I am soooo Thankful and relieved... I'm thanking Master Mechanic Rainman Ray!!! Our car would start only sporadically, after alot of trying, and we had a hellova time worrying about getting to Dr.s, or anywhere, and then having to get home. It's been an ongoing heavy worry, and I can't even tell you how it got our blood pressure up every time we had to go somewhere, especially if we have to go to the hospital (we have many health issues)! Ted's been watching Ray's repair videos for a few years now, and knew Ray is an excellent mechanic. Well, long story short, we called and got an appt. We were in their office talking with them for an hour, and knew in our hearts we could trust him. When Ted got online this morning, this video of our car repair was up!!! And OMG! All I can do is tell you, if you're in the Bradenton area, and you have engine issues, I HIGHLY recommend Ray! It's hard to find honest, great, repairmen nowadays, and I can vouch for Ray, big time 🙂 Thank You Ray!!!! ❤

@Lanie1203

8 ай бұрын

I like hearing the comments from the actual customers. He's a valuable asset to your community.

@hdfxrs9121

8 ай бұрын

@@Lanie1203 Same here. This should be pinned.

@Lanie1203

8 ай бұрын

@@hdfxrs9121 I don't know what pinned means but it sounds like a good thing.

@omarvasquez6851

8 ай бұрын

I wish we had a Ray in our area, even after watching all these car repair videos I still got ripped off on a car repair just recently.

@jthonn

8 ай бұрын

When you have just one car, reliability is super important. I had an issue with a regal years ago, just like that one. Now days cars are so dang expensive, I don't know how people buy them. Everybody is not rich, I refuse to believe that. They need to make a law that every car manufacturer has to make at least one car that is affordable. It would help if people would stop buying them no matter how high the price, geech, I need to shut up now, I'm getting started on a rant.

Ray, that was a masterpiece and very satisfying to see the interior corrosion of the part that caused the problem. Major props to your light bulb that sacrificed its life for your viewers.

Being a retired electronic engineer, I always enjoy watching Ray diagnose what seem to electrical issues. I’m sure that there are many in the “Monkey Wrench Gang” that are unable to chase such problems as completely and efficiently. Ray for the win!

@qhew

8 ай бұрын

me too! i thought cause may have been the ignition switch but as it turned out was a downstream component. learnt all about the transmission switch & its location - new for me. i like Rays switch dissection at end showing corroded copper tracks. i always wonder if it could have been salvaged & reused to save cost of new switch.

@joachimkazmaier

8 ай бұрын

@@qhew nah, this one was too far gone. sure, you could salvage it, but how long until it starts to give trouble again? I don't think that is a very expensive part.

@miscbits6399

8 ай бұрын

Cars are complex electronic systems with an engine and drivetrain attached - too many mechanics don't/won't learn the ins and out of these systems (Those electronics may be cursed at but the most unreliable cars around today are still vastly better in terms of usability and maintenance downtime than the most reliable cars from the 1960s and that's almost entirely down to removal of complex mechanical systems which were constantly wearing) (In a similar way, airlines are complex logistical operations which happen to fly aircraft) A plug/socket in that state MUST be checked to see how water got into it, or else it'll ba back later (misaligned seals are common failure points) - and I tend to stuff them with dielectric grease to ensure that if water does get past the seals , it can't get to the actual connector pins (It's stopped repeated issues on a few vehicles with badly designed connector positions - telcos have used grease-filled connectors in weather-exposed locations for 60 years for the same reason)

@SunofYork

6 ай бұрын

@@qhew Me too- I thought ignition switch but Ray is the man !

Love these diagnostic videos, they really show you how to troubleshoot rather than use the parts cannon.

@wally1121

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for the autopsy. It's nice to know WHY something fails and to confirm that the "fix" was the correct one.

@gerhardschneider7506

8 ай бұрын

I completely agree, Ray's troubleshooting skills are on another level.

One of my first inclinations was the neutral safety switch, or range selector. But, as usual, Ray's total diagnostic method eliminates down the circuitry to positively diagnose (diag) the issue. The proverbial parts cannon will work at times, but one cannot expect a customer to pay for the ammo for that parts cannon when misses happen. A true diag goes the route Ray has taken. I'm so glad to also see a comment from the owner of this vehicle, the back story goes to show how important a good repair is.

@scannerlanier471

8 ай бұрын

My first thought was the relay. I had a 98. From what I learned the relays are subject to overheat the wire terminals on these.

First clue was brake light. The brake Reservoir looks like it might’ve been leaking or they have dripped brake fluid down on it. There was a recall on the reservoir from Ford about that switch also

@Dave-ty2qp

8 ай бұрын

Interesting and good eye Harrry. Thanks for the heads up on that.

@no.7893

8 ай бұрын

Ah the devil's in the detail, nice catch.

A peek into the mindset of a top notch mechanic. Very educational and informative.

Ray, you should be proud of this. Such a common repair on such a common vehicle. So many people are being saved right here 🎉😂😅😅❤!!!!!!🎉🎉🎉🎉

It's singular how the customer is worried about the possibility of the car not starting but not a sweat for the possibility it not stopping (checking brakes message)

Thank you Ray for the tear apart switch part. It makes for good understanding of how and confirmation of repair. It’s not done a lot for people to quite understand how or if it was the real problem. Keep up the great work. ✌️🇺🇸

@NemoConsequentae

8 ай бұрын

Seeing the guts of that switch was a _HARD_ confirm, there!

Nice job diagnosing the issue and giving this one-car family the attention they required to return their Taurus ASAP. Thanks also for the extra time to record the dismantling of that electrical component and showing us its inner workings so that those of us not in the trade can better understand how these types of components operate. Lastly, the pinned comment from your customer was a nice addition, I don't think I've seen much of that on your channel and think you should consider more of that type of actual customer feedback in the future. 💯

Knowing something is broken is half the battle of a technician , knowing how to repair it and why it broke is the other half . Just replacing parts is not fixing the issue . Educating the customer on or about why things go bad is also the responsibility of the repair person. Ray you do a great job of educating , thanks . Stay safe , have fun.

Good morning Ray. Back in 2004, I bought a 2002 Ford Taurus to replace my wife’s car that she had when we got married in 2004. A good solid car nothing special but dependable. That car had a similar starting issue so like to see what Ray finds.

Coffee's done, and it's time for Rainman Ray!

When I worked on the workshop floor many years ago [long since retired] we too had a battery booster trolley. For us, it was generally known as the "Volts Wagon" & yes, we had more than our share of VW vehicles in the fleet. [1970's & '80's]

@jamesmoore7106

8 ай бұрын

Great job on the diagnostics I just love watching you trace down electrical stuff 🤠👍

@SeanBZA

8 ай бұрын

So just how many times did a new hire go in and connect up a 6V battery to the wagon, while set to 12V boost charge. Or set it to boost charge, and go to lunch, coming back to a battery bulging and steaming, and acid all over the floor pan.

@AKChryslertech

8 ай бұрын

Thats it... im naming my jump box voltswagon.

@likearockcm

8 ай бұрын

Volts wagon 😂

@The_DuMont_Network

8 ай бұрын

@@likearockcm Volts WagEn

Twenty five years ago I drove a clapped out, rusty, (kinda goes without saying), 1981 Ford E150 work van. I never had to take the key out of the ignition. There was about six inches of slop in the shift lever linkage that prevented the range selector switch from contacting unless you reached over the steering wheel with your left hand and held the gear selector lever all the way up while turning the key to start it... Almost as good an anti-theft device as the sun-burnt paint and manual transmission in my twenty year old Hyundai....

@russellstyles5381

8 ай бұрын

Have a similar problem with lawn mower. Frequently won't start unless you hold blade activation lever back manually. Which means routing left hand through steering wheel to operate switch.

great video. I really appreciate the post mortems / failure investigations. It really helps confirm that the issue has been resolved.

What a mess and you are right, there would be no way to repair that switch. Glad you took it apart.

@2:30 Every time my mom had an issue with her vehicle not working correctly, she would threaten said vehicle by "work damn it or I'm taking you to the shop.".....and it would work for a bit. Also, vehicles *tend* to work correctly if something is intermittent at the shop.

Back in the day we could just bypass that switch and continue on. Not these days, when you have a dozen wires going to the switch its much more complicated. I suspected the switch and Ray did a great job of explaining the diag👊

Hi Ray, ln uk we have a tin of spray stuff called Damp Start. Spray all electrical plugs with this and it drys like a plastic film. This seals all plugs against water intrusion. It's the stuff rally cars use to keep water out of electrics . Used it on many of my cars an had no problems with electrics on car. If you want to unplug connection no problem. Just respray when you put it back together again. Why manufacturers don't do this l don't know. Rather get you to replace expensive parts. All accessories shops stock this in uk.Damp Start swear by it. You have a great day Ray.

@aliasfred

8 ай бұрын

I think here in the states they call it dielectric grease, surprised he didn't put any in the plug.

Loved this one. A great piece of diagnosis. I used to own a Land Rover Discovery 2 (not sure what they called it in the US), and they put that switch just under where the aircon drains where, so they were a common failure. Trouble was Land Rover stopped making the switches and a £100 part soon became £350-£400 if you could get one. Keep up the good work - I just love videos like this.

@skysurferuk

8 ай бұрын

Yeah. We've never been able to make good cars or bikes. Reliability & reparability are words that were missing from Brit manufacturers vocabulary.

I hate the unnecessary complexity in modern vehicles added to protect idiots from their own stupidity. In my new car (manual transmission) I have to have the clutch pedal fully depressed before it will start. I'm amazed that I managed to drive unprotected vehicles for 50 years without killing myself. In fact, I needed to move my old car when there was an engine problem (wet ignition during a creek crossing) by putting the car in first gear and cranking on starter motor to move to dry ground for wd40 application. You can't do that with a new vehicle. Love your work Ray, that opening of the "protection" switch was truly awesome proving your diagnosis.

Good day to you, Ray! There is nothing better than watching one of your videos, for motivation, before starting my day.👍👍👍

The hardest part of any repair, is finding the cause of the problem. Great job.

Looks like the brake reservoir might have been leaking on the neutral safety switch at some point, the dash had a service brake system warning.

The more things change the more they stay the same. Back in 1969 I had the same problem on my 1963 Impala. I diagnosis Ray's issue at the beginning of the video. Great work Ray!

23:19 I about lost my sh** at work hearing that. Hahahahaha

All that corrosion inside that is exactly why even though it has a weather pack connector, a little bit of Dielectric grease would have been key to keeping that thing from having a problem.

These intermittent faults are frustrating. Good video again Ray.

The most surprising thing is that the car was still managing to start at all. Lol

Intermittent issues are the worst to troubleshoot. Good job Ray!

I love these seemingly basic diag videos and post mortem of failed part/s. I read a bit below that there was some recall on that switch from brake master cyl leaking onto it. I wonder if it at all smelled like brake fluid inside that carcass. I never tire of your content Ray...keep 'em coming..you are a major asset to auto mechanics.

As thorough and trustworthy as Ray is, I'd let him work on my 79 square body anytime. Wish we all could have a Rainman.

This was a “Best of the Rainman”, for those days when Ray calls in sick and can’t produce a movie, just watch this one again.

So Ray "Columbo" found the "murder weapon" again!!! And we all saw the damage!!! Good Job again!! :D

I like it when you take stuff apart to find failure.......

Videos like this really help me keep 20 year old trucks on the road! I hate car payments!

Always glad to see an old Ford still on the road. Part of the muracle car network.

That was a master class in fault finding and fixing. I learn so much every single video. Thank you Ray. You’re fricken fantastic.

My wife & I absolutely love watching your videos. This video was awesome I especially like your disassembly of the faulty switch for confirmation. I know my wife was very interested and she even said it was really cool. She used to be a very good electrical assembly tech way back before I made it so she could be a stay-at-home mom full time. Thank you for your videos and the time spent educating all of us. So cool! You are the man, Ray, thank you so much. Please, please, please, keep up your awesome work.

Good morning Mr Ray hope y'all have a great day 😁 it's in the 50s in Tennessee in the morning

27:45 Living Ray's life with Ray; many, many, many ¼ turns at a time!

He needs to check your brake system that is lighting up on your dash. Fluids and switch etc. That could be brake fluid and water that got into the selector switch.

the promise at the beginning was fulfilled: "this is going to be a good video"

Ray...Your high school math teacher did well..teaching you to show how you got the answer....I got the same answer as you (neutral Safety) but I got it the first time you turned the ign switch...With an intermittant like that car's....neutral safety is 99% of the time..the culprit.

Rainman you are very thorough with your repairs looking forward to your next video.. best wishes from the u.k

I loved reading the comment from the car owner!! I am happy for them and I wish I lived close by Rays Repairs! Have a great day to all who travel here and an even better tomorrow for all your tomorrow's to come..

Thanks for pulling the switch to confirm the problem.

These kinds of vids are awesome! To take the extra time and open the highly suspected faulty component and actually confirm it. Interesting AND extra certainty! Love it!!! Oh and also come along in the detective work. Yay!!!

Nice to see a fault properly diagnosed rather than just shot gunning it with parts. You can confidently hand it back to the customer knowing it's fixed.

Thank for showing us half the process of hotwiring a car.

Ray, you are better than anything in TV, aside from my Dolphins winning. I’ve learned so much. You gave the me the knowledge and courage to change the valve cover gaskets on my sons car saving a lot of money. Did that 2 months ago and no more oil in spark plug tubes. Thank you sir.

You and Eric O dropped vids within minutes of each other. That makes my morning 😊.

@DeeGee-mv6eq

8 ай бұрын

Eric O fanboy....🤦🏻‍♂️

Rainman Ray Saves the day All your woes Have gone away.

For whatever reason your videos do not pop up in my feed anymore….. have to search it up every time now. Weird. But. Found ya. Cheers. From Canada

@AJwoodway

8 ай бұрын

Happened to me before. Checked subscription and it had been dropped from my list. Had to re-sub. Check you sub list.

It is always satisfying when a repair concludes with a flaming hot smoking gun.

Thanks for having videos ready for my lunch.

First class service from a first class mechanic good day to you Ray another most excellent video Ray but the most important thing is to have your self a great day Ray

After seeing the inside of that switch, it's amazing that it worked at all.

Videos like this are my favorites, troubleshooting a problem that I might be likely to have on one of my vehicles.

Makes me miss my '03 Taurus SE 3.0L Vulcan. Traded her in at 234K miles for an '07 Civic that now has over 313K miles

This video has pointed me in the right direction for a 2001 Mercury sable 3.0 liter with 91,000 miles on it I was looking to buy. I tried to start it and nothing happened. Turned the key back to off and tried again and the engine turned over and fired up. The owner said some times that happens, but they were not putting anymore money into repairs. I live in the upper Midwest and want a old beater car to use this winter that all ready is rusting away from road salt, instead of destroying my newer car. This was a timely video for what maybe the issue for that car.

34:53 To prevent arcing when hooking up to the battery: While connecting, attach positive before negative. While disconnecting, remove negative before positive. Now I'll wait for the peanut gallery. I'm sure Ray knows this, he just got in a hurry. And yes, I saw the charger had to be turned on but some people might not know which way to hook up to a live system.

Nice find on the Corrosion in the netural saftey switch electrical plug Raymond that could cause the intermediate issue 17:08 @Rainman Ray's Repairs

When Ray pulled that connector, I was waiting for him to check the contacts on the sensor with a mirror.

All that work in a matter of 40 minutes...it's amazing

My 2000 Ford Taurus left me stranded at my pharmacy. Because Ford thought it was a good idea to put the oil filter above the starter and over time oil would leak into the end plate and saturate the brushes everytime the oil was changed. Since then I change my own oil and have made a shield to cover the starter when I change the filter.

Gotta start the day with Ray😊

Love your videos I said at the start of it was the switch but what I love is you pulled it apart showing it great work I’ll never stop watching you 😎🇦🇺

Many years ago I had an intermittent start condition like that, I took the hot wire from the solenoid and used it to activate a relay, I used like 10G wire to feed plenty of amps to the solenoid and bingo, reliable start forever more.

Nice save ray!!! You did it again!!! Thank you!!!

Thanks for the video Ray

Another impressive diagnostic trail Ray!

Great diagnosis, Ray. This was a super video

Ray your like a magician , wow , you found that in no time. Way to go.

That is an amazing amount of gunk in that switch. Betting the seal on the unit was crap, and they drove through a puddle during wet weather, and the splash anti gravity ate it.

Excellent diagnostics!!

Cheers Ray... Off to bed, Will process and enjoy this video tomorrow. All the best to you and wife unit and the Ailien

Great troubleshooting Ray as usual. I learn so much watching your videos. Thank you.

Well done! Great job.

Awesome lesson today.. I alway get excited when Ray takes things apart to see if thats the problem..

Wow ,cool repair and great learning for me. Thank you Ray.

Another feather in your hat , great diag work and simple fix for an ace like you .

ANOTHA JOB DONE PERFECTLY!

I caught myself smiling when you realized....you got it!

What I like about this channel, all the cars you work on are total bangers that have one tyre in scrap heap. None of this fixing up Lambos. You should have a project thats a 'barn find' 1989 F-150 with a million miles on the clock.

Great troubleshooting Ray.

I worry about Raymond working too hard and then stuff goes wrong. So far little inconsequential stuff so that's ok. I am super impressed by the way he does not edit out when he drops a bulb or doesn't check the child locks ! Only a master of his trade has the confidence to do that.... He knows he is good and the others make far bigger/worse mistakes and say nothing

Its always good, when after an easy troubleshoot follows an easy repair!

Good morning, Ray. Thanks for posting this great content.

Thanks again for another lesson.

Masterful diagnosis.

Nice job Ray!Looks like the customer took good care of the car.Looks clean

Really amazing diagnostic skills.

Good save

had same problem with my 93 cherokee and when I set it up I used reverse to adjust switch. When the backup lights came on i knew i was close. I cleaned the old switch and used dielectric grease in it to protect and lube it. My old one became dry and that's why I reused it . Been well over 10 years now.

Shuck Ray, your concern for your clients is admirable. Great job Ray!

Great videos, watching from New Zealand 😊

Satisfying job that. Nice work