Being that I've been building trucks for over 45 years I think they can be a handy guide that helps me keep from forgetting things, but no if your an inexperienced mechanic that needs a manual that will hold your hand every step of the way, I suppose you should line your birdcage with it.
If they don't even know what the system is or where its components are, how does that become a "don't forget to do this" reference?
Every manual/instruction sheet should be written as though a ten-year-old is reading it and going to follow it. I write instruction "cheat sheets" for many IT-related tasks: "Click here, see this, type this ..." That way, staff who normally don't touch the task for months can still complete the task without engaging a more-expensive staff member's input. Even better, a part-timer who doesn't really work that section can finish the job.
As I said earlier, I've spent too much $$ on Chilton's and Haynes manuals, only to find that not only are they clueless, often they don't even mention the system I'm trying to fix.
My Mom's Mercury's air suspension began to malfunction. I bought the "manual" for it to see what I could learn.Their secton for the air suspension made reference to a module under the dash near the steering column. That module was nowhere to be found on the real car. Other instances escape memory, but that's when I was reminded those manuals are bird-cage material only.
