Once you understand the basics of how things work, you can diagnose them much better.
You can get some VERY basic knowledge on engines, by googling "how engines work". This will tell you how pistons go up and down and why. And how valves work and why.
Knowing how things work, helps. For instance, if you have a problem with heat in a car, not getting warm inside, you should know how a water pump works. All pumps work pretty much the same, so understanding one pump, you then can understand the water pump. Without sufficient water, the pump will not pump good, or not at all. Air in the system will not pump at all. So knowing this, helps you diagnose pump problems.
As others have said, taking a course in mechanics will help, BUT it depends on how deep you want to get. Cars are broken up into areas, such as transmission, engines, drive trains, brakes, and so on. You can get basic on some, but something like a transmission should be left to professionals, or you can learn to do it yourself, which is complex.
One thing, EVEN if you get mechanics and know how things work, you still NEED common sense about mechanics. I have known people who did not understand basic mechanics, they just could not grab it. So no matter how hard they tried to learn it, it was not possible for them.
If I were you, I would just try some googling about engines, and other things, as I said earlier, and see if THAT is what you want, or if it is beyond you. If you still feel you can handle it, then try some schooling. Learning from street experience, as I did, takes many years, and is still not as good as schooling.
Well you want to learn and that is a start. How to you feel about dirt and grime on your skin? Are you curious as to how this heavy mass is propelled down the road? Get a book at B+N on automotive theory. Go to sears and get a beginners mechanic tool set and box. Start by changing you own oil and filter. Progress from there. You can only go so far without school tho. This will require learning electricity and some digital electronics. Cars employ many different skills. Plumbing, electrical, computer understanding, HVAC with AC, auto assembly, mechanical aptitude. A lot to grasp but worth it.
School. Cars these days are rolling computer. These computers talk to one another and work together. School will teach you the theory and operation. Only downfall of school is they don't teach you how to deal with rust and things not coming apart without breaking them. I went to school 6 years ago and thought I was a master....little did I know I was going to be thrown to the wolves. So it's kind of a mixture of school and actually getting a job even if it's doing small things like changing oil. It takes a while and it's hard. I'm a master tech and I still struggle and come across new things everyday. Nobody can walk off the streets and make a living working on these new cars with out training. I went to universal technical institute, which wasn't a bad school but there were a lot of idiots there distracting me talking about race cars and tuned rice rockets thinking working on cars was like the move fast and furious. Hope this helps
Buy a Chilton's or Haynes Overhaul and Repair Manual for your specific car from most auto parts stores. Read it cover to cover several times.
Go to school!!! Try a school for bmw they pay well afterwards.what's that beeping??
You can take tye mechanics program at a college, possibly day or evenings or weekends. I know nothing about cats too, good luck. Ive Been telling my cousin to be a mechanic but i dunno...
Buy one of these http://www.ebay.com/itm/Geo-Prizm-Haynes...
I know nothing about cars. I have 1990 Geo Prizm hatchback. It's a manual. I really want to be able to work on it and learn more about cars in general. Where would be a good place to start? Besides Mechanics for Dummies or something.
