I am now in my mid 70's and admit I can get mildly irritated if someone asks a simple question on the forum where I know the answer is available in previous threads or in the vehicle handbook e.g. "what is the ignition timing", why didn’t they just look it up? BUT I then have to remind myself that it is now a different world to when I first had a Land Rover, about 1966. There was no internet & we as a family didn't even have a phone in the house. Virtually all contact with my work colleagues, mates or fellow Land Rover owners in the local club, was face to face, and I am sure at the time I was asking similar sorts of questions, but they weren't in the public domain. Also, modern cars do not work the same way and there is no real culture of “tinkering” with them , when youngsters are growing up, so this basic knowledge will easily be lost if we are not welcoming to new younger members . In the digital world we must respect that asking questions on this forum is the same as I did back in the 1960’s, face to face and freely offer advice and encourage the questions without putdown.
I completely understand, and get, all that you have said here.
I was, and still am at times, one of those annoying people who ask basic questions that frustrate some people. Let me explain though.
I grew up around vehicles and machinery, my parents owned a trenching company - underground cables and such. My brother took to mechanics like a duck takes to water... me - not so much. I wanted to work on the engines and such, but I just seemed to make matters worse. When the mechanics, who worked for my father, saw me coming they'd put away their tools and shoo me off. Even the high school shop teacher knew my reputation. So, when it comes to vehicles all I knew how to do was add gas, add oil and do an oil change, change a tire, and once in a blue moon I might change a belt or sparkplugs. One time, while a teenager, I did replace a starter and a U-joint (it was on a big truck, didn't have to remove the drive haft, part of the yolk was removed and it slid in and out easily).
All that being said - I'm the least likely person to buy a vintage vehicle; especially one that is so unusual in our area the closest mechanic with any experience with them was several hours away.
I bought Grover as a 'proof of life' project. I had loved the old Land Rovers ever since I was a kid and saw them on the original 'Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom', yet I had never seen one in person.
All of my family members and friends thought I was insane for wanting one; and SWMBO insisted that if I got one I had do the work on it. Everyone figured I'd drop the idea - obviously I didn't.
Now here's the point of the story... I purchased the shop manual, as well as the parts book, optional equipment book, the Haynes manual, a LR restoration book, as well as a 250 piece basic mechanics tool set, shop jack and jack stands. Did all of this the day I bought Grover. The books arrived before he did.
Even with all of this available to me - I still lacked two major things; knowledge and experience. I had no idea what things were called, still don't know what to call some things. And since I had no experience with Rovers I had no idea if that leak was normal, or if that sound was normal and etc. I've owned Grover for almost 20 years and I'm still learning, yet now I'm a little wiser and a bit more knowledgeable, but I'm FAR from knowing it all - and still need help.
The biggest majority of all y'all have years of hands-on experience with these, and I suspect some of you are trained mechanics. Try to remember a time before that and look at the shop manuals, parts books and such - it's like a new language AND mathematics textbooks combined! These can be intimidating to someone with no mechanical skills or knowledge.
If you don't know what something is, or you don't know what it's called, or you don't know what it's supposed to do you probably won't be able to look it up in any of the books for lack of knowing where to look. Even if you might have a general idea where to look in the books, or on the internet, you may still need to reach out and ask. The question may seem simple and mundane to those who have vast experience and knowledge, and thus annoying, but consider this... if I'm asking one of those types of questions it's because I'm at the end of my knowledge and understanding. Chances are I'm just as embarrassed to ask the question as the question is annoying to the receiver.
Now I will admit, I too get annoyed at some of the questions that get posted here, and other places. My first thought is - check the shop manual - and then I thought...
There was a gent who had an early SII and he was starting the process of fully restoring it - himself. He was constantly asking very basic questions and finally started emailing me directly with basic questions. I finally asked him "do you have an actual shop manual for your Rover" - he said "no". All he had was the Haynes manual, a parts book and the internet. I stressed the need to get the shop manuals as well as the optional equipment book - just incase - so he did. A couple weeks later a got a huge thank you from him. Now, whenever someone keeps asking basic questions, I ask if they have the shop manuals. I'm surprised at how many don't, they think the Haynes manual and restoration guides and the internet are good enough.
Also - not all Land Rover shop manuals are created equally. The first one I got was the one I was told would cover my Rover; it does, yet it's got more in commonality the late SIIa than the early one. This created frustration as well and I'dhave to ask people about certainparts and clarification. Eventually I was able to get a copy of the manual that covers the SII and the SIIa - there was definitely a difference. Same goes for the parts books.
Not all of us are born mechanics, or pick up the skills easily, there are still parts of the manual I don't understand and have given up trying to understand. And there are still parts I have no clue what they are called.
Just keep this in mind when someone asks those basic, annoying questions.
