Video
Auto Repair Manual
I’m an auto enthusiast and I love working on cars. It wasn’t always the case, didn’t start until I was 25 yrs old, but for the last 10 years of my life it’s been a rewarding experience in many ways.
Once you understand how your car runs it’s just a matter of getting the tools you need, the parts and either getting together with someone who had done the work themselves or reading some technical writeups.
Even the most expensive and complicated tasks like rebuilding a transmission have been covered in great detail in communities that share this type of information. I suggest finding some local people who can lend a hand because a trans swap can be difficult without the proper tools and there are some important steps along the way.
When you are installing an automatic transmission you must be sure that the torque converter is fully seated. You also want to properly set the TV cable if you have a 700R4 (non-electronic transmission) The TV cable, which stands for throttle valve, is what regulates the pressure in the system. Pressure is what moves the valves in the valve body. A valve body looks like a series of mazes that fluid flows through to engage and disengage certain components at the proper time. If you want to see what some of the internal parts look like take a look at the 700R4 rebuild project I started awhile back. It will give you a little insight into how many parts are in these things. I would highly suggest this to anyone who wants a fun winter project and has the space, they are really fascinating once you get into it.
Video was absolutely necessary for a project as complex as the transmission. When you see the video it will put everything into perspective and will show all kinds of other details that a book or manual won’t. If you have ever built something that was complex you’ll know how critical getting things properly seated, setting the clearances, etc is to the life of the trans.
Video isn’t the most convenient thing to do though, you have to position the camera, maintain good lighting and know what steps really need to be captured in the scenes. You also want to appear as someone who knows what their doing so accuracy of information is very important. Video may be distracting and cause you to miss a step or lose focus on just getting the job done.
Why would you want to do such a time intensive task? We haven’t even discussed the editing yet. You may think that your video isn’t going to help anyone, or that you simply don’t have enough knowledge to share in a video. If you’re new to this work yourself, you want to watch videos not make them.
There is an opportunity in there thats only recently being discovered now that the web is capable of handling the bandwidth requirements of video. If you have written a technical article, its really no different. Let me share an example of how powerful this can be.
Last year we at TuneyFish decided to hold on contest for the best how to video. The prize was a $1600 GT35R ball bearing turbocharger from TiAL. We didn’t get flooded with entries mostly because we didn’t do a lot to promote the contest. Our description of the contest wasn’t very good and we learned from it. But we were actually pleased with the results because it produced a few great videos. I’ll describe the winning video and what has become a result.
So far this video has been viewed over 6,000 times, not YouTube fame but it was extremely effective in terms of helping address a problem. A simple adjustment of a wastegate rod is a tough one to describe even with images, and video demonstrated a test drive with before and after results which proved to be very useful. This adjustment is a critical one because without this set properly the turbo will lag (slow building boost). Just a simple check, an explanation, a couple tools and a day or two to film produced an incredibly successful result. The video has been linked to on about 10-15 different automotive forums related to turbo vehicles. On turbobuick.com a response to the video was the owner stating the following:
“I just got my car back, put new competition headers and was having problems spooling. I readjusted my wastegate and HOLD ON! Thanks for the post.”
That was within two hours of the original video being posted. The same results were produced in multiple forums.
If this video has that kind of impact within a month of it’s release, what will it provide over it’s lifetime? How many turbo cars have adjusted their car using this as an example and realized quite an improvement?
Just as you may appreciate cars and what they represent to the credit of the owner, we believe video will act the same way. Your car is a representation of how passionate you are as well as those who see and admire it. Your video will be a representation of your dedication towards this hobby, to all those who helped you and inspiration to others to try and do their own work. You video could be so inspirational that it can make someone take the extra step and finally try their hand at DIY.
I’ve had people travel from other states to come help install a new transmission and want nothing in return. These communities are the type that can come out of nowhere and help in ways you’d never expect. They share information, tools, parts, and go out of their way to host events so they can get together and see the projects they’ve only read about in the online forums.
If you have developed a neat trick or method for accomplishing a repair or modification, the best way to share it today is through video. In the past it was in writing a good tech article, but those won’t capture the steps that are impossible to translate into words. So pick up a camera and shoot 2 - 3 minutes worth of footage while you work and don’t do anything with it other than watch it on your camera. You’ll start to see what I’m talking about the more you do that because it acts as an extraordinary reference guide should you ever need to look back at how you did something.
The next time you log on to your favorite forum the fact that you recorded some content will be in the back of your mind and if someone needs help it will be the fastest and most effective way of capturing the specific problem and solution. When you upload it to TuneyFish and share the link you’ll be reaching out to the rest of the world who loves working on cars. TuneyFish is getting very popular in other countries regardless of their language because its a visual solution and can provide a more effective solution.
