[ryandrake]

YouTube is fantastic if you already diagnosed the problem and know what part you need to replace. You just follow along with the video, pausing while you go. It’s perfect.

YouTube is kind of shit for diagnosis, though. Most of the videos just gloss over it. “Hey guys! So, my fuel pump is dead, so here’s a video on how to replace it!” Ok, thanks, but how did you figure out it was the fuel pump? Not a lot of YouTube content along those lines.

[knowaveragejoe]

I've found the best knowledge on that front are youtubers who buy beater old cars, get them running again and maybe even restore them to resell at a profit.

Their videos are between 20-60 minutes and run through the general process of going from no-crank-no-start to running, which is basically the same for all gas-powered cars. Diesels are a little different.

[throwaway173738]

You need two things for your engine to run: fuel flow, and spark. If it starts but doesn’t run everything follows from there. If your starter motor doesn’t turn it over start there instead.

[knowaveragejoe]

You also need air and compression! And if you want the engine to run longer than a few minutes, cooling.