Ray, been watching your channel for maybe a month. Enjoy the content and appreciate your honesty and work ethic. Problem is your click has started to rub off when I’m working on machinery around my farm. Wife looked at me funny doing up some bolts on my tractor - “click” Greetings from Australia.
I see the actuators and lock components Ford uses for door locks have not changed in 40 years...such a familiar sight abd sound with that lock jumping up and down.
I know nothing about cars... I have no interest in cars... But I cant stop watching your videos due to the fact that you are always happy and honestly seem to enjoy what you do. Thanks for the videos!
Not being a working qualified mechanic myself I can't say if the same is true in the UK, but I am really shocked that so many don't even do basic stuff on their cars and seem content to drive a vehicle that is a potential killer.
In Florida (not sure about other states) there is no routine mandatory inspection, so if it moves, people will drive it; going straight, stopping, and other things you would expect to be mandatory features of a car are not strictly required.
My daughters ford escape just gave me fits this week end. Water pump idler pully seized, belt broke, wrapped around the upper radiator hose, tore the hose, busted the plastic nipple off the water pump, broke the thermostat housing, and finished off by ripping the wiring out of the radiator fan. Fun times.
Ray testing the tie rod: "Can you see that? Me: "No." Ray: "Let's move in closer." Me: "Yeah." Ray testing the tie rod. Me: "Oh, yeah, I see it." Ray: "Now you can see it." I love this channel. I find myself trying to look down and around to see what he is doing. I am not just watching his repairs, I am involved with them. I feel like I'm right there with him. Really great technician and superb videographer!
This is why I love this channel. I just learned that you can apply pressure to the tierod to get it stop spinning. My green ass got the cut off wheel and cut it off because I got so frustrated. Good to know for next time.
One more example of a conscientious mechanic. Yes, the customer had to spend money, but was also saved a lot of money on brake parts that could be cleaned up as they had a lot of life left. Less caring shops would have just thrown new parts at it, and possibly pushed the cost beyond what they could handle at this time. I got a kick out of the customer with a Mercedes not replacing the pads because of the cost. Maybe if they had purchased a less expensive vehicle they could afford to maintain it. But then it wouldn't have the same bragging rights.
Yeah it wouldn't surprise me if they're living in the back seat maybe not but maybe they got cardboard furniture towing the house have a good night bye
Its customary to charge diag time. If you don't get paid, its your own fault. When you think about all the money you have tied up in tools and education, you're crazy to work for free. Just that scan tool he was using, I haven't priced one in a while, but its at least 5k, probably closer to 10k. And that's just 1 tool.
Conscientious is when one cares enough to turn a customer's photo away from the camera as you pull garbage from under the seat. I suspect that you are a man of honor Ray, doing things that few will see, just because they are the right things to do.
Noticed that, too. Good guy. Also, hoping he included in the report to let owner know trash/debris under the electric seat means eventually, a broken seat.
My windshield wiper pump wasn't squirting either, 2010, thought it was the pump, was fixing to disassemble everything but decided to blow some compressed air through the tubing back, disconnected at the windshield cowl, into the reservoir and that fixed it, there was some build up or debris obviously preventing the flow. All good.
I work for Ford. We simply can't make a door handle that works. Its amazing. Door handles and latches are probably our number one warranty/recall repair. You could make a living in a Ford dealership just doing door handles.
To be fair, the Flex/Lincoln MKT is probably our best made vehicle. The people that own this one just didn't take care of it, and probably drove it hard. Its the only model I see that comes in with super high mileage. Its not uncommon to see one with over 500k. Its usually the Lincoln version.
I've been watching for 8 months. I now say 'click' and 'nice and shiny' on almost all cars I work on! You are awesome my friend! I still wonder how you do not swear and cuss at all your jobs?
Ray I did some digging and the tool that you use to clean the wheel studs and hubs is called a “Hub Buddy” (1/2 inch impact driven surface and stud cleaner). Just in case any viewers wanted to get one for themselves. P.s love your videos thanks for all the hours of knowledge filled entertainment.
@@AT-wl9yq Ya. Any junk between wheel & Hub will cause 'Wobble' vibration. Besides annoying the driver, the wheel can come loose as the junk is crushed and falls out leading to a potentially fatal condition known as 'Wheel Falls Off'
HELL, Hardly anything comes with the new parts to actually finish the job. I remember when Thermostats came with the actual gasket. Even rebuild kits I've bought don't come with everything, FREAKING SAD, like Tie Rods with NO GREASE ZERKS.
I accused a mechanic of not replacing the inner tie rod because the boot was old. He showed me that the tie rod was new and that he had to reuse the boot.
@@NoWr2Run this is why I now have a bunch of $10 assortment sets of little goodies, fuses, heat shrink, light bulbs, cotter pins, grease zerks, hitch pins, et cetera. Bought a nice set of control arms with tie rod ends and such and it came with nothing needed to install. I needed four medium cotter pins, there were two big ones that wouldn't fit through the thread holes, and two way too small ones that weren't long enough to wrap around the castle nuts. I had to buy my own grease cartridges (but glad I have them for future use). I even had to buy bolts for the control arms because a) I had to cut the old ones out as they were seized in the bushing sleeves and b) they have Torx heads which for a fastener that needs to be toight like a tiger, it shouldn't have a funny head. Just give me hex bolts in grade 10.9 and I'll be happy. And that cost me $11 at the dealer for two of those but it'll be worth it the next time it has to come apart, which will be SOONER rather than later as I think the struts are done for.
@@NoWr2Run You're probably one of those people who replaces a quality transmission pan gasket with a crappy paper-fiber one just because it's new. SAD. Get over it. Know what parts you need.
If a car is that bad, you'll never make it out of the parking lot. You just know it won't be safe to drive. What kind of Z do you have? They're great cars. Even the old ones that aren't very fast, they still look amazing.
I swear I wish I could get the do doo do do do as a ring tone. I'll watch your vids at work and her your shop phone go off and I go do do doo do at my shop and ppl look at me crazy lol. Keep up the good work bud.
I think this is my favorite one so far. Ray uses his knowledge and experience to help a customer stretch their limited dollars but keep their vehicle safe. That’s a partner a family can trust. RE: “Be aggressive” addendum - Hilarious! Moar buddy participation on videos, please.
I was guessing they would decline most of the repairs since it was such a bad shape. I am also guessing most people would not allow their cars to have so many outstanding repairs.
The owner may have just bought the vehicle and wasn't aware of all the needs, or knew there would be a lot to do. Maybe he got a good deal and figured it was worth it.
@@Skylancer727 but if you notice, the repairs that were approved were the ones needed to make it safe. Passenger airbag isn't needed if there is no passenger
Watching this channel and wonder about the state of the vehicles on the US roads. Safety, looks like a no concern or the situation has reached to the point where folks can't really afford to serve their vehicles. In both cases I weep for the state of the society and the country.
Some states have no inspections at all for personal vehicles. See the Watch Wes Work channel. I agree though, many Americans are quite impoverished, but you really need a car to get around the place, so I think a lot of the lack of repairs and low maintenance are just a sign people are struggling financially.
You can pay to keep your car in excellent condition and let it sit in the driveway or over pay for gas and drive it. Can’t afford both and I need to go to work.
That was hilarious you were videotaping trying to open the door and then the next clip it shows the cylinder of the key is stuck to the key now that is 1 million laughs you made my day Ray thank you very much sir God bless you😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂✝️✝️✝️🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I finally had to admit to my wife Im watching videos - many of them - of a guy fixing cars. I'm self taught 'mechanic'. I used to do all my own car and motorcycle work, and (back in the day) occasional jobs for friends. This is back in the days when everything had "points". (Remember points?) You do things cleanly, professionally, and you actually diagnose the actual issue(s), which is a rare and awesome thing. So yeah, I watch videos of a guy fixing cars, 'cuz it's a rare and enjoyable thing to watch somebody that is good at his job and does professional work. Kudos.
At 17:55, the customer approved repairs. I thought they were going to have you pick out a new car for them, and have it at the shop waiting! Those outer tie rod ends - aren't they normally very tight in the steering knuckle and require tooling to free them?
Only in the rust belt. Most pop right out now. The old school steering, with inner outer ties, center link, pitman, idler, yes, those DO require a fork to separate them, but most rack and pinion ones I worked on just pop right out, and are a PITA when the shaft spins and you cannot get the nut off. At that point is cutting torch time.
If you notice on the stud of the tierod it has a flatter tapered washer thing. They don't wedge like a standard tierod would. They do this with some of their ball joints too. Not sure what the purpose for this though.
Not surprised for Ford in this particular time period. These seem to share some of the same issues as the P2 Volvos - particularly the glass falling out of the passenger mirrors. The mirror heaters and southern climate do a number on the adhesive on the back of the mirror and the glass comes loose. There's a real quick and easy fix, if you are handy, but most owners are not.
At around 29:00, when you were resurfacing the pads, I just realy hope you had a respirator on. We do not wear them enough as mechanics, but brake dust (resurfacing pads or opening drums) and aluminium rims buffing are the worst. Safety first Ray
Reeeeee! Hey Ray. To prevent airborne pad dust I stick a sheet of 80 grit to the leg of my hoist and just give it a few back and forths. The pad is deglazed and the dust is on the floor.
Ray I have been watching your videos for four months now and since I have butterfingers myself , the gravity when I drop something stuck with me! Greetings from sunny Greece and happy Easter to fellow Christians , protestants Catholics and of course orthodox.
I like the hub polishing tool - something I just recently learned was putting white lithium spray lube between the hub and rotor, and also the surface where the wheel meets the rotor... cause I've had a number of wheels and rotors that wouldn't come off! When you have to sledgehammer and kick a wheel to get it off the hub, you look for tricks to prevent it in the future lol
I'm glad to see the Petah "be aggressive" vid bomb. Was starting to listen in the background to make sure he was still around. Been missing for a while and quick helper isn't him anymore.
17:11 Its a bit of a design flaw to not protect the cables, a simple plastic shield would do, people will always dump stuff under their seats and not give it a second thought.
@@AJ-zv9tn MY Peugeot is the same, double checked today, yep, a cable for the occupant weight sensor. nothing else wired up though, my car isn't fancy.
Flattening the pads is all you are looking for. 120 grit on a piece of thick window glass. Just a few light passes is all you need to remove the high spots. The fresh turned rotor will accelerate pad wear for a short bit of time thus bedding them in.
My wife and I looked at Fords in the 1980s, including at a rural dealer in mid-state Ohio. The screws that held the roof rack on to the roof were already rusting (some bi-metallic ionization problem? crappy steel in the screws? dunno). The dealer plead with us to buy a car, and offered us any of the Toyota used cars on the lot. That's where we went next. Since then, we've rented Fords while on trips, and they've been generally OK. Some really nice.
@@stevejohnson1685 it's not so much the cosmetic or the operation of Fords for me....but watching Ray repairing these things creates the illusion of ridiculous engineering. Growing up in the pre-anti pollution and computers era, I'm finding the newer vehicle overkill just unnecessary and a frustration in futility. The enjoyment of working on your own vehicle is gone, and with the skyrocketing costs of repairs, Ford looks more ominous.
All cars have issues, albeit different ones. I'm a Ford guy and will continue to buy Fords. We had a 2009 Flex just like this one. Absolutely no problems with it and it was a really nice car. Only reason we traded it was because the wife wanted a minivan.
@@hdfxrs9121 I'll be shopping for a new truck shortly. All i want is the ability to make minor repairs in my own driveway without having to remove half the engine parts to do so. I'm not opposed to Ford, I'm opposed to unnecessary engineering
From what I understand used car prices have gone through the roof because the dealers cannot get new cars because of the chip shortage. I don't think I'll get a new vehicle again - they are nightmares (that is, unless I win the lottery and can afford to hire Ray to work on just my cars and he could stay in Florida, I would ship the cars to him).
Ray, thanks for the videos. Been watching your channel for maybe a month now. Worked on my tractor today and now say “click” when tightening bolts. Hi from Australia.
I have the click thing going too. Just did my brakes and my wife came out and asked who I was talking too. Lol. Love Australia. Got to spend three weeks in Brisbane and Lady Elliot Island many years back.
Watching Ray try and open a car door the handels broken off of. Funny Watching him pull the key cylinder out of the door on the same car priceless. I laughed my ass off. Its going to be one of thoses days. SIR: THERES A REALLY NICE TIRE STORE 2 BLOCKS SOUTH they got good specials today.
seeing the truck like this really reminds me that I need to keep my car in good shape. I kind of shutter at the thought of the price tag for the repairs, parts and labor would be at.
Ray, serious question for you: You sometimes start the impact driver before the socket is seated on the bolt head, doesn't that run the risk of rounding over the head of the bolt? I'm glad the car gods saw fit to release you from your punishment - maybe it was due running through mud puddles in a Minivan?
Not if done lightly. He does it to seat the socket in. I can say a good 80% of ppl do that.(and probly 100% of mechanics) You just do it gently and it'll be fine.
Well done Ray getting that shot of the pliers crimping that clamp. The actual crimping wasn't exactly smooth but getting the shot showed some dedication to duty.😁👍
Those not wanting brakes worked on because they feel it's too expensive, may not realize how expensive it will be if they are involved in an accident because the brakes failed.
The reality is, its not as bad as you think. People use shops all the time to find out what's wrong with the car, then they go buy the parts themselves, and use a mechanic that does side work. And when I say not as bad as you think, I mean for safety. The car usually gets fixed. That said, he shouldn't be working for free. Its just an invitation to be taken advantage of. For every different problem listed on the RO they should be charging an hour diag for each one. Otherwise he does the work and someone else gets paid.
I had a driver's side broken motor mount on a big Ford wagon, in the 70's......Wife said there was a thump, every time she hit the gas......Turns out the motor was bumping the hood. Back then, I was fixing cars all the time, to keep them running. I was going to mention that the steering wheel wasn't straight, but the messed up Tie Rod, explains it.
Reminds me when I took our car to the garage because you could only open door from inside. Technician thought we were being stupid and it was the child lock switch only accessible when door was open. He then flicked the switch and shut the door. We now had a door that now could not be open from either inside or out. Was so pissed off and I just drove off.
Ah, actual question about this...when removing and reinstalling the inner tie rod, should one use the tie rod remover kits that are out there (like a half socket or a set of varying size crows feet with a long rod that has a 1/2 drive hole on the end) or do you find the Angry Pliers™ or Frustrated Pliers™ to be preferable-ish?
@@RainmanRaysRepairs some people are real quick judge but if they were doing their job I'd like to see what they would do as I said earlier in the beginning of this episode sometimes they need to sit in their chair and zip it have a good night bye
one thing i learned over the yrs is you can check inner tie rod play on the ground with the front wheels on the turn plates...you will fell the clicking on the ground but as soon as you lift it up, the click goes away.....if they move in the air, they probably will really move on the ground.....some of the things you learn over the yrs
More like Swedish mirror design. Volvo engineers back then would have been the best ones to copy for a drive train, body materials, ergonomics, and turbo implementations. But, anything on the body hooked up to little motors and switches, they just have issues with, and mirror glass detaching was one of them, that Ford Inherited on some cars.
In the UK I have put a very small smear of high temp grease on the hub where brake discs slide on to. This due to what you know as rust belt. Also put some where wheel fits against hub as alloy wheels and steel suffer from different metal corrosion. This helps with dismantling when replacing discs and pads.
OMG! I was waiting for most of the video for you to remove the weeds from the suspension. You finally got most of it right at the end. PS... Where did you get those gloves? Mine would've been in pieces at the end of the job. I might've even used several pairs.
