I mean, I've driven cars into the ground and resurrected them multiple, but damn I wouldn't drive long enough to do THAT, and not do something about it. Hell the one I sent to the yard finally I only did so because the rear cross member (unibody) was so rotted out I wasn't sure the left and right sides were still structurally attached.
I wanted to thank you for your videos. I've been wrenching "professionally" for 20 years (military and high horsepower diesel) but I'm new to the automotive sector. I'm an engine tech for a diesel engine manufacturer and your videos have help me by giving me an example of problems I have seen. Also your troubleshooting methods help remind me to not overthink what I'm doing. I hope you see this and I'm glad you and your family are doing alright after Ian. Keep up the good work and please continue living up to your standards.
Thanks for serving brother. Canadian vet cook and the wrench benders always were amazing ,hardwork and dedicated .and with the stuff we had they had thier hands full
@@SHSPVR it's the perfect example of low diff oil, cause the bearing to heat up thus transferring into the axle and weakening it causing it to break at the bearing. Being a heavy vehicle diff and gearbox repairer for 25 years had seen half a dozen over the years on trucks where owners just never changed the diff o and end result was the same as this or the dual wheels completely came off.
Neither have i. I have replaced countless CV axles but never had to replace a RWD axle or the differential just always checked and changed the gear oil
I broke 4 at once when a pinion shaft dropped into the ring gear of the truck I was driving. The shock load took out the rear end all 4 axle shaft the back axle housing the through shaft and front differential and 2 lengths of drive shaft. All in under a second at 70 mph.
@@ivanolsen7966 scary thought. With the noise that made, I am not sure if that just counts as a simple case of negligence. Either someone is really good at ignoring things or seeing an otorhinolaryngologist may be highly advisable.
My wife, having twice shredded a tire because she didn't notice that it went flat, could be equally impressive given the chance. As long as the car moves, she doesn't care. Bet they had to give it a lot more gas after the axle snapped!
I'm immensely surprised at that. I would never have thought 2x10mm bolts for a caliper is a good idea, and I still don't. My car has 2x14mm. But considering the forces on the caliper those must be some strong ass bolts.
The axle would have been in one piece for most of that destruction, it wore down the diameter until it broke in half and all drive was lost because of an open diff. The two caliper bolts were still the only thing keeping the wheel and axle in, but at least with the unbroken axle there was technically no real extra load on those two bolts, when the axle snapped, very different story as there is know a bending force on them. Luckily it ground to a halt when the axle snapped.
Honestly, I'm surprised on that Mercury that the customer didn't request you to put everything back together so that they could take it somewhere else.
Only to inform them that there is no 'putting it back together' because exposing the break shifted things to the point they'll never fit together again. Considering the age of the car they're better off getting another vehicle. 4 grand in repairs is 2x the value of the vehicle - simply because the engine still runs.
@@amzarnacht6710 personally, I'd hit a local Pull-a-Part and get another axle. 3 different models to choose from and more than enough ex cop cars around. Granted, the Grand is probably owned by someone who can't do the work themselves but it'd still be cheaper than having a car payment.
Ray has seen it all with some of the junk that people bring to him and expect him to repair. Lucky for them he's more than up to the task(s)! Make me nervous knowing that people operate these death traps in our midst.
Amazing how 2 of those rather extreme failures show up at the same time. Like you said in earlier videos about how certain failures all show up at once somehow. These go on the wall of amazement.
Can't believe your calm diagnosis - what happened to " What's that fool been doing???" (Add/subtract adjective before the word Fool). Well done, Ray - amazing as always.
Sure wish I new a mechanic like you, one truely dedicated technicion/mechanic. No false front here. You are to dedicated to be a dealership mechanic. You should be a tec. advisory/trainer for a trade school or hang up your own/owner shingle. You are a blast to watch. I have walked your path, wishing you a successful future.
@@Son-Of-Gillean not everyone has the skills to fix cars and most that do go about ripping off the customers for cash in fixing those cars I’m surprised someone has to explain it to you
Good morning Ray. Wow that was ugly destruction. Very lucky someone did not have a severe accident. Don’t neglect your grinding noises. Rotor gravity 🥺
I'm impressed with three things: 1. Your technical skills; 2. the high mileage that many of the American vehicles have done; and 3. the outstanding absence of maintenance, and the very poor condition of some of the vehicles you have to work on!! In the UK we have to have an annual MOT test, stricter than in most US states. Excellent vid, as usual. 👍
Gotta love the Forman givin his two sense in the work place right at the end, love the videos. People never fail to make me laugh with the noises they decide to ignore 😂
And giving up the ghost it did in a quite extreme and extensive manner. I have rarely seen anything wearing right through the whole bearing. It almost surprises me the axle did not rip apart earlyer. Must be driven where not many potholes are present.
man, was the edit at like 4:30 called "90's sitcom intro" had major flashbacks lol great videos man, i have learned so much from you. Cant thank you enough
the video clip of you removing the lugnuts was so stop motion retro MTV-ish, I almost thought the ringing in my ears had morphed into the Reflex by Duran Duran.
My wife is the same. Must be a girl thingy. No respect for machines at all. Her classic line...."It just broke for no reason at all." It reached the end of it's life cycle or you abused it maybe? (just to name a few.)
That's okay, some wives also can detect shade differences in lights too. They know if a light comes on, it has to get brighter before there's a real problem.
Ray! @20:02 you pick up your caliper hangar and your schrader valve tool falls out of your pocket! We need proof of life in your next video that you rescued it from the floor sweepings. Stay safe!
That's funny I actually use to do that like 8 years ago when I had to 12 inch subwoofers in back of my pathfinder just turn it up try to ignore noises lol wow 😲
Damn you reaching over and moving the passenger mirror back with your left hand because you're holding the camera with your right. That's some straight up dedication and I do thank you for your service
As a retired mechanic WHY do I enjoy these vids !! I was soo glad to leave this all behind and yet .. As all mechanics will attest being a mechanic must be worse than being a doctor .. ie: every member of the family has a car !! :P Recently repaired my sisters Renault Scenic , snapped timing belt leading to bent valves etc etc a right pita of a job that I was glad to see the end of and yet these vids are entertaining for some reason..
I was wondering how in the world a busted parking brake could kill someone, then all I had to see was the first shot of the Mercury to know what was up lol
Ray says "let's go behind the building real quick" as he drives past a port a potty! 🤣. Intentional or not, got to love the irony. Thanks for the video as always!
I had the parking brake explode on my 2004 F150, there was no warning. I used the parking brake for the first time in years to hold the truck on a hill with a trailer (its an automatic and I mainly park on flat ground so I don't typically use it, my mistake). Un-hitched the trailer and headed down the highway, made it about 5 miles and was doing 50 MPH and heard a loud bang followed by metallic shrapnel noises. Thought I'd lost a wheel bearing, but no, parking brake experienced RUD (rapid unscheduled disassembly) inside the hat of the rotor. Luckily I was able to remove the remnants and get back on the road. Backing plate was damaged to the point where it no longer can have a parking brake and everything else was too mangled to determine the root cause, but I suspect it was rust related. The Grand Marquis was definitely making a whole lotta racket for a very long time. Those cars can go 300,000 mile with minimal maintenance, I wanna know How they managed that.
And that’s why when I hear a new noise in my rig , I check for why I hear said sound. Lol it pays to be aware of how your vehicle sounds. Turn down the tunes n listen. It’s amaze how your vehicle will speak to you… lol
My dad had a Mercury like that. When he passed away, my son now has it. Only 84,000 miles on it. Those cars are worth fixing up. Keep it on the road. They just don’t build any cars like that anymore!
I had a parking brake adjuster blow up on a 1984 Tempo. The pawl was not hardened right and it let the star wheel spin backwards until the adjuster came out going down the road. It went bang and punched a hole in the flat area of the brake drum. The pedal went soft.
Totally addicted to your videos. First thing I look for when I fire up the pc at the end of the day. Keep up the good work. I used to have a mechanic who would have fixed that Mercury axle easily - super glue and wrap with duct tape.
I had a similar problem with a PT Cruiser. The e-brake assembly grenaded. He declined to have me repair it. Since it was a close friend working in my yard, I simply removed the emergency brakes parts. Fortunately nothing got severely damaged. I got his car back on the road and he was happy.
@@aliasfred Since almost every police department, cab company, and old geezer, everywhere, was running those Ford/Mercury/Lincolns, finding a rear axle for that thing is going to be a piece of cake.
After 2 completed "Freedom 200" races at Cleetus' Freedom Factory, there has to be dozens of suitable Grand Marquis/Merc donor cars available throughout Florida!
I am wondering if this is also hurricane Ian related on the Mercury Grand Marquis and there may be many more similar problems in the affected areas of Florida. I have seen a van that sat for a while in flooded area. It was in a low point in a parking lot during a heavy rain. It was deep, just above the axles, but not so deep that water got inside. The customer started it out of the parking lot and for a couple of days. They brought it in because of noise from the rear end. We drained a dark brown milkshake of oil and water out of the rear end. There were a couple of gallons of it and man did it stink. His wasn't as bad as the Mercury (no snapped axle.) But ALL the bearings and gears were trashed. We figured that the water got in through the breather on the top of the tube. We ended up putting a good used rear axle from a junk yard. Also did rear wheel cylinders, shoes and U-joints. Front hubs were fine. Most trucks I have seen have a tube going to a higher point in the body as the breather for the rear axle.
@@ToddAdams1234 I've seen axles broken from hard impacts or too much load (big ties on 4x4s etc) but not one with a collapsed bearing that's continued to be driven until the point of failure.
Try a “high torque” situation that happens EXTREMELY fast and non full-floating axles similar in design BREAK like that. Granted that ALL axle shafts can break in that “shock load” state, but some hold up better than others.
Back in 1998 I was crew-chiefing a buddies amateur drag racing efforts with his 1997 Mustang GT (lots of weld re-enforcing on the chassis, all aftermarket suspension, engine tuning and NOS) . We ran Mickey Thompson street slicks and skinnies and would launch at 6K, pulling the front wheels off the ground during both the burnout and the launch. We eventually twisted the right axle until it snapped at the splines- they twisted past 60 degrees at the break! The left axle was twisted past 45 degrees but still held. The car was strictly a play toy and we would drive it to the track with me bringing the generator, air compressor, race tires, tools, etc in my pickup up to this trip- after getting it towed 50 miles home on a Sun afternoon he found a used trailer, which was good because the next outing the track was slick, he hit 2nd BEFORE the 60ft mark instead of at it, hitting the NOS as he let out the clutch (we didn't use it in 1st as we had regeared with 4:10's and were already lifting the front of the ground) and proceeded to go straight on the rev limiter blowing apart the factory plastic intake as the number 6 intake opened!
As soon as I heard that sound while you were test driving, Deja vu! Had a similar brake failure on my Dodge. The shoes had plenty of life left, the hardware springs broke and parts started rattling around.
There's shade tree mechanics, then there's shady mechanics. Shady shops obviously don't want their work recorded. Then again, not everyone can do what Ray does with one hand...
Alot of mechanics are articulate. But no one wants to pay good work prices. Iv worked at shops that were number one in the state. And iv worked at ma and pops shady shop. And from what iv learned at least 99% of us are just like Ray. But the cheap shady guys get a bad reputation for us all. One shitty shop owner makes his whole crew look bad. When we are just there cause we need a job. I've quit a couple shops for being shady. But rays humor and articulates, really are not that rare. Only true shady mechanics I found were all either shop owners or back yard doers. At least that's hoe it is here in michigan.
Matter in fact I worked for the guy that's owns the number one tuffy in the nation. Iv personally spend time with him. And he truly only wants the customers to be happy and come back. If your ever in the Jacksonville Florida area stop in there and see how real shops operate.
That's definitely a curb-inspired break. I did it to my 2011 Mustang RTR Conv. Geico Insurance cut corners and only replaced the axle and assembly. The Stang needed a new rear because the repair left me with a squeal during turns.
The condition of that Mercury strikes terror to my heart. I think this illustrates a good case for annual safety inspections. I know that Florida does not require them, and neither does my home state of Maryland. Good job, as usual, Ray.
You really don't want safety inspections. Even when cars are in that condition, its extremely rare for it to fail and cause any real damage. It can happen, but its not very likely. I live in FL now, but I'm a certified to inspect vehicles in NY, and it's just something that screws people over. If something doesn't pass, the customer is held hostage until they make an expensive repair. I'd rather to not have inspections, and take my chances.
I've had several marquis and crown Victoria's and they are known to have extremely soft axles and should be upgraded to harder steel ones... as soon as the bearing even remotely starts to go the axle is worn in half
That is some crazy damage to the rear of that Mercury. I have had that same damage on the rear brake of my Jeep Grand Cherokee. Lucky the brake cable was O.
One great repair coming up; maybe two if you end up doing both of them and not someone else Ray. It will be interesting to see what the other axle, the splines and the diff centre looks like in the Mercury!
@@robpeabo509 You need to be aware that Ray is on the clock earning flat rate all the time he's filming his videos. He can't waste time tearing apart something if he's not getting paid to do so. DUH!
All that sparkly glitter indicates someone backed over a unicorn! Then the Mercury had the unicorn's horn slice through the axle. There was more sparklies! Cool wildlife you got there!
I've noticed in the past few months that likely due to inflation, there are lots of vehicles driving past my house with scraping, clunking and grinding sounds from the suspension, driveline, brakes etc. It's scary what's on the road.
I think during covid a lot of people ignored car repairs. Car prices shot through the roof both new and used. Now people are scrambling to fix what they thought they could replace cheap when they ignored issues. I have never seen so much broken/worn crap in the shop.
I feel for you with the struggles with the mismanagers. I had one that refused to let me put the correct in stock brake pads on a car because he has the wrong ones coming in 2 hours. I had to wait for them to come in to show him they were incorrect.
Ray, I'm willing to bet that the driver of the Mercury is an incarnation of Mr. Magoo. No doubt the inner bearing was gone and making an enormous racket and the driver just kept driving it until it wouldn't go. Definitely a candidate for "Just Drove In".
There's been more than one time that I left my parking brake on my Dodge Ram and it made noise within a few feet that sounded like it wanted to break. Luckily nothing like this has even happened. And I agree on that read end axle that they must have known there was a problem for several months.
Hi Ray, was thinking, do you want to set up a go fund me for the Dodge? I’d happily donate $20 to your midlife crisis fund… just make some videos about it :)
I once drove the left rear axle off of my '91 Geo Metro. Literally, after a 1000 mile drive the hub wore through the axle and it fell off on the lift. Very lucky.
Last time I was looking for a Ram backing plate the mopar version very expensive, came preloaded and was on perpetual back order. We went with the Dorman version I think.
Yeah. That's pretty good on that Freud. I road my p71 for about 20,000 miles on bad bearings. and it didn't do that much damage? (And I ride it till the speed limiter shuts me off every day.) Great stuff 👍 thanks for sharing. ✌ Ride Hard Ride Free. 🇺🇲 GOD bless America 🇺🇲
Reminds me of my old '90 ranger. Didn't know jack about bearings at the time, just remember hearing a spray can sound from front. Kept asking step dad about it who blew me off saying it was fine. Later found out it wasn't fine as I was driving it one day, heard a clunk, then looked in rear view mirror to see pieces falling off onto the road. Went to pull off main road and the wheel came off as I turned. Only the caliper housing had held it together (like in this video). Found out the bearings had basically ceased then fell apart cause when last serviced the retaining cotter-pin never got replaced, so the bolt slowly backed out over time, let dirt/dust in that dried out the bearings and just helped the bolt back the rest of the way out. Luckily it didn't cause any permanent damage, but I had to replace the 4x4 lock hub, brake line, caliper housing, brakes, bearings, and retaining bolt. Came out to about $600 in parts alone and I ended up doing the work. Never had another issue with it and drove it for another 10 years until I sold it. Valuable lesson learned....any noise should be investigated as soon as possible, and anyone who says it is fine...is just being lazy and doesn't want to look into it.
Everyone says they are going to drive it till the wheels fall off but this guy actually did. Kudos 👏
I mean, I've driven cars into the ground and resurrected them multiple, but damn I wouldn't drive long enough to do THAT, and not do something about it. Hell the one I sent to the yard finally I only did so because the rear cross member (unibody) was so rotted out I wasn't sure the left and right sides were still structurally attached.
Okay, thanks for the laugh out loud your comment gave me.
Lol
He really drove it like he stoled it
It didn't fall off
I wanted to thank you for your videos. I've been wrenching "professionally" for 20 years (military and high horsepower diesel) but I'm new to the automotive sector. I'm an engine tech for a diesel engine manufacturer and your videos have help me by giving me an example of problems I have seen. Also your troubleshooting methods help remind me to not overthink what I'm doing. I hope you see this and I'm glad you and your family are doing alright after Ian. Keep up the good work and please continue living up to your standards.
Thanks for serving brother. Canadian vet cook and the wrench benders always were amazing ,hardwork and dedicated .and with the stuff we had they had thier hands full
I agree Ray, in 35 years I have never seen a RWD axle broken like that. WOW!
I have and the caused the was diff oil got so low it was unable to lubricate the outer axle bearings
@@SHSPVR it's the perfect example of low diff oil, cause the bearing to heat up thus transferring into the axle and weakening it causing it to break at the bearing.
Being a heavy vehicle diff and gearbox repairer for 25 years had seen half a dozen over the years on trucks where owners just never changed the diff o and end result was the same as this or the dual wheels completely came off.
Neither have i. I have replaced countless CV axles but never had to replace a RWD axle or the differential just always checked and changed the gear oil
I broke 4 at once when a pinion shaft dropped into the ring gear of the truck I was driving. The shock load took out the rear end all 4 axle shaft the back axle housing the through shaft and front differential and 2 lengths of drive shaft. All in under a second at 70 mph.
@@haroldbenton979 A lot of force there.
That axle damage is straight up impressive negligence by the owner. Like wow.
and at some point it was on the roads and hwys near you or a loved one
@@ivanolsen7966 scary thought. With the noise that made, I am not sure if that just counts as a simple case of negligence. Either someone is really good at ignoring things or seeing an otorhinolaryngologist may be highly advisable.
My wife, having twice shredded a tire because she didn't notice that it went flat, could be equally impressive given the chance. As long as the car moves, she doesn't care.
Bet they had to give it a lot more gas after the axle snapped!
Do you think it's been driven around on the freeway like that for months? 😲
crown vic probably been doing burnouts or something lmao
That was hysterical, customer states it won't move in drive. Didn't notice rear wheel falling off. Can't stop laughing,
I really wonder how they got it into that parking spot that Ray found it in..?
@@arnoldgrubbs2005 Tow truck backed it in with rear off the ground. 100% this didn't come to the shop under it's own power.
Yep when I saw that wheel. I was like there's your problem lol
Most likely owned by a seasoned citizen and probably a female who is in the Joe Biden camp as far as cognitive function goes.
@@brnmcc01 Well they did say it won't go into drive so it'd have to be towed.
8:47 you don't need to go to dodge to see the exploded view of parts. You're lookin' right at it! 😄
Hahaha! 👍
As a senior citizen, I would def buy some merch with the slogan on that reads "Don't ignore your grinding noises".
Especially as most seniors, you hear and feel grinding on a daily bases.
I would too. I've seen many accident's happen because of the way that axle broke
Having just hit 55 this past January I agree fully lol
Having just turned 40 I agree with this as well…. Too many years crawling down smoke filled hallways as a fireman.
@@clbcl5 When we were young we heard the snap crackle pop from the Rice Krispies but now.
13:59 Those little 10mm bolts were damn heroes. Had they let go while the car was driving at speed, that would've been a HUGE accident.
I'm immensely surprised at that. I would never have thought 2x10mm bolts for a caliper is a good idea, and I still don't. My car has 2x14mm. But considering the forces on the caliper those must be some strong ass bolts.
The axle would have been in one piece for most of that destruction, it wore down the diameter until it broke in half and all drive was lost because of an open diff. The two caliper bolts were still the only thing keeping the wheel and axle in, but at least with the unbroken axle there was technically no real extra load on those two bolts, when the axle snapped, very different story as there is know a bending force on them. Luckily it ground to a halt when the axle snapped.
Honestly, I'm surprised on that Mercury that the customer didn't request you to put everything back together so that they could take it somewhere else.
On the back of a wrecker maybe have a good day
Only to inform them that there is no 'putting it back together' because exposing the break shifted things to the point they'll never fit together again. Considering the age of the car they're better off getting another vehicle. 4 grand in repairs is 2x the value of the vehicle - simply because the engine still runs.
The good Lord was looking out for them, as well as the drivers around them!
@@amzarnacht6710 Which is still cheaper than a 20,000.00 dollar used car, and way cheaper than 3,000.00 a month "new" car payments.
@@amzarnacht6710 personally, I'd hit a local Pull-a-Part and get another axle. 3 different models to choose from and more than enough ex cop cars around. Granted, the Grand is probably owned by someone who can't do the work themselves but it'd still be cheaper than having a car payment.
Ray has seen it all with some of the junk that people bring to him and expect him to repair. Lucky for them he's more than up to the task(s)! Make me nervous knowing that people operate these death traps in our midst.
Amazing how 2 of those rather extreme failures show up at the same time. Like you said in earlier videos about how certain failures all show up at once somehow.
These go on the wall of amazement.
If I didn't know any better, I would think they were racing each other! Oh, that didn't go well; you both lost! 🤣
Can't believe your calm diagnosis - what happened to " What's that fool been doing???" (Add/subtract adjective before the word Fool). Well done, Ray - amazing as always.
"Don't ignore grinding noises"
Would make a great t-shirt !
You could leave them in the customers cars !
🤔 👍🏻
I'd order that T-shirt
I was thinking the same thing when they come in with damage like those vehicles leave them a free t-shirt with that slogan
Nah. That's what radios are for. Just ask my wife.
Sure wish I new a mechanic like you, one truely dedicated technicion/mechanic. No false front here. You are to dedicated to be a dealership mechanic. You should be a tec. advisory/trainer for a trade school or hang up your own/owner shingle. You are a blast to watch. I have walked your path, wishing you a successful future.
Foreshadowing
Wow that's some impressive destruction. Amazing what people manage to ignore.
Or they just can't afford to get it fixed, that is truly sad.....
@@Son-Of-Gillean not everyone has the skills to fix cars and most that do go about ripping off the customers for cash in fixing those cars I’m surprised someone has to explain it to you
Just turn the radio up.
Yup. That Mercury had a bad bearing and they just ignored it, from the looks of it, they ignored it for years.
Sad how irresponsible people are yet they have money for nice houses and go on multiple vacations but are so careless. Blows my mind.
Good thing you got that on film (I still talk old school). I'd love to see the look on the customer's face when you show it to them. 😮
Good morning Ray. Wow that was ugly destruction. Very lucky someone did not have a severe accident. Don’t neglect your grinding noises. Rotor gravity 🥺
I'm impressed with three things: 1. Your technical skills; 2. the high mileage that many of the American vehicles have done; and 3. the outstanding absence of maintenance, and the very poor condition of some of the vehicles you have to work on!! In the UK we have to have an annual MOT test, stricter than in most US states. Excellent vid, as usual. 👍
Gotta love the Forman givin his two sense in the work place right at the end, love the videos. People never fail to make me laugh with the noises they decide to ignore 😂
What are you doing?
my job.
Who told you to do that?
basically everyone but you, I guess.
Forman probably a tosser that’s why off the spanners, same everywhere I have ever worked. Can’t do the job so spout BS😂
That car is the embodiment of “Ride it until the wheels fall off” 😭
Axle bearings are kinda necessary to keep the spinny bits in place. That problem likely started over a year before the shaft gave up the ghost.
And giving up the ghost it did in a quite extreme and extensive manner. I have rarely seen anything wearing right through the whole bearing. It almost surprises me the axle did not rip apart earlyer. Must be driven where not many potholes are present.
man, was the edit at like 4:30 called "90's sitcom intro" had major flashbacks lol great videos man, i have learned so much from you. Cant thank you enough
That level of destruction is impressive.
the video clip of you removing the lugnuts was so stop motion retro MTV-ish, I almost thought the ringing in my ears had morphed into the Reflex by Duran Duran.
My wife approves of all grinding noises.
They need to happen for a couple weeks before notifying anyone.
Yours too? 😂
I have a 19 year old with similar grinding habits and some resistance to checking oil thrown in for good measure.
My wife is the same. Must be a girl thingy. No respect for machines at all.
Her classic line...."It just broke for no reason at all." It reached the end of it's life cycle or you abused it maybe? (just to name a few.)
That's okay, some wives also can detect shade differences in lights too. They know if a light comes on, it has to get brighter before there's a real problem.
@@proudcanadian5713 I really think they wait until it changes to a different color before they get concerned.
That last bit of audio. That was great. Especially when most of the guys at my workplace drive some sort of Chrysler product.
That wheel will be just fine. Walmart innovated that feature decades ago for their shopping carts. No injuries or deaths...yet.
Had a feeling that it'd be a salvage yard axle and diff for the Merc. Plenty of crown vics out there eh' ?! Nice, Iooking forward to that one .
Ray! @20:02 you pick up your caliper hangar and your schrader valve tool falls out of your pocket! We need proof of life in your next video that you rescued it from the floor sweepings. Stay safe!
Good solid brake calliper keeping everyone safe.
They just need to add more speakers and turn up the radio
Exactly...
Warranty company says that as long as it's driveable they won't pay to fix it.
lol
Or their hearing aid batteries were dead😂
That's funny I actually use to do that like 8 years ago when I had to 12 inch subwoofers in back of my pathfinder just turn it up try to ignore noises lol wow 😲
Damn you reaching over and moving the passenger mirror back with your left hand because you're holding the camera with your right. That's some straight up dedication and I do thank you for your service
Wow, that is some level of destruction there.. a twofer. Some serious ignoring of "death rattle" for sure!
Good one Patrick.
As a retired mechanic WHY do I enjoy these vids !! I was soo glad to leave this all behind and yet ..
As all mechanics will attest being a mechanic must be worse than being a doctor .. ie: every member of the family has a car !! :P
Recently repaired my sisters Renault Scenic , snapped timing belt leading to bent valves etc etc a right pita of a job that I was glad to see the end of and yet these vids are entertaining for some reason..
Seen some things in my time as a mechanic but that rear axle is something else.
It should be easy to find a whole new rear end for that Mercury from some salvage yard. It is the same as the Crown Vic I think.
Yup, mercury grand marques, Lincoln towncar, and crown Victoria are practically just 3 brands of the same thing. (With only minor differences)
I was wondering how in the world a busted parking brake could kill someone, then all I had to see was the first shot of the Mercury to know what was up lol
There's a wonderful word used here in the UK to describe that axle.
It's knackered. 😁
🤣🤣🤣
We use "Failed Under Continuous Testing" at work! ;-)
Yeah - you Brits do use some, let's say, interesting words.
My grandmother used that word. Said it ment tired 😆
She's cactus mate, a real dogs breakfast
I love how you put a RWD in neutral to push it when the rear end was sitting on go-jacks :P
Ray says "let's go behind the building real quick" as he drives past a port a potty! 🤣. Intentional or not, got to love the irony. Thanks for the video as always!
Grinding noises are soon followed by a bang and a crunch. Then the tears flow.
"Don't ignore grinding noises" - Rainman Ray, over a decal of a wheel falling off a car. Definitely a t-shirt I'd buy
just turn audio up real loud and you won't notice it.
I had the parking brake explode on my 2004 F150, there was no warning. I used the parking brake for the first time in years to hold the truck on a hill with a trailer (its an automatic and I mainly park on flat ground so I don't typically use it, my mistake). Un-hitched the trailer and headed down the highway, made it about 5 miles and was doing 50 MPH and heard a loud bang followed by metallic shrapnel noises. Thought I'd lost a wheel bearing, but no, parking brake experienced RUD (rapid unscheduled disassembly) inside the hat of the rotor. Luckily I was able to remove the remnants and get back on the road. Backing plate was damaged to the point where it no longer can have a parking brake and everything else was too mangled to determine the root cause, but I suspect it was rust related.
The Grand Marquis was definitely making a whole lotta racket for a very long time. Those cars can go 300,000 mile with minimal maintenance, I wanna know How they managed that.
And that’s why when I hear a new noise in my rig , I check for why I hear said sound. Lol it pays to be aware of how your vehicle sounds. Turn down the tunes n listen. It’s amaze how your vehicle will speak to you… lol
WOW! i have never ever seen one like that with the broken axel. good luck mending that thanks for the video
My daily Rainman Ray video fix. Awesome as usual and you are the first channel I look for when I open UA-cam. This video was particularly awesome.
Dang, that Mercury's diff was ran dry. You know they heard that for a long time before it went. Thanks for the video Ray!
It is great to see an honest garage Raymond is a great advertisement for this garage brilliant garage.
That Mercury takes D.I.L.L.I.G.A.F. to a whole new level.
My dad had a Mercury like that. When he passed away, my son now has it. Only 84,000 miles on it. Those cars are worth fixing up. Keep it on the road. They just don’t build any cars like that anymore!
Yes I have a 2000 Lincoln Town Car with 208k miles.
You're looking at the exploded view though!!!
My thoughts exactly
Same thing almost happened to my Vic 🤦🏿♂️ lucky I caught it before the shaft snapped. Had to replace the whole axle
Yes, real work for a change! 👍
I had a parking brake adjuster blow up on a 1984 Tempo. The pawl was not hardened right and it let the star wheel spin backwards until the adjuster came out going down the road. It went bang and punched a hole in the flat area of the brake drum. The pedal went soft.
Says one view but 20 likes. Go figure.
Thanks Ray. Watching you completly fulfills any desire I may have for car maintanance.
WoW I must see the next video on the repairs I’m very intrigued 😀🧐😁
That snapped axel is nuts. They must have been driving through the issue for years.
The bearing would have been hell noisy before it completely fells to bits, then probably only a week.
Definitely liking the new camera angles and the speeding through the Lugnut removal.
Love the child saying Dodge redacted. 😆. Awesome job Ray on what you do day in and day out.
Came to say same!
Totally addicted to your videos. First thing I look for when I fire up the pc at the end of the day. Keep up the good work. I used to have a mechanic who would have fixed that Mercury axle easily - super glue and wrap with duct tape.
Is loose springs and metal shavings bad? 😂🤣and we get a glance of Ray going old school with air impact!
LOL the wheel's falling off! As Mustie1 says "Yeah that might be an issue!"😂😂
For the grand marquis you just need to call Cleetus mcfarland he has a fleet of crown vics in bradenton you can get a rear end out of.
Yep. Well broken in too.
Bradenton isn't even that far away, just a bit north up the interstate.
I had a similar problem with a PT Cruiser. The e-brake assembly grenaded. He declined to have me repair it. Since it was a close friend working in my yard, I simply removed the emergency brakes parts. Fortunately nothing got severely damaged. I got his car back on the road and he was happy.
Anyone else hoping they can find a whole rear ended for the Mercury? I’m excited to see Ray do his magic.
There's lots of older car parts like that in Fla. and Georgia.
@@aliasfred Since almost every police department, cab company, and old geezer, everywhere, was running those Ford/Mercury/Lincolns, finding a rear axle for that thing is going to be a piece of cake.
They might want to look at a Family Truckster.
@@bobmcdoggish9659 even up here in NY a good rear end for a Vic, all complete, is like $275 lol
After 2 completed "Freedom 200" races at Cleetus' Freedom Factory, there has to be dozens of suitable Grand Marquis/Merc donor cars available throughout Florida!
I am wondering if this is also hurricane Ian related on the Mercury Grand Marquis and there may be many more similar problems in the affected areas of Florida.
I have seen a van that sat for a while in flooded area. It was in a low point in a parking lot during a heavy rain. It was deep, just above the axles, but not so deep that water got inside. The customer started it out of the parking lot and for a couple of days. They brought it in because of noise from the rear end. We drained a dark brown milkshake of oil and water out of the rear end. There were a couple of gallons of it and man did it stink. His wasn't as bad as the Mercury (no snapped axle.) But ALL the bearings and gears were trashed. We figured that the water got in through the breather on the top of the tube. We ended up putting a good used rear axle from a junk yard. Also did rear wheel cylinders, shoes and U-joints. Front hubs were fine. Most trucks I have seen have a tube going to a higher point in the body as the breather for the rear axle.
Never seen an axle shaft go like that before.
Really? That’s EXACTLY what I don’t like about the “c-clip” axle assembly design.
We broke them like that at the dirt track especially if you got t-boned but that was a long time ago and that was heavy collision have a good day
@@ToddAdams1234 I've seen axles broken from hard impacts or too much load (big ties on 4x4s etc) but not one with a collapsed bearing that's continued to be driven until the point of failure.
Try a “high torque” situation that happens EXTREMELY fast and non full-floating axles similar in design BREAK like that. Granted that ALL axle shafts can break in that “shock load” state, but some hold up better than others.
It's really amazing to see how far your channel has come!
"Don't neglect the grind." - Rainman Ray, the most proficient mechanic/philosophizer of our day
Back in 1998 I was crew-chiefing a buddies amateur drag racing efforts with his 1997 Mustang GT (lots of weld re-enforcing on the chassis, all aftermarket suspension, engine tuning and NOS) . We ran Mickey Thompson street slicks and skinnies and would launch at 6K, pulling the front wheels off the ground during both the burnout and the launch. We eventually twisted the right axle until it snapped at the splines- they twisted past 60 degrees at the break! The left axle was twisted past 45 degrees but still held. The car was strictly a play toy and we would drive it to the track with me bringing the generator, air compressor, race tires, tools, etc in my pickup up to this trip- after getting it towed 50 miles home on a Sun afternoon he found a used trailer, which was good because the next outing the track was slick, he hit 2nd BEFORE the 60ft mark instead of at it, hitting the NOS as he let out the clutch (we didn't use it in 1st as we had regeared with 4:10's and were already lifting the front of the ground) and proceeded to go straight on the rev limiter blowing apart the factory plastic intake as the number 6 intake opened!
It is a wonder that wheel didn't come off. I wonder if you're going to see a spate of wheel bearing failures from the high water.
10/10 brake caliper fastener
As soon as I heard that sound while you were test driving, Deja vu! Had a similar brake failure on my Dodge. The shoes had plenty of life left, the hardware springs broke and parts started rattling around.
Thanks for the feedback and expect more videos soon. Send me a text above🔝🔝🔝 I have something for you..
Kudos to your gracious employers for letting you record your work, a lot of shops wouldn't allow it.
There's shade tree mechanics, then there's shady mechanics. Shady shops obviously don't want their work recorded. Then again, not everyone can do what Ray does with one hand...
Alot of mechanics are articulate. But no one wants to pay good work prices. Iv worked at shops that were number one in the state. And iv worked at ma and pops shady shop. And from what iv learned at least 99% of us are just like Ray. But the cheap shady guys get a bad reputation for us all. One shitty shop owner makes his whole crew look bad. When we are just there cause we need a job. I've quit a couple shops for being shady. But rays humor and articulates, really are not that rare. Only true shady mechanics I found were all either shop owners or back yard doers. At least that's hoe it is here in michigan.
Matter in fact I worked for the guy that's owns the number one tuffy in the nation. Iv personally spend time with him. And he truly only wants the customers to be happy and come back. If your ever in the Jacksonville Florida area stop in there and see how real shops operate.
@@whamBamminTaxi It is always amazing in some way how one bad apple can spoil a whole truckload...
*butthead former employer
Good recommendation on those long Mountain ratcheting wrenches. I bought a set off Amazon. I use them everyday at my shop.
Never ceases to amaze me what people will do or better yet, not do to their cars.
That's definitely a curb-inspired break. I did it to my 2011 Mustang RTR Conv. Geico Insurance cut corners and only replaced the axle and assembly. The Stang needed a new rear because the repair left me with a squeal during turns.
The condition of that Mercury strikes terror to my heart. I think this illustrates a good case for annual safety inspections. I know that Florida does not require them, and neither does my home state of Maryland. Good job, as usual, Ray.
It didn’t work before and it will not work today. People can’t afford gas, or food much less an inspection on their vehicle.
You really don't want safety inspections. Even when cars are in that condition, its extremely rare for it to fail and cause any real damage. It can happen, but its not very likely. I live in FL now, but I'm a certified to inspect vehicles in NY, and it's just something that screws people over. If something doesn't pass, the customer is held hostage until they make an expensive repair. I'd rather to not have inspections, and take my chances.
That car had Texas plates on it and had a inspection sticker on the windscren.
I've had several marquis and crown Victoria's and they are known to have extremely soft axles and should be upgraded to harder steel ones... as soon as the bearing even remotely starts to go the axle is worn in half
Thanks for the feedback and expect more videos soon. Send me a text above🔝🔝🔝 I have something for you....
Interesting. I've never seen a wheel bearing turn to dust before. 😳
That is some crazy damage to the rear of that Mercury. I have had that same damage on the rear brake of my Jeep Grand Cherokee. Lucky the brake cable was O.
One great repair coming up; maybe two if you end up doing both of them and not someone else Ray. It will be interesting to see what the other axle, the splines and the diff centre looks like in the Mercury!
Interesting? Yes, however it would a waste of time to take it apart. Simply disconnect it, and off to the recycling dumpster.
@@joeblowe7545 I know, but the public like seeing automotive carnage, so it won't hurt the channel.
@@robpeabo509 You need to be aware that Ray is on the clock earning flat rate all the time he's filming his videos. He can't waste time tearing apart something if he's not getting paid to do so. DUH!
@@joeblowe7545 I know., however you seem to forget the income Ray makes from UA-cam. and to lower myself to your vocabulary: DUH!
@@robpeabo509 Punctuation, and lack of capitalization. trust me you are showing your deficiencies. LOL
All that sparkly glitter indicates someone backed over a unicorn! Then the Mercury had the unicorn's horn slice through the axle. There was more sparklies! Cool wildlife you got there!
Ignorance is bliss in the case of the Ford! How do you not notice that! That hub on the Ram is fine, just a scuff mark.
Phrase of the video: “Spread it out, shove it in.” Thanks Ray! You’re the man!
I've noticed in the past few months that likely due to inflation, there are lots of vehicles driving past my house with scraping, clunking and grinding sounds from the suspension, driveline, brakes etc. It's scary what's on the road.
I think during covid a lot of people ignored car repairs.
Car prices shot through the roof both new and used.
Now people are scrambling to fix what they thought they could replace cheap when they ignored issues.
I have never seen so much broken/worn crap in the shop.
I feel for you with the struggles with the mismanagers. I had one that refused to let me put the correct in stock brake pads on a car because he has the wrong ones coming in 2 hours. I had to wait for them to come in to show him they were incorrect.
That was seriously impressive. 2 10mm bolts held that together. Grade 8 bolts to the rescue. Stay safe and be well Ray
Thanks for the feedback and expect more videos soon. Send me a text above🔝🔝 I have something for you...
I'm completely sober and when you found the flitter behind the wheel I blew on my screen to try and blow it away 😂😂
If they had fixed the problem in the beginning it would have been only a ball-bearing, now it is a lot more.
Like 3 years ago beginning? 😛🤣😛
That blued up shiny spot on top of the Mercury axle housing from the heat of the grinding was crazy!
Ray, I'm willing to bet that the driver of the Mercury is an incarnation of Mr. Magoo. No doubt the inner bearing was gone and making an enormous racket and the driver just kept driving it until it wouldn't go. Definitely a candidate for "Just Drove In".
people just turn up their carstereo to not hear the noises
There's been more than one time that I left my parking brake on my Dodge Ram and it made noise within a few feet that sounded like it wanted to break. Luckily nothing like this has even happened. And I agree on that read end axle that they must have known there was a problem for several months.
This episode could have been on Just Rolled In.
The Mercury would be on Just Towed In. (JRI is an incredible channel!)
It does come in waves, two days ago I had 5 different sparkplug jobs all come in
Hi Ray, was thinking, do you want to set up a go fund me for the Dodge? I’d happily donate $20 to your midlife crisis fund… just make some videos about it :)
I’m talking about the V8 from the last video
I love that “that sounds like an excuse made on the fly” 😂😂 imma use it lol
I once drove the left rear axle off of my '91 Geo Metro. Literally, after a 1000 mile drive the hub wore through the axle and it fell off on the lift. Very lucky.
Last time I was looking for a Ram backing plate the mopar version very expensive, came preloaded and was on perpetual back order. We went with the Dorman version I think.
Yeah. That's pretty good on that Freud. I road my p71 for about 20,000 miles on bad bearings. and it didn't do that much damage? (And I ride it till the speed limiter shuts me off every day.) Great stuff 👍 thanks for sharing. ✌ Ride Hard Ride Free. 🇺🇲 GOD bless America 🇺🇲
Reminds me of my old '90 ranger. Didn't know jack about bearings at the time, just remember hearing a spray can sound from front. Kept asking step dad about it who blew me off saying it was fine. Later found out it wasn't fine as I was driving it one day, heard a clunk, then looked in rear view mirror to see pieces falling off onto the road. Went to pull off main road and the wheel came off as I turned. Only the caliper housing had held it together (like in this video). Found out the bearings had basically ceased then fell apart cause when last serviced the retaining cotter-pin never got replaced, so the bolt slowly backed out over time, let dirt/dust in that dried out the bearings and just helped the bolt back the rest of the way out. Luckily it didn't cause any permanent damage, but I had to replace the 4x4 lock hub, brake line, caliper housing, brakes, bearings, and retaining bolt. Came out to about $600 in parts alone and I ended up doing the work. Never had another issue with it and drove it for another 10 years until I sold it.
Valuable lesson learned....any noise should be investigated as soon as possible, and anyone who says it is fine...is just being lazy and doesn't want to look into it.