Saturday - check 1pm - check Meg - check Project - check 😂😂😂 Also, do you have an Amazon wishlist or something set up? As opposed to your tool fund, maybe people could directly get you what you want...
@Meg.August As per usual - you're welcome! Yours will be better than mine, but hopefully you have time to answer the unanswered questions left on the other videos! Also, get yourself a multimeter! I shall return with more random ideas next week... Ciao for now Miss Meg! 😁
just a little side note.. you can buy better "Shrink" connectors that actually have solder inside just push wires in from each side and use a heat gun it shrinks and seals aswell as Solder at the same time . a much better choice for under the car. but you did an excellent job with what you had !!
You remind me of a friend from years ago she would like coming under the vehicle to give me a hand, 😮😂, she had small hands 🙌 to get into tight spaces, and helped to remove nuts and bolts, 🔩 working together as a team, we even removed a rear axle together she removed one side and I removed the other and gently load lowered the axle down on a lift, 😂,
That's awesome! Always nice to have a friend to lend a hand (and yes, honestly there are times where having small hands is really really helpful in these situations!) Thanks for watching! 😊
Hi Meg, a little trick to prevent the wire from coming out of the butt connector, is to fold the copper stripped end over on itself to increase its diameter; it makes a tighter fit in the butt connector.
They really took some shortcuts with the wiring when repairing this truck to put it up for sale again, twist some wires together, some tape, job done🤔. Surprising how they make the truck look presentable for a sale while behind the scenes things have been done shoddily to say the least. Your fixes should last a good few years with the soldering and heat shrink so another job well done. What made me laugh was the clip of the guy blowing a NES cartridge, taking me back to my childhood. 😂 Was that just a random search for someone blowing on something as there's no way you're of the age of people that experienced this first hand. 😄
Thanks so much! There are definitely some questionable shortcuts that have been taken on this truck lol!! Overtime I'll iron them out. I actually had an N64!! We all just somehow learned that blowing out the cartridges would magically fix their glitches, guess it's hardwired in me now lol! Thanks for watching 😊
Hi Meg, greatly admire your upbeat attitude in face of adversity. Girl power for sure. I’ve used waterproof solder connectors on my cars. All you need is a heat gun to provide a waterproof super secure connection. Great work
Excellent job. I got myself an inexpensive code reader, less than 50 dollars. It has come in handy a few times and you are able to clear the code easily. I always carry it with me in my vehicle. Looking forward to seeing you solve the taillight issue. Good work as usual
That's great to hear! I definitely will be getting a reader myself, now that I know how handy they are! Thanks so much for watching! Have a great week!
@@Meg.August came here to suggest a code reader...you can buy one at a pretty reasonable price, but make sure you get one that has the capability of clearing codes..that's what you want. It's honestly a lifesaver for diy mechanics. That way you can drink the beer!
Hi meg, sometimes those aftermarket lights can present their own issues. Also i recommend and autel mp 808 scanner. Around $900.00 canadian but well worth it.
Thanks for the recommendation! And yes, it does seem to be the case with aftermarket-anything - they look cool but can have issues, for sure! Thanks for watching!
i am lucky for a 2000 car i never have ant problems with electrical cables Only with hydraulics, because hoses are old : driving a hydro-pneumatic car :)
yeah, those kind of crimpers suck...find the ones that crimp on the front of the pivot😊😊...i usually solder and shrink tube. seems to work best for me. awesome job though😁😁
Nice work Meg I don't know if you have salvage yards around in Canada but we have a lot of salvage yards / junk yards in US we can just go find the same vehicle and cut the connector end off The same vehicle for about 5 bucks
Thank you! We do have salvage yards down in the city (about a 3-4 hour round trip), and I definitely wasn't opposed to having to resort to that option if I couldn't fix the connector myself. Thankfully I was able to rebuild it and saved myself a junkyard visit!
I thought you was going to buy one of those solder/heatshrink all in one type connectors, glad you didn't, seen a few videos, first one, the joint was cut in half and what little solder there is, barely penetrated through the inter-twined strands, another guy, just pulled the soldered sections with a little tug. For heatshrinking you can buy these special heat gun deflectors for this purpose, they're like a curved shroud that fits on end of heatr guns and guess they deflect the heat all around. I think the fact the connectors so loose on rear lights maybe main issue, you saud they're aftermarket which probably why fitment isn't the best. Great video btw!
Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked the video. Ya these aftermarket lights - I love the look of them, but it's tough to know what to do when there's an issue with them because there is no information online about them! But hey, now that I know a little bit more about wiring, I'm feeling more confident in doing more problem solving with them. I'm also curious to see where those bumper wires go, and what they do. Thanks for watching!
Happy Saturday! great job again. Always good to see the determination you have. I already know we will see a video soon where ya tackle that copper octopus you have in your bumper. Often rear lighting issues are tied to the trailer wiring that was done by whoever usually after beer and prior to training. Also when repairing wiring with crimps, crimp first, then shrink, then connect. give yourself as much room as ya can so you can crimp without accidentally pulling the wire from terminal. Keep them comming meg!
Thank you @mrpbright! 😊 Ill definitely be getting my hands on those wires again in the future, and that's a good point that they may have something to do with the trailer wiring. I know when I refinished my bumpers earlier this winter, that there were several wires I came up against, so will have to do some digging into that again. Have a great weekend, and week ahead! See you soon!
Good to know! When I took it to the shop, they said these F150's do need a hard clear I think they called it, but good to know that for other vehicles multiple cycles can clear it without a reader.
Those crimpers are the worst ones on the market. They need to be sacrificed onto a bonfire. There are plenty on the market better. Those things are trying to be an all in one tool. Get a set of wire strippers and get a proper crimping tool, you’ll find wiring much easier.
I wonder if a multimeter or test light could help to diagnose the front headlight issues, as in whether it is the bulb or electrical connection, while waiting for the LED light to come into Canadian Tire? I imagine it's already in by the time you posted this video, but, meh, just spit ballin'. Maybe that could be the another day troubleshooting for the rear halo light? Also, I use the Bluedriver OBDII reader that was recommended by Scotty Kilmer a few years back. It's a bit expensive, more than 1 case of beer, but it has definitely been worth it to me because I can use it to both read diagnostic data and clear codes. Maybe it could help you too with future projects? Soldering is cool! I hope you'll include more electrical content in the future! Thanks for posting!
That's a great idea about using a multimeter! I definitely still have some electrical issues to look into, so I may do a wiring video 2.0 in the future! I'll definitely be getting and OBDII reader soon, I feel like that will be very helpful in the future (certainly would have been for this project!). Also, soldering is SO cool! I had a lot of fun with it and definitely want to do more of that, I'm glad you enjoyed it too! Have a great weekend!
most ecus can be reset by having the ignition on and removeing the terminals and touching them together for a few seconds then reconnect them to the battery, works on vw and renault and toyota from my experiance. you will lose any fault code so if there was something you wanted to see you should look them up before donig that
It seems that the previous "repairshop" has "butchered" the electrical wiring like a raccoon on meth. Simple twisted and some electrical tape arround it is a big no. Yes, it will work for a while when the copper is fresh stripped, but due all kind of weather conditions it corrodes and you get a christmas tree. Soldering and extra heat shrink, or crimped and extra heat shrink. And for good practise, heat shrink with glue inside, so that the connection is waterproof. With electrical problems on a car, you know where you start, but you never know where you end up. Neverless you did a much better job then that raccoon.
Lol, you couldn't be more right 😂 I have no idea what the previous shop had done to these wires but they were all sorts of messed up! It's so hard to know where to quit with the electrical gremlins, before you know it you're taking apart the entire wiring harness trying to find the source of the issue! And thanks so much, I'm glad I outdid the raccoon haha!!
For wire strippers, I use a pair of Klein Katapult wire strippers(11063W) and a pair of Klein Crimpers(1005) that will cover the whole range of wire sizes used in vehicles and home wiring. These are usually readily available at Home Depot.
Learning how to solder is an important skill to have when doing electrical repairs. A good goal for you would to become comfortable with soldering and using heat shrink. Then use solder and heat shrink instead of those butt connectors. It's a much better connection and less prone to cause you issues in the future. Good job fixing your electric issues tho!
Thank you @barretmcnab8746 ! I definitely want to keep practicing my soldering skills - it was really fun and I think it'll continue to come in handy in future projects.
Great job and excellant video. Some times when wires are bad so close to the connector its time to find a donor vehicle. Go to your closest auto recycler.
Thank you!! Yes, very true. Had this fix not worked I would have gone to a junkyard and found a donor connector. And once I get into a bigger property, I think a donor vehicle is a great idea! Thanks for watching!
as always, your are wonderfully courageous in the projects you take on. A few thoughts and suggestions. the check engine light can be cleared like you ultimately did but there is also a backdoor of key cycles (off - start - off) that will reset a CEL for a condition that doesn't reappear for a number of key cycles. that number varies across vendors a little but 7 cycles is fairly normal. For the inline crimps, offset your cuts in the wire when you can so that the splices are not at the same spot. it makes putting them back into plastic wire loom and working on them easier. Soldering in cars is also an issue over time. because the wires are small strands, they tend to break off at the end of the solder because of vibrations. that is why you don't see solder used on wires but you can get away with significant strain relief measures also being used. good job, electrical issues can suck! I'm trying to find the right fender retainer for my truck. they are either too small a head or too small or large shaft diameter.. ug
Thanks so much 😊 and this is great information, thank you, Derek! Yes, electrical issues can definitely be frustrating!! Good luck with your fender retainer as well!
The most Ambitious Problem Solver on the Tube! Congratulations on another Great Video! I’m also Stoked, Motivated after another Day of Pipelaying. Gonna go and Polish my Truck Boxes! Cheers from South Texas!
As soon as you saw heatshrinking the connections & determining a light was out, trade bulbs from the other side to test. Every job I’ve had whether in finance, telecommunications, maintenance, ISP, or computers has been to question, isolate, fix, & test.
A set of the Snap On wire strippers will lessen the anxiety especially in tight quarters. They crimp in front of the jaw instead of behind, plus they are smaller and easier to manipulate. Great video.
Honestly that would have helped a lot! Getting those wire strippers around the wires was terrifying! Front-crimping jaws would have been soo nice. Thanks for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
A good test for the possible burnt out signal bulb is to swap the one of the left to the right to see if it lights up. Then you know it’s not the wiring.
Maybe it's time to buy a code reader yourself. Nowadays they are no longer expensive and indispensable for every home megcanic. As always, a nice video and you learned something new. ❤
I'm definitely going to be ordering one of those soon, I think it'll come in handy for my future projects (and also just such a cool thing to be able to do yourself!) Thanks for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed this video! Have a great week!
You may not have formal training, but you developed some pretty good instincts somewhere. For example, some yahoos will think they will remember the colour combinations of wires, you label them. Keep on being you!
With Forscan software you can get rid of the hyper flash on the blinker or since you did wiring in this video you can now install some resistors. Also, if you get that check fuel inlet again check the little flap inside where you fill up. It has 2 little tabs that the nozzle clicks and it opens the flap. If they do not click back, it will throw the "Check fuel inlet" message and check engine light. If you can push on that flap with a screw driver and it opens its not clicked. Messing with it will click it back.
I've heard of resistors before, but honestly the hyper flash doesn't bother me, but it's good to know there is a fix for those who want to get rid of it. And thanks for the tip about the fuel fill flap, that is a common issue when you get the fuel inlet warning (which was actually the first place I checked when this issue started happening) but sure enough it was because the wires had been sheared off the connector. Thankfully my truck is running perfectly and no more check engine light!
if you install a in line Load resister it will trick it and not blink fast for the different voltages between LED & halogen . I did this on my 4Runner ;) I was installing little Morimoto Mod Pod LED lights in replace of my turn signals for a off road bumper and ran into the same issue trying to wire them up to the factory turn signal wiring..
I have heard of resistors before being able to do the trick! Honestly, I'm not bothered by it, but it's good to know there is a fix if needed. That's great it worked for your 4Runner! There's always a little extra wiring work with these aftermarket lights!
Great work Meg. Little tip on those black clips holding the fabric in around the headlight. Use a small flat head screw driver to release the inner clip, once its out a bit you can usually pull the entire clip out with your fingers - if not remove fully and get a trim tool. When re-installing, put the main clip in first then just pop the inner in part back in to hold. If you use a trim tool to remove both at the same time it can sometimes end up with them breaking and they can't go back in as a pair either as the centre part pushes the clip out if that makes sense.
In regards to you breaking the plastic retainer clips, you will see a little plastic pin in the center of the retainer clip, all you need to do is before you try to remove or reinstall the retainer clip is to just lift the center pin out, not all the way with a small flat blade screwdriver and the retainer clip will come out with no problem. You don’t need to remove the center pin. When you reinstall the retainer clip make sure the center pin is out a little and just press the retainer clip with your finger back in pushing the center pin back in also. The center pin is what locks the retainer clip in.
Aw thank you!! I will definitely be doing that in the future, but right now just trying to focus on weekly video uploads, so once I get a little further ahead, I'll definitely get some merch going. Thanks for the support!
Super impressed Girl Mech pro tip. The wire crimpers you were using suck. I am a professional, and the awesome power crimpers I use just make it easy. Get the Pitsburg, 91/2 inch crimpers. they have more leverage... Also, they make crimpers with mechanical leverage... that will pinch down so hard... the wire will never come out. I used to have the crimpers you were using, and nobody can do a good job with em. With the right crimpers... you can crimp a wire and pull on it hard....and it will not come out. Crimp on good lady!
Another triumph! Great call on the case of beer. It must be a great feeling to be able to check off these pesky little issues off your to-do list. Great job, Meg! I am looking forward to next week's video.
Woohoo! It is such a great feeling to check off these tasks!! I'm honestly still surprised I was able to successfully rebuild that connector lol! And thanks for the support, I'm so glad you're looking forward to future videos! Can't wait to share them with you! Have a wonderful week ahead 😊
Great work and congratulations. There's a nice saying in German "Selbst ist die Frau". I think it's great that you seek out and tackle such challenges and are able to master them successfully in the end. I hope you continue to enjoy your projects and thank you for letting us be part of them. I hope your Ford F150 will be on the road for a long time to come.
Thank you so much @olioliver9396! That's really kind. I'm happy you're enjoying the projects and I'm grateful to be able to share this journey. Have a wonderful week ahead!
need different crimps, crimps on the end where your strippers are, separate tool, I've done the way you did it though, those strippers are good for stripping, but when it's time to crimp it's a pain in the ...!
You really shouldn't use a lighter to shrink those connections. You should use a heat gun... I guess I should have continued to watch before commenting... I would usually just solder those connections and not use butt connectors... But that is a judgement call...
Hi Meg. When you have wires broken that close to a connector (the evap connector) generally you can get a pigtail for that. A pigtail is a new connector that plugs into the sensor with about 8-12in of wire already attached. To connect the wires together use plain butt connectors uninsulated. Then slide the heat shrink over that. Alot easier and faster to fix. Use heat shrink with sealant on the inside. Then the tape will finish that up. Good job on the repairs.
Very true! My garage door is actually fully opened (just have furnie blankets draped/anchored to the garage door to keep a little bit of warmth in) so it was very well ventilated in there, but I have heard that stuff is very bad for you. Thanks for looking out and for watching!
I have a 2013 F-150 and for the flashers Get the program forscan for your laptop you can get the hipper flash turned off. The program is free and the two month subscription is free as well. And for your wiring, there is a heat shrink tubing with solder you can use that will seal your connections better than the crimp on
Forget about using a Toothbrush to clean the connectors. The best way to Clean Them is with Brake Or Carb Cleaner Spray and to Lubricate the Connectors (in case of corroded and bad Connection) use WD40 Lubrication Spray..! Also the Best Connectors to use are the 6mm Yellow Butt Connectors, just slide the on the wire twist the wires Together (like The Previous Person Did) then crimp them..! 😇😇👍👍
Good Work Megan! Electrical problems can be a pain in the as*, the problem with the tail light lol. I can see the frustration in your face but keep calm Im confident that you will figure it out.
Здравствуйте, Мегги! Любые работы с электрикой автомобиля нужно проводить обязательно с отключённой батареей питания! Провода, которые находятся под капотом или под машиной необходимо защищать термоусадочной трубкой с нанесенным внутри термоклеем, так соединение будет защищено от коррозии. Обжимку соединения проводов нужно проводить сразу на двух проводах, чтобы они касались друг друга. Вы молодец, так держать.
With all the small sections of exposed wire it looks like someone else was trying to find an electrical problem and was probing the wires with a multi-meter or test light. Buy the way I the subscribed to you. Good stuff.
Once again a great video. Great how you film the highs and the lows. And the choice of the whimsical music is spot on. Great editing.. keep up the great work. Look forward to seeing you putting your next adventure up. 👍
Great job once again Meg. Pretty sure people have already commented about getting a OBD scan tool but I’m just saying it cuz I agree with them and they are inexpensive and definitely useful. Love your work and see you on next week. Have a great weekend
Thank you so much! I definitely will be ordering an OBD reader in the future, I have a feeling it will be a useful tool to have for my future projects lol! I'm so glad you're enjoying the content, thanks for being here! Have a great weekend and see you next time!
You might want to get a bi-directional scan tool which will allow you to do more. I have the "X-TOOL 7"... on sale arould $300. My first was a harbor freight one directional that read codes only but provided live data as well. t@Meg.August
I laughed when I breathed into the cassette of the game console (lol) I also recommend a contact revitalizer. I think they are sold at electrical parts specialty stores.
When you try to get your camera to focus on the wires, you put your hand so the camera does not have anything on the background to focus because your hand is hiding the background, and the camera chooses then the hand or what is on the hand. But it seems your camera is doing a perfect job on finding your eye and keeping it perfectly on focus! It is always perfect when you do it, so it seems it absolutely ignores your hand and keeps track of your eye. So, if you've still got the same problem, try to get your eyes or face out of the camera, or cover your face with your hand, and maybe the camera would try to find other tings to focus on. Maybe she will try to keep focus on the rest of your face or body, but it also may work.
Meg, I have not been watching real long with you or had time to go back over past videos but you are definitely intriguing. After over 30yrs as a tech I have never come across a customer of ours that seems to catch on to things as quickly as you, they say they use this platform as well. Most of the customer repairs I see are much worse. You do have many small issues that can help ya once corrected but they will come with more experience. A couple things that can help is to use the shrink tube with the solder instead of butt connector inside. Also, if you do not have the right tool to remove those terminals from a connector and just pull them out with force they distort and make poor contact. Replace that connector you fixed on the Vent solenoid for a proper connection. If you want to keep bending the mind with electrical look into a tool called a Power Probe, just be careful what you send power or ground to with it. You can cause a much large mess real quickly. Keep up the fantastic determination and drive, and thanks for entertaining us.
Thank you so much, Jeremy! And thanks for being here! I hope you continue to enjoy the videos and I appreciate the tips, and the support. Have a great weekend!
You can clear the CEL, or if you don’t want to, it just needs to run 3 test cycles and pass all three. Once it passes three it will turn off. If it fails three times the cel will come back on. For future reference
A massive well done Meg, there's nothing worse than having electrical gremlins. Never thought about taking the connectors apart and soldering on the wire like you did. Have a great week and look forward to the next video.
Electrical gremlins are always interesting to chase and fix. Maybe the C-shaped tail light is somehow faulty inside the lamp? If you have multimeter, you could check power and ground wires for continuity and that they connector receives 12V power. Test light helps too in some cases, have seen one case where corroded wire showed up ok with multimeter, but couldnt' carry current, and the problem was found only with test light as it loads the circuit. Had similar case once in my own car, almost completely rusted ground wire caused radio problems and probably also blowing two ignition modules. I've subscribed to couple of car- and other repair channels, and have seen all sort of crazy electrical problems, green crusties, rodent damage, broken wires, etc. Interesting and even entertaining stuff. For example currently there's pretty messed up Toyota Avalon in one of the channels I follow, a proper light show at the dashboard 😆
That's a great idea, I could use my multimeter to check the power going to that halo light in my tail light. And totally going to look into a test light as well. Electrical issues are always a bit intimidating but I think for the most part, everything is fixable... it's just how much of the harness do you have to rip apart to find the source of the issue lol! Have a great day and thanks for watching/commenting!
I like using the heat shrink with the solder rings in em, strip wires then slide the heat shrink/solder down one side, twist the 2 wires together then slide the heat shrink over the joint and use heat to melt the solder and shrink the tube. Works awesome!!! Another great video!
