I’ve often said that automotive engineers should have to serve a a one year “internship” as a mechanic before they’re ever allowed to design anything. A little hands-on experience in the real world would give them an entirely different perspective on how the design things.
A good engineer would engineer their education. When I was young I was interested in engineering satellites, so I became a USN Aviation structural mechanic, composite specialist, and NDI technician. In the end, satellite engineering became much less interesting and now I transport a hundred tons of food and household goods nightly instead. :P
I've also said that before… about 36500 times in my 47 year career of being an autotech.I just know from talking to both technicians and engineers that it's the bean counters that make it difficult for us technicians the engineers are just following orders.... ( usually)
I think anyone that's worked on cars long enough has experienced moments like this. You fight and you fight and you fight but the part refuses to come out. Walk away for a while, come back, and it practically falls out the moment you touch it.
as a tech, let me tell you, this is true with tech in general... be it gas engines, electric or computers... mechanical of electrical... anybody who spends long working with technology of any kind will have this kind of experience.. if you fight and fight, get frustrated and somebody who dosnt even know what they are doing walks up, and first try it comes lose.... that shit... can break your brain at times... also the "i have no idea why that worked but, now its working flawlessly, despite the fact that what i did, shouldnt have had that effect.. how the fuck...never mind, never look a gift horse in the mouth"
I remember once trying to get the bolts undone on a fuel filter (i think), it was in a deep (high) channel under the car and the opening between the various tubes/wires was that small that, iirc, to move one of the 6 faces of the nut around once needed 4 spanner on&offs as I rotated the angled open-ended spanner a smidgen each time! Took me fxxxen ages (about 15-20 mins for this bolt) but I had no choice but to persevere.
Years ago while trying to swap out an engine mount. It came out almost easy but no matter how much I tried it would not go back in. I was in the process of taking it back out thinking that I was sold the wrong part when it slipped out of my hands and fell right into place. Sometimes you find yourself fighting and fighting on something and when you give up it finally starts to behave.
Oddly, coming from an aviation background, I see so damned much here that is wrong on at least twenty levels. On the birds I worked on, everything was built to be disassembled while stile still installed on the aircraft: saving the mechanic, the repair station, and the customer time and money in terms of work performed and down time. This Dodge Brother's Wagon on the other hand, looks like it was built to never come apart. Even the rack bolts are upside down. If the nuts back off, the bolts fall out and you lose 90% of your steering input. If the bolts were "heads-up" that would not happen. Just further evidence that modern vehicles are built to be thrown away and never worked on.
Having worked in the automotive business and now aviation as a designer, I can confirm everything said above. I can't even start building parts until I know how they will be removed quickly. Also, from what I have seen, design engineers these days do not have the hands on experience necessary to realistically build manufacturable parts.
they truly are. instead of a huge touch screen on a dash id love to see a new car that is designed to be easily repaired. i went to change the shocks on my ford econline and the only way that makes sense to remove the shocks in the rear is to cut the tops of them off with a sawzall, how insane is that??
Everything except thrust reverse sync shafts of all things, I don't know if they never expected them to fail or built the entire engines around them, but the number of times I've had to cut the outer line in half, then cut the new part in half at the same point to get it in and swage both halves in place to get them in is ridiculous
I went from an automotive engineering and R and D, then on too aircraft....yes..automotive industry is driven solely on the buck...not but 2% given to consumer safety
Just an odd tip for ya. I always keep a jug of earplugs around not only for my ears but for any line that moves fluid. Roll them up and shove them in the head of the line just enough for them to expand and stop covering you in fluid or losing more than you need to.
“Either the labour guide is wrong or I’m about to run in to a VERY large unforeseen problem… “ the voice or experience right there! Had me in stitches!
18 year engineer (various disciplines) here. I always ask when inquiring about a position "Will I be allowed to work with the people, or on the equipment I am designing/improving/developing process for?" If the answer is no, I won't take the job. If I am not allowed to spend time working the process, or on the equipment with the people that do it everyday... that job is not for me. I walked out on a job with a wall board company because I got in trouble for working on the line with the operators to see specifically how a piece of equipment was used. It's always been my opinion that if you can't repair it, build it, or run it... you shouldn't be designing it.
I'm a millwright.. I wish all engineers shared your opinion.. I've worked with some extremely arrogant and pretentious engineers before who thought they were too good to even talk to the guys who actually have to turn the wrenches..
I worked with a guy who had been an engineer in R&D for a once large manufacturer. When he worked on his own vehicles, he realised how difficult some things were, and how he could have made it better. Myself, and other colleagues, who had spent time in repair workshops, gave him no sympathy.
Coming from the engineering side and having previously worked for GM and Chrysler, most if not all engineers developing vehicles know how much of a pain repairing things can be and a good portion of them were mechanics before becoming an engineer. Engineers will build multiple preproduction cars mostly by hand before it goes to an assembly line. Engineers top priority is production and cost. That bolt for the rack and pinion for example, Chrysler could have moved it lower to make it easier on mechanics, however Chrysler is going to install 100% of them at a factory, it's much easily and faster to have it that high up so when the subframe was installed it was easier to access during the assembly process. The reality is probably less than 5% of vehicles are going to need their steering rack replaced and only like 0.1% of that will be under warranty, spending any amount of time engineering it to be easier for mechanics would just be wasting time and money.
I did a job for an electrical engineer who told me that after 25 years designing systems he decided to get into the maintenance and repair field of those same systems figuring who better to know how to maintain and repair them than the person who designed it. It was at that point and I quote exactly his words that "I learned about everything I'd been designing wrong for the last 25 years." Architects aren't much better. They design things that can be built but often exceedingly difficult to safely maintain. Especially after all the landscaping is done.
This almost looked like a magic trick. “See how it will NOT come out? Watch me put the new one right in!” It’s got my head spinning. I totally agree with Andrew below. TOP NOTCH video Ray. Really appreciate it.
I am not a certified mechanic, but as a farmer I do a lot of what you do on onroad and offroad equipment. I REALLY can appreciate the work that you do and that you show in these video clips. I don't feel so alone in the challenges - LOL! But I think if folks see these kind of clips that normally do not do this kinda work, that hopefully they can appreciate those that do! Keep up the Awesome work and videos!... I'm watching you! Cheers!
“To make things worse, my rubber ripped… and that can lead to problems” 🤣😂 Ray, thank you for that little nugget of comedic gold to help start my day at 7am.
I remember a job I had once similar to this. I had to change a clutch in a car (Audi, Volvo, or something) which had an enclosed drive shaft. The 'book' called for ten hours. The procedure called for removing the rear differential, sliding the 'torque tube' (drive shaft housing) off, remove the drive shaft, remove the transmission, then change the clutch. I noticed that all the wires, hoses, cables, etc. attached to the engine had plenty of slack, there was room in front of the engine, and all the mounting bolts were easily accessible so I just attached an engine hoist, removed the bolts, and moved the engine forward about six inches, changed the clutch, and remounted the engine. My time, five hours! Beat the book by half!
More than one way to skin a cat! Metaphorically speaking of course.......please don't skin cats. Unless your in a anatomy lab and the cat is already dead. My female lab partner had two cats and refused to touch the dead cat, so I did it, and she became the team scribe.....LOL
I worked with manufacturing engineers for ten years implementing their brilliant ideas. 9 out of 10 times they would listen to the guys on the shop floor about their "improvements". Except the ones just out of college. They knew EVERYTHING. Never wanted to throttle somebody as much as them.
@Darkfarfetch what exactly does your little mind think it fixed? Because it doesn't appear to be my spelling, syntax, or the general gist of my message to you, sweetie muffin.
Great job Ray as always,you set the example for all other mechanics to follow. You are an old school mechanic with old school values and thats exactly the way my dad taught me how to do mechanical work on vehicles.
Ray, Ray, Ray… what can I say? Excellent content, skilled technician, problem solving with explanation, and nary a parts canon, cutting torch, nor F-bomb in sight. Unfortunately I’m limited to a single thumbs up. Clicking the button repeatedly doesn’t seem to increase the like counter as much as i hoped 🤷🏻♂️
Plenty more where that came from... 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Great vid!! A little tip if people remove or dismount the steering rack, put the steering wheel in its lock or if it doesnt have that, put the seatbelt thru one of the spokes. This way you eliminate the chance of destroying your clockspring.
@@AgentOffice Back in the day vehicles had a spring loaded cam system with grooves or bumps that glide over other bumps or "cams". The turn signals and horn passively glide over each other. You could rotate the wheel with very little risk of damage, to an extent of course. The horn pin can be broken off but can be replaced/repaired cheaply. Most of or probably all vehicles to today have a clockspring that is a captured system where there is stops and tabs. This system does not pass through each other and are held in a limited range of motion. Turning the wheel beyond those points can and most likely will strip either the tabs or break the spring or horn contacts or all of them. Very expensive to replace and pretty much impossible to repair, not to mention they are very fragile.
Retired (EE) engineer and once a professional auto mechanic in my earlier life, I always enjoy your helpful, informative, albeit entertaining videos! Best part is your handy universal torque wrenches, I’m curiously wondering if you have one of those for oil filters too! Keep up your awesome upbeat videos!!
Hi Stan 808! Oil filters 404: Those who are replaced unscrewing, as a can, in a whole complete unit; problem: they leak. Solution: install them tight. New problem: they wont unscrew. Solution: destroy engine block with TNT, to release the oil filter or use this trick while installing the oil filter: Always lube the seal. Fill it with new oil. Install it light tight. Unscrew. Install it a little bit tighter, unscrew. Now it is evident that it will be stuck if tightened a little bit more. Tighten it and just start unscrewing a little bit. Ready! That's it. Will not leak because it is really tight but WILL unscrew because the unscrewing process has been started.
@@victorborges9523 Thanks for responding! I think you know that I meant it as a pun, as Rainman Ray often uses his verbal “click, click” on random fasteners, other than real torque wrenches he actually uses on critical components.
Bought an old car when I was about 19 y/o and could not remove the oil filter no mater what wrench or tool I used. Had to escalate. Ended up hammering a screw driver through it perpendicular. then hitting the far end of the driver handle with a hammer to break it free.......Ugly, but like Ray often says...."I win!".....LOL
A line wrench isn't for better access it's for a better grip on more sides of the fastener. They are very soft and require replacing the whole line if damaged.
These particular types of fittings are sealed with o-rings, and are generally nowhere near as tight as a flare fitting, rust and corrosion not withstanding. And in my 35+ years of being a Mechanic, I have found that if I do need to use a line wrench, I just go straight for the Vice Grips and a torch instead! Much faster, and less damage! Especially when it comes to brake lines.
Yes that is a correct statement about the line wrench, the design prevents damage to the fittings. And yes a I am a master mechanic with 47 years experience. And have done this exact job so many times I lost count .
@@thomaslemay8817 is funny because I have made lots of damage to line fittings with those line wrenches haha 😂 specially rusted ones. And yes, I use the exact measurements and high quality ones. But hey I ain’t replacing sheit. If it becomes non grippy the vice grip is my best friend.
"Just gotta wiggle it until the shaft slides in" "Yea I can feel the shaft on the other side of the collar" And women ask why men have such dirty minds. WE DON'T! OUR CARS MAKE US THIS WAY!!!
I had the dirty hands thing for many years. When the economy crashed back in aught 8 I was left without employment. I took a job in a steel mill where gloves were mandatory at all times. They gave us cotton/ leather gloves to use. Not easy fumbling with nuts and bolts. My hands were never cleaner and I lost all my calluses.
I have learned the hard way to NEVER say anything like that before I start a mechanical repair. "Sure, you will be able to take the car to your appointment, this job will only take me two hours so you will have plenty of time." Four broken bolts and three days later...
@@wldncrzy1971 not just Mopar. Been working on over the road and heavy equipment for years now. NEVER say it should be a quick or easy job. Have had my ass kicked too many times by "simple" jobs.
@@OverlandOne Happened with me with the top passenger motor mount for a Dodge Neon... An hour job, tops, turned into a few hours at an AutoZone learning how to tap a thread because it stripped coming out. Hell, it happened multiple times BECAUSE IT WAS A DODGE NEON. Lol. Alternator was behind the passenger splash guard and had to be pulled out from the top past AC lines & reaching past the engine. What a PITA.
Ray, you are, as we said in the USCG, a Subject Matter Expert. I know I have learned a few things from watching you. We NEVER take our vehicles to the dealer unless its something I can't crack. Yet, both cars and my Dodge 3500/Cummins (1999 5spd w/ only 76K on it) are fully maintained. Also, the greater your success, the more humble you become. Quite a spectrum of positive and rare traits, IMHO. Ok, I'll get the Angry Pliers.......
I spent more hours than I care to admit getting a driveshaft out of my Mazda. It took me hours just to get the shaft nut loose - ended up with a 6 foot pipe over the socket bar and I was all but swinging off it before it came loose. Obviously wasn't holding my mouth the right way.....
@@DonutVIP I had a 94 Cougar with the 4.6 V8, and getting the OIL FILTER out was a nightmare EVERY time. And I build MX race bikes, certified auto, been to every brand of off-road vehicle seminar shit, built custom cars, have my contractor's license......but had trouble with an oil filter..... over 40 times. Ugh.
It reminds me of my dad's story. He was trying to remove a car radio from under the dash and it wasn't coming out no matter how hard he tried, so he relaxed his arms to take a brief rest when, all of a sudden, the radio fell out and cut him on the forehead. Sometimes things just go that way... LOL
A video on how a front end alignment is performed would be very interesting. Love your videos. New respect for a skilled mechanic! You make it look easy.
I worked as a mechanic for decades, automotive, aviation, heavy equipment of various types... I feel your pain. The newer cars are designed to be assembled, used and tossed into recycler.
During that 5 minutes Ray took to collect his thoughts, sounds of a skull impacting drywall and screaming, followed by sobbing could be heard from the shop bathroom.
The way we separate Morse Taper joints downtown Ray, is we loosen up the nut several turns, then spray a bit of penetrating oil of your choice (I prefer Kroil) on the joint, wait a few seconds, and then whack the socket part of the joint with a medium sized hammer, about 16 Oz most of the time. Sometimes we place a bigger hammer directly opposite where the hammer will hit. It's a rare occasion indeed that it takes more than three good hits until the joint comes apart! If you see a raised and flat spot on the socket half of the joint, that's a striking surface, so hit it there. You're welcome!
I concur. Even do truck joints this way. Sledge hammer as an anvil on one side and a good whack with an appropriate knockometer on the other and job's done.
Cool, a freebie video, and yes, right to the end! This is one of those jobs that you now know you can easily do in less than half book time, but you'll never get to do another one.
Heya from a new viewer from Mexico! Love watching your videos. Speaking as a complete mechanical layman with a basic home DIYer set of tools you've no idea how envious I get when I see all the cool tools and toys you get to work with. Keep up the great work and stay as honest as you are. World needs more people like you dude!
Bro, those tools are EXPENSIVE. I have nearly 10k in tools, abs lemme tell ya, I have just about everything he has but the scanner. I have a cheaper scanner that I paid $1,200 for. Lol. Enjoy the bliss of not having an entire vehicles worth of tools. Lol.
With A 19mm,17 mm,14mm,12mm,10mm,8mm,vice grips, a few ratchets and a few miscellaneous tools,you can rebuild almost anything ,,90+ of tools are never used as its aĺl the same nuts and bolts for atvs,motorcycles,cars,etc
@@unfairfight3625 then you have long ratchets, short ratchets, offset wrenches, s wrenches, screw drivers, channel locks, pry bars, 1/2 sockets, 3/8 sockets, 1/4 sockets, flex head wrenches, flex head ratchets, stubby impacts, full size impacts, stubby 3/8 drive impacts, lug nut sockets, half size lug sockets, air ratchets, torque bits, hex bits, triple squares, inverted torque sockets, line wrenches in both standard and metric, multimeter, scanner, dead blow hammers in multiple weights, ball peen hammers in multiple weights, calipers, c-clamps in varying sizes, line locks, punches, air hammer, air hammer bits (to include pointed bit, chisel bit, hammer bit, angled chisel bit, ball joint separator bit, and scraper), dykes, needle nose pliers, picks, drill with wire wheel, extensions in multiple lengths and sizes, flaring tool, line separator tool, axle sockets, swivel adapters, and I'm probably forgetting a few. I use all of these things on a regular basis.
@@unfairfight3625 Kinda half true, though not quite. You can pretend to enjoy spending half an hour all twisted and cramped working on hard-to-reach seized bolts with your tools or use a nice impact wrench with a sexy attachment to get it in that tight spot just right while you car is lifted properly so you can actually work without pretending to be a 220lb human pretzel. Or you can try to be Aesop's fox with the grapes.
@@gedkealmen i drive a toyota Corolla and camry, so you service brakes,oil,struts and replace the battery,tires and exaust, the alternator is easy to access.every bolt and nut i touch has antiseize on it for easy service next times around
Great video. I am a retired aircraft engineer. I agree with you, engineers should periodically have to work in the shop with the mechanic, preferably on their own designs. I learned a lot that way over the years. "Who designed that peice of crap" is not what I wanted to hear when I went into the shop area!
I was once told by my boss who started out as a mechanic, then went back to school and became an engineer You build it once and operate it forever. It was in reference to a piping design I did. I was going to build it simple; but would have made repairs very difficult. I fixed the design.
@@EvilTurkeySlices most don’t realize that engineers have to design within the constraints of a budget. engineers doing the actual designing aren’t too pleased with what they have to submit but there’s not much you can do when the attitude from upper management is “who cares about whose repairing it as long as we meet this budget and get our bonus”
Engineers have explained multiple times that they submit or argue for designs that make life easier for the consumer and mechanic. The penny pincher higher up shoots it down because it costs five cents more. Might seem insignificant, but five cents is a lot of money if you make a million units of something. Many companies now just roll it out. "Let the aftermarket fix it". We are making jobs this way. Says the original manufacturer.
Engineers are told to make the things as cheap and easy to assemble at the factory as possible. The company doesn't care how long or difficult it is to repair once they sell it
@@darrenporsch This only works when shit breaks outside of warantee.. as i go to the dealership and watch entire engine replacements where the chassis of a pickup is on the ground and the body in the air, i have to wonder how they feel about that particular cash leech..
I always thought that every hangar had cameras linked to a room full of engineers. They're watching us with they're feet on the table while eating popcorn and drinking soda. They're laughing and cheering with the popcorn falling out of their mouth and taking notes so they can make the next job more complex.
Mean time the engineer is really sitting there [shaking his head] going "See, I gave you 5 hours to do this the hard way, and you figured out the trick around it. You're welcome hater."
Well I watched the struggle to disentangle the dismantled part. The Car Gods smiled on you when the complete assembly went in easily. I saw it but still can't believe it. Well done!
The new assembly comes with just the inner tie rods. When he he took the outer tie rod ends off he just automatically took to inner ones off but he didn’t have too.
Names given to some of my tools: 1) The flying butt pliers = huge channel lock pliers with pipe wrench jaws 2) The cherry popper = air hammer w/ red cover 3) The stag beetle pliers = large oil filter pliers I only use to hold cam sprockets 4) Meh-myr = dead blow hammer 5) The invidious eye = bore scope camera 6) The holy hand tool = obsolete Honda ABS bleed wrench with built-in reservoir (shaped like a long cross 3.5 feet tall, with reservoir on top) 7) Scarecrow = any obsolete specialty tool for a specific car that no longer shows up anymore. 1-2 uses total. Kept to keep the evil cars from coming back.
That 5.6 HR.S must have been " THE NORTHERN MANUAL " where everything is rusted too hell. I had an alternator or maybe a starter I was fighting with for a 1/2 HR. to get it out, I just walked away for a bit & it fell out all by itself ? GREAT VID. AS ALWAYS SIR.
@@HoLeeFuk317 Their is & it only has 1 page with a picture of ( A TORCH & A WELDER ). Below that is says " GOOD LUCK, MOVE SOUTH OUT OF THE RUST BELT YOU DUMB ASS, LMAO. "
I been watching numerous videos and I have to say growing up with my dad a life long mechanic and having friends that are mechanics... his positive attitude especially when things get stressful is refreshing. I'm used to seeing wrenches and f bombs flying around the shop along with the horrible attitude that goes along with all that. This guy is a bit on the rare side for a legit mechanic trust me on that. I would have loved to learn about mechanics in this environment. I may have actually became a mechanic.
Honestly, I always assumed most mechanics got pissed at cars all the time and started swearing and throwing shit, I must've gotten pretty lucky with the shop I joined or been wrong about my assumption lol. We're all pretty calm about everything, been there almost a year and only once have I seen even close to such a display, and it wasn't even over a car lol, something else totally unrelated went wrong
@@mikeb.7068 THIS. Also grew up in a family of mechanics (auto, heavy/diesel and aircraft) and I've heard the horror stories of how shitty some mechanics can be. Sadly, there's a lot of them. Guys like this are a real rare breed.
Oh buddy, I felt your pain on this one! As a plumber working on boilers and such I've been known to utter the words "This is a poor design. What were they thinking?!" so many times that my coworkers are conspiring on printing up a t-shirt with that phrase.
Looking at it from an engineering standpoint, any time you design a new model, you always look to established inventory for parts that will fit from older models.
For what it's worth - one trick I was taught by my dad when working on my own cars - if you need to remove fluid lines, be they brake/clutch or power steering if you remove the (vented) cap from the fluid reservoir and cover the opening with some plastic wrap and screw the cap back on, you won't lose all of the fluid from the disconnected line..
@@danibess6284 Doesn't matter - it only needs to seal the vent in the cap to stop the air getting in, so the fluid doesn't run out when you disconnect the line...
Wait! Are you trying to claim engineers "plan" anything? BWAHAHAHA. Anybody encounter GM j-body cars from the factory with a bit of scrap box cardboard in the rack-to-firewall mounting strap to keep the rack from shifting about an inch to left or right at full lock positions? Assemblers had to overcome engineer no-think. Until the cardboard disintegrated. The Eiffel tower is a nail designed by an engineer. Upon its launch, GM engineers touted the unlined aluminum Vega/Astre engine as having built-in lubrication good for 50,000 miles then a new block only cost $45. But the labor cost was more than the cost of a new Vega. OOPS. "Did I do that?" to quote Steve Urkel.
As a former A&P with McDonnell Douglas and someone who's done his own auto maintenance work for the last 30 years. I can agree with Ray. None of us like engineers for exactly what Ray illustrates in this vid. Over the years I have probably used every curse word in the book directed at engineers for some of their designs. Just a few months ago I replaced a starter motor on my girlfriend's 2000 Tundra. Instead of locating the starter motor where it normally resides. Noooooo, engineers had to locate this one underneath the intake manifold. Turning a ten to fifteen minute easy peezy job into a few hours of removing stuff (including the fuel injector rails) to get the upper intake manifold out of the way to expose the starter motor with it's three mounting bolts in the awkward location in the small out of visual sight between the engine and firewall and then putting it all back together. Just to replace a starter. Uggg! Anyway, Ray, I couldn't agree with you more brother....
I greatly appreciate your videos, I am a shop owner and have implicated several of your techniques. You are an awesome tech, and are great with your video tutorials. I have a question, are you the shop owner? There are so many things that I mimic what you do being that i was taught by my Dad, (who was the original owner, and in my eyes the BEST mechanic i have ever seen, he passed 11 yrs ago, but he had me working with him since i can remember. He was the most honest and caring mechanic you could of ever met, which i also see in you. I don’t advertise because word of mouth is 10x’s better, and it keeps me very busy. Last thing i will say is i agree 💯 that everyone of those f’n engineers should have to remove and replace every part in the car so they can see what WE….. have to go through when they design these POS’s.. once again thank you and keep doing the great job you do!!! Ohhhh btw the video of when you had to remove the lug nuts because someone crossed threaded them at the dealership, was a great video.. you have the patience of Shaolin Monk…. I would of told the dealership, THATS YOUR PROBLEM……… i hope you got well compensated for that and i hope they paid for the new drill bits you had to buy. Thank you again and keep turning those wrenches!!!! 👍🏼
Thanks very much for this Ray. Watching you take stuff apart in the relatively environmentally friendly, southern Florida climate is so satisfying. Up here in Ottawa, Canada, every nut and bolt is crusted with road salt and rust. Older cars are such a major pain to work on. I envy you. 🙂
I love your videos. I am from Western NY and we need that 5 hours for the job. I would have had the vise grips, a torch, box of bandages for the wounds from the rust.
Thank you son I appreciate your videos, you do things and explain it to where even a novice can get it, but I really appreciate this one on the rack and pinion they are a pain, again young man keep up the good work wish I had a good mechanic like you around here in Georgia
Thank you son like I say I do appreciate your work and I appreciate your reply you are a damn good mechanic one of the few honest and straight up I would love to have you work on my automobiles, and I'm one of those people who don't like nobody to touch their car because I don't trust them, but you I'd let you work on anything I got I know I would have a good one at it God bless you and thank you for the good videos
Taking something apart for the first time is always a test of our abilities and going back together is usually a bit easier. Kind of like driving somewhere you haven't been. It always seem longer going there but shorter coming back.
Factory spec is totally important on many things. But would you factory spec tighten your wheels? Or your caliper bolts and slide pins? Tight but not overtight works most of the time to get the job done right. At least in my experience. The only things I've ever torqued to spec would be engine internals, heads/head bolts, intake parts and plenums, and manifolds. Or where tolerances can be screwed up from being too tight. Oh and spark plugs.
Master tech for 24 years (Ford, Land Rover, Jaguar, Rolls Royce), literally only use a torque wrench on heads, main and rod bearing caps, and differential internals, they are really the only things that matter, never had an issue with anything else.
Good job Ray! Nice to see that you include the frustrating bits also, and don’t edit them out. I honestly thought “is Ray on drugs, no way is the new rack going in complete, has he forgotten how much of a pain it was coming out!!?). Turns out it was possible.
I know you do this every day so plz consider a small suggestion. I've had good results with that ball joint separator by tightening then a few hammer taps on the parts, then tighten a bit more, repeat process. I found its a lot less strain on the tool.
Outstanding work! Can't imagine having enough patients to make a living day in and day out working on cars. Bless the technology and the CAD taking up every nano inch of space. I use to think working on my C3 corvette was tight. My current C6 is ridiculous! I no long find it challenging to overcome ridiculous engineering. You seem to have the temperament. Good luck.
I have had the same kind of trouble with starters on machines, they are heavy and if they need to be lifted out of a tight space it can be much harder to maneuver them out than put them in or they come out the bottom and it is easy to maneuver the old one out but lifting and maneuvering the new one in is a fight to get it to zig zag back in without major disassembly.
Lol i had a mac truck i had to replace the starter on and its a massive starter. This truck had massive oil leaks so the starter was covered in oil and since there were three mounting bolts and one that required me to use a combination of 1/2 " drive extensions just to reach the bolt i had to hold it with one hand and soon as that bolt came out so did the starter . It was like tring to hold a 200 pound greased pig with one hand no way i got a face ful of starter lol
Good Job on the solving the puzzle pieces. I was ensured the condenser had to come out to replace the radiator on my Cadillac, nope. Just have to be patient and think it through.
Each time you maneuvered it into another position I reflexively thought that I was getting it out with you. I appreciate the euphoria you must have felt when it finally came out. Bravo and thanks.
Good job man. I have worked at a Dodge dealer for many years and haven't had to do one of those racks yet. The silly thing is the subframe supports the whole entire engine as its mounts are fastened to it. Liked the angled wrench you used for the power steering lines. I should get one of those. One word of advice from one technician to another. Put a dab of blue threadlocker on the steering shaft bolt. It is extra insurance so there is no way it can loosen and cause a crash. I do the same for torque converter bolts and u-joint bolts.
lmao lhjq you are a joke! I wondered what they did with all the tech school rejects. I wanna take my dodge to your dealership and have you personally work on it!! hah ha hah ....NOT
@@tbonedaddy12 You have a lot of nerve to be making nasty comments about the workmanship of a technician who you have never met in person. What qualifications do you have that made you come to that conclusion?
Nothing beats a good acetylene to heat steel stuff up till it's cherry red like exhaust manifold and header bolts from blind holes without snapping them off. No one never ever wants to snap bolts off in an engine block. As for working on rusty stuff in salty Wisconsin, I got tired of rusty crusty in my eyes. Yes I wore safety goggles and glasses, but it didn't keep all the stuff out of my eyes. I don't even do my own oil changes anymore. I can relate to Ray's discovery or what the hell moment when reassembling. Been there, done that, rinse and repeat.
Friend of mine was a VW mechanic in the late 70's and there was a design flaw in manual transmissions that caused trans to lock up. The manual instructed to drop engine and trans and open up trans to strike gear as two were engaged, 8 hours book time and no replacement parts to fix issue. My friend would drill a hole in trans case and had fabricated a rod to reach gear to strike it and unlock trans, then would install a rubber plug which worked fine as it was above fluid level. 10 minutes for 8 hours pay.
Went for a Beechcraft factory tour in the 80’s while out in Wichita for King Air training. Our guide was an engineer. During the Q & A session I asked him why stuff was so hard to get to during maintenance. His answer was there was only one customer that paid for maintainability and that was the US government. Civilians won’t pay extra for a car or plane that is easy to maintain.
Just a DIYer who likes fixing and wrenching on his own 💩 whenever I can with the help of common sense and UA-cam Channels like this one; as far as engineering is concerned, I own mostly old school cars from 1964 to 1978, and newer vehicles from 2003 to 2008. Vehicles were simpler then, but the industry will always have you buying new tools 🔧and try to keep the regular consumer from working under the hood(remember when the industry switched to metric and you needed a whole set of tools to work on your own stuff? Shout out to "South Main Auto" channel too🖐. These are my favorite 2 channels: very informative while walking you through diagnosis and common sense hands on auto repair.
@@trueppp No, it semi switched to metric for the inferior made in china parts, but kept SAE for made in the US/Mexico/Canada parts. Mexico parts are crap as well, so is South Africa, but no one competes with China for inferiority.
Ray: Your explanation for what and why a line (flare) wrench is used sounds good, but no. The fittings on a hydraulic line, brake line, power steering line, etc differ in one important way from a normal fastener (nut or bolt). The hole in a fitting is significantly larger, leaving less material and therefor, greatly reducing the crush strength of the fitting compared to a nut. And many times the fitting is made of brass, further resulting in weaker. If you use a standard wrench on a fitting, you have the possibility of crushing the fitting into an out of round condition because of the limited points of contact (2) between the fitting and the wrench. This can cause the fitting to not thread in fully or jam in place and may even prevent the flare end of the line from seating correctly. A line wrench provides maximum points of contact (4) between the fitting and the wrench. Yes, I know, you have removed/replaced 1000's of fittings with regular wrenches and never had a problem. I too have removed 1000's of fittings with regular wrenches, but in the case of a rusty or over tight fitting, you and I both know the fitting will go "egg" shape unless you use a line wrench (and even then it could still bugger up). Line wrenches and the fittings they are used (cheap $) on are an excellent example of "poor" engineering design and the primary reason for the creation of AN (expensive $) Fittings. As with anything, you get what you pay for. I suspect that steering racks fits several other Mopar vehicles and that is why fitment isn't optimal.
PERFECT explanation as to why you must use the PROPER tool for a job. I worked in factory maintenance for 30+ years and I was constantly schooling other mechanics on proper repair practices.
You explained this very well, just wanted to add I've come across a line nut or two that had to be soaked for a while before attempting to loosen them. I know exactly what you mean by 'egg shaped' line, I've done it and had to go to great lengths to fix it.
Things have always been lacking in the automotive engineering department. Many years ago (over 50), I had a 1963 Jaguar XKE. Nice car, but a maintenance nightmare. I had to replace the clutch. Anyone that has ever worked on one knows that half the car has to come apart to change it. The nose had to come off, torsion bars, console (to access u-joint), cross brace, remove intake with carbs, entire exhaust system (those parts extended through the tubular frame and under the engine), release motor mounts, drop engine and transmission out the bottom, separate engine and transmission and finally install the clutch and reassemble. I still remember all the steps to this day. In addition, those British cars had the worst electrical systems ever devised. If it looked like rain, it wouldn't run. I had to avoid any puddles, because if water splashed up onto the engine, it would quit. After a while, I got used to popping off the distributor cap and drying it out so that it would run again. I agree on the aviation side. Aircraft 50 to 75 years old are still flying when properly maintained. Fortunately, they are designed to be easily maintained.
I heard a story a number of years ago about how Lucas discovered that a company in Asia was making counterfeit Lucas electrical car and motorcycle parts. The company was considering suing the Asian company until they tested the counterfeit parts and discovered that they were superior to the factory parts. Instead of suing, they made the Asian company a subcontractor. (No, they weren't being made in China.)
I see you have come across the "Price of Darkness" AKA Lucas electrics. Re other Jags, try changing diff oil on an XJS. No drain plug and filler plug is tucked right up where my large hands won't fit. Book says to drain diff take off rear diff cover. To do so means dropping the diff, which means dropping the suspension etc, etc. Plan B was get a brake fluid vacuum suction unit and suck out the old 140 mono grade diff oil via the filler hole, but do it quickly after the car has been driven for 1/2 hr or more - oil is warmer then and less viscous. With owner, who has skinnier hands, we did the job sucking out then refilling oil in about 1.5 hrs - that was after much pondering how to do it. We did the job again about a month later. First lot of oil looked like it had been there for many a year so we didn't want to take any chances despite the lack of any noises coming from the rear end. Having a 2 post hoist at home makes the job bearable. Without a hoist I would not have even attempted it. Owner has since sold the car and I don't want to see another Jag. Retired mechanic in Land Down Under. PS. Car also had 16 coolant hoses under the bonnet/hood. That was a 40 min job for the two of us just to find where all the hoses were in the engine bay - we had all the new hoses in a kit all laid out but still had trouble identifying locations. Then another 10 hours to replace them a few days later. Like Ray were loved our job, doing it twice a few times after we got the sequence of fitting the various hoses in the wrong order.
My brother acquired an XKE in a dubious trade. He told me the heater core was leaking, the book called it a 16 hour job. I asked if he had to start at the taillights, he said that was probably right. He offed it somehow before he stuck himself with that job.
Look at a veyron. 24 hours odd to do the oil change by the book as you need to drop the engine :D Something has to give and maintainability definitely goes out the window when space is at a premium.
That time frame for this repair is just part of the lies for shops to overcharge those who do not possess mechanical skills such as yourself/ other than that it was great as always!
I can see a dozen engineers sitting around talking about their great design. Someone says, "So how do they fix it if it goes wrong?" Another one says, "They won't!" And they all laugh.
I've done a steering rack on a 96 Camry. It was a job from Hell! You have to have a ton of patience and take apart half the front end off. I can easily see why you had to take break to regroup your thoughts.
Great job....Sometimes it comes apart easier, sometimes it goes back together easier. You SIR made it look so easy. cut the time way down. Great job. Great Video. GOD Bless
I take a broom handle and push it through the headrest lower area and forward through the steering wheel at the 12 O'clock position with the wheels straight ahead. This keeps the clock spring centered, a little wiggle room to disconnect the u joint from the rack. I disconnect the u joint first, and then center the new rack before I connect the u joint. Been doing it that way since working at a dodge dealer in the late 80's with air bag systems.
I was thinking to myself ," wouldn't it have been faster to just zip off the 4-6 bolts holding the subframe in and let the steering gearbox fall out onto the floor?"
Subframe bolts dont always come off the easiest ESPECIALLY when theyre so rusted so much its a new size bolt head when youre done with it. I should know, i tried once. Ill tell ya, laying in the snow on your back, drilling out a NEW hole in the old bolt and re-threading the welded nut onto that held the old bolt a little TOO well. It sucks. It sucks nuts. And bolts.
@@mikehannigan848 The engine sits on the subframe on these, I believe. An engine hanger could be used, but every minute counts, especially if you're flat rate
@@FixIt1975 not saying they have one there but there's jacks specifically made to hold in engines and transmissions from underneath when the car is on a lift. 1000's of ways to top a pizza as they say. Either way, the subframes are designed to be removed usuallt 4-6 bolts maybe you gotta unbolt an engine mount or two, I've had to do it on jackstands before so doing it on a lift should be easy compared to that. Not to say I'm a fan of engineers but again I've had to do way more while on the ground, in the winter for less than he's making.
@@mikehannigan848 I had to do an oil pan gasket on an awd BMW few years ago. I put a pole jack under the trans and I had 4 guys lower the subframe as I took the bolts out of it. Not a fun job, but I wasn't turning down a 14 hour ticket
Yeah those you need to remove both inner/outer tie rod ends,the 5+ hours labor is for the 4wd version,I believe the 2wd version is 3 some hours.Never see a 2wd here in Colorado though,you are so lucky.
I was faced with a difficult and potentially expensive steering rack replacement on my 06 Volvo XC70 at 125,000 miles. I was dreading this job and figured that I had nothing to lose. That being the case, I put some Lucas Power Steering Stop Leak in it and it did just that! It was still doing that when I parted ways with the car at 200,000 miles. Go Lucas!
Although it can definitely be frustrating, think of the rack going back in so easily as you're reward from the engineering gods for outsmarting their disciples. 😎
Aviation machinist here. Used to work for a few auto dealers. Worked for Chrysler in the mid 90s, when they had that garbage transmission. Book time on reseal a Transmission was 9 hrs, the Transmission guy could do on in 45 minutes, did nine a day, that guy made serious cash. Great videos by the way. I often find myself asking, why am I watching someone else work on a car. You make car work fun
To give you some insight into the design process of suspension and propulsion systems of cars: It's a battle for space. Suspension engineers want space for their structures. Ideally straight rods everywhere, a lot of space for wheel travel and steering. The worst part to place is the steering rack, since it's a part that goes from side to side no matter what, and is severely limited in its positioning due to the steering geometry. Meanwhile the drivetrain engineers need to run the exhaust pipes front to back, no matter what. Ideally as straight as possible. Depending on the car, a drive shaft accompanies it on its journey to the rear axle. You can start to see the conflict of interests. So tldr: Not just mechanics hate engineers, engineers also hate other engineers that take up their prime design space. Someone's gonna lose, and all you can do is hope that you don't have to get out the part that lost.
This is exactly why I left the automotive repair industry in 2009 to get my degree in Mechanical Engineering. I often felt like some jobs just simply did not make sense with book time for my techs. So, sometimes things are designed for original assembly in mind for manufacturing and a risk assessment is performed to determine how often a complicated design will need to come apart. I am an Assembly Process Engineer now and I often tear apart design engineers' assemblies during the prototype and pilot phase of production and try to teach them how to design for assembly. It is a thankless job sometimes, but my techs are the best at helping me find the flaws. I am not in the auto industry because I did not want to move back to the midwest. lol. Great videos and thank you for showing the good and bad things a technician deals with on a daily job.
I have a minor reee I don't see you lock the steering wheel off to stop rotation during removal of the rack... I have seen too many people kill clock springs while doing a rack swap to not get triggered by it
I’ve often said that automotive engineers should have to serve a a one year “internship” as a mechanic before they’re ever allowed to design anything. A little hands-on experience in the real world would give them an entirely different perspective on how the design things.
A good engineer would engineer their education.
When I was young I was interested in engineering satellites, so I became a USN Aviation structural mechanic, composite specialist, and NDI technician. In the end, satellite engineering became much less interesting and now I transport a hundred tons of food and household goods nightly instead.
:P
Automotive engineers have to factor in maintenance at the dealership ... that's why it takes 5.5 hours to remove. He did his job.
@@I_Don_t_want_a_handle indeed, the customer is just a cow to be milked in service of industry.
Cash for clunkers was an unmitigated success.
I've also said that before… about 36500 times in my 47 year career of being an autotech.I just know from talking to both technicians and engineers that it's the bean counters that make it difficult for us technicians the engineers are just following orders.... ( usually)
@@seanwarren9357 Schools hard
I think anyone that's worked on cars long enough has experienced moments like this. You fight and you fight and you fight but the part refuses to come out. Walk away for a while, come back, and it practically falls out the moment you touch it.
Not just mechanics . . That's a metaphor for life . .
Not done watching the vid yet. I think he just needs a bigger hammer. Or a snatch block? Kidding, of course. Been there, does suck.
as a tech, let me tell you, this is true with tech in general... be it gas engines, electric or computers... mechanical of electrical... anybody who spends long working with technology of any kind will have this kind of experience..
if you fight and fight, get frustrated and somebody who dosnt even know what they are doing walks up, and first try it comes lose.... that shit... can break your brain at times...
also the "i have no idea why that worked but, now its working flawlessly, despite the fact that what i did, shouldnt have had that effect.. how the fuck...never mind, never look a gift horse in the mouth"
I remember once trying to get the bolts undone on a fuel filter (i think), it was in a deep (high) channel under the car and the opening between the various tubes/wires was that small that, iirc, to move one of the 6 faces of the nut around once needed 4 spanner on&offs as I rotated the angled open-ended spanner a smidgen each time! Took me fxxxen ages (about 15-20 mins for this bolt) but I had no choice but to persevere.
Years ago while trying to swap out an engine mount. It came out almost easy but no matter how much I tried it would not go back in. I was in the process of taking it back out thinking that I was sold the wrong part when it slipped out of my hands and fell right into place. Sometimes you find yourself fighting and fighting on something and when you give up it finally starts to behave.
Oddly, coming from an aviation background, I see so damned much here that is wrong on at least twenty levels. On the birds I worked on, everything was built to be disassembled while stile still installed on the aircraft: saving the mechanic, the repair station, and the customer time and money in terms of work performed and down time. This Dodge Brother's Wagon on the other hand, looks like it was built to never come apart. Even the rack bolts are upside down. If the nuts back off, the bolts fall out and you lose 90% of your steering input. If the bolts were "heads-up" that would not happen. Just further evidence that modern vehicles are built to be thrown away and never worked on.
Having worked in the automotive business and now aviation as a designer, I can confirm everything said above. I can't even start building parts until I know how they will be removed quickly.
Also, from what I have seen, design engineers these days do not have the hands on experience necessary to realistically build manufacturable parts.
they truly are. instead of a huge touch screen on a dash id love to see a new car that is designed to be easily repaired. i went to change the shocks on my ford econline and the only way that makes sense to remove the shocks in the rear is to cut the tops of them off with a sawzall, how insane is that??
Everything except thrust reverse sync shafts of all things, I don't know if they never expected them to fail or built the entire engines around them, but the number of times I've had to cut the outer line in half, then cut the new part in half at the same point to get it in and swage both halves in place to get them in is ridiculous
thats why we have birds still flying LONG after their figured service life...
I went from an automotive engineering and R and D, then on too aircraft....yes..automotive industry is driven solely on the buck...not but 2% given to consumer safety
Just an odd tip for ya. I always keep a jug of earplugs around not only for my ears but for any line that moves fluid. Roll them up and shove them in the head of the line just enough for them to expand and stop covering you in fluid or losing more than you need to.
Dam great idea.
good for masking holes before painting too
Never thought of that! I'm gonna have to try that at some point
Good tip man. I'll use that, thanks
You're genius
“Either the labour guide is wrong or I’m about to run in to a VERY large unforeseen problem… “ the voice or experience right there! Had me in stitches!
*of
The extra labor was to allow time to try many different ways to avoid the long path :)
18 year engineer (various disciplines) here. I always ask when inquiring about a position "Will I be allowed to work with the people, or on the equipment I am designing/improving/developing process for?" If the answer is no, I won't take the job. If I am not allowed to spend time working the process, or on the equipment with the people that do it everyday... that job is not for me. I walked out on a job with a wall board company because I got in trouble for working on the line with the operators to see specifically how a piece of equipment was used. It's always been my opinion that if you can't repair it, build it, or run it... you shouldn't be designing it.
What you desire is right but you are a rarity.
As an old school mechanic, reading your post is sooo refreshing. Hate uppity engineers.
the hero we need
I'm a millwright.. I wish all engineers shared your opinion.. I've worked with some extremely arrogant and pretentious engineers before who thought they were too good to even talk to the guys who actually have to turn the wrenches..
I worked with a guy who had been an engineer in R&D for a once large manufacturer. When he worked on his own vehicles, he realised how difficult some things were, and how he could have made it better. Myself, and other colleagues, who had spent time in repair workshops, gave him no sympathy.
Coming from the engineering side and having previously worked for GM and Chrysler, most if not all engineers developing vehicles know how much of a pain repairing things can be and a good portion of them were mechanics before becoming an engineer. Engineers will build multiple preproduction cars mostly by hand before it goes to an assembly line. Engineers top priority is production and cost. That bolt for the rack and pinion for example, Chrysler could have moved it lower to make it easier on mechanics, however Chrysler is going to install 100% of them at a factory, it's much easily and faster to have it that high up so when the subframe was installed it was easier to access during the assembly process. The reality is probably less than 5% of vehicles are going to need their steering rack replaced and only like 0.1% of that will be under warranty, spending any amount of time engineering it to be easier for mechanics would just be wasting time and money.
@@davidbuck9977, sound, unimpeachable, and inescapable.
@Henna K really henna k
I did a job for an electrical engineer who told me that after 25 years designing systems he decided to get into the maintenance and repair field of those same systems figuring who better to know how to maintain and repair them than the person who designed it. It was at that point and I quote exactly his words that "I learned about everything I'd been designing wrong for the last 25 years." Architects aren't much better. They design things that can be built but often exceedingly difficult to safely maintain. Especially after all the landscaping is done.
@@davidbuck9977 yep. Designed from the “inside out for ease of assembly.”
Works awesome when the manufacturer KNOWS they’re building a turd.
This almost looked like a magic trick. “See how it will NOT come out? Watch me put the new one right in!” It’s got my head spinning. I totally agree with Andrew below. TOP NOTCH video Ray. Really appreciate it.
I am not a certified mechanic, but as a farmer I do a lot of what you do on onroad and offroad equipment. I REALLY can appreciate the work that you do and that you show in these video clips. I don't feel so alone in the challenges - LOL! But I think if folks see these kind of clips that normally do not do this kinda work, that hopefully they can appreciate those that do! Keep up the Awesome work and videos!... I'm watching you! Cheers!
“To make things worse, my rubber ripped… and that can lead to problems”
🤣😂
Ray, thank you for that little nugget of comedic gold to help start my day at 7am.
🤣
Just spotted your comment after posting mine. 🤣
You posted exactly what I was going to comment ….LOL!
It sure can be a big problem nine months in the future ouch!
😂😂😂
9 months later a Plymouth Breeze rolled off the assembly line
Ray, you know why i love your videos so much , there's something about watching someone else work while i relax lol
I remember a job I had once similar to this. I had to change a clutch in a car (Audi, Volvo, or something) which had an enclosed drive shaft. The 'book' called for ten hours. The procedure called for removing the rear differential, sliding the 'torque tube' (drive shaft housing) off, remove the drive shaft, remove the transmission, then change the clutch.
I noticed that all the wires, hoses, cables, etc. attached to the engine had plenty of slack, there was room in front of the engine, and all the mounting bolts were easily accessible so I just attached an engine hoist, removed the bolts, and moved the engine forward about six inches, changed the clutch, and remounted the engine. My time, five hours! Beat the book by half!
Engine hoist is key but you lift block engine up then remove. With pos cortina we had to lift engine to change plugs. Yup these industries are evil.
More than one way to skin a cat! Metaphorically speaking of course.......please don't skin cats.
Unless your in a anatomy lab and the cat is already dead. My female lab partner had two cats and refused to touch the dead cat, so I did it, and she became the team scribe.....LOL
I worked with manufacturing engineers for ten years implementing their brilliant ideas. 9 out of 10 times they would listen to the guys on the shop floor about their "improvements". Except the ones just out of college. They knew EVERYTHING. Never wanted to throttle somebody as much as them.
@Darkfarfetch English be your second language there, homie? Learn to type. That's my point.
@Darkfarfetch
Too!
They got a whole team of rookies to design the new GM 1500 trucks
@Darkfarfetch what exactly does your little mind think it fixed? Because it doesn't appear to be my spelling, syntax, or the general gist of my message to you, sweetie muffin.
@@earnestp.worrell5389 KnowwhatImean Vern? ;)
“To make things worse, my rubber ripped… and that can lead to problems”
said every young father out there.
😂
That could cost ya.....lol
I take it your child is a engineer!
29:43 TWHS
haha yes ithought the same
Great job Ray as always,you set the example for all other mechanics to follow. You are an old school mechanic with old school values and thats exactly the way my dad taught me how to do mechanical work on vehicles.
Ray, Ray, Ray… what can I say? Excellent content, skilled technician, problem solving with explanation, and nary a parts canon, cutting torch, nor F-bomb in sight. Unfortunately I’m limited to a single thumbs up. Clicking the button repeatedly doesn’t seem to increase the like counter as much as i hoped 🤷🏻♂️
If it wasn't for this guy and Scotty I'd be lost on most things.
Too right, I wish I had that level of patience
Plenty more where that came from... 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Great vid!! A little tip if people remove or dismount the steering rack, put the steering wheel in its lock or if it doesnt have that, put the seatbelt thru one of the spokes. This way you eliminate the chance of destroying your clockspring.
How's it hurt it
@@AgentOffice Back in the day vehicles had a spring loaded cam system with grooves or bumps that glide over other bumps or "cams". The turn signals and horn passively glide over each other. You could rotate the wheel with very little risk of damage, to an extent of course. The horn pin can be broken off but can be replaced/repaired cheaply.
Most of or probably all vehicles to today have a clockspring that is a captured system where there is stops and tabs. This system does not pass through each other and are held in a limited range of motion. Turning the wheel beyond those points can and most likely will strip either the tabs or break the spring or horn contacts or all of them. Very expensive to replace and pretty much impossible to repair, not to mention they are very fragile.
Retired (EE) engineer and once a professional auto mechanic in my earlier life, I always enjoy your helpful, informative, albeit entertaining videos! Best part is your handy universal torque wrenches, I’m curiously wondering if you have one of those for oil filters too! Keep up your awesome upbeat videos!!
Hi Stan 808!
Oil filters 404:
Those who are replaced unscrewing, as a can, in a whole complete unit; problem: they leak. Solution: install them tight. New problem: they wont unscrew. Solution: destroy engine block with TNT, to release the oil filter or use this trick while installing the oil filter:
Always lube the seal. Fill it with new oil. Install it light tight. Unscrew. Install it a little bit tighter, unscrew. Now it is evident that it will be stuck if tightened a little bit more. Tighten it and just start unscrewing a little bit.
Ready! That's it. Will not leak because it is really tight but WILL unscrew because the unscrewing process has been started.
@@victorborges9523
Thanks for responding! I think you know that I meant it as a pun, as Rainman Ray often uses his verbal “click, click” on random fasteners, other than real torque wrenches he actually uses on critical components.
Bought an old car when I was about 19 y/o and could not remove the oil filter no mater what wrench or tool I used. Had to escalate. Ended up hammering a screw driver through it perpendicular. then hitting the far end of the driver handle with a hammer to break it free.......Ugly, but like Ray often says...."I win!".....LOL
@@jaykellett2327 have done that too. By the time it was off the oil filter looked like it was hit with a shotgun 🤣
A line wrench isn't for better access it's for a better grip on more sides of the fastener. They are very soft and require replacing the whole line if damaged.
So now everyone is a mechanic? This isn't your video nobody asked for your correction assistance
He didn’t lock the steering wheel before he disconnected the shaft
These particular types of fittings are sealed with o-rings, and are generally nowhere near as tight as a flare fitting, rust and corrosion not withstanding. And in my 35+ years of being a Mechanic, I have found that if I do need to use a line wrench, I just go straight for the Vice Grips and a torch instead! Much faster, and less damage! Especially when it comes to brake lines.
Yes that is a correct statement about the line wrench, the design prevents damage to the fittings. And yes a I am a master mechanic with 47 years experience. And have done this exact job so many times I lost count .
@@thomaslemay8817 is funny because I have made lots of damage to line fittings with those line wrenches haha 😂 specially rusted ones. And yes, I use the exact measurements and high quality ones. But hey I ain’t replacing sheit. If it becomes non grippy the vice grip is my best friend.
"Just gotta wiggle it until the shaft slides in"
"Yea I can feel the shaft on the other side of the collar"
And women ask why men have such dirty minds. WE DON'T! OUR CARS MAKE US THIS WAY!!!
@@sonusbonum: So, too, is a "dirty" wife!
If you wiggle the shaft too much all the fluid leaks out.
I had the dirty hands thing for many years. When the economy crashed back in aught 8 I was left without employment. I took a job in a steel mill where gloves were mandatory at all times. They gave us cotton/ leather gloves to use. Not easy fumbling with nuts and bolts. My hands were never cleaner and I lost all my calluses.
So many "giggity" opportunities missed! xD
I'm a hydraulic mechanic and I swear sometime long ago a mechanic messed with an engineers wife so now they are all determined to screw us.
My god! I've heard that yarn too and I'm in New Zealand 🤣👍
"Scoop up this gravy job!" man you jinx yourself awfully hard 🤣
I have learned the hard way to NEVER say anything like that before I start a mechanical repair. "Sure, you will be able to take the car to your appointment, this job will only take me two hours so you will have plenty of time." Four broken bolts and three days later...
The totally felt that when he said it 😂 The minute you say gravy job on a Mopar…it ain’t 😂
@@wldncrzy1971 not just Mopar. Been working on over the road and heavy equipment for years now. NEVER say it should be a quick or easy job. Have had my ass kicked too many times by "simple" jobs.
@@OverlandOne Happened with me with the top passenger motor mount for a Dodge Neon... An hour job, tops, turned into a few hours at an AutoZone learning how to tap a thread because it stripped coming out.
Hell, it happened multiple times BECAUSE IT WAS A DODGE NEON. Lol.
Alternator was behind the passenger splash guard and had to be pulled out from the top past AC lines & reaching past the engine. What a PITA.
@@brianargo4595 I always say this job will be a bitch. Then I am never disappointed 😂
As an engineer, this warmed my heart. As an ex-mechanic, I feel ya bro.
@Timo Salesto You traitor!!!!!!
Ray, you are, as we said in the USCG, a Subject Matter Expert. I know I have learned a few things from watching you. We NEVER take our vehicles to the dealer unless its something I can't crack. Yet, both cars and my Dodge 3500/Cummins (1999 5spd w/ only 76K on it) are fully maintained. Also, the greater your success, the more humble you become. Quite a spectrum of positive and rare traits, IMHO. Ok, I'll get the Angry Pliers.......
Yes, those angry pliers are BITCHIN!!
Spending 2 hrs getting a part out and somehow the new one goes in with NO problem has happened to me more than once. Drives me INSANE!!!
I spent more hours than I care to admit getting a driveshaft out of my Mazda. It took me hours just to get the shaft nut loose - ended up with a 6 foot pipe over the socket bar and I was all but swinging off it before it came loose. Obviously wasn't holding my mouth the right way.....
Your comment made me laugh super hard 🤣 and it's true be standing dumbfounded how easy it is going in then out
@@DonutVIP I had a 94 Cougar with the 4.6 V8, and getting the OIL FILTER out was a nightmare EVERY time. And I build MX race bikes, certified auto, been to every brand of off-road vehicle seminar shit, built custom cars, have my contractor's license......but had trouble with an oil filter..... over 40 times. Ugh.
It reminds me of my dad's story. He was trying to remove a car radio from under the dash and it wasn't coming out no matter how hard he tried, so he relaxed his arms to take a brief rest when, all of a sudden, the radio fell out and cut him on the forehead. Sometimes things just go that way... LOL
Same applies the other way around, easy to come out, PITA putting it back in.
A video on how a front end alignment is performed would be very interesting. Love your videos. New respect for a skilled mechanic! You make it look easy.
I worked as a mechanic for decades, automotive, aviation, heavy equipment of various types... I feel your pain. The newer cars are designed to be assembled, used and tossed into recycler.
I always tell customers: "There is a reason they don't hold the engineers and mechanics office party on the same day."
I've heard it said that engineers will walk straight past a dozen naked, willing participants to screw a mechanic
Yeah youd think the engineers would be required to have seen an automobile before being tasked with reinventing the wheel for the 1millionth time!🤦♂️
oh wow, im die-yeeng ova heeya...that is gawdamn funny
They don't hold the engineers and mechanics office party on the same day? Good one.
Us engineers hold the office party. The mechanics just never show up :(
During that 5 minutes Ray took to collect his thoughts, sounds of a skull impacting drywall and screaming, followed by sobbing could be heard from the shop bathroom.
This could've all been saved had he just taken out that big steering shaft bolt
He went out back to look for a torch.
I just thought he googled it LOL :D
The way we separate Morse Taper joints downtown Ray, is we loosen up the nut several turns, then spray a bit of penetrating oil of your choice (I prefer Kroil) on the joint, wait a few seconds, and then whack the socket part of the joint with a medium sized hammer, about 16 Oz most of the time. Sometimes we place a bigger hammer directly opposite where the hammer will hit. It's a rare occasion indeed that it takes more than three good hits until the joint comes apart! If you see a raised and flat spot on the socket half of the joint, that's a striking surface, so hit it there. You're welcome!
Good 'ol Kroil
I concur. Even do truck joints this way. Sledge hammer as an anvil on one side and a good whack with an appropriate knockometer on the other and job's done.
You are so lucky that you got the easiest case scenario: No rusty undercarriage and 2WD, good lord!
Yea I bet they put that 6 hour mark on the 4 wheel drive version
Cool, a freebie video, and yes, right to the end! This is one of those jobs that you now know you can easily do in less than half book time, but you'll never get to do another one.
But the Base time was set for the four wheel drive truck's. How many guy just take it all apart without looking for a better way good work work ray!
@@pyro7234 what is this crap?
5 years of being injured and I felt like I would forget how to work on vehicle's but you have helped me realize I will not forget.
Heya from a new viewer from Mexico! Love watching your videos. Speaking as a complete mechanical layman with a basic home DIYer set of tools you've no idea how envious I get when I see all the cool tools and toys you get to work with. Keep up the great work and stay as honest as you are. World needs more people like you dude!
Bro, those tools are EXPENSIVE. I have nearly 10k in tools, abs lemme tell ya, I have just about everything he has but the scanner. I have a cheaper scanner that I paid $1,200 for. Lol. Enjoy the bliss of not having an entire vehicles worth of tools. Lol.
With A 19mm,17 mm,14mm,12mm,10mm,8mm,vice grips, a few ratchets and a few miscellaneous tools,you can rebuild almost anything ,,90+ of tools are never used as its aĺl the same nuts and bolts for atvs,motorcycles,cars,etc
@@unfairfight3625 then you have long ratchets, short ratchets, offset wrenches, s wrenches, screw drivers, channel locks, pry bars, 1/2 sockets, 3/8 sockets, 1/4 sockets, flex head wrenches, flex head ratchets, stubby impacts, full size impacts, stubby 3/8 drive impacts, lug nut sockets, half size lug sockets, air ratchets, torque bits, hex bits, triple squares, inverted torque sockets, line wrenches in both standard and metric, multimeter, scanner, dead blow hammers in multiple weights, ball peen hammers in multiple weights, calipers, c-clamps in varying sizes, line locks, punches, air hammer, air hammer bits (to include pointed bit, chisel bit, hammer bit, angled chisel bit, ball joint separator bit, and scraper), dykes, needle nose pliers, picks, drill with wire wheel, extensions in multiple lengths and sizes, flaring tool, line separator tool, axle sockets, swivel adapters, and I'm probably forgetting a few. I use all of these things on a regular basis.
@@unfairfight3625 Kinda half true, though not quite. You can pretend to enjoy spending half an hour all twisted and cramped working on hard-to-reach seized bolts with your tools or use a nice impact wrench with a sexy attachment to get it in that tight spot just right while you car is lifted properly so you can actually work without pretending to be a 220lb human pretzel. Or you can try to be Aesop's fox with the grapes.
@@gedkealmen i drive a toyota Corolla and camry, so you service brakes,oil,struts and replace the battery,tires and exaust, the alternator is easy to access.every bolt and nut i touch has antiseize on it for easy service next times around
"I won, but I'm not very happy about how this went down" Any argument with the wife.
Great video. I am a retired aircraft engineer. I agree with you, engineers should periodically have to work in the shop with the mechanic, preferably on their own designs. I learned a lot that way over the years. "Who designed that peice of crap" is not what I wanted to hear when I went into the shop area!
“How did I screw that up so bad!?” Story of my life, man. Subscribe.
Hell yeah dude 100%
I was once told by my boss who started out as a mechanic, then went back to school and became an engineer You build it once and operate it forever. It was in reference to a piping design I did. I was going to build it simple; but would have made repairs very difficult. I fixed the design.
I think engineers should have to work on repairing their designs.
@@EvilTurkeySlices most don’t realize that engineers have to design within the constraints of a budget. engineers doing the actual designing aren’t too pleased with what they have to submit but there’s not much you can do when the attitude from upper management is “who cares about whose repairing it as long as we meet this budget and get our bonus”
Engineers have explained multiple times that they submit or argue for designs that make life easier for the consumer and mechanic. The penny pincher higher up shoots it down because it costs five cents more. Might seem insignificant, but five cents is a lot of money if you make a million units of something. Many companies now just roll it out. "Let the aftermarket fix it". We are making jobs this way. Says the original manufacturer.
Engineers are told to make the things as cheap and easy to assemble at the factory as possible. The company doesn't care how long or difficult it is to repair once they sell it
@@darrenporsch This only works when shit breaks outside of warantee.. as i go to the dealership and watch entire engine replacements where the chassis of a pickup is on the ground and the body in the air, i have to wonder how they feel about that particular cash leech..
I always thought that every hangar had cameras linked to a room full of engineers. They're watching us with they're feet on the table while eating popcorn and drinking soda. They're laughing and cheering with the popcorn falling out of their mouth and taking notes so they can make the next job more complex.
No. They dim down the air conditioning thermostat until the weakest dismay...
Mechanical engineer here... I MIGHT have found his frustration at dodge's engineers amusing, but I can neither confirm nor deny it.
Mean time the engineer is really sitting there [shaking his head] going "See, I gave you 5 hours to do this the hard way, and you figured out the trick around it. You're welcome hater."
Well I watched the struggle to disentangle the dismantled part. The Car Gods smiled on you when the complete assembly went in easily. I saw it but still can't believe it. Well done!
The new assembly comes with just the inner tie rods. When he he took the outer tie rod ends off he just automatically took to inner ones off but he didn’t have too.
Names given to some of my tools:
1) The flying butt pliers = huge channel lock pliers with pipe wrench jaws
2) The cherry popper = air hammer w/ red cover
3) The stag beetle pliers = large oil filter pliers I only use to hold cam sprockets
4) Meh-myr = dead blow hammer
5) The invidious eye = bore scope camera
6) The holy hand tool = obsolete Honda ABS bleed wrench with built-in reservoir (shaped like a long cross 3.5 feet tall, with reservoir on top)
7) Scarecrow = any obsolete specialty tool for a specific car that no longer shows up anymore. 1-2 uses total. Kept to keep the evil cars from coming back.
Ray, like my father told me, you live and you learn. Keep up the good work.
That 5.6 HR.S must have been " THE NORTHERN MANUAL " where everything is rusted too hell. I had an alternator or maybe a starter I was fighting with for a 1/2 HR. to get it out, I just walked away for a bit & it fell out all by itself ? GREAT VID. AS ALWAYS SIR.
If only there was a northern manual
@@HoLeeFuk317 Their is & it only has 1 page with a picture of ( A TORCH & A WELDER ). Below that is says " GOOD LUCK, MOVE SOUTH OUT OF THE RUST BELT YOU DUMB ASS, LMAO. "
That's a win if you did that quicker than you were supposed to. Well done!
gotta love it when they hang a part from the ceiling with string and then build a car around it
Yeah I think some where done with a bolt on a white board as inspiration. From there they built the machine LOL
I been watching numerous videos and I have to say growing up with my dad a life long mechanic and having friends that are mechanics... his positive attitude especially when things get stressful is refreshing. I'm used to seeing wrenches and f bombs flying around the shop along with the horrible attitude that goes along with all that. This guy is a bit on the rare side for a legit mechanic trust me on that. I would have loved to learn about mechanics in this environment. I may have actually became a mechanic.
Honestly, I always assumed most mechanics got pissed at cars all the time and started swearing and throwing shit, I must've gotten pretty lucky with the shop I joined or been wrong about my assumption lol. We're all pretty calm about everything, been there almost a year and only once have I seen even close to such a display, and it wasn't even over a car lol, something else totally unrelated went wrong
Ray is unusual. He's obviously highly intelligent. I don't think Ray understands how lazy and dishonest many mechanics are.
@@mikeb.7068 THIS. Also grew up in a family of mechanics (auto, heavy/diesel and aircraft) and I've heard the horror stories of how shitty some mechanics can be. Sadly, there's a lot of them. Guys like this are a real rare breed.
Oh buddy, I felt your pain on this one!
As a plumber working on boilers and such I've been known to utter the words "This is a poor design. What were they thinking?!" so many times that my coworkers are conspiring on printing up a t-shirt with that phrase.
Looking at it from an engineering standpoint, any time you design a new model, you always look to established inventory for parts that will fit from older models.
As a dodge technician, we love those steering racks. You do enough of them and the combination to remove them becomes second nature.
It's like entering a combination on a lock it looked like haha. Pull right, twist 3 times, pull down, twist reverse once, unlocked!
This was a money job back in 2014, 1.5 hours tops
@@Stg4100 even better job now that they're all CP.
My question> why is a 7 year old rack already leaking with busted seals? No leaks yet on my 20 year old Tacoma and my 8 year old Subaru
@@jkarov it's a late model dodge, that's all there is to it
For what it's worth - one trick I was taught by my dad when working on my own cars - if you need to remove fluid lines, be they brake/clutch or power steering if you remove the (vented) cap from the fluid reservoir and cover the opening with some plastic wrap and screw the cap back on, you won't lose all of the fluid from the disconnected line..
Is cellophane not getting bad with brake fluid?
@@danibess6284 Doesn't matter - it only needs to seal the vent in the cap to stop the air getting in, so the fluid doesn't run out when you disconnect the line...
Always a good feeling beating the book time and playing tetris to get the impossible out of a tight hole.
Or, in this case, into one!
That's what she said.......
Helpful hint when working on a Dodge: always start by removing the entire frame. I hear that's how their engineers plan out all repair techniques.
Wait! Are you trying to claim engineers "plan" anything? BWAHAHAHA. Anybody encounter GM j-body cars from the factory with a bit of scrap box cardboard in the rack-to-firewall mounting strap to keep the rack from shifting about an inch to left or right at full lock positions? Assemblers had to overcome engineer no-think. Until the cardboard disintegrated. The Eiffel tower is a nail designed by an engineer. Upon its launch, GM engineers touted the unlined aluminum Vega/Astre engine as having built-in lubrication good for 50,000 miles then a new block only cost $45. But the labor cost was more than the cost of a new Vega. OOPS. "Did I do that?" to quote Steve Urkel.
Doesn't matter what you do, the AC is always in the way.
One better do “not” buy a dodge product!!😂😂😂😂
As a former A&P with McDonnell Douglas and someone who's done his own auto maintenance work for the last 30 years. I can agree with Ray. None of us like engineers for exactly what Ray illustrates in this vid. Over the years I have probably used every curse word in the book directed at engineers for some of their designs. Just a few months ago I replaced a starter motor on my girlfriend's 2000 Tundra. Instead of locating the starter motor where it normally resides. Noooooo, engineers had to locate this one underneath the intake manifold. Turning a ten to fifteen minute easy peezy job into a few hours of removing stuff (including the fuel injector rails) to get the upper intake manifold out of the way to expose the starter motor with it's three mounting bolts in the awkward location in the small out of visual sight between the engine and firewall and then putting it all back together. Just to replace a starter. Uggg!
Anyway, Ray, I couldn't agree with you more brother....
Having the right tools is always a treat.
yes and he also needs a torque wrench,, not seen him use one on anything.....
I greatly appreciate your videos, I am a shop owner and have implicated several of your techniques. You are an awesome tech, and are great with your video tutorials. I have a question, are you the shop owner?
There are so many things that I mimic what you do being that i was taught by my Dad, (who was the original owner, and in my eyes the BEST mechanic i have ever seen, he passed 11 yrs ago, but he had me working with him since i can remember. He was the most honest and caring mechanic you could of ever met, which i also see in you. I don’t advertise because word of mouth is 10x’s better, and it keeps me very busy. Last thing i will say is i agree 💯 that everyone of those f’n engineers should have to remove and replace every part in the car so they can see what WE….. have to go through when they design these POS’s..
once again thank you and keep doing the great job you do!!!
Ohhhh btw the video of when you had to remove the lug nuts because someone crossed threaded them at the dealership, was a great video.. you have the patience of Shaolin Monk…. I would of told the dealership, THATS YOUR PROBLEM……… i hope you got well compensated for that and i hope they paid for the new drill bits you had to buy. Thank you again and keep turning those wrenches!!!! 👍🏼
He's not shop owner
@@djps2753 ok thanks. Do you know what part of Fla they are at?
@@NGrtrdblue8562 yes
Thanks very much for this Ray. Watching you take stuff apart in the relatively environmentally friendly, southern Florida climate is so satisfying. Up here in Ottawa, Canada, every nut and bolt is crusted with road salt and rust. Older cars are such a major pain to work on. I envy you. 🙂
"Peeved pliers" would work, and the alliteration is nice.
Pissed pliers
@@oobaka1967: I don't recall hearing Ray use that kind of language.
"Junior" angry
What are the angry pliers where can I buy them
Karen pliers
I love your videos. I am from Western NY and we need that 5 hours for the job. I would have had the vise grips, a torch, box of bandages for the wounds from the rust.
like that you kept your cool and stopped to think about how it could posable come out as one is cursing the engineers out in the head. good job sir.
Thank you son I appreciate your videos, you do things and explain it to where even a novice can get it, but I really appreciate this one on the rack and pinion they are a pain, again young man keep up the good work wish I had a good mechanic like you around here in Georgia
Thank you son like I say I do appreciate your work and I appreciate your reply you are a damn good mechanic one of the few honest and straight up I would love to have you work on my automobiles, and I'm one of those people who don't like nobody to touch their car because I don't trust them, but you I'd let you work on anything I got I know I would have a good one at it God bless you and thank you for the good videos
Taking something apart for the first time is always a test of our abilities and going back together is usually a bit easier. Kind of like driving somewhere you haven't been. It always seem longer going there but shorter coming back.
You learn to charge double on crap dog products so called.
It took me 8 hours to pull my transmission for a clutch replacement and then it only took me 3 hours to put it all back together.
Truly enjoyable watching you work. I was a MBZ tech for 25 years. Keep up the great work and keep posting......!!!!!!
I like how you torque everything to factory spec. Assures top safety of the drivers and folks around the driver!
Factory spec is totally important on many things. But would you factory spec tighten your wheels? Or your caliper bolts and slide pins? Tight but not overtight works most of the time to get the job done right. At least in my experience. The only things I've ever torqued to spec would be engine internals, heads/head bolts, intake parts and plenums, and manifolds. Or where tolerances can be screwed up from being too tight. Oh and spark plugs.
He actually never adjusts the torque wrench the clicks are just for show
Master tech for 24 years (Ford, Land Rover, Jaguar, Rolls Royce), literally only use a torque wrench on heads, main and rod bearing caps, and differential internals, they are really the only things that matter, never had an issue with anything else.
i agree number on of premature fallers on ball joints tierods and hub assembly's
@@conn9823 yes there are circumstances where you do need to torque wheel nuts properly or drama will ensue but not many
Good job Ray! Nice to see that you include the frustrating bits also, and don’t edit them out. I honestly thought “is Ray on drugs, no way is the new rack going in complete, has he forgotten how much of a pain it was coming out!!?). Turns out it was possible.
What a great design that holds so much water in a bolt channel on those big bolts!
It's like they WANT to have the bolts fail eventually.
I know you do this every day so plz consider a small suggestion. I've had good results with that ball joint separator by tightening then a few hammer taps on the parts, then tighten a bit more, repeat process. I found its a lot less strain on the tool.
You mean don't start with the BFG first?
Outstanding work! Can't imagine having enough patients to make a living day in and day out working on cars. Bless the technology and the CAD taking up every nano inch of space. I use to think working on my C3 corvette was tight. My current C6 is ridiculous! I no long find it challenging to overcome ridiculous engineering. You seem to have the temperament. Good luck.
"patience?" I agree, and have, often, said that good mechanics are way underpaid.
Kerry Blueher, try Audi! HA HA HA
Thank you Sir ,For your time and patience. You Sir. Are helping the public understand why the bill 💵 fits the job quality.
Miffed pliers
Incensed pliers
Underwhelmed pliers
Indifferent pliers
Contrarian pliers
"Sceptic" pliers
Disappointed pliers
Aggravated pliers
Soured pliers
Somewhat irate pliers
Unhappy pliers?
Pliers that just seem to come from underneath!
Pliers Morgan.
Hurled pliers!
I have had the same kind of trouble with starters on machines, they are heavy and if they need to be lifted out of a tight space it can be much harder to maneuver them out than put them in or they come out the bottom and it is easy to maneuver the old one out but lifting and maneuvering the new one in is a fight to get it to zig zag back in without major disassembly.
Lol i had a mac truck i had to replace the starter on and its a massive starter. This truck had massive oil leaks so the starter was covered in oil and since there were three mounting bolts and one that required me to use a combination of 1/2 " drive extensions just to reach the bolt i had to hold it with one hand and soon as that bolt came out so did the starter . It was like tring to hold a 200 pound greased pig with one hand no way i got a face ful of starter lol
I just love to see a guy who refuses to listen to the "experts" and does it his way. a man after my own heart.
Good Job on the solving the puzzle pieces.
I was ensured the condenser had to come out to replace the radiator on my Cadillac, nope.
Just have to be patient and think it through.
"I'll just circle back Psaki style!"
Classic!
Each time you maneuvered it into another position I reflexively thought that I was getting it out with you. I appreciate the euphoria you must have felt when it finally came out. Bravo and thanks.
Good job man. I have worked at a Dodge dealer for many years and haven't had to do one of those racks yet. The silly thing is the subframe supports the whole entire engine as its mounts are fastened to it. Liked the angled wrench you used for the power steering lines. I should get one of those. One word of advice from one technician to another. Put a dab of blue threadlocker on the steering shaft bolt. It is extra insurance so there is no way it can loosen and cause a crash. I do the same for torque converter bolts and u-joint bolts.
lmao lhjq you are a joke! I wondered what they did with all the tech school rejects. I wanna take my dodge to your dealership and have you personally work on it!! hah ha hah ....NOT
@@tbonedaddy12 You have a lot of nerve to be making nasty comments about the workmanship of a technician who you have never met in person. What qualifications do you have that made you come to that conclusion?
What didn’t need a torch! Up here in Northern Wisconsin that’s the first tool we roll out.
Oh, i thought you park the thing in a pool full of penetrating oil for a week first.
Nothing beats a good acetylene to heat steel stuff up till it's cherry red like exhaust manifold and header bolts from blind holes without
snapping them off. No one never ever wants to snap bolts off in an engine block. As for working on rusty stuff in salty Wisconsin, I got tired of rusty crusty in my eyes. Yes I wore safety goggles and glasses, but it didn't keep all the stuff out of my eyes. I don't even do my own oil changes anymore. I can relate to Ray's discovery or what the hell moment when reassembling. Been there, done that, rinse and repeat.
Friend of mine was a VW mechanic in the late 70's and there was a design flaw in manual transmissions that caused trans to lock up. The manual instructed to drop engine and trans and open up trans to strike gear as two were engaged, 8 hours book time and no replacement parts to fix issue. My friend would drill a hole in trans case and had fabricated a rod to reach gear to strike it and unlock trans, then would install a rubber plug which worked fine as it was above fluid level. 10 minutes for 8 hours pay.
Went for a Beechcraft factory tour in the 80’s while out in Wichita for King Air training. Our guide was an engineer. During the Q & A session I asked him why stuff was so hard to get to during maintenance. His answer was there was only one customer that paid for maintainability and that was the US government. Civilians won’t pay extra for a car or plane that is easy to maintain.
It's true. The BOM on the vehicles would double
Just a DIYer who likes fixing and wrenching on his own 💩 whenever I can with the help of common sense and UA-cam Channels like this one; as far as engineering is concerned, I own mostly old school cars from 1964 to 1978, and newer vehicles from 2003 to 2008. Vehicles were simpler then, but the industry will always have you buying new tools 🔧and try to keep the regular consumer from working under the hood(remember when the industry switched to metric and you needed a whole set of tools to work on your own stuff? Shout out to "South Main Auto" channel too🖐. These are my favorite 2 channels: very informative while walking you through diagnosis and common sense hands on auto repair.
That is why I love old military stuff. Designed for easy field repair.
@@titolombre7004 The industry moved to metric because cars are made everywhere in the world...and guess what, everybody else uses metric.
@@trueppp No, it semi switched to metric for the inferior made in china parts, but kept SAE for made in the US/Mexico/Canada parts. Mexico parts are crap as well, so is South Africa, but no one competes with China for inferiority.
Ray: Your explanation for what and why a line (flare) wrench is used sounds good, but no. The fittings on a hydraulic line, brake line, power steering line, etc differ in one important way from a normal fastener (nut or bolt). The hole in a fitting is significantly larger, leaving less material and therefor, greatly reducing the crush strength of the fitting compared to a nut. And many times the fitting is made of brass, further resulting in weaker. If you use a standard wrench on a fitting, you have the possibility of crushing the fitting into an out of round condition because of the limited points of contact (2) between the fitting and the wrench. This can cause the fitting to not thread in fully or jam in place and may even prevent the flare end of the line from seating correctly. A line wrench provides maximum points of contact (4) between the fitting and the wrench.
Yes, I know, you have removed/replaced 1000's of fittings with regular wrenches and never had a problem. I too have removed 1000's of fittings with regular wrenches, but in the case of a rusty or over tight fitting, you and I both know the fitting will go "egg" shape unless you use a line wrench (and even then it could still bugger up).
Line wrenches and the fittings they are used (cheap $) on are an excellent example of "poor" engineering design and the primary reason for the creation of AN (expensive $) Fittings. As with anything, you get what you pay for.
I suspect that steering racks fits several other Mopar vehicles and that is why fitment isn't optimal.
Spoken like a true Engineer
What, are you fucking queeah?
PERFECT explanation as to why you must use the PROPER tool for a job. I worked in factory maintenance for 30+ years and I was constantly schooling other mechanics on proper repair practices.
We found the engineer
You explained this very well, just wanted to add I've come across a line nut or two that had to be soaked for a while before attempting to loosen them. I know exactly what you mean by 'egg shaped' line, I've done it and had to go to great lengths to fix it.
The vast collection of tools that you have is AWESOME!
Things have always been lacking in the automotive engineering department. Many years ago (over 50), I had a 1963 Jaguar XKE. Nice car, but a maintenance nightmare. I had to replace the clutch. Anyone that has ever worked on one knows that half the car has to come apart to change it. The nose had to come off, torsion bars, console (to access u-joint), cross brace, remove intake with carbs, entire exhaust system (those parts extended through the tubular frame and under the engine), release motor mounts, drop engine and transmission out the bottom, separate engine and transmission and finally install the clutch and reassemble. I still remember all the steps to this day. In addition, those British cars had the worst electrical systems ever devised. If it looked like rain, it wouldn't run. I had to avoid any puddles, because if water splashed up onto the engine, it would quit. After a while, I got used to popping off the distributor cap and drying it out so that it would run again.
I agree on the aviation side. Aircraft 50 to 75 years old are still flying when properly maintained. Fortunately, they are designed to be easily maintained.
I heard a story a number of years ago about how Lucas discovered that a company in Asia was making counterfeit Lucas electrical car and motorcycle parts. The company was considering suing the Asian company until they tested the counterfeit parts and discovered that they were superior to the factory parts. Instead of suing, they made the Asian company a subcontractor. (No, they weren't being made in China.)
I see you have come across the "Price of Darkness" AKA Lucas electrics. Re other Jags, try changing diff oil on an XJS. No drain plug and filler plug is tucked right up where my large hands won't fit. Book says to drain diff take off rear diff cover. To do so means dropping the diff, which means dropping the suspension etc, etc. Plan B was get a brake fluid vacuum suction unit and suck out the old 140 mono grade diff oil via the filler hole, but do it quickly after the car has been driven for 1/2 hr or more - oil is warmer then and less viscous. With owner, who has skinnier hands, we did the job sucking out then refilling oil in about 1.5 hrs - that was after much pondering how to do it. We did the job again about a month later. First lot of oil looked like it had been there for many a year so we didn't want to take any chances despite the lack of any noises coming from the rear end. Having a 2 post hoist at home makes the job bearable. Without a hoist I would not have even attempted it. Owner has since sold the car and I don't want to see another Jag. Retired mechanic in Land Down Under. PS. Car also had 16 coolant hoses under the bonnet/hood. That was a 40 min job for the two of us just to find where all the hoses were in the engine bay - we had all the new hoses in a kit all laid out but still had trouble identifying locations. Then another 10 hours to replace them a few days later. Like Ray were loved our job, doing it twice a few times after we got the sequence of fitting the various hoses in the wrong order.
My brother acquired an XKE in a dubious trade. He told me the heater core was leaking, the book called it a 16 hour job. I asked if he had to start at the taillights, he said that was probably right. He offed it somehow before he stuck himself with that job.
as a mechanical engineer i can confirm, mechanics are last in the priority list. as long as the production costs are low, its all good.
Look at a veyron. 24 hours odd to do the oil change by the book as you need to drop the engine :D Something has to give and maintainability definitely goes out the window when space is at a premium.
That time frame for this repair is just part of the lies for shops to overcharge those who do not possess mechanical skills such as yourself/ other than that it was great as always!
I can see a dozen engineers sitting around talking about their great design. Someone says, "So how do they fix it if it goes wrong?" Another one says, "They won't!" And they all laugh.
Ford
Mercedes Benz
Audi
Jaguar
Nissan
Subaru
Fiat
among the ones set to dissapear.
How many of the jobs start with "remove the engine"?
@@confuse9 anything with a boxer engine
I've done a steering rack on a 96 Camry. It was a job from Hell! You have to have a ton of patience and take apart half the front end off. I can easily see why you had to take break to regroup your thoughts.
Things always go back together easier than they come off. It never fails. 1999 4X4 Dodge Durango Owner.
Great job....Sometimes it comes apart easier, sometimes it goes back together easier. You SIR made it look so easy. cut the time way down. Great job. Great Video. GOD Bless
Probably a 5 hour job if its 4 wheel drive given you have a diff in the way. being 2 wheel drive probably made this job a little easier.
Do they really have the same time figured for both? It would seem like apples and oranges.
I take a broom handle and push it through the headrest lower area and forward through the steering wheel at the 12 O'clock position with the wheels straight ahead.
This keeps the clock spring centered, a little wiggle room to disconnect the u joint from the rack.
I disconnect the u joint first, and then center the new rack before I connect the u joint.
Been doing it that way since working at a dodge dealer in the late 80's with air bag systems.
The engineer in me was like just take the subframe off.. Always a good reminder to get that second opinion. Nice job.
I was thinking to myself ," wouldn't it have been faster to just zip off the 4-6 bolts holding the subframe in and let the steering gearbox fall out onto the floor?"
Subframe bolts dont always come off the easiest ESPECIALLY when theyre so rusted so much its a new size bolt head when youre done with it. I should know, i tried once. Ill tell ya, laying in the snow on your back, drilling out a NEW hole in the old bolt and re-threading the welded nut onto that held the old bolt a little TOO well. It sucks. It sucks nuts. And bolts.
@@mikehannigan848 The engine sits on the subframe on these, I believe. An engine hanger could be used, but every minute counts, especially if you're flat rate
@@FixIt1975 not saying they have one there but there's jacks specifically made to hold in engines and transmissions from underneath when the car is on a lift. 1000's of ways to top a pizza as they say. Either way, the subframes are designed to be removed usuallt 4-6 bolts maybe you gotta unbolt an engine mount or two, I've had to do it on jackstands before so doing it on a lift should be easy compared to that. Not to say I'm a fan of engineers but again I've had to do way more while on the ground, in the winter for less than he's making.
@@mikehannigan848 I had to do an oil pan gasket on an awd BMW few years ago. I put a pole jack under the trans and I had 4 guys lower the subframe as I took the bolts out of it. Not a fun job, but I wasn't turning down a 14 hour ticket
Yeah those you need to remove both inner/outer tie rod ends,the 5+ hours labor is for the 4wd version,I believe the 2wd version is 3 some hours.Never see a 2wd here in Colorado though,you are so lucky.
I was faced with a difficult and potentially expensive steering rack replacement on my 06 Volvo XC70 at 125,000 miles. I was dreading this job and figured that I had nothing to lose. That being the case, I put some Lucas Power Steering Stop Leak in it and it did just that! It was still doing that when I parted ways with the car at 200,000 miles. Go Lucas!
Proof that mechanics are actually smarter than engineers.
Although it can definitely be frustrating, think of the rack going back in so easily as you're reward from the engineering gods for outsmarting their disciples. 😎
Aviation machinist here. Used to work for a few auto dealers. Worked for Chrysler in the mid 90s, when they had that garbage transmission. Book time on reseal a Transmission was 9 hrs, the Transmission guy could do on in 45 minutes, did nine a day, that guy made serious cash. Great videos by the way. I often find myself asking, why am I watching someone else work on a car. You make car work fun
To give you some insight into the design process of suspension and propulsion systems of cars: It's a battle for space. Suspension engineers want space for their structures. Ideally straight rods everywhere, a lot of space for wheel travel and steering. The worst part to place is the steering rack, since it's a part that goes from side to side no matter what, and is severely limited in its positioning due to the steering geometry. Meanwhile the drivetrain engineers need to run the exhaust pipes front to back, no matter what. Ideally as straight as possible. Depending on the car, a drive shaft accompanies it on its journey to the rear axle. You can start to see the conflict of interests.
So tldr: Not just mechanics hate engineers, engineers also hate other engineers that take up their prime design space. Someone's gonna lose, and all you can do is hope that you don't have to get out the part that lost.
Man it's really nice to have air tools do this stuff. Doing it manually takes more time.
This is exactly why I left the automotive repair industry in 2009 to get my degree in Mechanical Engineering. I often felt like some jobs just simply did not make sense with book time for my techs. So, sometimes things are designed for original assembly in mind for manufacturing and a risk assessment is performed to determine how often a complicated design will need to come apart. I am an Assembly Process Engineer now and I often tear apart design engineers' assemblies during the prototype and pilot phase of production and try to teach them how to design for assembly. It is a thankless job sometimes, but my techs are the best at helping me find the flaws. I am not in the auto industry because I did not want to move back to the midwest. lol. Great videos and thank you for showing the good and bad things a technician deals with on a daily job.
I have a minor reee I don't see you lock the steering wheel off to stop rotation during removal of the rack... I have seen too many people kill clock springs while doing a rack swap to not get triggered by it