other Announcing My New Book, "The Hack Mechanic Guide to European Automotive Electrical Systems"

[arminyack]

I can't wait to read it either! 

 

On a side note....I must be a Unicorn among current and previous Britiths car owners...in the 15 years I drove my TR4 (for 6 of them it was my daily driver) electrical problems never plagued me. In fact, I was mystified what all of these others owners were talking about when they mention "The Prince of Darkeness"...until one winter night, I was driving home from a girlfriends house who lived in a rural part of San Jose (between Alamaden Valley and Morgan Hill) As I was driving home.....and the lights on the car went out like that *snaps fingers*  the rest of the night was NOT a fun one....but that was the ONLY case of major electrical trouble I had.

Edited April 1, 2016 by arminyack

[Vicleonardo1]

This is great. Love your first book. 

 

Can't wait for this one.  But before I touch anything electrical on my '02, I will need you to release a coloring book version of it.

Color the battery Black,  Color the alternator blue. 

Now color the positive terminal on the battery Red,...

 

Something like that will save me 2 1/2 trips to the urgent care,,,

[dlhoovler]

Very cool. Gonna have to get me a copy for sure.

 

By the way, I think I stumbled across a preview of your chapter on Lucas electrical systems. It's very insightful.

 

 

-David

[JackF]

Currently, I do not own an '02 or any European car...but, I have to have this book. I am sure it will make me both laugh and cry. When I was putting the new floor pans in the '72 and saw the condition of the wiring, in an incredibly impulsive and stupid moment, I cut ALL the wiring out of the car and accepted an invitation to my own personal Twilight Zone. Damn, Rob, where were you when I needed you? Book is ordered. Can't wait to get into it.

[MikeD]

Rob...I have the first book and loved it.....will place an order for the second today.....

[peterschop]

The UPS guy delivered my copy this morning. I just flipped through it and see lots of good stuff.  Rob, it looks like you have a winner.

[deschodt]

I've been notified it's shipping....  Cool..

Rob, BTW, your weekly columns on Roundel website (decapitation, recapitation) just make my week....  Thanks !! 

[gastephens]

Congratulations. Is this written with the wry humor we have come to expect or is it purely a how-to book? Entertainment, enlightenment, or some of both?

[JayMac]

Heard a rumor the "centerfold" is a wiring diagram

[frank]

Mine has arrived!!!

[dlhoovler]

Got mine today too. Very nicely done.

 

-David

[MikeD]

On 3/12/2016 at 10:22 AM, thehackmechanic said:

(I'm going to use my 2002FAQ free spin card to announce my new book. I hope that's okay. After this post, I'll switch to paid advertising. The link to pre-order the book is http://www.bentleypublishers.com/automotive-reference/automotive-reference/hack-mechanic-guide-to-european-automotive-electrical-systems.html. The coupon code for 35% off list is "FriendOfRob")

My friends, I can finally answer the question about what I've been working on for the past 15 months at Bentley Publishers. I am proud to announce my new book, "The Hack Mechanic Guide to European Automotive Electrical Systems." Although the word "European" is in the title, and some things ARE European-specific, the book covers much of what you need to know to work on the electrical system of ANY vintage or modern internal combustion car. 

 

There is a LOT of 2002-appropriate content in this book. In fact, I used my '72tii (and my Bavaria) as the subject car for much of the battery, ignition, alternator, and fuse box sections.

 

The book opens with battery basics -- why a fully-charged battery reads 12.6 volts and not 12V, why, when the alternator is charging it, the battery should read about 14V, and how to use a multimeter to test for these conditions so you can know whether a jump-start or a new battery will save you or whether the car will die again in a mile unless you replace the alternator as well.

 

It then teaches you about how electricity works in a car, telling you enough about circuits and Ohm's Law to let you calculate how much current actually flows through a short circuit so you can understand why wires melt when there's no load device in the circuit to add resistance.

 

Following that are detailed practical hands-on chapters on how to use a multimeter to troubleshoot common automotive electrical problems related to the alternator, ignition system, and relays present in all cars, including a chapter on finding parasitic drains that can cause the battery to run down overnight.

 

The book then steps into the modern world and discusses computers, buses, and control modules, OBD-II, the difference between code readers and scan tools, the dynamic analog signals (sine waves and square waves) used by modern sensors, and the tools needed to detect and measure those signals (automotive multimeters and oscilloscopes).

 

The book closes with eleven detailed chapters on how to test sensors in newer cars such as oxygen sensors, cam and crankshaft position sensors, and wheel speed (ABS) sensors.

 

The link to pre-order the book is http://www.bentleypublishers.com/automotive-reference/automotive-reference/hack-mechanic-guide-to-european-automotive-electrical-systems.html.

 

AND... I have a promotional code for you, my friends, good for 35% off list price. The code is -- and I cannot fully convey the depth of my love for this -- FriendOfRob (case not important, but if I write it here without case capitalization, it looks like "friend-o-frob"). The code will be valid for a while, but not indefinitely.

 

So be a FriendOfRob (or a "friend-o-frob"), pre-order the book, and never have to lose sleep wondering how to measure voltage drop again!

 

 

Received my copy in the mail yesterday.  Flipping through it, it looks like a great read.  Great job Rob!

[thehackmechanic]

Thanks everyone!

 

Gastephens, my first book was 85% car guy stories and 15% actual useful stuff. This one is 97% actual useful stuff and 3% car guy stories. It is written in my Hack Mechanic conversational voice, but Bentley wanted it to be a repair manual, so nearly all of it is in the 3rd person and it is free of the spicy humor (and F bombs). So don't look for saucy sections like "Why Men Love Cars" in my last book. In its place, though, are gobs of step-by-step procedures. I think it's a good trade-off.