Product Description

Tracy Martin, an ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) Certified Master Technician, explains the principles behind automotive electrical systems and how they work. This book details the various tools, such as multimeters and test lights, that can be used to evaluate and troubleshoot any vehicle’s electrical system. Several hands-on projects take readers on a guided tour of their vehicle’s electrical system and demonstrate how to fix specific problems.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30411 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780760320990
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Tracy Martin has served as a service trainer and technical writer for Nissan, Snap-On Tools, and other auto industry corporations. He is from Hagerstown, Maryland.

Customer Reviews

Diagnose and Repair Automobile Electrical Systems
I have always been able to fix electrical problems on cars but sometimes at much wasted expense and effort. Tracy Martin's book is simply the best book I have ever read on this subject. It is a "nuts and bolts" book that tells you why and how to test a certain way. Suddenly automotive electrical systems make sense to me. This book will save much wasted effort. My father was an electrical engineer and he figured out electrical problems for me. When he died I had to figure this stuff out for myself and I wish I had paid more attention. Tracy Martins book is great, not only do I recommend it ... if Tracy Martin ever writes another one I will buy that too. Fred Rawls

Good Book, but Missing Something
This books is indeed the best automotive electrical systems book out there, as almost all other books waste the entire book on theories that hardly apply to actual hands-on diagnosis.

I am a graduate of highly-recognized aircraft maintenance college, and have achieved above-average grades in electrical/electronic systems courses. However, during my education we hardly covered "practical" part of our profession as certified technicians. This book cleared up some of my questions and was definitely better than any book I've read on electricity.

However, the downside is that the book still spends much space explaining theories that do not help doing the actual troubleshooting/repair. It could use more photos/illustrations, as well as comparisons between good units & bad units. Some of the components covered are also obsolete (point contact ignition system, DC generator, etc...), only helpful for those who are into vintage vehicles. The book also has too much advertisement, especially for Fluke products. Fluke multimeters are indeed the best in the world, and I myself use a Fluke. However, even my entry-level Fluke was $150 and for most home mechanics, Sears Craftsman DMM's are more than sufficient.

All in all, there is simply no better book than this one. On his next book, I would like to see more info on imported vehicles, as well as more up-to-date systems such as skid control, traction control, electronic climate control, navigation, discharge-type headlight bulbs, LED's, Optitron clusters, and engine-to-transmission data-link systems.

This is a good book for people that like to fix stuff
I'm your average "Tim The Tool Man" type -- stuff like fixing cars & bikes comes naturally to me, and I'm even pretty good at fabrication stuff like welding, but when it comes to electricity, I scratch my head, grunt, and hope nothing catches fire.

Tracy Martin's book actually makes a lot of sense to me, and each chapter builds on previous chapters, which is a big help to me. He doesn't assume you know a lot about electricity, but he doesn't speak down either -- just clear and accessable language. I really like how there aren't a bunch of crazy-looking engineering schematics & symbols, instead, he uses really straighforward illustrations. Good photos too.

Everyone from a DIY type to a professional mechanic can learn something from this book.