Comments by "The Underground Lair of the Squankum" (@theundergroundlairofthesqu9261) on "Rainman Ray's Repairs" channel.

  1. It's nice to see a customer get their differential oil changed. I suspect most people don't get this done anymore.
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  2.  @brunotulliani  That old timer is basically everybody in these comments in a few decades.
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  3. "Customer declined, will drive home backwards."
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  4. The wheel stud tool is also in the tool kit of Mercedes going back to the 80's, at least, so keep an eye peeled at the junkyard.
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  5. For all too many people, nothing is a DIY job. Air filter, oil top up, anything dipstick, tire pressures, battery terminal cleaning, they don't know how, and have no ambition to learn, and think it's somebody else's job.
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  6.  @tep1003  If only there was some kind of grease or paste one could apply to that mating surface that would make that problem never happen again.
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  7. Ray, I was mesmerized by the spinning U joint, too, but kinda disappointed you didn't shoot brake cleaner at it. Is it wise to use the words "end of transmission" in your notes for that Cadillac?
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  8. Also, if that odometer readout was based upon the spinning of a wheel and tire, well, try measuring the circumference of a tire when it's new vs. when it's worn out.
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  9.  @KentuckyRanger  Good for the life of the vehicle! (Buy new vehicle now, please.)
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  10. So many tools I bought, with nagging doubts about whether they were really necessary or if it was a wise use of money... that have just been solid performers that I'm so glad I had on hand!
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  11. Not having a drain hole/bolt is just uncivilized! My 80's Mercedes has one on its ATF pan. I have converted our fleet's Durango (46RE) and Econoline (4R70W or something) to pans with drain holes. (Dorman for the Dodge (it's fine !) and and an actual Ford part for the van.
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  12.  @frugalprepper  Been living in the south for decades, still put a thin schmear of antiseize where drum or rotor touch hub. Why struggle in the future? (I'm a DIY'er, the future mechanic is always me, so I take care of him.)
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  13. I belive the attitude is that mechanics are troglodytes who should be kept away from the delicate customers. But this adds another layer of communication problems, and the first layer is "customer doesn't have the vocabulary to express what the car was doing."
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  14. "But everybody does it!", says everybody who's doing it, which is almost everybody. But yes, when it's a problem, it's a problem.
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  15. That's not an error! That's just a rip off!
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  16. A long time ago, American comedy writer Jack Douglas moved to a remote part of Canada. He said part of his survival kit was a deck of cards, so in case he ever got lost, he could start playing solitaire and that would make somebody appear over his shoulder and tell him he was doing it wrong.
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  17.  @flinch622  Yeah, I spent the afternoon pondering, "Copper from where now?" Hadn't thought of washers.
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  18. Especially heater cores, which they consider to be a "life of the vehicle" thing.
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  19.  @ManCaveMachining  I DON'T HAVE LONG FOR THIS WORLD
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  20. Oh, now surely it's capable of much higher speeds than that. (Joke.)😄
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  21. And some mechanics who talk like you don't change out crush washers.
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  22.  @frankthespank  Out on the road today, I saw a Harbor Freight sticker on a Cadillac.
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  23. Zip tie craftsmanship.
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  24. Yeah, I thought it was unfair how everybody concluded that the Explorer would be safe and not fall over if it had some other tire brand on it. I'm sure there were other crappy tires for sale in the replacement market, but you never heard about those! Ford and Firestone were a huge deep pocket to sue. (Not saying they didn't deserve it...)
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  25.  @thomas7770  Ray played with that concept, too, I think.
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  26. Upvoted. ALL hoses! You're only as strong as your weakest link.
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  27. Just the fact that it's buried under the intake manifold, and, if things get worse, a valley pan, are reason enough to go with the best possible parts available!
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  28. I don't think the manufacturers even thought it would work out in the long, long run -- but it sure slaps together faster on the assembly line!
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  29.  @axl151  Which they have to, to compete on sale price/cost/profits vs other manufacturers, but egads, in addition to "make things that don't break", I think if a manufacturer could also put some effort into "make things take less time/effort to repair", could boost their long-term reputations and sales figures, too. Juggling all those balls would be very hard, though.
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  30. And an alignment rack! (That's a lot harder to justify the cost of vs. use of. But still a time saver compared to him having to drop things off at another shop.)
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  31. Yeah, I was confused he was using hand ratchet force for those. Doesn't the sharp impact of an impact tool shock the bonds of rustiness and stiction apart? Better than the long slow steady force of human muscles.
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  32. OTOH, if Chrysler/Dodge/RAM's suppliers can make a fuel pump that fails well short of a 100K miles, how good is the potentiometer? It's one of those "cost of labor to to it/while we're in there" decisions.
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  33.  @redrider7730  I have a Fumoto valve on my cheap Dorman stamped steel pan and it's a nice 'n tidy way to drain 1 gallon of ATF so I can add four fresh quarts. I used to wonder how goofy it might be to do a fluid change in between normal filter change services, then I noticed that the severe duty maintenance schedule for my old Mercedes recommended exactly that. I have two Mag Hytec diff covers in the fleet and like them a lot. Never felt the urge for more fluid capacity, but still might do their pan for the Dodge at some point in the future.
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  34. I would prefer some honesty in titles and thumbnails. Dullness and literalness, even. I suspect that's bad for business for a youtuber.
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  35. God only gave Job 0.2 hr for all of his suffering.
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  36. I think the service adviser is often guilty of filtering out too much between customer and mechanic. Or not asking enough questions.Of course, a lot of customers aren't very good with the details because they don't ... know anything. They'd mention the flooding if they knew that affected electrical things, but they don't necessarily even make that connection!
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  37.  @MonkeyJedi99  Yeah, uh, that's not a handrest on a normal transmission, either! Operator error!
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  38. Or use a beaker. Amazon sells beakers now. Yay, science!
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  39.  @nigelbarton8350  Kotter pins keep sweathogs in line.
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  40. And also know that the bubbles in your fancy funnel later on aren't from air pockets!
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  41. I recommend they get a bicycle and have someone lubricate the chain with parafin wax.
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  42.  @scottcampbell4678  From what i read, Goodyear looked at the contract and said they weren't going to make a tire that cheaply and opted out of the deal. But what you say about these tires not blowing on other vehicles, yes, definitely that's on Ford with their low psi spec, and supports the Firestone tire not being that bad.
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  43. In the year 2000, jacks like that could have attachments with vertical plates with holes to match common diff cover bolt patterns. Then again, somebody too hurried to use a ratchet strap on that would feel that they didn't have time for a dozen little bolts.
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  44. Double whammy? Or the same thing? Unmetered air is unmetered.
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  45.  @RainmanRaysRepairs  If we're not noticing mistakes and then fixing them, we're not learning!
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  46.  @Zepplin76  Yes, we're just dreaming of a world where they can serve as a line of defense against small valve leaks.
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  47.  @serge.l.1897  Scotty is loud, but he keeps it brief.
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  48. What do you expect them to do? Their house is full!
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  49. Turning the cleats out increases the inside diameter! The flat side of the belt is a larger circumference.
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  50. I've been wondering when that day was coming! EIther that or wide plywood platforms to lay on your belly and reach down into the engine bay. Either for low exotic cars, or these monsters.
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