Inspection Video: Car makes Helicopter Noise (Parked for Years) while driving & NASTY Vibrations! Ford Taurus 3.0 th-cam.com/video/QoYRv54lmgQ/w-d-xo.html
In 500 years, after the rest of the car has rotted away, reclaimed by the earth...that portion of wiring harness will endure. That's how I like to repair stuff, too!
I'm in in awe with the fact that A) Ray takes on jobs like this, B) doesn't just parts cannon it, especially with adjacent related items that may or may not be contributing to the issue (ie, burned harness, lets replace the O2 sensor too!), and C) takes the time to film, light, narrate, and edit all this stuff for us to both be entertained and learn by. Thank you Ray, you're an unsung hero.
I was a power supply designer for 30 years. I have worked with a lot of technicians. You may find men that can troubleshoot like Ray, but none communicate like Ray.
Wish I could upvote this twice. It's a damn shame how many mechanics would fail to fix this car. Ray's a good one, though, not to be defeated by some melty wires.
Stealerships dont seem to carry spares as part canon crews accumilate odds and bits they are not classed as official spares so cannot be used so I was told, As a result I will keep my own vehicles alive myself as long as I can. Have to justify that fortune in Snap Off stuff a while longer.
It's pretty rough, and it's 20 years old at this point - while it needs a fair bit of work in various forms, it's one of those "is it worth the cost?" cases.
@@michelleshaw337 MOST seem to be normal maintenance items. Also, with the newish transmission, I would bet even a bit more money would do it. Or get a loan for a new car and play $400-$1000 a month in car payments for the new 5-6years.
@@philsonnenberg6092 Yes, most are "normal maintenance" items - it's not "beyond repair", it's more a matter of whether you're "throwing good money after bad" to keep this car running.
@@philsonnenberg6092Naturally spending money on a disposable car is way better. /s My car is most likely valued at 0 €, I did spend some money to buy it and there are no mechanical issues. The way I'm doing the math is that it's still way cheaper than leaping for a new Camry and I like the sound of the inline 5 engine.
I, like most of the folks who watch your videos, wish I could bring my vehicle to you. What an amazing technician you are. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with all of us.
Hi, Ray. It sure nice to see an honest mechanic for a change. I have been around a long time[80yrs] and have seen 1st hand some of the stuff that went on. At a major repair shop, I watched a mechanic take a screwdriver to rubber boot on a wheel cylinder just enough to drip fluid so it had to be replaced. I let it be known to the manager and that part of the fix was free.
Tip from South Main Auto, take a small socket and wrap it with the required amount of electrical tape, making a tiny roll of tape, this makes it easier to wrap your connections.
In my personal opinion you are a great mechanic and relentless person. In other words where someone else would give up you didn't until you found the answer.
I use marine grade heat shrink crimp connectors. I've never seen solder connections on a wiring harness on a car. I worked at a place that made wiring harnesses for the Government. Areas that were subjected to vibration always had crimped connectors. Soldiered connections can break the wire when subjected to vibration. The drawings and instructions were very clear about the issue. We had to be certified before we could do the harnesses.
if there were a flexible solder, that would make it acceptable in these kind of situations, maybe, but then it might creep, you'd still need a mechanical connection, perhaps a crimp connector over the insulation.
I always crimp, then place a little solder over it, (on some applications). When it’s a ring terminal etc. On the type of connections he did, use of quality heat shrink connections are best.
Woo Hoo getting a Ford back on the road is cause for celebration!!! Also Ray is the only car whisperer to make watching "painted grass dry" interesting! Entertaining and educational. I love it..
Don't hate on my Man because he tested the overload factor on his fluke ! ! A good mechanic will sacrifice his tools in the benefit of his/her customer. As an HVAC/R man I do it a lot !
agreed and the main reason (s)he will do it is because they should always want to fix your issue the best way they can so they do not need to fix it again
At my company we've tried all sorts of inexpensive leads in an effort to save money. The biggest issue we find is that the tips bend or break because they're cheap stamped steel. The only times I've had to replace the leads on my Fluke were due to normal wear and tear on the insulation, not from the leads themselves failing. They still work fine, I just won't use them for mission-critical work.
The good thing about waiting for parts is that when you go to install them the motor is not blazing hot and burning off your skin when you're under there wrapping your arms around things.
Two tips for you when doing this kind of work. 1- When twisting the strands give a bit more twisting action as this will increase the strength of the crimp and lock it more securely. and 2 - Stagger the crimp 90 degrees from each other - do not crimp all in a line. You're doing fine my friend, keep up the great work Sherlock Holms...
Just found your channel today and am enjoying it very much. Having said that: I was an electrician for over 30 years and I can state with a high degree of confidence that when using that style of butt connector (regardless of whether or not you use shrink tubing) you should always use the inner/smoother portion of your crimping tool. That's what it's there for. 22:37
As a mechanic who retired 15 years ago I love your video's. Makes me wish I was still on the bench doing what I loved the most, Fixing cars. Your video's are far better than anything that Hollywood ever produced. Love your wifey too for her smiles are great and brighten the day. Makes me proud to know that there are still honest mechnics out there. It has been hard to stop working at someting you love. but I still buy the occasonal tool. Next on the list is a 12 volt impact driver. Congratulations from southern Ontario Canada. Give your wife a hug from me.
Nicely diag and repair Ray, keep up the great work fella! Here in the UK you would seriously struggle to find a mechanic that would take that much effort to diagnose and fix that problem!
This guy is really good. He explains very well and thoroughly. I am very mindful and been working at home on my own car for years but he taught me so much that I've been able to do so much more on my cars. He is amazing at troubleshooting. I live in Canada and I wish he was closer
Hi Ray I was cringing when you when you were subjecting the Fluke to 20 plus amps in the first video!! My hobby is restoring old valve radios and would dearly love a Fluke multimeter but way beyond my price bracket. I have serviced my own cars since I was a teenager (53 years)! Complete engine rebuilds to welding new floors into my cars. Love watching your escapades even though our motors are much smaller here over the pond. However since we no longer have any major motor manufacturing any more we tend to be flooded with oriental imports. Keep up with the great videos
Hey Rainman Ray, I’m glad you got the parts necessary to fix this car. I was telling my wife about the detailed process of finding the problem with this car. You impress me with your thoroughness to find these electrical problems. Good work Mr Ray.
His thought process and process of elimination on these things is phenomenal. That sort of critical thinking can pass on to most any electrical/mechanical/refrigeration job You do, or any problem solving job you have. "Think like the machine"
The one thing guaranteed is, that upstream O2 sensor will never go bad because it is way too easy to access. You're supposed to need four opposing elbows and a ratchet with six floppy joints to get to it
Ray i believe that it was a good thing the Harbor Freight leads were connected to your meter initially acting as fusible links and taking all the high amperage and melting before it got to your meter and popped the fuse in the meter. Keep up the good work love your videos
Between the thin wire leads and the Flukes fuse we were ok. It was the edge of the envelope no doubt. I'd be best off to install another inline 20a fuse to protect the Flukes fuse. The Flukes fuse is "time delay" to and they say it will take 25a for about 30 seconds.
Ray, I might be able to save you some effort. I work in aerospace as a EE, I use M81824 series splices for things like that on the planes. The advantage is they are environmental splices, comes with the shrink, and is very similar to the solder sleeves you were showing. We use those too for shielded wire. You can get them at Mouser, Digi-Key, etc.
You sir, helped me fix my 2001 ford taurus sel duratec v6. O2 sensor connector wires just like in this video. Fuse 28 now holds and transmission limp fixed. No more codes. Soooooo grateful!
Use the uninsulated butt connectors without the blue PVC with heat shrink over it.Makes a cleaner less bulky splice...in a pinch you can heat the pvc and pull the metal connector out and use that
Ray the shop that put the transmission only fixed the transmission. You saved the customer. I do believe co2 wiring get melted from the exhaust manifold since older cars the clips for the wires are gone. Have a Great Day consider this a win
I like to put a small zip tie at the end where you stop with tape, kinda helps so the tape won’t unravel over the years of heat. Love the videos been watching for years now! Cheers 🍻
Simple repairs such as todays class are what most people would do but it gives a confirmation from experience that what we think is a correct way of doing a repair is what we thunk. I would of written down the colors to match before cutting and photo them.
I don't want to know how many "mechanics" parts cannon a car with a lot of fault codes and never fix the basic problem of a corroded wire or a ripped hose which was the root cause of all the problems.
For those I prefer uninsulated crimp connectors, and then slide over adhesive lined shrink sleeving over them. That then will make a water tight connection, and overall you just place a larger non adhesive lined sleeve, that protects the final join. Uninsulated connectors are smaller, and you also get crimp connectors that are crimped over the 2 bare wires, like the OEM does for in harness splices, which are a lot smaller and less obtrusive as well.
When I had to trouble shoot systems like that. I made a harness with a socket to fit a resettable breaker. and a service loop for my amp clamp. Worked great.
Live in an area with emission checks required. Every spring have the P1000 problem. Winter store my 96 TransAm without the battery which clears the modules. Have to drive it about a week before getting the Echeck done
I troubleshoot for a living, mechanical and electrical, and I stand by the wiggle test as a legitimate diagnostic method. It has helped me diagnose internal shorts and opens on seemingly good cables. I spent a good few hours chasing an issue shorting and blowing our safety circuit fuse. Turned out that was the only fuse in the entire circuit that fed all of the safeties and then through some relay logic it fed all of our output cards. Went through all of the basic methods Ray did on that one. Except I didn't do a wiggle test or use my meter in current mode. Came to find out that a hydraulic valve solenoid replaceable coil had shorted out. The good coil was reading 14 ohms, the shorted coil was reading 5 ohms.
A couple of small hints. First, there are the original (sadly expensive) crimping tools that reflect the very original idea of crimping the connector area and ALSO the insulation area in one shot. The idea was that crimping also the insulation would produce a stronger joint and avoid sharp bends of the wire, as it is locked inside the insulation(s). Second, my opinion is that both kinds of insulation tape have rubber adhesive. It is only the “carrier”, either fabric in the old style, or PVC in the new one. The softening compound in PVC is what makes the rubber adhesive to become fluid and let the PVC tape unwrap. And “nasty”.
Nice to see the old Ford Taurus getting the love. I've got a 2005 Mercury Sable (cousin car) that I bought new that I have done a lot of work on. One of these days I will upload some more videos of working on it. It’s got the 4 valve Duratec engine and it will get up and go, brother !
I used to have problems with the reliability of my crimp connections when using pliers-type crimp tool. I finally got a ratcheting crimping tool, which has made a big difference.
I have missed your videos. Heard you have been stupid sick. Glad you are back. Even Eric O at SMA wasn't peaking my interest as of late. Missed you Ray man....
Actually Ray, I LIKE a good wiring video. I can turn a wrench, but I like wiring. When you were working on your truck, that was the part I found most interesting. I like that you staggered the splices, I do that myself. One thing I do different than you did, I prefer uninsulated splices. I find that I can make a stronger crimp with them. Of course I heat shrink over them, too. An added advantage is that the bundle is smaller when you're done.
When you busted out the solder sleeve, I was very tempted to reeeee... Glad I waited! I do use solder sleeve for all sorts of low-amperage DC repairs. When you don't have somewhere to put cable clamps to hand-solder, it's an invaluable tool.
Great job repairing that harness. Love that you show an honest error along the way. We all make mistakes and hope to realize it as we go. I enjoy your videos, even the ones you think are mundane. Thank for another great video fellow Floridian. Have a great day good sir.
If you had an 8 am to midnight stream, I would watch the whole thing and be excited the whole damn time. Hell, I would take off work to learn from you and help you where I could just to learn. You are not only an amazing mechanic, but also an amazing human.
I agree with not using the low temp solder connectors in a very hot place. Always use waterproof butt connectors if you have them, so i sent you some. Love your channel, have a nice day.
This video is an excellent reason why I enjoy watching your videos, your observations are noted audibly, yup explain your train of thought, and you explain how and why you do things a certain way. Thank you Ray.
Having watched your "paint drying" repairs 😄 I was glad to see the success of the operation (I had no doubt). Also, thank you for the cameo of Lauren/WifeUnit, and you're right - she is beautiful (I hope that's okay to make that comment...she is). What a diag yesterday!! Another great video, Ray. Thanks! Maybe your customer will have you repair the brakes & wheel bearing.
You are a good mechanic. I watch you quite a bit and I'm not FL I used to be and still have family in Clermont and other towns near by. I'll have to remember you incase I'm done there and am having trouble.
That was interesting watching you go through the elemination process to arrive at finding that part of the harness . Good job Ray , you saved them many $$$ on this job. Stay safe , have fun .
Ford had a major multi model recall for cruise control/ brake master cylinder harness doing exactlly like you said about oil getting into wiring (in ford it was brake fluid starting fires) excellant diagnosis!!
Yeah I dare say that you’ed be hard pressed to find a service manager that would allow a mechanic spend that much time on diagnosing a problem like that. Well done Ray you da man!
I would have bet money you wouldn't find a new connector. Thought sure it was salvage yard time. Nice job on the repair. A good video to teach young techs the right way.
Witnessing what the problem was (didn’t happen overnight) I’m concerned with the people redoing the transmission. Scary. Nice find and as usual great job Ray.
Inspection Video: Car makes Helicopter Noise (Parked for Years) while driving & NASTY Vibrations! Ford Taurus 3.0 th-cam.com/video/QoYRv54lmgQ/w-d-xo.html
You should twist wires together (front to front) solder them and heat shrink them WAY BETTER connection come on ray do better you're a pro
@@GrayRealities Why you don't like the crimp connector method?
In 500 years, after the rest of the car has rotted away, reclaimed by the earth...that portion of wiring harness will endure. That's how I like to repair stuff, too!
That silver tape was worth more than the car
In 500 years it will probably have been melted down several times and will be a spacecraft!
I would have run it length wise but I'm just mean!
Only Ray can make watching paint dry an interesting feat.
Ray got me watching painted grass dry today lol
Yes he is quite talented at it
I'm in in awe with the fact that A) Ray takes on jobs like this, B) doesn't just parts cannon it, especially with adjacent related items that may or may not be contributing to the issue (ie, burned harness, lets replace the O2 sensor too!), and C) takes the time to film, light, narrate, and edit all this stuff for us to both be entertained and learn by. Thank you Ray, you're an unsung hero.
😊
Your customers are very fortunate to have you diagnosing and repairing their vehicles.
You seem to be truthful on what is wrong. Not in what makes you more money,
This is the Ray I subscribed to when he had 70k subscribers. These are great videos
Absolutely!
I guess he still has us just lost us in the crowd.
I was a power supply designer for 30 years. I have worked with a lot of technicians. You may find men that can troubleshoot like Ray, but none communicate like Ray.
No dealer's mechanic is going to solve that kind of problem. Well done.
Wish I could upvote this twice. It's a damn shame how many mechanics would fail to fix this car. Ray's a good one, though, not to be defeated by some melty wires.
Stealerships dont seem to carry spares as part canon crews accumilate odds and bits they are not classed as official spares so cannot be used so I was told, As a result I will keep my own vehicles alive myself as long as I can.
Have to justify that fortune in Snap Off stuff a while longer.
I hope that car gets all the TLC that it needs. Ray’s the man to do it.
Ray has a reputation to preserve.
It's pretty rough, and it's 20 years old at this point - while it needs a fair bit of work in various forms, it's one of those "is it worth the cost?" cases.
@@michelleshaw337 MOST seem to be normal maintenance items. Also, with the newish transmission, I would bet even a bit more money would do it. Or get a loan for a new car and play $400-$1000 a month in car payments for the new 5-6years.
@@philsonnenberg6092 Yes, most are "normal maintenance" items - it's not "beyond repair", it's more a matter of whether you're "throwing good money after bad" to keep this car running.
@@philsonnenberg6092Naturally spending money on a disposable car is way better. /s My car is most likely valued at 0 €, I did spend some money to buy it and there are no mechanical issues. The way I'm doing the math is that it's still way cheaper than leaping for a new Camry and I like the sound of the inline 5 engine.
Like watching paint grow and grass dry
I hope the owner sees/ appreciates how good of a job you did
Maybe not see it.
You are officially a shorted wire whisperer. Excellent job.
First time I disagree I would have used a soldering gun soldered the wires then heat shrink I never use crimp connectors. 😮
@@jjeffrey6945 Soldering is better but if you look at all the plugs and terminals held by screws are all crimp like connections.
sometimes even "watching painted grass dry" can be very therapeutic. Thanks for the video Ray. Nice work
As I technician myself, I can say that is probably the best wiring job I've ever seen done. Well done sir!
😂 what?
I, like most of the folks who watch your videos, wish I could bring my vehicle to you. What an amazing technician you are. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with all of us.
Hi, Ray. It sure nice to see an honest mechanic for a change. I have been around a long time[80yrs] and have seen 1st hand some of the stuff that went on. At a major repair shop, I watched a mechanic take a screwdriver to rubber boot on a wheel cylinder just enough to drip fluid so it had to be replaced. I let it be known to the manager and that part of the fix was free.
Tip from South Main Auto, take a small socket and wrap it with the required amount of electrical tape, making a tiny roll of tape, this makes it easier to wrap your connections.
In my personal opinion you are a great mechanic and relentless person. In other words where someone else would give up you didn't until you found the answer.
I use marine grade heat shrink crimp connectors. I've never seen solder connections on a wiring harness on a car. I worked at a place that made wiring harnesses for the Government. Areas that were subjected to vibration always had crimped connectors. Soldiered connections can break the wire when subjected to vibration. The drawings and instructions were very clear about the issue. We had to be certified before we could do the harnesses.
What you said !
@@TimDyb That was also a consideration for the type of connection.
if there were a flexible solder, that would make it acceptable in these kind of situations, maybe, but then it might creep, you'd still need a mechanical connection, perhaps a crimp connector over the insulation.
There are soldering techniques for high vibration, high amperage, applications on aircraft. But, crimp connectors are often used instead.
I always crimp, then place a little solder over it, (on some applications). When it’s a ring terminal etc. On the type of connections he did, use of quality heat shrink connections are best.
Woo Hoo getting a Ford back on the road is cause for celebration!!!
Also Ray is the only car whisperer to make watching "painted grass dry" interesting! Entertaining and educational. I love it..
Perfect timing.came up just as my wife went into surgery.good distraction from life.
Best wish's for the wife's recovery. 🙏🙏🙏being said for her speedy recovery..
From me, the same well-wished as wilcieno.
Hope everything worked out! God bless your wife!
Hi Ray! Here's the $6.00 I owe you for the oil change! Thanks again, Jeff from Michigan with the 2022 Maverick.
Jeff you shouldn’t have. We had a done deal 😊
Don't hate on my Man because he tested the overload factor on his fluke ! ! A good mechanic will sacrifice his tools in the benefit of his/her customer. As an HVAC/R man I do it a lot !
agreed
and the main reason (s)he will do it is because they should always want to fix your issue the best way they can so they do not need to fix it again
Ray will definitely find the limits of a tool!🤣
Probably cheaper to buy new leads than heat shrinking the entire lead.
At my company we've tried all sorts of inexpensive leads in an effort to save money. The biggest issue we find is that the tips bend or break because they're cheap stamped steel.
The only times I've had to replace the leads on my Fluke were due to normal wear and tear on the insulation, not from the leads themselves failing. They still work fine, I just won't use them for mission-critical work.
As a fellow hvac tech I agree 😂 Burn it up charge it to the customer and move on 😅😅 I'm some what joking 😅
Never change Ray. You are one of the Rare ones. Actually fix the problm. No Bandaids were used in this video.
The good thing about waiting for parts is that when you go to install them the motor is not blazing hot and burning off your skin when you're under there wrapping your arms around things.
Two tips for you when doing this kind of work.
1- When twisting the strands give a bit more twisting action as this will increase the strength of the crimp and lock it more securely.
and 2 - Stagger the crimp 90 degrees from each other - do not crimp all in a line. You're doing fine my friend, keep up the great work Sherlock Holms...
Just found your channel today and am enjoying it very much. Having said that: I was an electrician for over 30 years and I can state with a high degree of confidence that when using that style of butt connector (regardless of whether or not you use shrink tubing) you should always use the inner/smoother portion of your crimping tool. That's what it's there for. 22:37
Well done, partner. Basically, you saved this vehicle from being crushed. Good job!
Honestly ray you could be a teacher. You explain things so well
Ray you should become a teacher as you information delivery is clear and easy to follow. Great vid. 👍🏾👍🏾
As always Ray, your persistence has paid off, good job sir.
You my friend are an excellent teacher. Technique and reasoning all wrapped up in aluminized tape.
Coming from an aviation background I have to say that's great troubleshooting and a stellar wire repair.
Awesome tenacity tracking that problem. Not everyone would have found the problem.
I'm amazed at how well Ray can work with gloves on. He can peel the backing off of tape with his gloves on. I could never do that.
As a mechanic who retired 15 years ago I love your video's. Makes me wish I was still on the bench doing what I loved the most, Fixing cars. Your video's are far better than anything that Hollywood ever produced. Love your wifey too for her smiles are great and brighten the day.
Makes me proud to know that there are still honest mechnics out there. It has been hard to stop working at someting you love. but I still buy the occasonal tool. Next on the list is a 12 volt impact driver. Congratulations from southern Ontario Canada. Give your wife a hug from me.
*whispers* 9:11 That part of the crimper with the "tooth" sticking out is for non-insulated connectors
Nicely diag and repair Ray, keep up the great work fella! Here in the UK you would seriously struggle to find a mechanic that would take that much effort to diagnose and fix that problem!
Hey, I’ve painted grass many times.
It’s how I keep it green in the summer here.😄
You know he's doing a good job when there's a shout of 'ANUTHA' as the centre spool of cloth insulating tape goes spinning across the workshop floor.
Ray is incredibly wise knowledgeable and a very good teacher
This guy is really good. He explains very well and thoroughly. I am very mindful and been working at home on my own car for years but he taught me so much that I've been able to do so much more on my cars. He is amazing at troubleshooting. I live in Canada and I wish he was closer
I don’t know how much you’re making an hour, but you sure are worth it from one Ray to another
Always nice to see Lauren.
Another one of those videos where they tell you to see the best part at the end
I greatly appreciate and admire your diagnostic and repair skills.
It's like watching paint grow. You're welcome.
Hi Ray I was cringing when you when you were subjecting the Fluke to 20 plus amps in the first video!! My hobby is restoring old valve radios and would dearly love a Fluke multimeter but way beyond my price bracket. I have serviced my own cars since I was a teenager (53 years)! Complete engine rebuilds to welding new floors into my cars. Love watching your escapades even though our motors are much smaller here over the pond. However since we no longer have any major motor manufacturing any more we tend to be flooded with oriental imports. Keep up with the great videos
Hey Rainman Ray, I’m glad you got the parts necessary to fix this car. I was telling my wife about the detailed process of finding the problem with this car. You impress me with your thoroughness to find these electrical problems. Good work Mr Ray.
His thought process and process of elimination on these things is phenomenal. That sort of critical thinking can pass on to most any electrical/mechanical/refrigeration job You do, or any problem solving job you have. "Think like the machine"
The one thing guaranteed is, that upstream O2 sensor will never go bad because it is way too easy to access. You're supposed to need four opposing elbows and a ratchet with six floppy joints to get to it
😆
The engineer who decided to run that wire harness in that tight gap needs to go to a 12-person overnight rave in a small coat closet.
great two part series. Excellent how to step by step diagnosis and repair.
Ray i believe that it was a good thing the Harbor Freight leads were connected to your meter initially acting as fusible links and taking all the high amperage and melting before it got to your meter and popped the fuse in the meter. Keep up the good work love your videos
Between the thin wire leads and the Flukes fuse we were ok. It was the edge of the envelope no doubt. I'd be best off to install another inline 20a fuse to protect the Flukes fuse. The Flukes fuse is "time delay" to and they say it will take 25a for about 30 seconds.
Ray, I might be able to save you some effort. I work in aerospace as a EE, I use M81824 series splices for things like that on the planes. The advantage is they are environmental splices, comes with the shrink, and is very similar to the solder sleeves you were showing. We use those too for shielded wire. You can get them at Mouser, Digi-Key, etc.
You sir, helped me fix my 2001 ford taurus sel duratec v6. O2 sensor connector wires just like in this video. Fuse 28 now holds and transmission limp fixed. No more codes. Soooooo grateful!
Use the uninsulated butt connectors without the blue PVC with heat shrink over it.Makes a cleaner less bulky splice...in a pinch you can heat the pvc and pull the metal connector out and use that
Ray the shop that put the transmission only fixed the transmission. You saved the customer. I do believe co2 wiring get melted from the exhaust manifold since older cars the clips for the wires are gone. Have a Great Day consider this a win
The amount of times i told myself dont forget to add the shrink tube first...ill always forget at least once on a good day lol
That's sweet ray glad you found the problem that stuff takes patience
I like to put a small zip tie at the end where you stop with tape, kinda helps so the tape won’t unravel over the years of heat. Love the videos been watching for years now! Cheers 🍻
So well done. And Ray's great advice - one wire at a time! Sounds simple but as an electronic technician I can say that it is perfect thinking.
Awesome candid shot of your better half. Oh ya great job on the ford too.
Simple repairs such as todays class are what most people would do but it gives a confirmation from experience that what we think is a correct way of doing a repair is what we thunk. I would of written down the colors to match before cutting and photo them.
I don't want to know how many "mechanics" parts cannon a car with a lot of fault codes and never fix the basic problem of a corroded wire or a ripped hose which was the root cause of all the problems.
Especially when the issue is intermittent.
For those I prefer uninsulated crimp connectors, and then slide over adhesive lined shrink sleeving over them. That then will make a water tight connection, and overall you just place a larger non adhesive lined sleeve, that protects the final join. Uninsulated connectors are smaller, and you also get crimp connectors that are crimped over the 2 bare wires, like the OEM does for in harness splices, which are a lot smaller and less obtrusive as well.
They can also be crimped and soldered.
Glad to see Ray uses his tape like he uses his brake clean! Great job!
Here It is! Pop-corn ready...let the video begin!!!
When I had to trouble shoot systems like that. I made a harness with a socket to fit a resettable breaker.
and a service loop for my amp clamp. Worked great.
Live in an area with emission checks required. Every spring have the P1000 problem. Winter store my 96 TransAm without the battery which clears the modules. Have to drive it about a week before getting the Echeck done
Always enjoy watching your videos Ray,the wealth of automotive knowledge you are willing to share most impressive, where were you 50 years ago
Ray was learning to walk😂
I troubleshoot for a living, mechanical and electrical, and I stand by the wiggle test as a legitimate diagnostic method. It has helped me diagnose internal shorts and opens on seemingly good cables. I spent a good few hours chasing an issue shorting and blowing our safety circuit fuse. Turned out that was the only fuse in the entire circuit that fed all of the safeties and then through some relay logic it fed all of our output cards. Went through all of the basic methods Ray did on that one. Except I didn't do a wiggle test or use my meter in current mode. Came to find out that a hydraulic valve solenoid replaceable coil had shorted out. The good coil was reading 14 ohms, the shorted coil was reading 5 ohms.
A couple of small hints. First, there are the original (sadly expensive) crimping tools that reflect the very original idea of crimping the connector area and ALSO the insulation area in one shot. The idea was that crimping also the insulation would produce a stronger joint and avoid sharp bends of the wire, as it is locked inside the insulation(s). Second, my opinion is that both kinds of insulation tape have rubber adhesive. It is only the “carrier”, either fabric in the old style, or PVC in the new one. The softening compound in PVC is what makes the rubber adhesive to become fluid and let the PVC tape unwrap. And “nasty”.
Nice to see the old Ford Taurus getting the love. I've got a 2005 Mercury Sable (cousin car) that I bought new that I have done a lot of work on. One of these days I will upload some more videos of working on it. It’s got the 4 valve Duratec engine and it will get up and go, brother !
I used to have problems with the reliability of my crimp connections when using pliers-type crimp tool. I finally got a ratcheting crimping tool, which has made a big difference.
I though you were going to soder the wires, great video love the detailed explanation.
I have missed your videos. Heard you have been stupid sick. Glad you are back. Even Eric O at SMA wasn't peaking my interest as of late. Missed you Ray man....
Wow the algorithm is off. I've been back to normal for a few weeks now. And yea I was close to pneumonia, it sucked
29:40 this is one of the reasons why you always cover pieces with moving blankets before putting anything else on top of them.
I am watching wire splicing and enjoying it. I have become my parents.
still has the touch... Awesome video Ray
There is no such thing as a boring video from the Rainman. Good stuff!
Actually Ray, I LIKE a good wiring video. I can turn a wrench, but I like wiring. When you were working on your truck, that was the part I found most interesting.
I like that you staggered the splices, I do that myself. One thing I do different than you did, I prefer uninsulated splices. I find that I can make a stronger crimp with them. Of course I heat shrink over them, too. An added advantage is that the bundle is smaller when you're done.
When you busted out the solder sleeve, I was very tempted to reeeee... Glad I waited!
I do use solder sleeve for all sorts of low-amperage DC repairs. When you don't have somewhere to put cable clamps to hand-solder, it's an invaluable tool.
That reminds me of all the speakers and car radios that I have changed over the years brings back memories
Great job repairing that harness. Love that you show an honest error along the way. We all make mistakes and hope to realize it as we go. I enjoy your videos, even the ones you think are mundane. Thank for another great video fellow Floridian. Have a great day good sir.
If you had an 8 am to midnight stream, I would watch the whole thing and be excited the whole damn time. Hell, I would take off work to learn from you and help you where I could just to learn. You are not only an amazing mechanic, but also an amazing human.
I agree with not using the low temp solder connectors in a very hot place. Always use waterproof butt connectors if you have them, so i sent you some. Love your channel, have a nice day.
Repairing an automobile is always entertaining and knowledgeable. ......another great repair video....thanks Ray
This video is an excellent reason why I enjoy watching your videos, your observations are noted audibly, yup explain your train of thought, and you explain how and why you do things a certain way. Thank you Ray.
Having watched your "paint drying" repairs 😄 I was glad to see the success of the operation (I had no doubt). Also, thank you for the cameo of Lauren/WifeUnit, and you're right - she is beautiful (I hope that's okay to make that comment...she is). What a diag yesterday!! Another great video, Ray. Thanks!
Maybe your customer will have you repair the brakes & wheel bearing.
You are a good mechanic. I watch you quite a bit and I'm not FL I used to be and still have family in Clermont and other towns near by. I'll have to remember you incase I'm done there and am having trouble.
That was interesting watching you go through the elemination process to arrive at finding that part of the harness . Good job Ray , you saved them many $$$ on this job. Stay safe , have fun .
Ford had a major multi model recall for cruise control/ brake master cylinder harness doing exactlly like you said about oil getting into wiring (in ford it was brake fluid starting fires) excellant diagnosis!!
As a retired electrician, I always used friction tape, fllowed by the rubber tape, then finish with black plastic tape, usually Scotch 33+ tape.
"Watching painted grass dry" reminds me of when i was in the marine corps, along with the painted rocks, raked sand etc etc
Hi ray glad for the new video. Brighten up my morning.
I am here for the part 2. Really amazing to watch this video. Thanks for sharing!!
Yeah I dare say that you’ed be hard pressed to find a service manager that would allow a mechanic spend that much time on diagnosing a problem like that. Well done Ray you da man!
I would have bet money you wouldn't find a new connector. Thought sure it was salvage yard time. Nice job on the repair. A good video to teach young techs the right way.
I hope you'll be seeing this car again soon for wheel bearings (or hubs) and brakes. You put a lot of TLC and perserverence into this one!
Witnessing what the problem was (didn’t happen overnight) I’m concerned with the people redoing the transmission. Scary. Nice find and as usual great job Ray.
perfect diag and patience , couldnt say anything else,hope the fluke will keep working, owner of the car will be happy....
For high heat areas, pick up a roll of fiberglass tape. Lovely stuff.
Doing a fumbling job without taking his gloves off in frustration...
Ray is an automotive surgeon.