Haynes or Chilton ??

[204 Escape]

Is one repair manuel more informative than the other ??

Thanx

 

[Philip_G]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

I think they're equally vague

 

[r.j.dawg]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

I think they're equally vague

+1 Mercruiser manuals is what I use. The other ones seem to leave out little bits of information.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

+2

A dusty, greasy finger print, torn cover, Mercruiser factory service manual will have more accurate info than both of those combined. What engine are you working on? Allot of the Mercruiser factory manuals are available in PDF form for free on 4shared.com...

 

[Don S]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

Uh guys, he asked about Chilton and Haynes manuals. Since neither one does Marine, I would bet he is asking automotive.
Mercruiser manuals will not help with a car or truck.

 

[NetDoc]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

Who needs a manual with the iboats forum? I have learned a lot of things here that the manuals were wrong about. With guys like Don S and ooops!, its hard to go wrong.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

Uh guys, he asked about Chilton and Haynes manuals. Since neither one does Marine, I would bet he is asking automotive.
Mercruiser manuals will not help with a car or truck.

Good catch Don... :redface:

Given the option on automotive, I would lean a little more toward Chilton's, but still not the best out there. Most manufacturers and professional aftermarket information services have gone paperless, and have their manuals either on line, or at least on disc's.

Alldata or Mitchell on demand are the preferred info services for aftermarket. Not sure if they will give you 1 time access or if you need a subscription.

Other possibility is going here; http://oemonestop.com/
This site will give you links to factory service manuals intended to be used by the aftermarket. Most manufacturers will allow you to buy access by hours or days, and most of them allow you to download as much info as you can gather in the alloted time to a thumb/disk drive.

 

[NetDoc]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

Or find a forum dedicated to your vehicle. I did that with my Ridgeline and I got to download a factory manual for it there as well as helpful folks just like here. Mind you, I have put a lot more work into my boat than my Ridgeline with 190,000 miles on it. I haven't even launched the boat yet!

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

they both make good knee pads to kneel on when reading the factory manuals

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

Or find a forum dedicated to your vehicle. I did that with my Ridgeline and I got to download a factory manual for it there as well as helpful folks just like here. Mind you, I have put a lot more work into my boat than my Ridgeline with 190,000 miles on it. I haven't even launched the boat yet!

Enthusiast forums can be nice as long as the O.P. understands what they are reading needs to be investigated and taken with a grain of salt... No knee jerk "this guy had the same problem, and x--y--z fixed it, so that must be what I need to do too"... Can't tell you how many times I got a ticket on a car, figured out what was wrong with it, but Mr/Ms owner who browsed an enthusiast forum found a post about a similar car with similar symptoms and x--y--z fixed it so I must be wrong . The Miata people were the worst for this...

There are mechanic forums out there that can be helpful, either Identifix or iATN, but I believe both require you to be a technician, and I know iATN requires you help out a certain amount (answer a certain # of posts per month) in order to stay in their good graces.

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

From my automotive experience both are suspect, at best. Old news.

OEM stuff is available-on line. Check with your dealer or OEM parts supplier for a subscription to OEM manuals.

 

[NetDoc]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

but Mr/Ms owner who browsed an enthusiast forum found a post about a similar car with similar symptoms and x--y--z fixed it so I must be wrong . The Miata people were the worst for this...

This has been a problem since I first started busting knuckles in 1969. People have always second guessed the auto technician. Sometimes they are even right! I simply told them politely that if they already knew what was wrong, why did they bring it in to me to fix it? I always liked it when they brought in their car for a specific job, like changing the spark plugs. Some got irritated when you asked them why. "Just do it!" Yet, they were the first to whine when the car ran just like it did when they first brought it it! After 30 years of it, I don't miss it one whit. I still have all my tools. I rent a warehouse just to store them in. Working on the internet and as a Dive Instructor is far cleaner and tons more fun!

That being said, this IS the information age. There is a lot of great knowledge out there mixed in with a bit of dross. Anyone who is already on a forum like this one, has already learned how to ignore the cyber-know-it-alls and seek out the real deals. I have learned enough about boats here to be dangerous! Luckily, I am way too lazy to try and make it as a marine mechanic! Like I said, working on the internet and as a Dive Instructor is far cleaner and tons more fun!

 

[r.j.dawg]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

Uh guys, he asked about Chilton and Haynes manuals. Since neither one does Marine, I would bet he is asking automotive.
Mercruiser manuals will not help with a car or truck.

I never thought it might be for a car or truck. When I read the thread I immediately thought of the "I know everything about boats" guy at our marina that uses a Chilton's manual to work on the 454 in his 88 Searay. :facepalm:

 

[dolluper]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

On Line for free automotive is AutoZone in the my zone section not to bad but not real techy some autos .....good for fast ref on torques ,component locate,and such .....join up and free

 

[mscher]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

I have had both and they are about the same.

They get the job done, IMO.

Are they as good as a factory manual, for your specific model year? Of course not, but they are $20, instead of $200 and you can usually get one today.

 

[cribber]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

I have had both and they are about the same.

They get the job done, IMO.

Are they as good as a factory manual, for your specific model year? Of course not, but they are $20, instead of $200 and you can usually get one today.

That would be my advise... Either one will get you through replacing basics and I even figured out how to rehone a master cylinder when I was 18 using one. The step by step instructions will get you back on the road just make sure you get the one for your specific make, year, and model. I bought one for my nephew who needed to replace his atlernator and now he can do the basic stuff on his 98 Taurus.

 

[geneseo1911]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

My usual strategy is to have both and read both before trusting either. I have found numerous instances of inaccuracies, however it's close enough to get you through with a little common sense.

I will say that I haven't found one brand to be better than the other. Chilton is getting hard to find, though.

 

[NetDoc]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

My usual strategy is to have both and read both before trusting either.

My strategy is usually to snicker at either. For 99% of my needs, all I want are torque values, capacities, limits and specs. Most manuals, including those by the manufacturer, fail at giving you the real inside scoop you need to accomplish any repair. Since the advent of the internet, I don't need no steekeeng manuals! I get what I need from dwell settings to valve lash by a Google search and I get the other information I need from forums. I love it!

 

[204 Escape]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

Thanx for the replies. My son is wanting one for a car that he bought a week ago. Looks like a Haynes is all that is available where we live.

 

[mommicked]

Re: Haynes or Chilton ??

I agree w the sarcastic replies about both. I have a Haynes for my 98 S10 and my wifes 06 Escape. They do have alot of usefull info, but not about everything, also they're for multiple year models,-must be carefull to read your specific models info, and sometimes vauge about specific procedures, ie, "remove" such and such, and you find out it's more complicated than simply "removeing" said part, parts. For a young novice I think it would be a great help as there is generic info in the front of the book that applies to most all automobiles mantainence, troubleshooting and repair. Its worth the price to me, but as said before it's not as good or expensive as a factory service manual.