How to learn car engine repairs like timing chains and flywheels
Complex car repairs require hands-on instruction and guidance from an experienced mechanic, which leads some people to offer to pay a professional to teach them in person. Without direct expert help, DIYers get stuck on unexpected mechanical damage like milled locating pins and flattened dowels, leaving them unsure whether parts need to be drilled out or professionally repaired.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Trying to find a local mechanic or person willing to teach the repair process for pay
- 2Pushing off the ring gear to expose the back sides of the holes
- 3Putting the flywheel in a BBQ to heat it up so components might fall off
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I want to do it myself or learn I will pay well for someone to teach me and even bring any tools needed.”source ↗
“turns out, when a previous owner had the flywheel milled the dowels got milled alongside them? each of the three locating pins are flattened and i can see the little ring where they are.”source ↗
“so am i looking at taking it back to get the pins drilled out?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 8How to tell if a worn timing belt actually needs replacing
- 6Did my timing belt slip or did I mess up the install?
- 2Cracked engine head while torquing oil pressure sensor
- 5Camshaft timing looks off by a tooth but engine ran fine
- 2Is a car totaled if the engine moved?
- 2Why does a newly replaced driveshaft keep failing?