I always chuckle whenever someone talks about guys who are good with engines. When I was 16 I bought an MGB and it ran like crap. I was young and still wasnt real up on carbs and was afraid to mess with it. I drove from shop to shop, seeing those signs outside that read "MECHANIC ON DUTY". Every darn one took one look and said they didnt work on multiple carbs or foreign cars.
I finally gave up and bought some books and figured it out myself, learning a great deal in the process which allowed me to understand how to tune not just two, but three, four and even six carbs on some rather exotic engines. But really, it was incredibly satisfying to have that car running like a Swiss watch after only an hour messing with it, when mechanics [supposed] more than twice my age had no clue.
In another life I had a short love affair with SAAB 99's. I always took great pleasure in taking one to some clown who said he was a mechanic and watching him try to open the hood. When I showed him how to do it, and that big ol clamshell swung "forward", exposing a backwards mounted slant four with the clutch at the front and the belts at the back, it was quite entertaining to hear them say "WTF" and start stuttering as to how they didnt have a clue. HINT: Thats not a mechanic.
A Mechanic should have an open mind and a good general basic understanding of mechanical principles and engine operating principles in general. This stuff isnt rocket science. Its all quite easily found online and at libraries, if one would just take some time to study. As you learn, you slowly find that all engines all share the same basic principles. Yes, there are design differences and certain mechanical idiosyncrasies, and certain specific measurements that are required, but thats where service manuals come in. Good mechanics ALWAYS refer to manuals and follow them religiously, poor ones wouldnt pick one up if their (or yours) life depended on it.
