Customer Reviews

Chilton's Ford Pick-Ups & Bronco 1987-93 (Chilton Model Specific Automotive Repair Manuals)

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I was looking for a complete diagram of the fuel system for my ol' 92 Ford truck. I didn't know what was what, people say nasty things about the Chilton's Manual just as much as they say nasty things about the Hanyes Manual. My dad was a mechanic so I was used to using a Chilton. But when I bought my first car I wound up getting a Haynes manual... So which is better?

FOR THE LADY'S...
In my opinion it depends on your level of experience working on vehicles. If you have never troubleshooted an engine or vehicle problem GO WITH A HAYNES. The reason why I am saying that is that the Haynes has a TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE at the front of the book, the Haynes is great for ease of learning about your vehicle and I recommend it for the lady's and the shade tree mechanics. It has grainy black and white pictures and larger exploded diagrams than the Chilton's manual, though I do see they can be hard to follow along because there often mislabeled but it does give you a general idea of what to do.

IN COMPARISON...
The Chilton only has a routine maintenance section with NO TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE, and this is where I think Chilton has lost the majority of their audience over the years. However, it should be noted that a Chilton is written for the professional mechanic, and for the mechanic that knows his way around an engine compartment. For example in the engine overhaul section the Chilton boasts Piston, Compression, and Tourqe Specification charts which are more detailed as it lists all the year models in an easy to read format, it's an easier read than what Haynes offers. Haynes offers some of the same data, but I had a difficult time tracking their data with it because it's printed over several pages as compared to Chilton's data which is printed all on one single page in an easy to read cross referencing diagram. The Chilton boasts a high quality paper than a Haynes. The Chilton has no pictures, but has easy to read diagrams and exploded diagrams of each model year transmission and engine and many other components. Though I recommend a good pair of magnification glasses when observing most of the diagrams and drawings.

All in All...
I recommend the Haynes for the Lay Mechanic, and the Chilton for the Pro Mechanic, and I recommend both for those of you who are serious mechanics who may need to cross reference data.

That is all.

For the amateur, Chilton's beats haynes in helpfulness. has more illustrations by far, and more common language, and sub descriptions. Both could use better wiring diagrams though, for car stereo installation you're better off getting your vehicles wiring diagram off the internet

I have used chiltons books for many years for different model cars and motorcycles. Do you also provide a CD with maintenance manuel type information. At our local auto parts dealer I've seen CDs maintenance information. I understand from the store employee that the CD is much more comprehensive and has better pictorial details. I'd like to get some more information on the CD. Thanks, Eli Elias