The magic of youtube...for home repairs..

[David Weaver]

When I was a kid, money was tight in our house. My parents retired in their early 50s 15 years ago, and they're still net savers. But one thing my dad never really did was work on cars or fix anything that had a plug beyond replacing a power cord.

Fast forward to now, I'm not as tight as they were, but I will repair anything I can get to on the car that doesn't require additonal tools or a lift. Courtesy of youtube.

And two weeks ago, the dryer started to squeak, at 7 years old. I took it apart (the hard way) the day it started to sqeak, and didn't get anywhere. I came back up, typed squeaking GE dryer (the dryer is a fisher paykel that is just a rebranded GE), and it took about 10 minutes to figure out the problem, and see someone taking the dryer apart in a way that took about 1/10th the time. My wife is hard core with laundry, a true earth killer. 8 loads a week for 3 people, and the front bearing on the dryer was shot. Thanks to youtube, i found it quickly, went out to the internet and found a replacement front bearing and four slides to go on it for $26 shipped. $26...total time involved for me after wising up was less than half an hour. Far less time than it would take to arrange someone to fix the thing.

Bathroom redone. parts of it courtesy of youtube. $1,200 instead of $4,000.

Method to keep an eye on the aging furnace to watch the flames when the blower comes on to identify a cracked heat exchange...courtesy of youtube.

Has anyone else found themselves suddenly fixing all kinds of things you never would've looked at before, courtesy of a 10 minute stint on youtube, maybe with some parts list hunting off of google.

[Jim Koepke]

Has anyone else found themselves suddenly fixing all kinds of things you never would've looked at before, courtesy of a 10 minute stint on youtube, maybe with some parts list hunting off of google.

To me it is just another information resource.

My father started out fixing worked in appliance repair before I was born. He also fixed radios back then. When televisions came on the market, he saw another opportunity. During the second World War he taught Navy seamen how to keep the ship's wireless in working order. After the war he started his own business.

My repairing of things started out when I was about 6 or 7. Much of my employment involved fixing things.

The biggest fear of mine now is buying an expensive part that is not needed and not returnable for a refund.

jtk

[David Weaver]

There's probably more value for those of us who never did fix anything. On one side, I had a relative who fixed things, but it always involved a stick welder and a lot of hammering.

The other side of the family is professionally qualified to have lots of broken and non-working things and watch gadgets go downhill until they are worthless. Professionals at letting things rot.

I just want to buy less stuff, and it does feel nice to make something designed to fail (this front dryer bearing was not designed to last that long, it has fairly thin wear strips where a different design could've easily made for indefinite use) keep working.

[Lee Schierer]

I repair all kinds of stuff for our home and for friends. 90% of the time the problem is just dirt. I figure if something doesn't work I can't make it any worse so I take it apart and see if I can fix it.

[Ole Anderson]

Not necessarily YouTube, but I Google all sorts of things that help me fix things. Especially torque values when working on brakes for my friends. Finding a speed controller for my Hitachi router. Finding a 12 degree dovetail router bit. There is just no end.

[Doug W Swanson]

Here are two of the many things I've learned from the internet/YouTube:

A few years ago, a CD became jammed in the CD changer on our Mercury Milan. This caused a malfunction code with the stereo system. The dealer wanted $500 to fix it and they would have to remove the stereo and send it off for repairs. I did some research on the internet, found a video explaining the procedure, took my laptop out to the garage and fixed the jammed CD in about 3 minutes.

Then the odometer/PRNDL section of the instrument cluster wasn't lighting up on our 2001 GMC Yukon. At first it was an intermittent problem. Then it occurred more often until finally that section just would not light up. Again, I did some research on the internet, found a couple of videos and fixed the problem myself. The problem wasn't a connection in the wiring harness but a bad solder connection on the back of that little section of the instrument cluster. There are people that charge $100 or more to fix it and I did it myself in about 30 minutes....

[Peter J Lee]

I know a lot about furnaces now, where before I knew almost nothing. We had the problem where the flame would go out after a few seconds and then the cycle would repeat. Used the advice of getting recommendations of people we know. Guy came out and after about 45 minutes of not doing much but trying it with and without the thermostat, he spent about 10 minutes on the phone with a Trane technician. He recommended changing the board and the starter fan with those parts costing about $700.

Look around on youtube, see that its usually the flame sensor. Clean it - ABOUT A 3 MINUTE JOB - and then it worked. Took the burners out and brushed those off thinking that is likely a factor. The techs on youtube do that, but in a half dozen visits from 2 different companies, nobody has ever done it despite it being mickey mouse simple.

Now there is heat, but I'd like to get it tuned up, hopefully with the AC, but have to choose a company.

So yeah, I check youtube when I'm not sure and it often helps. Then there are the crazy cat videos. How long would that cat keep flushing the toilet if he wasn't stopped?

[Jerome Stanek]

I fixed a copy machine at the place that the repairman wanted $150 just to come out. It just needed to reset an error code.

[Jim Tabor]

Needed to install new arbor bearings in a couple of Unisaw's. Watched it on youtube for a few minutes, piece of cake.

[Chris Padilla]

In concert with another similar thread: Google It!!

I'm a Moderator with a BMW car forum and I own a 2001 530i with 115k on the odometer. Any time something goes wrong, I can usually find a thread or 10 about it on the forum and fix it myself most of the time. I also have a buddy who works for a large car part importer on the west coast and I get parts at the same cost as the mechanics.

[Jason Roehl]

I've been replacing our dryer one $5 part at a time for years now. Who knows, I might be on my third dryer! The trouble is, it's a stacked unit (one piece with the washer), which was a necessity in our previous domicile. I keep telling my wife we should get a stackable set to put next to it, and she could get the laundry done in half the time. For some reason she's not on board with that plan. I think, though, I've managed to avoid YouTube for fixing the dryer.

However, over the years, I had somehow managed to not ever have to solder copper pipes. A few years back, my folks got us a water softener for Christmas (to replace a unit that was 30 years old, sounded like a tornado siren when it cycled at 3 AM, and used about 5-6 bags of salt per month at the lowest setting that would still keep the water soft). So, after a couple ruined fittings and a couple leaks while plumbing in the new softener, I went back in the house and pulled up YouTube....the rest is history.

But, now, I have taken a definite liking to those push-on fittings, despite their price tag. So quick, so simple, and I have a few that are visibly leak-free after 5.5 years.

And, I'm like Lee--if it's broken, I can't help but start to take it apart...

[Larry Whitlow]

Within the past year I've avoided two trips to the auto shop and saved $950 in parts and labor because of information I was able to google. To be completely accurate, I would have attempted the repairs anyway, but having the info made things go a lot smoother and faster than they likely would have otherwise. In the old days I invested in the Chilton's manual. Now do the same thing for free on-line.

[Rick Potter]

The good....Fixed a frozen shower valve with internet help, and it was a really tough one.

The bad.....Everybody had an opinion on why my Mustang would not start. No fuel, figuring that out was the easy part. They had me looking for bad relays for the fuel pump that were supposedly locacted in one of three or four locations, to fuel filters, to bad ignition relay, fuel injector, fuel shutoff switch, or in tank fuel pump. It was the fuel pump. A $400 fuel pump, I got the good one.

Now I am getting advice on my F250 diesel. Blows off turbo hoses under heavy load, check engine light won't stay off. Cleaned the EGR, double clamped the hose, reset the light and it's back on in 100 miles. Turbo gage showed lazy going up and down so I got on the freeway and punched it on and off till it cleaned off the vanes enough that it works fine again, except for that darn light. Check codes and it always says it is something in the smog control stuff. Drives fine, but light has been on for two years now. Dealer not sure. Took it to a specialist shop, spent over $1000 on it, and they weren't sure why it does it but they turned the light off again. Back on again in 100 miles. GAAH.

Rick Potter

[Rich Riddle]

David,

When I want to see something new, youtube presents fresh ideas and offers great insights into the unknown. The information can prove invaluable and save hours of work and frustration. More often than not, many of the youtube videos provide information concerning what NOT to do rather than what to do. A few weeks ago a friend was looking at youtube videos about home-made sawmills. Some of those videos looked as though the authors were chasing Darwin awards or auditioning for the next edition of "Faces of Death."

[Bryan Cowing]

My 2000 Ford Ranger, with 45,000 miles, antifreeze leaking into oil, replaced the intake gasket at a cost of $300. Not U-Tube but someone had made up 13 pages of pics & how to do it. Printed that off , saved a lot of $$$.