's book is little more than a superficial assemblage of thoughtless responses to a question posed newspaper readers located in several states about Betsy, that one car we cannot forget through the mists of time. The author/editor does not blend these autobiographies together into a more consisent whole, and it is only his artwork that saves this work from being a total loss. To make matters worse, my copy had several production flaws, including creased and improperly cut pages.

I would not recommend this book to anyone who has an IQ over 85.

Just what I expected. Gave me the information I needed. Professionally done.

1. Book does not cover all caravan configurations, i.e. AWD, 3.3 L info. 2. Attempted to use it to replace a 94, 3.3 AWD, Grand Caravan fuel pump. Book is trash. Not accurate at all. 3. Gave book to my kids to use as coloring book.

You will not believe the endless frustration this manual has caused me. I'm online to order the Mitsubishi Mirage manual by Haynes instead. This manual is a very poor effort by Chiltons. Do not expect to be able to diagnose any problem with this manual.

This book is not half bad when it comes to car repair for my dodge colt. It goes into detail on how to fix many problems you could run into with your car. It has plenty of pictures to help you with what you are doing. If you have to do some work on your vehicle, I suggest you get a chiltons manual.

Just two observations, specifically in section 2 Engine Electrical.
1. There are 3 types of distributors in use within the year range this manual covers; the signal rotor with a reluctor gap used with a stator (sometimes called pickup coil) and signal rotor with reluctor gap and ignitor. These two are covered.

There is a 3rd consisting of a signal rotor which is a disc with four openings (one for each cylinder) and a different type of "ignitor". These signal rotor discs are sometimes called shutter wheels. The ignitor contains a light emitting diode and a photo-electric cell opposite each other. Each time a slot passes under the diode the light strikes the photocell and the ignitor interrupts primary winding current causing an ignition event. Conversely, when the slot passes and the light is blocked, energizing current is restored to the primary windings. There is no mention of this variation.

2. There is no mention of the simplest (and maybe the most common) fix for "no spark" condition. The fuse group attached directly to the battery "hot" terminal has 3 fuses. The middle one will cause no spark if it blows.

This is a good manual; I've bought a lot of Chiltons manuals over the years. These comments are not a criticism; just an observation. Technical manuals are very difficult to develope.

Worth the money.

I JUST WANTED TO READ A FEW PAGES OF THIS BOOK

Chilton books have been part of my automotive coping strategy for years- one of their publications once even helped me find out where a bad repair from my mechanic went off track, and I was able to give the mechanic enough info to get the repair re-done correctly. This book seems to be okay, with one exception that is usual to Chilton guides. There is not NEARLY enough information on dismantling soft trim and dash components, and what there is does not cover the different configurations you're likely to find. For instance, this guide shows how the centre console goes together- but only the extra-cost version with the stick shift in it. The standard console- found in most Tauruses- is not shown at all. Since many owners confine their do-it-yourself efforts to fixing soft trim glitches and replacing light bulbs, this is a considerable lack in Chilton's efforts. Recommended, nontheless- there's very good info on what's under the hood, and it's very specific concerning what CAN be repaired and what is factory-set, and therefore not to be messed with. That's invaluable info on today's highly computerised cars.

As usual Chilton has produced another manual that is useless to anyone who wants to do much more than check the tire air pressure. All repairs that require a slight bit of mechanical ability are not described and instead the reader is advised to take the car to the dealer. Don't bother buying this book. Read the owner's manual that came with the car instead.

I'm still waiting for my product! No news about where it is nor it's actual delivery condition.
I'll be glad to review more positively when (if it comes) I get it!!!

Knowing more about what is going on in your car is a good ideal. If you know some they will out to make you look dome. I found out that I should take better care of me car.