Is it a hobbie, job, or are you going to school for it? I got what little I have from highschool classes, taking 2 autos next year as I skipped it the previous year.

I start telling people how to learn more about engines the way I learned. Go read as much as you can about engines, tranmissions, etc at howstuffworks.

Then, you actually apply that knowledge and take apart an engine to understand how it functions according to that knownledge. Thus, you have abstract education applied directly to understand a physical object.

The rest is up to reading about technical aspects of engines, like how they make power versus rpm, various ways to kill them, how intake and exhaust geometry affect torque across rpm, cam topography, etc.

Others have their backgrounds from working on engines in a more anecdotal way. They can tell you how to overhaul one, I can tell you how to build one.

Of course, it also helps to have an interest in the study to help solidify that knowledge. For example, I had drawn a schematic diagram for a gasoline powered jack hammer sometime around 4-5 years of age. (At that time, I actually thought thats what they ran on! ) Funny that up until a few month ago I was unaware that there actually are gasoline powered jack hammers.

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I'm pretty much the same as him ^^ except I haven't gotten to the applying your knowledge part, all my knowledge is still pure theory and physics.

As a result, I can tell you how to optimize your engine/drivetrain/car, but if something breaks, I'm completely buggered as to how to fix it.

'Oh shit the tires blown... now replacing it... hmmm... Fuck. Haven't read up to that part yet.'

Gran Turismo.

I didn't know a damn thing about cars until I was about 16-17 and got one. At that point I was starting to make some friends who were car guys and got me a bit interested. So I spent my free time reading all I could about cars. When my cars broke I got practical firsthand knowledge fixing them.

It's totally a hobby, although I've done side jobs for people if they were strapped for cash and needed something done. If all goes well, I hope to start up a small business building big block Cadillacs for people later this year.

I've got it all from experience - I started working on my dad's Vauxhall Carlton when I was about 8. Everything I've learned since then has been from hands-on stuff, helping change head gaskets, strip engines down and so on.

When I was about 11 I had a thing for small engines so I amassed a large number of dumped lawnmowers. My parents weren't too plussed about finding greasy stains on the kitchen floor every weekend.

I've done some reading about the theoretical side of things but I'm not too great on stuff like engine geometry and the physics side of things. I'm still not sure what kind of thing to carry on with at Uni - computers or mechanics. Hard decision as I like both equally.

This year I will hopefully be getting my first car. (I'm 17)

Togethar ve vill be unstopable!

I was given a Magnum style ferrari model and swore whatever car I bought would have popup headlights. Never happened but thats what got me interested in cars. Then I started reading my dad's street machine, street commodores, wheels, motor and other car mags and then started memorising the holden 'improved performance L6 and V8' manual.
got a v8 commodore and did a fair bit to that.
Nereth you might like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnbmW...elated&search=

Thats awesome.

Best straight six ever made.

sorry