You might want to pick up the Chilton's or Haynes manual for your vehicle and start from there. Most of these manuals will have a section describing how you perform basic maintenance on the vehicle.
It's how I learned.
It's how I learned.
And that doesn't even begin to touch the true magic in having a large collection of chemicals. Know when to use DC-4, WD-40, 33MS, brake cleaner, contact cleaner, and of course, GOJO.
It has been a fun journey and it is very nice to see through the utter nonsense most auto repair places spew. I would repeat that a community college course and/or Haynes is a good starting point and then it is off to the forum that caters to your car :).
To me, this is one of the most fascinating aspects of the internet. No matter your make or model, there is a dedicated forum for your car. And it's got plenty of active accounts.
Why do we not have tablet apps which allow you to see how everything fits together, how the drivetrain redistributes energy, etc?
I'd still love a wireframe view of my Jeep I could manipulate on my iPad.
As a reference away from the garage, it would be cool, but I would still want something I would feel safe having by my side as I work on the car.