4 comments about Haynes Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable (96 - 05) Manual.

1. I am no mechanic, though I have worked on my own cars for years and have done many of my own simple repairs. If something seems too difficult, I am more likely to let a professional do it. BUT, professionals these days are way too expensive for things you could be doing yourself.
   
   For example, I replaced a water punp on my 1998 Taurus. It was not too difficult, but this book provided some useful tips and things to avoid. Pep boys wanted $180-200, though I picked up the part for $30 and did it myself in about one hour. Saving that much is enough to get my off my rump and into the garage.
   
   This book also gave me some very useful information on diagnosing my non-functioning A/C. This included how to pull the blower resistor from under the dash and how to test the connections with a Ohm meter. I bought one at Harbor Freight for $3 and found out that it (the resistor assembly) was bad. Ford sold me a new one for $15 and the A/C was fixed. This cost me $18 total and some sweat, but it would have been several hundred at at repair shop. I'm sure I would have had to pay for hours and hours of diagnosis - all for a simple-to-reach $15 part that I knew nothing about beforehand.
   
   I just (a year ago) spent $600 on some front end parts at a repair shop, but looking through this book, think I could have done it myself for under $100. O'reilly auto will even loan you the special tool needed.
   
   I also have used Chilton's in the past, though not for this car. In my opinion, Haynes is far easier to use and assumes less about the readers skill level.
   
   I recommend fully, especially in the day of the $100+/hour labor charge.



2. I grew up in the house of a mechanic and always had access to Chilton books. I do all my own automotive work and since discovering the Haynes manuals I can honestly tell you some things Haynes covers in great detail are just remove and replace items in the Chilton Books. I have bought a Haynes Manual for every car I have owned and every car in our family from day one when we bought the car for reference on maintenance. I have yet to not find the information I needed to repair the car when it broke down.
   And for a novice the best way to not be confused it to read it again and try to understand what they are actually saying and follow directions exact. Shortcuts are expensive



3. The descriptions of how to do the work are accurate, but can be hard to follow if you are not used to doing your own work on your car. Some of the pictures could have been more detailed/better angles to identify exactly what to remove during each step.



4. I needed to replace my wife's driver side mirror and the direction I found in this book was perfect. I looked through the rest of this book and they do a pretty good job breaking down each task and there are plenty of pictures to illustrate the steps.

4 comments about Mercury Outboards, 6 Cylinder, 1965-1989 (Seloc Marine Tune-Up and Repair Manuals).

1. Besides being completly through on nearly every detail of my spcific engine, I learned doezens of useful and time saving techniques. Some of which I passed on to my mechanic and he too benefited from this book. I was able to feel confident in my mechanic, knowing what he was doing to my Engine and Why he was doing it...I never felt ripped off. I understood why each task and repair was performed. I feel i could have done the work myself if i had the tools.



2. This manual help me install my distributor/switchbox and more components of my 150hp mercury motor... i recommend that u purchased this one because it's better than otherS that i brought.... this item deserved 5 STARS!!!!



3. Alot in this book, I'm rebuilding a mercury Outboard and so far it's been a lifesaver. I have no experience with outboard motors and this book has helped me alot.



4. I've been doing my own car repairs for many years now. I have purchased the Hayes books to get information about my automobiles. I like them because they use plain language and LOTS of illustrations. This book (Seloc) has the illustrations, but it lacks some of the clarity. I don't recommend this book for the average shade tree mechanic. It is loaded with technical jargon that I had to read serval times to get my brain around. The book does take great care in making sure that all parts are identified. There are many illustrations with call-outs to define each part during a procedure.
   
   The only other critisism I have for the book is that it is very broad in the models that it covers. Procedures are mixed together for different motors making it rather confusing. You have to know quite a lot about your particular motor before starting to make sure you are following the correct procedure.

No comments about Mercury & Mariner Outboards 2001-2005 All 2 Stroke Models (Seloc Marine Manuals).

3 comments about Ford Tempo and Mercury Topaz 1984-1994 (Haynes Manuals).

1. the book is great, I bought the book,and left it on the table, when i got back, my wife had the car in pieces, and starting to put it back together, she fixed it, and I didnt have to get greasy,



2. ...It's VERY worthwhile buying seeing that it tells you EVERYTHING about your car, and how to repair them inc. sensors, brakes, lights, replacing transmission gears, head gaskets ect...

   It's the only book you need. I have one for my Sunbird, Topaz GS, Topaz L and my 2001 Malibu LS




3. This one is an excelent book, makes itself clear on every repair and mainteinance task. It worths from cover to back cover.

1 comments about Ford Contour & Mercury Mystique 1995 thru 2000 Haynes Repair Manual.

1. Simply a must-have tool in your garage if you like working on your own car. Last time I saved $600 by doing it myself. It is a little complicated to get used to the way the book works and how they send you to different sections during the same repair. But if you are patient and read the whole repair first then it is very doable.

2 comments about Yamaha, Mercury, & Mariner Outboards, All 4 Stroke Engines, 1995-2004 (Seloc Marine Manuals).

1. This was the first time trying seloc manuals,I have used clymers in the past and the selocs are organized much better and give a lot better info. From now on its strictly seloc manuals.



2. I own a 40HP 4 Stroke Yamaha engine and even though I owen the Factory maintenance manual This book goes into much more detail and gives better drawings

1 comments about Haynes Repair Manual, Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer, 1991-2000.

1. This book has helped me save some serious time, as I am not an automotive guru. It has also cut down on the amount of trips to the parts store. It could have been organized better, and it should have gone into more detail.

5 comments about Mercury Outboards, 3-4 Cylinders, 1965-1989 (Seloc Marine Tune-Up and Repair Manuals).

1. Overall not a bad book, found it to be very general in a few key area; this would be due to such a large range of models covered. Next time I may look at the OEM manual; for a comparission.



2. I found the text to be very unclear for inexperienved mechanics. The instructions say things like "remove the middle and outer cowlings" without explaining what the cowlings are. The picture associated with the instruction step then just shows a picture of the motor without identifying the part in question.
   
   There is some good information about how a 2-stroke motor works and basic concepts behind prop selection.



3. This has tons of great information about the repair and maintenance, though the pictures are dated and not all close enough to see the details of what is being illustrated. I would recommend this for the weekend hobby person to skilled mechanic to assist in any work on this model of outboard.



4. This seller shipped my item immediately!! I was very pleased with the fast shipping and the item I purchased.



5. This book was exactly what I thought it was and was just what I needed to troubleshoot my 84 merc.

5 comments about Mercury/Mariner Outboard All Engines 1990-2000 (Seloc Marine Manuals).

1. This manual doesn't cover everything in finite detail but it is thorough enough that you will be able to figure out the rest. It was good enough for me to replace the water pump and seals in my 175HP Merc Lower unit with no previous experience with boat motors.



2. The book tries to cover too much with little detail. The information on my 40 HP Outboard did not match the electrical or fuel system. Pay the extra money and get the service manual for your Outboard.



3. dont waste your money on the online manual version of anything seloc.
   the pictures are small and dont correspond with the model that youve chosen, the info is generic and useless. "be safe when changing the spark plugs", they have a no return policy, better off to just stare at your motor and hope the answer pops into your head than to waste your money on this product.



4. Not too much details but if you have a little clue of what you're messing with, it will help a lot!



5. I am convinced that the positive reviews his written anonymously are by Seloc representatives. I own an 8hp and a 115hp Mercury.
   
   This manual is almost completely worthless when it comes to specific details. Because it covers so many models the level of detail is very limited. Also there have been numerous times when the information provided is not accurate. It has been rare that I started a job and got any real benefit from this manual that was not quickly available by Googling (eg. wiring diagrams.) On almost every difficult job I had to resort to further research because this manual did not provide the answers I needed. Save your money.

5 comments about Ford: Mustang/Cougar 1964-73 (Chilton Automotive Books).

1. A definite requirement for anyone who is planning to own any of the above cars.



2. I am very impressed with the amount of information and repair advice in this book. Because the early Mustangs are not as complicated at more modern automobiles, compared to recent manuals, this one has room to go into much greater detail. For example, the engine rebuild section is nearly as comprehensive as one of the books on rebuilding fords engines and is naturally focused on the engines found only in Mustangs.
   
   There are many troubleshooting charts and the specification tables and accompanying photos and drawings are very useful for model and equipment identification, especially if one is restoring a car.
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs to service a Mustang from these years, and also recommend it to anyone who is restoring an early Mustang, or considering purchasing one.



3. Overall has the best information. A manual that a beginner or experienced person can understand. Excellent book for mechanical or restorative use.



4. I have a 1967 Cougar and this manual was very helpful. Everything from diagrams of the engine to wiring diagrams.



5. These chilton books really annoy me because when the repair gets ugly, they always state something like, "please take your vehicle to an authorized repair shop". Also, the particular book Amazon sent me had my year/make/model wiring diagram torn out of it. WTF? By the time I discovered this, the return deadline had passed. I also bought the CD version of the original shop manual and it's 10x better anyway so no big loss.