I'm a computer user who can take his own computer apart, rebuild it with different parts, tweek it, use it, break it, fix it and so on. But when it comes to cars, I can barely make my way around. I see belts and wires and can identify about 1/2 of them. I would like to be able to fix my car, but I do not know where to start. People help me out and we have thoroughly checked the battery. We can't get it to start so I don't know if the alternator is in good shape or not, it might be. We think it is the Starter, and I've found some nice general guides online that give me a walk through on how to check it, but I don't know where the starter is, or what it looks like and the only place I've found that would have an answer was a book for sale that a mechanic's shop would have. Where can I find the layout of my car, something that will tell me "This device is your Distributor Cap", "This is your Alternator", or "Your Starter is hidden here, under everything"? Or am I supposed to not eat for a 2 weeks so I can pay a mechanic $50/hour plus parts to do everything?

 

I'm hoping for a general guide that can help me later on with other potential problems, though the current one needs to be fixed before new ones can be developed.

Update:

 

Somehow, in an 80 mile drive, the starter was unplugged.

 

But I still want to know more about my car.

There are plenty of basic automobile repair books on the market. I would do some research and get one. When you learn about the basics then you can get a service manual for your specific vehicle and be able to use it. The manuals assume you already have training to do testing and troubleshoot procedures so understanding the basics is a must. I think you will enjoy learning about working on cars. It can be a dirty job at times but you have the satisfaction of knowing what to do when trouble happens. They really aren't too compilcated to understand once you see how things are designed.