TGW1, I am FAR from a good mechanic. I recall my dad being frustrated with me as a teen that i had no sense of tools or things mechanical. He could fix anything and I admired that but didn't know where to start. I was (and still am) determined to tackle almost everything myself and try to be 'self-taught' like him. The big advantage i have now is youtube. Almost everything is spelled out for you on Youtube with pictures. It saves me a lot of figuring out how you take things apart to get to the parts by watching the steps someone else used to get down to the part you need.
Online parts diagrams and easy access to almost any part online has helped me a lot. I also am learning that what makes a good mechanic is having the correct tool for each job. I'm slowly breaking down and buying a few of the 'proper' tools which helps a lot when the going gets tough.
What we did with the boat motor was 'threw parts' at it. I'm sure a good boat shop would have put a fancy fuel pressure gauge on and found that the filters were not the issue but the fuel supply to the motor was the problem.
We still need properly trained mechanics with the experience that I don't have, and for all electronic diagnostics I'm lost!
