I was thinking about getting a Helms manual for my 91' but then I saw the price $90 bucks. Is it worth the expense for me to get one??

 

yes

 

Definitely. I managed to snag one for my 91 off ebay for $15.50, so keep your eyes peeled. Of course it took me over a year to find one that cheap, and it's so useful, I wonder why I didn't just shell out the $90 to have it years ago.

 

Yes.
All other manuals will seem worthless, once you get a good look at the Helms manual.
It's worth the $$
-Rich-

 

how thick is the manual??

 

The one for my 92 is about three inches thick ($95 new).
A friend of mine just got one for his 2002 2500 HD (truck) is actually three books that total about six inches (he paid about $160)
-Rich-

 

I got my factory service manual used from http://www.factoryautomanuals.com for $40, and it was in great condition.

 

Well worth the money.

 

I've got an 85 and an 86 manual, and I still want to get an 88 and a 90 or 91 manual. No matter what computer I run, I'll be well covered.

My 85 manual is my favorite. It's actually in a blue plastic 3-ring binder instead of a paperback style. The pages are thicker and all of the sections are indexed. I paid $6 for it on Ebay.

 

$90, ouch, what all does it entail, I mean , anything we couldn't get from this site??

 

They're the jen-u-wine service manuals used by GM techs. They cover pretty much EVERYTHING in regards to repair and maintenance. They are specific to the year of your car, so all the little differences or whatever for that year of your car are covered. Mine is specifically for '90 Firebirds/Formulas/TA's.

You can probably find lots of information on this site, but when you're wrenching on your car, it's great having the FSM right there for reference.

I bought the equivalent Nissan manual for my SE-R a few years ago, and it has basically paid for itself (more than 10 times over) with all the stuff I did myself instead of resorting to taking the car(s) to a shop or the dealer. And the manual is hands-down better than the Haynes manual. The Haynes manuals are sort of "generic" in that they cover a group of cars (like one book for all '82-'92 F Bodies), but the factory manuals cover specific years.

 

What does amaze me is the amount of basic information that isn't in them. Ever try to find the firing order or the cylinder # position on the distributer cap? Nowhere to be found in those manuals. I realize that it's fairly common knowledge for anybody that's familiar with these motors, but when you consider how many different cars a GM Tech sees, I would think it would be beneficial for him to have that info handy.

 

yeah i've noticed that. that's why i didn't toss my chilton's or haynes manuals when i got the helms. besides, it's easier to find a lot of things in chil/hay.

 

Same here, Viprklr. I've used my Helm book so many times it's now in three pieces, I broke the binding. (But hey that's less to carry into the garage!! Haha) But sometimes, trying to find something will drive me crazy, so I'll just hop on the Haynes book. I like how the Haynes gives all the torque specs at the beginning of each chapter. Sometimes trying to find a torque spec in the Helm book is a little frustrating. Plus, many of the things in the Haynes book are the same in the Helm book (caliper rebuild, master cylinder rebuild, how to drop the fuel tank, replacing the rear axle) ... and with my falling-apart Helm book, I'd rather get the Haynes dirty But heaven help the guy who grabs the Haynes for electrical diagnosis!

grafx, YES, you should buy one right now!! You won't believe how well you can diagnose the car with one. Everything's got a checklist... for example... car stalls? They tell you to check anything remotely related to the car stalling. Got a service engine soon light? You get a step-by-step chart that goes through each possible cause of the code, and when you're done with that chart, you've got a working car. That's why it's so worth it, Mark... what you do now (come online, do some searches, post some messages, wait a few hours, check again, reply again) is totally eliminated, all you do is read that one (sometimes two) pages of chart, and follow thru 'em. You'll even beat the local mechanics!!

My car stalled (then backfired) back in '96. I coasted down the hill to the repair shop that my dad and I go to when we hit a problem- it's not often, but when we can't fix it, you know it's big!! (I think the guy hates it when we come in, haha) Anyway, he couldn't find the problem, but he was able to tell me that his scan tool said "no computer", and I had no power to my fuel pump. He tried a bunch of "standard" things, like rebuilding the distributor, checking for spark, fuel pressure, etc... so he said he's gotta trace that circuit. He said it was up to me; did i want to try it, or leave it with him, because it'll take a while to trace everything. I said I'll give it a shot (bill was $300 by now), and he hotwired the fuel pump so I could drive home.

Got home, grabbed the Helm book, fixed it in 20 minutes. Found out I had a bad ring terminal on the fuel pump/ECM supply wire, off the passenger side positive distribution block.

I've got many other stories like that, but- You can't beat a Helm. I bought mine right after I registered my car back in '94.

 

Yup, definatly worth buying! Check Ebay often.

David

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...item=731317764


is this a real Helms manual?

 

yes.

when you open the cover, before you flip to the title page, there will be a page in there in regards to ordering replacement manuals. and the address is for helm, inc. iirc.

i just picked up an 84 shop manual, and mines the big book style thing. i'm going to look for a manual like the 85 one jim was referring to to keep in the car with me.

as was said before, check on ebay.