It's all about the customer. You save them money once you will have a return customer. I've been in the business 20 + years. It works. Thanks Ray keep it up with the great videos.
Unfortunately too many people don't know we still exist. Learned in my dad's shop, found out all too much about how the business actually works elsewhere. I was yelled at for doing repairs like in this video because the shop just wants the money. Last guy I worked for thought I was being lazy it was so commonplace to him
Thanks Rainman. I have been a master mechanic for almost 40 years. It’s so refreshing to see a mechanic that takes pride in his work and goes the extra mile.
I watch this guy and one other. I don't think either fully appreciate the amount of education contained in the videos they produce. Just a week ago, my son has a Subaru, that had an intermittent start problem. Just sat there and ticked like a dead battery would, or like the starter solenoid was in the process of dying. After watching one of his videos, in which he shows how to determine if you have bad body, frame, or engine grounds. Turns out it was a bad engine ground. Am I one hundred percent sure it's cured? No but it's been over a week, issue free and neither the symptom or the test condition has returned. I don't think either of the mechanics I watch have a Patreon or PayPal account. Although, I would chip a few bucks in no problem as the education is well worth it. Sorry to rag on :-)
It's same as taking car in for a shaking engine and instead of saying oh could be mounts,not enough fuel getting into engine, the shop goes straight for oh yer that's definitely a knew engine lol
A common problem with Caravan "No Starts" and often a different problem of dead batteries after sitting ovenight is INDEED related to a Single COMPONENT on the TIPM (Totally Integrated Power Module). The culprit is the Fuel Pump Relay and it can manifest itself with either of the two separate symptoms. One is the Cranking with No Start and the other being a Dead Battery after sitting for awhile. So here's the issue: The contact points on that Fuel Pump Relay become severely pitted; so much so that sometimes electrical contact to the pump doesn't happen. This will yield the Cranking with No Start Symptom. Each time the key is turned off and back on, that Relay opens and closes again. Eventually after several tries, the contacts MAY make a sufficient electrical contact to allow the vehicle to start. The other scenario is that those pits on the contact points become stuck together. When you shut off the vehicle and remove the key, the fuel pump is still active and will drain the battery overnight. Is Chrysler Corporation aware of this problem? Absolutely! In fact the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango were actually recalled for the same problem. They developed a "TIPM Bypass Repair Kit" which takes about an hours labour to install with proper tools and experience. That kit includes a Huge high quality Omron Relay, and associated wiring (including a fuse) which retails for less than $30 at a Chrysler Dealer whereas a replacement TIPM costs well over $1,100. SO, Caravan owners have been trying to set up a Class Action Lawsuit to get Chrysler to recall Caravans and Chrysler Town and Country Minivans, the same as they did for Grand Cherokees due to it being a safety issue. The best part of this story??? That same $30 kit WILL work with Chrysler's minivans. The wiring harness contact points and wire colours are identical to those in the Jeeps and Durangos. I purchased such a kit and repaired a friend's 2011 Caravan after he'd had SIX different mechanics try to resolve his mysterious "Dual Symptoms". He'd had all manner of components replaced at huge cost to him all to no avail. With my simple tools and no prior experience, it took me about 2 hours to repair his vehicle in my driveway and it has never failed since. To be fair, I'm an electronics technologist and had several years experience as a field service representative for a major multinational corporation, so the task at hand did not scare me. Pretty simple hand tools plus a Volt/Ohm meter are necessary. I also chose to Solder and Insulate some wiring rather than extracting pins from the TIPM. I would mention that the kit came with NO INSTRUCTIONS as it is designed to be a "Dealer Installed Modification". I was actually surprised that my local dealership had the kit in stock and was willing to sell it to me over the counter. However, the INTERNET is YOUR FRIEND and there are several CZcams Videos showing you how to complete this repair on a Caravan. You may want to watch a few of them to gain confidence. Just take your time and follow the video (making sure to disconnect your battery before proceding). Also, afix a label indicating that this modification has been installed. Altough I can't guarantee this, apparently the Chrysler TIPM was revised sometime around 2014 to address this particular issue/s. Probably has a heftier Fuel Pump Relay now but I don't know for sure. Manufacturer's are always striving to cut costs in production but end up with dissatisfied/disloyal customers and huge warranty costs. As Sandy Munroe states to the manufacturing community, "Don't Try to Save Me Any Money. I Can't Afford It"!
just did my sons Town & Country, soldered in an external relay, totally stupid design with the onboard relays which can not be serviced. Symptoms were flat battery over night, whirring noise from rear of vehicle when not running (fuel pump) and finally wouldn't start (relay died)
I installed a petcock drain plug in my van and truck. I'm too old for fiddling around with drain plugs. Just attach the drain hose and put it into the drain pan, flip the lever and go have a cup of coffee while it drains. Now if there was a way to keep the flippen oil from spilling from the filters I wouldn't even need gloves!!
@@outdoorfreedom9778 Yep 2 words FUMOTO VALVE !! I have jeep liberty diesels with steel plug and aluminum pan and you cant easily remove the oil pan. DEALERS and ALL other oil changers strip these out all the times causing very costly problems . Yes there are repairs availiable drilling and taping larger etc. I bypass all that by putting valve on every vehicle the first time I change the oil in it and never worry again. Of course I also do all future changes myself. I even heard of one guy that had a fumoto valve installed by previous owner and the lube shop removed it like it was a plug and stripped the pan putting it back in !!
As a tow truck operator I love seeing and hearing about these kinds of shops. Someone willing to find an actual problem than just throwing expensive parts at it because they scare the people driving the vehicles into thinking it needs it. The world needs more mechanics like you sir!
Okay....the drain plug is: 1) hot...so don't hold it tight while turning 2) it's covered in oil and slippery. 3) you have on smooth oily slippery gloves with little sense of feel. 4) your never sure when the plug is going to come out as your turning it. 5) you let go of plug for a second to begin another turn..........AND What are the chances it just shoots into the drain pan? About 60-70% based on my many oil changes!
Yup, can't believe anyone who would "diagnose" a starting issue would leave those terminals so loose, textbook random no crank. Hopefully the plan wasn't to install the tipm and fix / finally notice the battery at the same time.
@@MonkeyJedi99 for the record, Ray sounds like a straight up dude. All I'm saying is that, generally speaking, it's only logical that producers of videos control the message and characterization of themselves.
Love your program. As a retired automotive technician I can watch you for hours. I like your logical decisions you make and I thought I would reach out to you and say, good job. Please as I do respect you. Put a safety stand next time you crawl up under a vehicle. I’ve seen you do it a number of times, I wouldn’t want you to get hurt!
Reminds me of my days as a mechanic. My customers followed me to a different town when I moved. Many times I had little old ladies come to me in tears because a big brand shop said they needed all this work. Upon inspection she was just being over sold. Great job. A person can be a good honest mechanic without ripping people off.
@Jacqueline Oldhaver I had an older lady 70's for sure took her dodge caliber to a very reputable auto shop they told her she needed timing chain guides tensioners $3500 it was making a sound similar to timing chain luckily she came to my home shop from word of mouth and I changed her alternator that has a clutch style pulley similar to a compressor clutch and when she came to pick her car up I ask her what did she think I had to tell her that her car was started and engine running she cried I was able to get her used alternator and install for $150 total she is on fixed income.. really hurts my heart to see that big shop trying to take advantage of someones mom, grandma, great grandma needless to say I have her business 3 years later and most of her family and friends
Good video! Just one negative, I know that lot's of folks use a floor jack alone but if I'm going to crawl under a car, I won't trust a hydraulic jack to be the only thing keeping me from being crushed. I've had hydraulic jacks fail over the years, so I never trust them. A good set of jack stands is cheap insurance.
Jacks also need to be placed properly. And some vehicles, like Ford Foxbodys, don't really give you ANY place to put a jack without doing damage. I couldn't count how many Foxbody front frame rails I have seen that had been seriously damaged with floor jacks. I remove the 4 pronged saddle from the jack and replace it with a small piece of 2x4 for a vehicle like that. It doesn't leave huge dents in the tin frame rails.
Love the fact of not only diagnosing her issue correctly most likely, but you saved a little old lady her entire ssi check for one month. Good job Rainman. . Keep up the good work. Now your going to have to deal with her friends. Get ready. They’re coming.. if she knew you, she’d probably bring you a bowl of collard greensor something.
Little ol' ladies can ruin someone - or give them success. One mention of how a place tried to rip her off and it's round the neighbourhood faster than a news reporter can do it on TV :p
Rainman. It's mechanics like you, when your being honest to elderly seniors on such an low income not selling up to elderly rip them off. We need more techs like you in this world.
I learned from my dad that bad mechanics always want to replace parts, while good mechanics usually repair them. You sir, are one of the good ones. My dad has loyal customers for 30+ years. and I'm sure you will too.
Had similar, Hyundai Santa-fey. Intermittent non-start. The owner had paid someone else to replace the battery, the alternator, and the starter motor, as advised by the other garage. To no effect. The earth strap from the battery to the inner wing was loose. The Bolts had rusted away, as had the threads in the nuts welded to the wing. They were little rusty stubs into little rusty holes. Remove the rusty bolts, grab hold with pliers and pull. drill the captive nuts, M5 thread to a 6mm hole, clean the earth-strap and wing. Fit 2 new M6 bolts and nylock nuts. Took 20 minutes. They has spent over £1,000 on the car, and I charged under £50 to actually fix it.
I’ve been digesting almost everything of yours for the past month, mostly because I’m off work with a broken neck and SLAP tear. I love watching how you pay attention to details like this battery issue. I’ve worked for dealerships as a mechanic. Most of the time, you fix what you’re told and keep the cats moving.
Yep a lot of them are R&R people. That is remove and replace, not REMOVE AND REPAIR.. I like the way he says "anything electrical ALWAYS start at the battery and the terminals".
@@johnmilner5485 Yep, battery, terminals and then onward's to fuse box/es. One under the bonnet (hood) and the second under the dash or in the footwell, in most cars.
I would like to say thank you for pointing out all the little details that make a huge difference in the quality of the repair - battery terminals, drain plug with gasket that will stay on, etc. As a jet engine mechanic for over 20 years, I'll say it again, these kind of details make a HUGE difference. Keep up the good work. 👍
Good call. Problem was almost certainly the battery connection. I once owned a car that would not start even though the headlights, dome lights, radio, everything else worked perfectly. I was getting ready to replace the starter and my uncle pointed out that maybe I should clean the battery contacts first... Fixed the problem forever.
Very rare will you find an honest dealership. I did. Had my relay on my headlamps go. With one day rental of a car cost me under $100. I think it was around $70 total.
Reee...ly great job on the diagnostic! I would much rather pay around $15 for new terminal clamps than the $1500 the stealership quoted for a new TIPM! (plus labor, of course!)
I had a similar thing with my last car,it was acting like it wouldn't start and when it did it was ok for a while and then I put a new battery in and it did the same thing again after a while-i took it to the mechanic and after the diagnosis he said that it needed the computer replaced at $1100 but I told him NO because I didn't have the money, payed for the diagnosis and left- went to another mechanic who told me that it needs a positive battery cable which had to be special ordered from the dealership because it had a special cable that was partially connected to the alternator and starter and the battery and it fixed it
@@davidrichman8468 i bought a car which had flat batteries al the time and the alternator was changed two times. ended up being the negative cable fromte the engine to the frame. it was sheared on the inside in the insulation. replaced and the car sometimes would this stutter. that was the igniter going bad. after replacing that it was golden!
When you started to put the cable on the new terminal without cleaning it first I was like "NOOOO!!!!!" Then you restored my faith in humanity. Although I was surprised you didn't use the battery corrosion prevention. Thanks Ray for the informative and entertaining videos and for taking care of your customers, a trait that is becoming very rare today.
I have been watching your videos, not because I needed the info they provide but because you make a darn good video, always interesting, you have a good style in your delivery, good camera shooting, diagnosis process, the repair. Oh hel I'll just keep on watching. Thanks for the entertainment.
My wife literally just asked me why I was watching this. My response was much the same to her save for I added it’s refreshing to see somebody doing work correctly while trying to take customer service to the next level by not gouging a customers wallet just to make a buck.
I can't stop binge watching your videos. Not only have I learned a ton, but now I say "click" everytime I turn off the faucet and "do da do da do" everytime my phone rings. Great content!
So, have you received feedback on the issue from the owner? You remind me very much of the mechanic I use, and have been using for thirty years. Mechanics like him and you are awesome!
So refreshing seeing another professional, someone that can explain intelligently why a part needs replacement and providing a mental troubleshooting flow chart. Keep it up. It's how you keep customers.
Well done, Ray. The customer knows you are being up front and honest with them. That is how a mechanic earns the trust of his or her customers. Even if it does then out that the TIPM is at fault the customer will know for sure you have done the correct diagnostics and fixed the obvious first. Great job.
Exactly this !! THe diagnostic work Ray does often takes far longer than the actual repairs. If a mechanic tells me I need $2k worth of parts in 5 minutes, I will be on the train to "second opinion-ville". If someone has spend an hour diagnosing the issue and tells me that I need a $2k part because of x, y and z, that earns my respect and belief that I am not being ripped off.
No jack stands is driving my OCD crazy! LOL! Other than that, this is a great video. I am a retired mechanic myself, and it's great to see that there's still some honest mechanics out there. Keep up the good work. You're channel deserves way more subs.
68 years ago I asked a mechanic that was under our car if I could let the jack down, so I could play with it. He was a lot more careful what he said was OK for me to do.
I admire your honesty when it comes to your customers. That’s hard to find these days. I stride myself in making sure I do the right thing no matter what the outcome. Cause if we all said screw it what kind of example are we setting for our children.
Impacts are fine if used correctly. I took my wife's escape to the dealer for an oil change and tire rotation. The tech came to the waiting area and informed me I needed to replace the lug nuts for $165. I inspected the old nuts, and sure enough the chrome caps had been rounded off. I asked to see the impact wrench and checked the socket which was worn enough to round the lug nuts. I got the new nuts free and never went back to the dealer. Love your videos and your abundance of Common sense..
In their defence, the style of lug nuts with chrome caps are prone to the caps swelling as the nut underneath corrodes so they no longer fit the correct socket. As a tech you are forced to jam on a socket or use one that is oversized to get them off. In fairness the replacement of the lug nuts should have probably been on you.
@@beansman69 it’s not just ford. The first ones are particularly bad but the Chrysler and Chevy ones are pretty bad, too. Any vehicle I’m going to regularly work on gets new solid lug nuts. All of the two piece lug nuts are shit. The new Chrysler 200’s have played lug bolts though which are actually worse.
@@Leonarco333 dorman makes a 1-piece stud lug for them i think. i had a jeep or dodge something (renegade maybe?) where they were so bad i could barely get the wheels off.
I do agree gentlemen. I’ve been wrenching for 39 years and only for the reason of dishonest mechanics. I know it’s not always the case. Thanks for being a marvelous representative of your industry
I am a subscriber for some time now. I had this same problem on my 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 limited about a year ago. I research and repair most things on my cars by myself with great success over the years. This one problem led me down the bad TIPM road as well. There was a recall on a internal fuel pump relay that would not function properly but after further inspection I was able to determine the recall had been resolved. I then read the relays go out quite regularly and replaced it with same results. Not cranking at certain times. I then had my nephew that is a mechanic reprogram the computer and added an update that Chrysler had in a TSB. Problem solved and no problems since then. I hope this helps. Thanx for great content and mostly your honesty.
Thats the difference of a Mechanic and a Technician.. Mechanics try and find the problem, Technicians just replace the parts the repair manual tells them too.
I have to say Ray, that you have restored my faith in humanity. Your professionalism, integrity, and attention to details makes you stand out as a superior member of your profession.
Been watching your videos. This is my first post comment, I want to thank you for being an honest mechanic and not taking peoples cars for granted by doing unnecessary repairs. Saved the ol lady some money. Heck just repeat business even if there's an issue (hopefully unrelated) with her ol van
What, No jack stand or safety blocks? I have seen a cylinder fail & all it takes is a couple inches to end your life of livelihood! I know, I know. Keep safe man not many of us real honest techs left it seams like. It has been hard for me to retire because I can't stand to see people taken advantage of & I never had to look for customers. When I first opened my own shop 30 years ago, all my customers followed & my old employer closed up in less than 6 months. Even the other tech left when I did cause he had a conscience too. Keep making Great videos!
Ray, I love the fact that you are conscientious and always try to be fair with people. Also it is just as well that you cleaned those lugs on the battery cables. For a moment I thought that you were going to put them back on dirty, but you did the right thing in the end. I love your videos and I learn so much from you. But don't forget that I am also watching you very closely. Lol. Cheers from Australia
I laugh every time you say. "Moov'n on up" because I think some of your younger viewers don't get the reference. Today was extra special. You said "Plug it in, Plug it in" Again, I bet some youngsters don't know the reference.
Was gonna say same damn thing,always always always check the battery connection first whenever there’s a power issue.. I’ve seen sooo many loose terminals and grounds that have corroded completely off because I live back in Maryland where they salt spray at first sign of any bad weather when it’s cold out. And also I check the fluid levels in batteries as well for the ones that are not maintenance free and have even saved or made my own batteries last longer instead of just throwing money at problems until it’s fixed or completely replaced.. I too like to try and save people money and most times I go to them at their own houses or apartments so they don’t need a tow or can’t afford a shop at their going prices. Glad to say I love helping the good honest hard working common folks that really appreciate it even if it’s for dirt cheap most times…to me it’s not really about the money, just helping people is a good thing to do… so no good deed goes unpunished in my case but it’s not every time..
I have 2 of these vans (2010 Town and Country and 2011 Grand Caravan), and I've ended up having to replace the damn TIPM twice on the 2011 and once on the 2010. Luckily, I learned from the first two experiences what it was, and after having the dealer take 2 months to replace them (there are only like 300 in existance at any given time, so it was a month in the shop each time) under warranty, the last time it happened it went to a junkyard and ripped one out of a wreck and replaced it for $40. $1200-1300 is spot on for what the dealer would charger (the cost for the module alone is $700, the rest is just the dealer ripping you off on labor, it's a half hour job to replace it). Hopefully your fix lasts, but if not you can easily save her a fortune by visiting a junkyard to obtain the part.
I agree with Kris, we need more mechanics like you. Thanks for not trying to rip off people. It makes my heart feel good to know you are doing the right thing.
I like the quality of your work and you really took care of your senior citizen customer. Thank you for that good deed, you saved her $1300 and you made her car more reliable and safe driver especially late at nights.
Great video Rainman, I am a retired millwright and I still like changing oil and doing repairs. Luckily I have a grownup daughter with two kids and they like not having to go to the shop to get things done, Nice battery work, the kind of thing that lets you sleep well at night, knowing you just killed a possible roadside delay. Enjoyed, cheers!
It's the honesty, first of all. Then the little details. All adds up to an absolute rarity, the competent, honest mechanic! Just a shame you're half a planet away! If you ever move to the U.K. you'd have your shop booked up solid once word got out! The holy grail of car repair!
Came across this again. Thought of an example of weird stuff on weak battery/bad contacts. About 18 months ago on my '17 Wrangler I was getting an occasional weak start, which I called a half start. Instead of the robust start where the RPMs rise and then drop to idle, instead it would attempt to start, chug along at 500 RPM or a bit less with NO throttle response. Turn it off, second attempt good. No other issues. After a couple of these, my first thought was - BATTERY. It still had the factory battery but it was over 3 1/2 years old - most only last about 2. Installed new battery - no more issues to date. With all the interconnected electronics today, a good batter and good connections are critical. The driver no longer starts the engine. You bump the key to send a signal to the computer to start the engine. A weak battery won't grind slowly, it just won't start and the electronics will go crazy.
Having a bad battery or bad connection can do all kinds of weird shit, the computers hate it when they dont have proper voltage. I had an old Altima that started turning the headlights on by itself when the battery went bad.
I'm an electronics hobbyist, and in two weeks an electrical engineering student. I have first hand experience with electronics not getting the correct voltages. I've seen devices do the weirdest shit when not getting the proper voltage.
@@BOTmaster15 This +1000, many faults I have found with no logical explanation through diagnostics turned out to be a bad ground somewhere, it's the first thing I check when the intermittent fault gremlin is running around the engine bay, plus I don't have a Pico scope.
Nice work and nice video Ray, one minor, never trust a trolley jack, always use a axle stand, lost a colleague years ago when jack failed and crushed him.
The only honest mechanic I have ever seen. not saying there aren't any but most are crooks they would charge there own mother for new muffler bearings and change the blinker fluid
Thanks for this Ray. I’m apprenticing at a very dishonest and very shady shop. I get in trouble whenever I try to go the extra mile or do work properly. I’m just staying here until I get a year of safe driving so the points on my license goes down and I get more opportunities, but for the moment, I’m just using this business. Using them to learn. I can’t wait until I can do real work like this
That is so nice to hear (well, minus the being trapped for the time being part). Good for you on maintaining your own personal code of ethics and integrity!
Keep the sunny disposition. Please don’t let the bastards corrupt you. Fight the man any way you’re able until you’re in a position to help yourself and your customers.
I thought I saw him push a jackstand in at the right side of the screen, but only one and he didn't drop the jack to put the weight on the stand. So maybe I was mistaken.
Ray I read peoples comments after each video and from some pros and back yard mechanics I agree to their comments because what they say is true. You should feel good about taking care of your customers and being fair there is not enough of that type of service today. The old mechanic of the past are gone and that type of service died with them except for the ones out here that write you and say it’s nice to see someone willing to help those are the mechanics that keep alive the care and concern for there customers that keep coming back because they trust the man or woman that fixes there vehicle. To all you guys out there taking care the people thank you for keeping us safe.
With all the oil changes I've done i have never replaced the washer. I have now. Great point. Took care of the drip I use to get on my motorcycle. Thanks Rainman. At 65 always learning.
Nice job! Keeping it simple. Even if it was the fuse box, I would have to confirm witch part of the fuse box is failing. I have had relay fail and pop in a new one I already had available. It is great to see the relief on people's faces!
The TIPM in Chryslers isn't just a fuse/relay box. It has printed circuits inside it, as well. The pins and printed circuits can overheat, break or cause loose connections at different temperatures, causing intermittent problems with many different systems. They are a pain in the ass to diagnose, so many shops will just replace them and hope like hell that it fixes the problem.
Lol, love it! I could actually hear the REEEE from here, when you put the lug back on before cleaning it. And when you didn’t fill the filter, I actually got light headed from all the air the trolls sucked in. Another great video.
Just replaced one of those battery connections on my fiance's family minivan this last weekend. Easy fix, and was definitely is what was causing the car to not start some days.
Also you missed an opportunity for ree. You didn’t put the car on a jack stand while you were under it, and just left it on the floor jack. How dare you take your own risks ;)
Hi Ray another excellent and honest video, as an Auto electrician in Australia you did exactly the right thing with the vehicle and customer. Keep up the good work 👍🤙
My brother great job in the interest of my company's slogan "WHAT CAN GO WRONG" i always put a wheel or a jack stand with the floor jack . i remember in the 70's the car would sway under the bumper jack and we would work on the cars in the street. hey we were teenager's not known for common sense. but the years have shown me WHAT CAN GO WRONG so I'm always overly cautious. as you have said yourself "THAT WOULD BE BAD" just looking out and thanks again for the shows. awesome troubleshooting ! and yes the secret is in the tools grasshopper
Hey Ray, i really like the fact that you go the extra mile on the little things that can give somebody a bad day later even if you don't make money on it. Great customer focus. I hope the shop i visit does the same. So far they have been pretty good to me. I am using your videos to learn about practical things the cars need so i know what to look out for and understand when I am being taken advantage of. Great content.
@@MonkeyJedi99 you read too much into it. I just said that I would understand when it is happening. Not hoping to see IF it happens. It just means that I will know it is happening based on the things I have learned from these videos. If it will ever happen to me is still to be seen, though.
@@redneek24 A lot of heavy duty trucks will engine shut down due to low oil pressure until their multiple 2qt engine oil filters fill on their own. Always end up pre-filling to prevent headaches. (Volvo, Cummins)
Automotive engines can actually idle a few minutes with no oil pressure ( with emphasis on "idle" and "few" ) Plastic oil bottles have small plastic "hairs" and "chips" left over from the injection/blow molding process inside them. There were similar problems with the old metal cans so this isnt something new. Unless your oil arrives in a glass jar from a lab, it's contaminated. You do not want oil straight out of the bottle getting into your bearings. So engines are designed to self purge the air out of the filter so all of the new oil is filtered before reaching the bearings. The other issue is , if the oil pump doesnt fill the oil filter and build pressure within the time alloted by the ECU it will throw a code to let you know the oil pump is bad. Prefilling the filter just defeats an important test you're supposed to do after an oil change. I recently had a commercial engine with a noise that could have been the oil pump , one of the tests was to spin on a new filter and see how long it took for oil pressure to return at 750 RPM ( too long, we replaced the oil pump and the noise went away.) When I checked the ECU I found two oil pressure codes ( with hour meter readings matching the two previous oil changes ) because the pump took too long to fill the oil filter and the mechanic didnt notice.
I had the classic no start with my neighbor. I am retired vehicle/ aviation mechanic. I spent ten years as a vehicle mechanic then retrained in aviation for 30 plus years before retiring 4 years ago. Neighbor comes over to my shop and said she had a no start on her Super Duty 6.7 Ford 3/4 ton. I walk across the street and all you would get is the click click when the key would be placed in the start position. I open the hood and the corrosion was half way across the battery. Well at least I don't need my Autel on this one. I go back to my shop grab my wire brush and my mini rail of sockets and a ratchet. Told the neighbor I need 4 tablespoons of baking soda in a gallon of water and a hose. Soaked the top of the battery with the baking soda and let it fizz a while then rinsed off then removed the terminals wire brush them and the battery post reassemble everything on the 2 batteries and then take the baking soda solution left and douched the underside of the battery trays and rinsed. I had the neighbor lady reach in the truck and it magically started on the first tap of the key. The sad thing the truck had been at the dealership earlier in the week that this happen for a oil change. C'mon guys open those peepers and at least do the inspections. That is also when I I grabbed my tire gauge and checked that the tires were also under inflated. Payment for the 30 minutes work was a banana cream pie. YUM YUM.
Thanks for sharing the story about your neighbor's vehicle. The details included within are the kind that help me out. I always find useful gold nuggets in the comments section. Sounds like a tasty payment for the help she received. You're a great neighbor! What do you recommend during cold weather where a baking soda water treatment effort will just freeze up on you? We're in the low double and single digits in my neck of the woods & I have no garage. Is there a product you would recommend one could get at a store? I already have one of those battery terminal cleaners shown in the video as part of the maintenance kit I'm cobbling together at the moment. Starting with functional tools and efforts that will get me through in the short-term & until the weather breaks. I do plan on upgrading to more quality / lifelong-type tools in time. One is none and 2 is one, after all. 😉 I am actually not having battery or start/crank issues, but I did open up my hood & battery blanket last night and saw the start of some white corrosion on one of the terminals. There was also a crapload of dirt across the top of the battery which I would like to clean off. I need to figure out in due time how to remove the blanket cover (which I just recently learned what THAT was for) to fully inspect the housing the battery is seated in and do anything I need to do there. Plus, I want to take it to one of the auto stores to test the battery and alternator. I've never done that, & even though I don't have issues right now, I want to see what the current & data / feedback is. Not sure if my battery is the type that requires filling/topping off, but that's on the list to check out. It's an Entertec something or other. Looks like the original battery. I have a 2015 vehicle. I recently decided to take on learning how to do my own basic/regular maintenance after 2 subpar experiences at a couple of oil change places last year. I don't want to let things go and risk breaking down somewhere over basic maintenance and prevention that could/should have been done. I do have a trustworthy shop, but they are quite busy, are opposite of where I usually go, and require appointments. Plus, I should know how to do some of this stuff anyway. It looks like I solved a heater vent issue last week so far with some of my new efforts. Had heat at good (measured) temps coming out of the middle front vents only. Once the weather got super cold I noticed my feet remained ice cold and the front windshield defroster action was poor. Related things I did were: replace my air and cabin filters & ran my a/c on full blast a couple of times (1x on 2 separate days, that is) during my 10-15 minute work commute. I saw it was advised to do so here and there during the winter season and it took zero effort to do so. A day or 2 later after the 2nd ac blast there was heat on my feet again. ???? Yay! So glad I did not have to get into Blend Door & Heater Core Land. I *was* a little low on coolant (level was on the minimum line for a while) & eventually located the jug I bought at the dealership a couple of years ago to just have on hand and topped it off. Doing that did not improve things immediately as I added the coolant ~2 weeks prior to the filters, etc. But maybe in combination with one of the other things made something happen...? Dunno, but I got feet heat now. 💪 I also put together a full tire kit (plug kit, extra plugs, a 'smart' tire inflator/compressor, digital & manual gauges, tire tread measure, Slime for the worst case scenario, poncho, nitrile gloves, winter work gloves, WD-40, hand warmer packets, multi-tool, extra valve caps, penetrating oil, and such). My PSI readings were crazy. 27-30 up front & 12-16 in the back 😳 And they didn't even look super low! I also learned that when I tried filling my tires at a gas station a month ago, I definitely didn't screw on the connector (air chuck?) like my new tire inflator instructed with their unit. 😆 I do have newer winter tires at least & brakes were done last year. Also acquired a new 2 gauge, 25 ft. booster cable. Next on the list is to add a booster/jumpstart unit. Want to start with a good one of those, but they are pricey and am triaging the quick, easy, affordable items 1st. Yesterday I ordered a small pump out unit for my engine oil and new oil filter to do my next (& 1st DIY) from the hood oil change. I know there are different camps on that, but I live in an apartment complex. While I can do from the ground/underneath at work I am not trying to freeze to death either here in deep winter. Plus, I have to invest in those Rhino ramps on the low-end and a good jack & jack stands on the high-end. I just refuse to be low key menaced & shook down again by another oil change shop while paying $130 for each 'opportunity'. I can (and am) putting the savings towards the high quality oil that I *know* I'm actually getting this time, a top-line oil filter, and reusable oil pan tote, etc. It turns out that my oil filter housing is under the hood, so lucked out there. All that to say, that I am pumped to finally learn and do all these things! I write books when excited about something, sorry. Hopefully it encourages other women to take these things on though. At present time I am leaving the coolant & trannie fluid change out, as well as the (way overdue) tune up to my go-to shop within the next month or so. Creeping up on 98K miles so don't want to take chances. The dealer here charges $500 for a tune up alone. I called recently just to do budgetary comparisons. My go-to shop quoted me $627 for a tune up, (sealed supposedly) trannie fluid change & an oil change. The coolant thing I forgot to ask about at the time, but STILL, what a 💰difference💰!
Back in the early 90s I was begged by a relative to sell their 210,000 mile Nissan Maxima. They had purchased a replacement car and thought there was something seriously wrong with the Nissan. I jump started it and took it home, the next day it was dead. I cleaned and tightened the battery connections, jump started it again and drove it around for a while. Miracle of miracles! It held a charge and started every single time! I cleaned it up, advertised it and made more money for them than they thought possible, with a nice commission for me!
Massive respect in standing behind proper procedure and finding that loose connector. Majority of all tipm issues are from dirty or bad connections and get accidentally fixed due to the removal of the connectors during install.
And I've actually ran across, drain plugs that are their techs at work had stripped out, and just use the oil extractor to change the oil on the unit. And not got the plug out and left it for the next guy which was me, to go and figure out how to remove the drain plug and replace it with a new one to do the oil change properly. Because I didn't carry an oil extractor with me on my service vechile. So it's definitely a good thing that you don't leave problems for the next guy or the customer.
I actually did have a TIPM problem (08 Grand Caravan). Sometimes it's really obvious, weird shit happens at random: Wipers start on their own, horn starts sounding at random, doors won't lock or unlock, engine doesn't shut down after turning the ignition off, etc. I was starting to think my vehicle was... can't say the word... severely mentally challenged. So I yarded the TIPM out - bit of an ordeal but it came out safely - expecting to reflow some cracked solder joints, but they all looked fine under magnification. What I did see, however, was stains on the board. Liquid stains, like residue from water that had infiltrated the TIPM long ago. The stains must have been oxides of the solder alloy or copper parts. They spanned many pins on various chips and quick meter test found that they were weakly conductive. Random, intermittent, partial (resistive) shorts that come and go with temperature and humidity. Lovely. So, out comes the horsehair acid brush and a shitload of isopropanol. Cleaned up the stains, scrubbed every pin, reversed all disassembly steps, put it back in and connected it back to the harness, and ALL what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-you symptoms disappeared. I still drive this vehicle 6 years later and I have never seen this problem since. No sign of further water infiltration either, which leaves me scratching my head. So yeah, even when the problem IS the hard-to-get $1200 power module, it still doesn't mean you need to replace it.
Great videos bud. I've been turning wrenches for 30 years and I never realized until now how entertaining it was to watch others do it. Glad to see an honest guy doing honest work. Never heard the term 'Predatory customer' before. Love it. Keep up the good work.
loving the vids man..these new electric impacts have such good control and modes that allow them to be used as you are using them..I've been doing it for years and will continue to do so..
Great job on the battery terminal replacement. Hope that solved the problem. So obvious! Saved her bucks! Wish the terminal replacement was so easy in all vehicles.
New to your channel, great consistency, I do wish all mechanics thought the way you do. Some shows would have just put new connectors on and that`s that. Glad see you go the 100% clean terminals. Thou in UK, we always put touch of Vaseline on top of terminal. Prevent water penetration. Keep up the good work.
It's all about the customer. You save them money once you will have a return customer. I've been in the business 20 + years. It works. Thanks Ray keep it up with the great videos.
Absolutely! That is why I've been going to the same shop for over 30 years now.
Indeed it does i have a great mechanic who saves mew. Few dollars and been good family friends now for nearly 20 years
That's why they pay the big bucks for an honest mechanic. Sadly they pay big bucks for the fake ones too.
Unfortunately too many people don't know we still exist. Learned in my dad's shop, found out all too much about how the business actually works elsewhere. I was yelled at for doing repairs like in this video because the shop just wants the money. Last guy I worked for thought I was being lazy it was so commonplace to him
💯 %
Thanks Rainman. I have been a master mechanic for almost 40 years. It’s so refreshing to see a mechanic that takes pride in his work and goes the extra mile.
I watch this guy and one other. I don't think either fully appreciate the amount of education contained in the videos they produce. Just a week ago, my son has a Subaru, that had an intermittent start problem. Just sat there and ticked like a dead battery would, or like the starter solenoid was in the process of dying. After watching one of his videos, in which he shows how to determine if you have bad body, frame, or engine grounds. Turns out it was a bad engine ground. Am I one hundred percent sure it's cured? No but it's been over a week, issue free and neither the symptom or the test condition has returned. I don't think either of the mechanics I watch have a Patreon or PayPal account. Although, I would chip a few bucks in no problem as the education is well worth it. Sorry to rag on :-)
A self proclaimed master mechanic. Lol
It did in fact need a TIPM: Terminal Interconnect Polishing Maintenance.
Totally Inappropriate Pose Man
🤣
It's same as taking car in for a shaking engine and instead of saying oh could be mounts,not enough fuel getting into engine, the shop goes straight for oh yer that's definitely a knew engine lol
Possibly a double TIPM, if you include Totally Impartial Perfectionist Maintainer.
Love it
A common problem with Caravan "No Starts" and often a different problem of dead batteries after sitting ovenight is INDEED related to a Single COMPONENT on the TIPM (Totally Integrated Power Module). The culprit is the Fuel Pump Relay and it can manifest itself with either of the two separate symptoms. One is the Cranking with No Start and the other being a Dead Battery after sitting for awhile.
So here's the issue: The contact points on that Fuel Pump Relay become severely pitted; so much so that sometimes electrical contact to the pump doesn't happen. This will yield the Cranking with No Start Symptom. Each time the key is turned off and back on, that Relay opens and closes again. Eventually after several tries, the contacts MAY make a sufficient electrical contact to allow the vehicle to start. The other scenario is that those pits on the contact points become stuck together. When you shut off the vehicle and remove the key, the fuel pump is still active and will drain the battery overnight.
Is Chrysler Corporation aware of this problem? Absolutely! In fact the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango were actually recalled for the same problem. They developed a "TIPM Bypass Repair Kit" which takes about an hours labour to install with proper tools and experience. That kit includes a Huge high quality Omron Relay, and associated wiring (including a fuse) which retails for less than $30 at a Chrysler Dealer whereas a replacement TIPM costs well over $1,100.
SO, Caravan owners have been trying to set up a Class Action Lawsuit to get Chrysler to recall Caravans and Chrysler Town and Country Minivans, the same as they did for Grand Cherokees due to it being a safety issue.
The best part of this story??? That same $30 kit WILL work with Chrysler's minivans. The wiring harness contact points and wire colours are identical to those in the Jeeps and Durangos. I purchased such a kit and repaired a friend's 2011 Caravan after he'd had SIX different mechanics try to resolve his mysterious "Dual Symptoms". He'd had all manner of components replaced at huge cost to him all to no avail. With my simple tools and no prior experience, it took me about 2 hours to repair his vehicle in my driveway and it has never failed since. To be fair, I'm an electronics technologist and had several years experience as a field service representative for a major multinational corporation, so the task at hand did not scare me. Pretty simple hand tools plus a Volt/Ohm meter are necessary. I also chose to Solder and Insulate some wiring rather than extracting pins from the TIPM. I would mention that the kit came with NO INSTRUCTIONS as it is designed to be a "Dealer Installed Modification". I was actually surprised that my local dealership had the kit in stock and was willing to sell it to me over the counter. However, the INTERNET is YOUR FRIEND and there are several CZcams Videos showing you how to complete this repair on a Caravan. You may want to watch a few of them to gain confidence. Just take your time and follow the video (making sure to disconnect your battery before proceding). Also, afix a label indicating that this modification has been installed.
Altough I can't guarantee this, apparently the Chrysler TIPM was revised sometime around 2014 to address this particular issue/s. Probably has a heftier Fuel Pump Relay now but I don't know for sure.
Manufacturer's are always striving to cut costs in production but end up with dissatisfied/disloyal customers and huge warranty costs. As Sandy Munroe states to the manufacturing community, "Don't Try to Save Me Any Money. I Can't Afford It"!
just did my sons Town & Country, soldered in an external relay, totally stupid design with the onboard relays which can not be serviced. Symptoms were flat battery over night, whirring noise from rear of vehicle when not running (fuel pump) and finally wouldn't start (relay died)
I liked that magnet drainplug tool perfect when engine is hot.
yeah I think I need one of those, keep burning myself
2nded or sence im the 3rd person to talk 3rded? one of the 2 in going to get one of those.
@@7.3PSDA2 Right...
I installed a petcock drain plug in my van and truck. I'm too old for fiddling around with drain plugs. Just attach the drain hose and put it into the drain pan, flip the lever and go have a cup of coffee while it drains.
Now if there was a way to keep the flippen oil from spilling from the filters I wouldn't even need gloves!!
@@outdoorfreedom9778 Yep 2 words FUMOTO VALVE !! I have jeep liberty diesels with steel plug and aluminum pan and you cant easily remove the oil pan. DEALERS and ALL other oil changers strip these out all the times causing very costly problems . Yes there are repairs availiable drilling and taping larger etc. I bypass all that by putting valve on every vehicle the first time I change the oil in it and never worry again. Of course I also do all future changes myself. I even heard of one guy that had a fumoto valve installed by previous owner and the lube shop removed it like it was a plug and stripped the pan putting it back in !!
As a tow truck operator I love seeing and hearing about these kinds of shops. Someone willing to find an actual problem than just throwing expensive parts at it because they scare the people driving the vehicles into thinking it needs it. The world needs more mechanics like you sir!
Need more mechanics and fewer parts changers. HATE people that throw parts at stuff, hoping something will stick.
The trick is to replace the last part first. That’s the part that fixes it.
There still some of us out here been doing my things for 20years it's about thinking outside of the box
But just think about it. When a mechanic puts all these not needed parts on your vehicle your getting all these brand new made in China parts.
Worst part is she could have spent the 1300 bucks and not solved the issue!
You cannot even imagine how many times I could have used that drain plug wobbly over the past 60 years. Fantastic tool! 👍
i agree with that
Down my sleeve is my ignorant method.
@@4h204x4 The way it always works for me is blindly fishing the drain pug out of hot oil in the drain pain. So fun...
Okay....the drain plug is:
1) hot...so don't hold it tight while turning
2) it's covered in oil and slippery.
3) you have on smooth oily slippery gloves with little sense of feel.
4) your never sure when the plug is going to come out as your turning it.
5) you let go of plug for a second to begin another turn..........AND
What are the chances it just shoots into the drain pan? About 60-70% based on my many oil changes!
I definitely need one of those. I hate getting hot oil all over my arm while contortioning.
I turned a wrench as a younger man. REALLY appreciate your videos. Professional. knowledgeable and honest with a great attitude
I wish all mechanics were more like you, another guy I like to watch is Eric O, South Main Auto, another good mech.
I watch his videos too
Whaaa? No brake cleaner
Eric does way more complicated diags.
Funny thing is that I don't live too far from Eric O and South Main Auto (about a 50-60 mile sling down the I-86 or the ol' route 17).
@@DilanGilluly Lucky you!
A truly diligent and honest approach to customer service, whose loyalty that will repay 5 fold! 👌🤗
Unless it’s a kia then it could be 10 fold 😂
Yup, can't believe anyone who would "diagnose" a starting issue would leave those terminals so loose, textbook random no crank.
Hopefully the plan wasn't to install the tipm and fix / finally notice the battery at the same time.
Keeping in mind that he's not about to post a scam video. Lol.
@@michaelolive5070 Ray posts so many videos he'd have to be doing the scam jobs at home on his own time or something.
@@MonkeyJedi99 for the record, Ray sounds like a straight up dude. All I'm saying is that, generally speaking, it's only logical that producers of videos control the message and characterization of themselves.
Love your program. As a retired automotive technician I can watch you for hours. I like your logical decisions you make and I thought I would reach out to you and say, good job. Please as I do respect you. Put a safety stand next time you crawl up under a vehicle. I’ve seen you do it a number of times, I wouldn’t want you to get hurt!
The vehicle was on the floor he's not going to get hurt have a good day
Honest mechanic is damn hard to find theses days. Thanks for being one of the good ones.
Reminds me of my days as a mechanic. My customers followed me to a different town when I moved. Many times I had little old ladies come to me in tears because a big brand shop said they needed all this work. Upon inspection she was just being over sold. Great job. A person can be a good honest mechanic without ripping people off.
Badly needed in Australia where an honest dealer is a rarity.
@@terryofford4977 sadly not just Australia
@Jacqueline Oldhaver I had an older lady 70's for sure took her dodge caliber to a very reputable auto shop they told her she needed timing chain guides tensioners $3500 it was making a sound similar to timing chain luckily she came to my home shop from word of mouth and I changed her alternator that has a clutch style pulley similar to a compressor clutch and when she came to pick her car up I ask her what did she think I had to tell her that her car was started and engine running she cried I was able to get her used alternator and install for $150 total she is on fixed income.. really hurts my heart to see that big shop trying to take advantage of someones mom, grandma, great grandma needless to say I have her business 3 years later and most of her family and friends
That "You need all this work or the car will crash and kill you" line sounds like Midas.
@@billytaylor6604 that time it was Canadian Tire.
Good video! Just one negative, I know that lot's of folks use a floor jack alone but if I'm going to crawl under a car, I won't trust a hydraulic jack to be the only thing keeping me from being crushed. I've had hydraulic jacks fail over the years, so I never trust them. A good set of jack stands is cheap insurance.
I agree 100 percent, but as good and professional as he is I fell that even tho I didn’t see any I am confident he had them.
@@rodfinke896 MY guess is Ray had stands you didn't see
If you watch closely when he first crawl under just to the left you see a glimpse of a jack stand.
@@rblaclewell I think that's the worklight, didn't see a stand.
Jacks also need to be placed properly. And some vehicles, like Ford Foxbodys, don't really give you ANY place to put a jack without doing damage. I couldn't count how many Foxbody front frame rails I have seen that had been seriously damaged with floor jacks. I remove the 4 pronged saddle from the jack and replace it with a small piece of 2x4 for a vehicle like that. It doesn't leave huge dents in the tin frame rails.
Love the fact of not only diagnosing her issue correctly most likely, but you saved a little old lady her entire ssi check for one month. Good job Rainman. . Keep up the good work. Now your going to have to deal with her friends. Get ready. They’re coming.. if she knew you, she’d probably bring you a bowl of collard greensor something.
Little ol' ladies can ruin someone - or give them success. One mention of how a place tried to rip her off and it's round the neighbourhood faster than a news reporter can do it on TV :p
Rainman. It's mechanics like you, when your being honest to elderly seniors on such an low income not selling up to elderly rip them off.
We need more techs like you in this world.
To that little old lady, you are definitely her hero on that job! Keep up the good work Ray!
I learned from my dad that bad mechanics always want to replace parts, while good mechanics usually repair them. You sir, are one of the good ones. My dad has loyal customers for 30+ years. and I'm sure you will too.
Had similar, Hyundai Santa-fey. Intermittent non-start. The owner had paid someone else to replace the battery, the alternator, and the starter motor, as advised by the other garage.
To no effect.
The earth strap from the battery to the inner wing was loose. The Bolts had rusted away, as had the threads in the nuts welded to the wing. They were little rusty stubs into little rusty holes.
Remove the rusty bolts, grab hold with pliers and pull. drill the captive nuts, M5 thread to a 6mm hole, clean the earth-strap and wing. Fit 2 new M6 bolts and nylock nuts. Took 20 minutes.
They has spent over £1,000 on the car, and I charged under £50 to actually fix it.
I’ve been digesting almost everything of yours for the past month, mostly because I’m off work with a broken neck and SLAP tear. I love watching how you pay attention to details like this battery issue. I’ve worked for dealerships as a mechanic. Most of the time, you fix what you’re told and keep the cats moving.
Love how you started small and awaited her report. A true helpful Mechanic! Most now are simple parts changers!
How is what he did not changing parts?
Yep a lot of them are R&R people. That is remove and replace, not REMOVE AND REPAIR.. I like the way he says "anything electrical ALWAYS start at the battery and the terminals".
@@RobertSmith-bc9uk battery / fuse box is always a first look.
@@johnmilner5485 Yep, battery, terminals and then onward's to fuse box/es. One under the bonnet (hood) and the second under the dash or in the footwell, in most cars.
@@krotchlickmeugh627 He repaired a fault with a good part.
Some guys just throw parts at a repair, ignoring the simple repair.
I would like to say thank you for pointing out all the little details that make a huge difference in the quality of the repair - battery terminals, drain plug with gasket that will stay on, etc. As a jet engine mechanic for over 20 years, I'll say it again, these kind of details make a HUGE difference. Keep up the good work. 👍
I used to work on Rolls Royce jet engines and lift fans.
THANK YOU FOR NOT OVER CHARGING THIS LADY!!!!!
Good call. Problem was almost certainly the battery connection.
I once owned a car that would not start even though the headlights, dome lights, radio, everything else worked perfectly.
I was getting ready to replace the starter and my uncle pointed out that maybe I should clean the battery contacts first... Fixed the problem forever.
Stealerships! That is how they stay in business by ripping customers off. Thank you rainman ray for your honesty!
We only rip off uneducated customers. Know your shit before you walk in the door.
@@JJ-iw7nh nobody should be ripped off regardless of auto knowledge.
Very rare will you find an honest dealership. I did. Had my relay on my headlamps go. With one day rental of a car cost me under $100. I think it was around $70 total.
Reee...ly great job on the diagnostic! I would much rather pay around $15 for new terminal clamps than the $1500 the stealership quoted for a new TIPM! (plus labor, of course!)
I had a similar thing with my last car,it was acting like it wouldn't start and when it did it was ok for a while and then I put a new battery in and it did the same thing again after a while-i took it to the mechanic and after the diagnosis he said that it needed the computer replaced at $1100 but I told him NO because I didn't have the money, payed for the diagnosis and left- went to another mechanic who told me that it needs a positive battery cable which had to be special ordered from the dealership because it had a special cable that was partially connected to the alternator and starter and the battery and it fixed it
He said, "other shop", not dealership.
@@davidrichman8468 i bought a car which had flat batteries al the time and the alternator was changed two times. ended up being the negative cable fromte the engine to the frame. it was sheared on the inside in the insulation. replaced and the car sometimes would this stutter. that was the igniter going bad. after replacing that it was golden!
@@whyshouldipickaname battery not able might be your cable.
When you started to put the cable on the new terminal without cleaning it first I was like "NOOOO!!!!!"
Then you restored my faith in humanity. Although I was surprised you didn't use the battery corrosion prevention.
Thanks Ray for the informative and entertaining videos and for taking care of your customers, a trait that is becoming very rare today.
I was screaming too "NO, those need cleaned off".
I died a little when he did that
This is the reason that I always install Sealed batteries, no acid fumes corroding everything...
Did he clean the nuts that he used ?
@@johnkirbymobileautoelectri4321 ....no and they don't need to be cleaned
I have been watching your videos, not because I needed the info they provide but because you make a darn good video, always interesting, you have a good style in your delivery, good camera shooting, diagnosis process, the repair. Oh hel I'll just keep on watching. Thanks for the entertainment.
My wife literally just asked me why I was watching this. My response was much the same to her save for I added it’s refreshing to see somebody doing work correctly while trying to take customer service to the next level by not gouging a customers wallet just to make a buck.
I need more Clearance Clarence, still one of the best quotes ever
What's our vector Victor?
@@21Piloteer Rodger meet Dunn & Over, Over… Dunn … Rodger
Roger, Rodger.
Do you like to watch gladiator movies?
_Surely you can't be serious._
I can't stop binge watching your videos. Not only have I learned a ton, but now I say "click" everytime I turn off the faucet and "do da do da do" everytime my phone rings. Great content!
So, have you received feedback on the issue from the owner? You remind me very much of the mechanic I use, and have been using for thirty years. Mechanics like him and you are awesome!
i'm also very interested if this has sorted the issue the customer specified.
Me too.....Need to know if your battery terminal fix solved the issue
I love it when Ray puts the safety on the loaded parts cannon.
So refreshing seeing another professional, someone that can explain intelligently why a part needs replacement and providing a mental troubleshooting flow chart. Keep it up. It's how you keep customers.
Well done, Ray. The customer knows you are being up front and honest with them. That is how a mechanic earns the trust of his or her customers. Even if it does then out that the TIPM is at fault the customer will know for sure you have done the correct diagnostics and fixed the obvious first. Great job.
Exactly this !! THe diagnostic work Ray does often takes far longer than the actual repairs. If a mechanic tells me I need $2k worth of parts in 5 minutes, I will be on the train to "second opinion-ville". If someone has spend an hour diagnosing the issue and tells me that I need a $2k part because of x, y and z, that earns my respect and belief that I am not being ripped off.
No jack stands is driving my OCD crazy! LOL! Other than that, this is a great video. I am a retired mechanic myself, and it's great to see that there's still some honest mechanics out there. Keep up the good work. You're channel deserves way more subs.
Bingo Many years in the trade, guilty of the same.
I use to do it until my jack failed luckily I wasn't under the vehicle at time
Yeah, freaking scary. Anyone who has ever been around for when one does will never take that chance. Such an unnecessary risk.
Oh man I’m glad I am not the only one who was staring at that going, “where are the jack stands!?”
68 years ago I asked a mechanic that was under our car if I could let the jack down, so I could play with it. He was a lot more careful what he said was OK for me to do.
I admire your honesty when it comes to your customers. That’s hard to find these days. I stride myself in making sure I do the right thing no matter what the outcome. Cause if we all said screw it what kind of example are we setting for our children.
Impacts are fine if used correctly. I took my wife's escape to the dealer for an oil change and tire rotation. The tech came to the waiting area and informed me I needed to replace the lug nuts for $165. I inspected the old nuts, and sure enough the chrome caps had been rounded off. I asked to see the impact wrench and checked the socket which was worn enough to round the lug nuts. I got the new nuts free and never went back to the dealer. Love your videos
and your abundance of Common sense..
In their defence, the style of lug nuts with chrome caps are prone to the caps swelling as the nut underneath corrodes so they no longer fit the correct socket. As a tech you are forced to jam on a socket or use one that is oversized to get them off. In fairness the replacement of the lug nuts should have probably been on you.
@@beansman69 Yes well aware of that, I ran tire and auto shops for 20 years...I hated these damn things.
@@beansman69 it’s not just ford. The first ones are particularly bad but the Chrysler and Chevy ones are pretty bad, too. Any vehicle I’m going to regularly work on gets new solid lug nuts. All of the two piece lug nuts are shit. The new Chrysler 200’s have played lug bolts though which are actually worse.
@@Leonarco333 dorman makes a 1-piece stud lug for them i think. i had a jeep or dodge something (renegade maybe?) where they were so bad i could barely get the wheels off.
Watching these videos have learned how much trouble bad battery connections can cause. Is just amazing!
I wonder where that nick came from at 6:05 it lined up perfectly with the lift ;)
Immediately ordered a magnetic oil drain plug tool after seeing yours. Thanks for the tip!
same here, the only problem is I dont have any auto shops that carry them and only Chinese Ebayer that are selling them in my region
I do agree gentlemen. I’ve been wrenching for 39 years and only for the reason of dishonest mechanics. I know it’s not always the case. Thanks for being a marvelous representative of your industry
I am a subscriber for some time now. I had this same problem on my 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 limited about a year ago. I research and repair most things on my cars by myself with great success over the years. This one problem led me down the bad TIPM road as well. There was a recall on a internal fuel pump relay that would not function properly but after further inspection I was able to determine the recall had been resolved. I then read the relays go out quite regularly and replaced it with same results. Not cranking at certain times. I then had my nephew that is a mechanic reprogram the computer and added an update that Chrysler had in a TSB. Problem solved and no problems since then. I hope this helps. Thanx for great content and mostly your honesty.
What I like the most is a fact that you did what you did to see if that cures the problem first versus changing the tipm
Thats the difference of a Mechanic and a Technician.. Mechanics try and find the problem, Technicians just replace the parts the repair manual tells them too.
@@soulwarrior7721 which one are you?
@@soulwarrior7721 yup, I snap on people if they call me a technician
It's great to see that some mechanics are still honest and fair to their customers. I enjoy your videos, thanks for sharing them.
I have to say Ray, that you have restored my faith in humanity.
Your professionalism, integrity, and attention to details makes you stand out as a superior member of your profession.
Love the pride and Professional attitude you take in your work, truely lost in this Day and Age.
Been watching your videos. This is my first post comment, I want to thank you for being an honest mechanic and not taking peoples cars for granted by doing unnecessary repairs. Saved the ol lady some money. Heck just repeat business even if there's an issue (hopefully unrelated) with her ol van
"It wont make contact if it's not spotless!" *proceeds to clean entire lug* I love you ray, haha.
What, No jack stand or safety blocks? I have seen a cylinder fail & all it takes is a couple inches to end your life of livelihood! I know, I know. Keep safe man not many of us real honest techs left it seams like. It has been hard for me to retire because I can't stand to see people taken advantage of & I never had to look for customers. When I first opened my own shop 30 years ago, all my customers followed & my old employer closed up in less than 6 months. Even the other tech left when I did cause he had a conscience too. Keep making Great videos!
Ray, I love the fact that you are conscientious and always try to be fair with people. Also it is just as well that you cleaned those lugs on the battery cables. For a moment I thought that you were going to put them back on dirty, but you did the right thing in the end. I love your videos and I learn so much from you. But don't forget that I am also watching you very closely. Lol. Cheers from Australia
I laugh every time you say. "Moov'n on up" because I think some of your younger viewers don't get the reference. Today was extra special. You said "Plug it in, Plug it in" Again, I bet some youngsters don't know the reference.
@@ryan-uz1rw Both will be running through my head for days. I'm going to sing them to my wife in a few minutes. She loves it when I do that. Lol.
I hate you... I'm gonna have those old glade commercials in my head all day.... The other one I love doing to my wife is "zoom, zoom"
Ray seems to young to know about unless he watched repeats with parents or grandparents
Clap on clap off
@@MadKingRALM Seems to me wasn't one of those a sponsor for Green Acres? You're welcome.
Good to see there are still honest good mechanics out there! Hats of to you!
Good honest mechanic. God bless that poor elderly lady. Kudos man!!!!
Was gonna say same damn thing,always always always check the battery connection first whenever there’s a power issue.. I’ve seen sooo many loose terminals and grounds that have corroded completely off because I live back in Maryland where they salt spray at first sign of any bad weather when it’s cold out. And also I check the fluid levels in batteries as well for the ones that are not maintenance free and have even saved or made my own batteries last longer instead of just throwing money at problems until it’s fixed or completely replaced.. I too like to try and save people money and most times I go to them at their own houses or apartments so they don’t need a tow or can’t afford a shop at their going prices. Glad to say I love helping the good honest hard working common folks that really appreciate it even if it’s for dirt cheap most times…to me it’s not really about the money, just helping people is a good thing to do… so no good deed goes unpunished in my case but it’s not every time..
I have 2 of these vans (2010 Town and Country and 2011 Grand Caravan), and I've ended up having to replace the damn TIPM twice on the 2011 and once on the 2010. Luckily, I learned from the first two experiences what it was, and after having the dealer take 2 months to replace them (there are only like 300 in existance at any given time, so it was a month in the shop each time) under warranty, the last time it happened it went to a junkyard and ripped one out of a wreck and replaced it for $40. $1200-1300 is spot on for what the dealer would charger (the cost for the module alone is $700, the rest is just the dealer ripping you off on labor, it's a half hour job to replace it). Hopefully your fix lasts, but if not you can easily save her a fortune by visiting a junkyard to obtain the part.
I agree with Kris, we need more mechanics like you. Thanks for not trying to rip off people. It makes my heart feel good to know you are doing the right thing.
I have found honesty is the best policy i my life! People appreciate honesty which is a rare commodity these days!
I like the quality of your work and you really took care of your senior citizen customer. Thank you for that good deed, you saved her $1300 and you made her car more reliable and safe driver especially late at nights.
Great video Rainman, I am a retired millwright and I still like changing oil and doing repairs. Luckily I have a grownup daughter with two kids and they like not having to go to the shop to get things done, Nice battery work, the kind of thing that lets you sleep well at night, knowing you just killed a possible roadside delay. Enjoyed, cheers!
What's a millwright and are you from the UK?
I love how, just as I'm thinking that Ray should do something, he says, "I'd better do that"
yeah i was thinking the same thing when he went to reinstall the battery leads and they were still crusty.
Rusty, I had the exact same thought.
I can't believe those new battery terminals didn't come with new nuts too! Parts companies trying to save every penny they can...
Funny you should mention that... I was thinking "you really should clean that cable" thoughts and then he said and did it
It's the honesty, first of all. Then the little details. All adds up to an absolute rarity, the competent, honest mechanic!
Just a shame you're half a planet away! If you ever move to the U.K. you'd have your shop booked up solid once word got out!
The holy grail of car repair!
Came across this again. Thought of an example of weird stuff on weak battery/bad contacts. About 18 months ago on my '17 Wrangler I was getting an occasional weak start, which I called a half start. Instead of the robust start where the RPMs rise and then drop to idle, instead it would attempt to start, chug along at 500 RPM or a bit less with NO throttle response. Turn it off, second attempt good. No other issues. After a couple of these, my first thought was - BATTERY. It still had the factory battery but it was over 3 1/2 years old - most only last about 2. Installed new battery - no more issues to date.
With all the interconnected electronics today, a good batter and good connections are critical. The driver no longer starts the engine. You bump the key to send a signal to the computer to start the engine. A weak battery won't grind slowly, it just won't start and the electronics will go crazy.
Having a bad battery or bad connection can do all kinds of weird shit, the computers hate it when they dont have proper voltage. I had an old Altima that started turning the headlights on by itself when the battery went bad.
I'm an electronics hobbyist, and in two weeks an electrical engineering student. I have first hand experience with electronics not getting the correct voltages. I've seen devices do the weirdest shit when not getting the proper voltage.
Add to that not having a proper ground.
@@BOTmaster15 This +1000, many faults I have found with no logical explanation through diagnostics turned out to be a bad ground somewhere, it's the first thing I check when the intermittent fault gremlin is running around the engine bay, plus I don't have a Pico scope.
Just set SCE to AUX.
Good mechanic friend of mine once told me ( and I've never forgot it) "It all starts at the battery".
Nice work and nice video Ray, one minor, never trust a trolley jack, always use a axle stand, lost a colleague years ago when jack failed and crushed him.
Not a mechanic but I cringed a bit when I saw he wasn't using a solid stand for safety.
WOW! That was a Great Tip!!
No Oil in the engine, dangle the Dip stick up from the hole!!
Thank you 😊!!!!
The only honest mechanic I have ever seen. not saying there aren't any but most are crooks they would charge there own mother for new muffler bearings and change the blinker fluid
Thanks for this Ray. I’m apprenticing at a very dishonest and very shady shop. I get in trouble whenever I try to go the extra mile or do work properly. I’m just staying here until I get a year of safe driving so the points on my license goes down and I get more opportunities, but for the moment, I’m just using this business. Using them to learn. I can’t wait until I can do real work like this
Sux that you’re in that position. However props to you for recognizing the problems. Use that to grow!
That is so nice to hear (well, minus the being trapped for the time being part). Good for you on maintaining your own personal code of ethics and integrity!
Keep the sunny disposition. Please don’t let the bastards corrupt you. Fight the man any way you’re able until you’re in a position to help yourself and your customers.
Muh daddy told me Never trust a hydraulic jack, no matter what. Your still the best Ray.
I thought I saw him push a jackstand in at the right side of the screen, but only one and he didn't drop the jack to put the weight on the stand. So maybe I was mistaken.
This! I’ve had two fail on me over the years. Luckily I always used jack stands.
Your daddy was right.
MY daddy taught me the same thing.
One first things your told never to do
Ray I read peoples comments after each video and from some pros and back yard mechanics I agree to their comments because what they say is true. You should feel good about taking care of your customers and being fair there is not enough of that type of service today. The old mechanic of the past are gone and that type of service died with them except for the ones out here that write you and say it’s nice to see someone willing to help those are the mechanics that keep alive the care and concern for there customers that keep coming back because they trust the man or woman that fixes there vehicle. To all you guys out there taking care the people thank you for keeping us safe.
I like watching everything I think "DID HE JUST MISS THAT" you correct yourself and spot on its done knowledge is why I watch thank you.
You're pretty thorough and honest!! Good on ya!
Your are such an honest mechanic, love that about you!!!
With all the oil changes I've done i have never replaced the washer. I have now. Great point. Took care of the drip I use to get on my motorcycle. Thanks Rainman. At 65 always learning.
It’s your honesty that makes me watch your videos.
Nice job! Keeping it simple. Even if it was the fuse box, I would have to confirm witch part of the fuse box is failing. I have had relay fail and pop in a new one I already had available. It is great to see the relief on people's faces!
The TIPM in Chryslers isn't just a fuse/relay box. It has printed circuits inside it, as well. The pins and printed circuits can overheat, break or cause loose connections at different temperatures, causing intermittent problems with many different systems. They are a pain in the ass to diagnose, so many shops will just replace them and hope like hell that it fixes the problem.
Lol, love it! I could actually hear the REEEE from here, when you put the lug back on before cleaning it. And when you didn’t fill the filter, I actually got light headed from all the air the trolls sucked in. Another great video.
Just replaced one of those battery connections on my fiance's family minivan this last weekend. Easy fix, and was definitely is what was causing the car to not start some days.
I appreciate how you thought ahead about the oil plug gasket and didn’t take the easy way out by just putting the plastic one on. Good on you!
Also you missed an opportunity for ree. You didn’t put the car on a jack stand while you were under it, and just left it on the floor jack. How dare you take your own risks ;)
Love your ethics Ray, plus a proper diagnosis based on evidence !
Hi Ray another excellent and honest video, as an Auto electrician in Australia you did exactly the right thing with the vehicle and customer. Keep up the good work 👍🤙
Ray...buddy...you're costing me money. Every time I watch one of your most excellent videos, I HAVE to buy a new tool. Don't tell my wife.
My brother great job
in the interest of my company's slogan "WHAT CAN GO WRONG" i always put a wheel or a jack stand with the floor jack . i remember in the 70's the car would sway under the bumper jack and we would work on the cars in the street. hey we were teenager's not known for common sense. but the years have shown me WHAT CAN GO WRONG so I'm always overly cautious.
as you have said yourself "THAT WOULD BE BAD"
just looking out and thanks again for the shows. awesome troubleshooting ! and yes the secret is in the tools grasshopper
Hey Ray, i really like the fact that you go the extra mile on the little things that can give somebody a bad day later even if you don't make money on it. Great customer focus.
I hope the shop i visit does the same. So far they have been pretty good to me. I am using your videos to learn about practical things the cars need so i know what to look out for and understand when I am being taken advantage of. Great content.
How sad a world it is that you wrote "when I am being taken advantage of" not "if"
@@MonkeyJedi99 you read too much into it. I just said that I would understand when it is happening. Not hoping to see IF it happens. It just means that I will know it is happening based on the things I have learned from these videos. If it will ever happen to me is still to be seen, though.
You didn't pre fill the oil filter! OMG 😳 I'm telling Scotty the know it all ! 👌
Pretty sure Scotty has a video talking about why it's okay not to pre fill. Then again he also has videos telling you to pre fill.
@@justinbennett2633 I have always prefilled mine but would whether not. Going to google to be sure.
@@redneek24 A lot of heavy duty trucks will engine shut down due to low oil pressure until their multiple 2qt engine oil filters fill on their own. Always end up pre-filling to prevent headaches. (Volvo, Cummins)
@@justinbennett2633 so true
Automotive engines can actually idle a few minutes with no oil pressure ( with emphasis on "idle" and "few" )
Plastic oil bottles have small plastic "hairs" and "chips" left over from the injection/blow molding process inside them.
There were similar problems with the old metal cans so this isnt something new.
Unless your oil arrives in a glass jar from a lab, it's contaminated.
You do not want oil straight out of the bottle getting into your bearings.
So engines are designed to self purge the air out of the filter so all of the new oil is filtered before reaching the bearings.
The other issue is , if the oil pump doesnt fill the oil filter and build pressure within the time alloted by the ECU it will throw a code to let you know the oil pump is bad.
Prefilling the filter just defeats an important test you're supposed to do after an oil change.
I recently had a commercial engine with a noise that could have been the oil pump , one of the tests was to spin on a new filter and see how long it took for oil pressure to return at 750 RPM
( too long, we replaced the oil pump and the noise went away.)
When I checked the ECU I found two oil pressure codes ( with hour meter readings matching the two previous oil changes ) because the pump took too long to fill the oil filter and the mechanic didnt notice.
I had the classic no start with my neighbor. I am retired vehicle/ aviation mechanic. I spent ten years as a vehicle mechanic then retrained in aviation for 30 plus years before retiring 4 years ago. Neighbor comes over to my shop and said she had a no start on her Super Duty 6.7 Ford 3/4 ton. I walk across the street and all you would get is the click click when the key would be placed in the start position. I open the hood and the corrosion was half way across the battery. Well at least I don't need my Autel on this one. I go back to my shop grab my wire brush and my mini rail of sockets and a ratchet. Told the neighbor I need 4 tablespoons of baking soda in a gallon of water and a hose. Soaked the top of the battery with the baking soda and let it fizz a while then rinsed off then removed the terminals wire brush them and the battery post reassemble everything on the 2 batteries and then take the baking soda solution left and douched the underside of the battery trays and rinsed. I had the neighbor lady reach in the truck and it magically started on the first tap of the key. The sad thing the truck had been at the dealership earlier in the week that this happen for a oil change. C'mon guys open those peepers and at least do the inspections. That is also when I I grabbed my tire gauge and checked that the tires were also under inflated. Payment for the 30 minutes work was a banana cream pie. YUM YUM.
Thanks for sharing the story about your neighbor's vehicle. The details included within are the kind that help me out. I always find useful gold nuggets in the comments section. Sounds like a tasty payment for the help she received. You're a great neighbor!
What do you recommend during cold weather where a baking soda water treatment effort will just freeze up on you? We're in the low double and single digits in my neck of the woods & I have no garage. Is there a product you would recommend one could get at a store?
I already have one of those battery terminal cleaners shown in the video as part of the maintenance kit I'm cobbling together at the moment. Starting with functional tools and efforts that will get me through in the short-term & until the weather breaks. I do plan on upgrading to more quality / lifelong-type tools in time. One is none and 2 is one, after all. 😉
I am actually not having battery or start/crank issues, but I did open up my hood & battery blanket last night and saw the start of some white corrosion on one of the terminals. There was also a crapload of dirt across the top of the battery which I would like to clean off.
I need to figure out in due time how to remove the blanket cover (which I just recently learned what THAT was for) to fully inspect the housing the battery is seated in and do anything I need to do there. Plus, I want to take it to one of the auto stores to test the battery and alternator. I've never done that, & even though I don't have issues right now, I want to see what the current & data / feedback is.
Not sure if my battery is the type that requires filling/topping off, but that's on the list to check out. It's an Entertec something or other. Looks like the original battery. I have a 2015 vehicle.
I recently decided to take on learning how to do my own basic/regular maintenance after 2 subpar experiences at a couple of oil change places last year. I don't want to let things go and risk breaking down somewhere over basic maintenance and prevention that could/should have been done. I do have a trustworthy shop, but they are quite busy, are opposite of where I usually go, and require appointments. Plus, I should know how to do some of this stuff anyway.
It looks like I solved a heater vent issue last week so far with some of my new efforts. Had heat at good (measured) temps coming out of the middle front vents only. Once the weather got super cold I noticed my feet remained ice cold and the front windshield defroster action was poor.
Related things I did were: replace my air and cabin filters & ran my a/c on full blast a couple of times (1x on 2 separate days, that is) during my 10-15 minute work commute. I saw it was advised to do so here and there during the winter season and it took zero effort to do so. A day or 2 later after the 2nd ac blast there was heat on my feet again. ???? Yay! So glad I did not have to get into Blend Door & Heater Core Land.
I *was* a little low on coolant (level was on the minimum line for a while) & eventually located the jug I bought at the dealership a couple of years ago to just have on hand and topped it off. Doing that did not improve things immediately as I added the coolant ~2 weeks prior to the filters, etc. But maybe in combination with one of the other things made something happen...? Dunno, but I got feet heat now. 💪
I also put together a full tire kit (plug kit, extra plugs, a 'smart' tire inflator/compressor, digital & manual gauges, tire tread measure, Slime for the worst case scenario, poncho, nitrile gloves, winter work gloves, WD-40, hand warmer packets, multi-tool, extra valve caps, penetrating oil, and such).
My PSI readings were crazy. 27-30 up front & 12-16 in the back 😳 And they didn't even look super low! I also learned that when I tried filling my tires at a gas station a month ago, I definitely didn't screw on the connector (air chuck?) like my new tire inflator instructed with their unit. 😆 I do have newer winter tires at least & brakes were done last year.
Also acquired a new 2 gauge, 25 ft. booster cable. Next on the list is to add a booster/jumpstart unit. Want to start with a good one of those, but they are pricey and am triaging the quick, easy, affordable items 1st.
Yesterday I ordered a small pump out unit for my engine oil and new oil filter to do my next (& 1st DIY) from the hood oil change. I know there are different camps on that, but I live in an apartment complex.
While I can do from the ground/underneath at work I am not trying to freeze to death either here in deep winter. Plus, I have to invest in those Rhino ramps on the low-end and a good jack & jack stands on the high-end. I just refuse to be low key menaced & shook down again by another oil change shop while paying $130 for each 'opportunity'.
I can (and am) putting the savings towards the high quality oil that I *know* I'm actually getting this time, a top-line oil filter, and reusable oil pan tote, etc. It turns out that my oil filter housing is under the hood, so lucked out there.
All that to say, that I am pumped to finally learn and do all these things! I write books when excited about something, sorry. Hopefully it encourages other women to take these things on though. At present time I am leaving the coolant & trannie fluid change out, as well as the (way overdue) tune up to my go-to shop within the next month or so. Creeping up on 98K miles so don't want to take chances.
The dealer here charges $500 for a tune up alone. I called recently just to do budgetary comparisons. My go-to shop quoted me $627 for a tune up, (sealed supposedly) trannie fluid change & an oil change. The coolant thing I forgot to ask about at the time, but STILL, what a 💰difference💰!
Thank you for your honesty Ray. Always refreshing in today's world.
I love how I blow on my screen to blow the crust away when you take the positive off
Lol I did too!
Ray you are so honest, I learn so much from you, thank you!!!
Do you think he would upload videos where he is ripping people off?
Back in the early 90s I was begged by a relative to sell their 210,000 mile Nissan Maxima. They had purchased a replacement car and thought there was something seriously wrong with the Nissan. I jump started it and took it home, the next day it was dead. I cleaned and tightened the battery connections, jump started it again and drove it around for a while. Miracle of miracles! It held a charge and started every single time! I cleaned it up, advertised it and made more money for them than they thought possible, with a nice commission for me!
Honest technician always have lots of customers. It pays to be honest. Keep up the good work.
Massive respect in standing behind proper procedure and finding that loose connector. Majority of all tipm issues are from dirty or bad connections and get accidentally fixed due to the removal of the connectors during install.
And I've actually ran across, drain plugs that are their techs at work had stripped out, and just use the oil extractor to change the oil on the unit. And not got the plug out and left it for the next guy which was me, to go and figure out how to remove the drain plug and replace it with a new one to do the oil change properly. Because I didn't carry an oil extractor with me on my service vechile. So it's definitely a good thing that you don't leave problems for the next guy or the customer.
I actually did have a TIPM problem (08 Grand Caravan). Sometimes it's really obvious, weird shit happens at random: Wipers start on their own, horn starts sounding at random, doors won't lock or unlock, engine doesn't shut down after turning the ignition off, etc. I was starting to think my vehicle was... can't say the word... severely mentally challenged.
So I yarded the TIPM out - bit of an ordeal but it came out safely - expecting to reflow some cracked solder joints, but they all looked fine under magnification. What I did see, however, was stains on the board. Liquid stains, like residue from water that had infiltrated the TIPM long ago. The stains must have been oxides of the solder alloy or copper parts. They spanned many pins on various chips and quick meter test found that they were weakly conductive. Random, intermittent, partial (resistive) shorts that come and go with temperature and humidity. Lovely.
So, out comes the horsehair acid brush and a shitload of isopropanol. Cleaned up the stains, scrubbed every pin, reversed all disassembly steps, put it back in and connected it back to the harness, and ALL what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-you symptoms disappeared. I still drive this vehicle 6 years later and I have never seen this problem since. No sign of further water infiltration either, which leaves me scratching my head.
So yeah, even when the problem IS the hard-to-get $1200 power module, it still doesn't mean you need to replace it.
Good job Ray. Its nice to see people using their knowlegde and talent to do the right thing. Keep up the great content.
Great videos bud. I've been turning wrenches for 30 years and I never realized until now how entertaining it was to watch others do it. Glad to see an honest guy doing honest work. Never heard the term 'Predatory customer' before. Love it. Keep up the good work.
It's always fun to watch other people work.
loving the vids man..these new electric impacts have such good control and modes that allow them to be used as you are using them..I've been doing it for years and will continue to do so..
Great job on the battery terminal replacement. Hope that solved the problem. So obvious! Saved her bucks! Wish the terminal replacement was so easy in all vehicles.
I really appreciate the helpful tips and extensive run through of your thought process.
New to your channel, great consistency, I do wish all mechanics thought the way you do.
Some shows would have just put new connectors on and that`s that.
Glad see you go the 100% clean terminals. Thou in UK, we always put touch of Vaseline on top of terminal.
Prevent water penetration. Keep up the good work.
I’d love to see the customers face when you told her how much money you saved her.
First, need to see if it solved the problem