Craftsman Motor Vehicles Maintenance study plan
Craftsman Motor Vehicles Maintenance · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Engine Mechanical: Inspection, Diagnosis, and Repair & Safety, Tools, and Workshop Practice
Explain, from memory, the four-stroke cycle and the function of each major engine mechanical component (block, head, piston, rings, bearings, valvetrain)
Identify ten workshop hazards and state the correct control for each, including jack and stand use, fuel handling, and exhaust gas ventilation
Demonstrate correct selection and safe use of torque wrenches, micrometers, and plastigauge for a bearing clearance check
Describe the procedure for a cylinder head inspection: warpage check, valve seat assessment, and crack detection methods
Your checkpoint
A one-page engine mechanical checklist covering disassembly, measurement points, and reassembly torque sequence, plus a signed-off hazard control sheet for the workshop
Engine Mechanical: Inspection, Diagnosis, and Repair & Engine Systems: Lubrication, Cooling, and Fuel
Diagnose low compression, oil consumption, and abnormal noise complaints and map each symptom to likely mechanical causes
Describe lubrication system flow from pump to galleries and explain how oil pressure and viscosity grade affect wear
Explain cooling system operation including thermostat, radiator, water pump, and the purpose of coolant concentration and pressure caps
Interpret spark plug and combustion chamber readings to infer mixture and oil-burning faults
Your checkpoint
A symptom-to-cause diagnostic table with at least 12 entries linking engine mechanical and lubrication/cooling faults to the tests that confirm them
Engine Systems: Lubrication, Cooling, and Fuel
Trace fuel delivery from tank to injector for both port and direct injection and explain the role of each component
Describe how an ECU calculates injection duration and what sensors feed the calculation
Diagnose rich, lean, and misfire conditions using fuel trim, oxygen sensor, and injector balance reasoning
Explain diesel common-rail pressure generation and the purpose of the high-pressure pump and rail sensor
Your checkpoint
A written fuel system fault analysis of three scenarios (lean bank, rich bank, single-cylinder misfire) with the measurement sequence and expected readings for each
Braking Systems and Hydraulics & Electrical and Electronic Systems
Explain hydraulic principles of braking: Pascal's law, force multiplication, and the effect of air in the circuit
Describe the function and failure symptoms of master cylinder, proportioning valve, ABS modulator, and caliper or wheel cylinder
Perform and interpret a brake fluid moisture and boiling point assessment and state the replacement decision rule
Read a wiring diagram and identify series and parallel circuits, relay control, and ground paths for a brake or lighting circuit
Your checkpoint
A hydraulic braking system diagram annotated with test points, plus a wiring trace of one ABS or brake-light circuit showing supply, control, and ground
Electrical and Electronic Systems & Transmission, Clutch, and Driveline
Use a multimeter to measure voltage drop, resistance, and current draw and state the acceptable limits for each test
Diagnose a no-crank condition step by step through battery, starter relay, ignition switch, and ground circuits
Explain clutch operation, release bearing and pressure plate function, and the symptoms of slip, drag, and judder
Describe manual gearbox and differential power flow and identify the causes of whine, bearing noise, and oil leaks
Your checkpoint
A no-crank diagnostic flow chart with measured values at each step, plus a clutch and driveline symptom summary of at least 8 faults
Suspension, Steering, and Wheel Alignment
Explain suspension geometry terms: camber, caster, toe, steering axis inclination, and scrub radius, and their effect on tyre wear and handling
Identify MacPherson strut, double wishbone, and rear axle types and describe inspection points for each
Describe power steering types (hydraulic, electric) and diagnose heavy steering, wander, and vibration complaints
Interpret a wheel alignment printout and decide which adjustment corrects a given tyre wear pattern
Your checkpoint
An alignment printout interpretation exercise: given four sets of before-values and tyre wear descriptions, state the adjustment needed and the expected result
Preventive Maintenance and Vehicle Inspection & Safety, Tools, and Workshop Practice
Build a preventive maintenance schedule covering fluids, filters, belts, brakes, and tyres with interval rationale
Perform a structured pre-delivery or periodic vehicle inspection and record findings in a standard format
Explain used oil, coolant, and battery disposal requirements and workshop waste segregation
Describe tyre inspection criteria including tread depth, wear pattern, sidewall damage, and date coding
Your checkpoint
A completed 30-point vehicle inspection form with pass/fail criteria and a maintenance schedule for one representative vehicle
Fault Diagnosis and Customer Handling & Engine Mechanical: Inspection, Diagnosis, and Repair & Braking Systems and Hydraulics
Apply a structured diagnostic interview to gather complaint, history, conditions, and prior repairs from a customer
Distinguish symptom from cause and write a repair recommendation a non-technical customer can understand
Review the highest-risk topics from engine mechanical and braking systems and close identified knowledge gaps
Complete a timed mixed-domain practice set and analyse every wrong answer by root cause
Your checkpoint
Three written customer case studies (complaint, diagnosis path, recommendation, and explanation) plus a personal error log listing the five weakest topics and a revision action for each
Milestones
Week 2: Without notes, explain the four-stroke cycle, oil flow path, and cooling circuit, and correctly map at least 10 of 12 symptom-to-cause entries in your diagnostic table
Week 4: Score at least 80% on a self-made 25-question set drawn from domains 1, 2, and 3, and correctly trace one complete brake hydraulic circuit and one electrical circuit from a diagram
Week 6: Diagnose the no-crank scenario end to end with recorded measurements, and correctly interpret two of three alignment printouts with the right adjustment
Week 8: Score at least 75% overall on a full-length mixed-domain practice exam with no domain below 60%, and confirm the error log has a concrete revision action for every missed item