Comments by "David Elliott" (@davidelliott5843) on "Rainman Ray's Repairs" channel.

  1. I never trust a rattle gun - electric or air powered. Nip them with the gun then torque wrench to the correct setting. It only takes a moment.
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  2. Most mechanics have stories of drivers who either can’t (or won’t) use the clutch properly. My friend had an old customer who did around 5000 miles and a new clutch every year.
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  3. Old style diesels could cope with some gasoline in the tank. Today’s common rail systems are not so forgiving.
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  4. My car has a small filter that sits on its side. You can’t prefill it even if you wanted to. The good thing is you can loosen it to drain down the bulk and avoid too much mess.
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  5. WheN you put the washer pump back on the car, be sure to test that you have the front and rear screen tubes on the correct ends of the pump. Don’t ask how I know. :-(
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  6. Weak battery or weak alternator leads to low voltage, Electronics throw a wobbler.
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  7. Good mechanics don’t come cheap so it’s easy to work out why there are so few.
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  8.  @kapioskapiopoylos7338  I think he has an Aunt called Dot.
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  9. I have two 2007 Fiats with >120K miles no significant electrical problems.
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  10. Heavy duty poly dust sheet with high temperature trim adhesive does a great job.
    3
  11. I would happily work in a shop with cameras. It also consider wearing a body cam though as others said, managing the files would be a pain.
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  12. The door frames have not really changed since they had manual window lifters. So it’s no wonder the electric versions are such a pain. I also don’t know how they get away with leaving the cut metal with razor sharp edges.
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  13.  @122ffsdd  Hose clamps don’t go so well when you have braided hoses. Once you have them you’ll not want to go back to rubber hoses. A long nut with suitable bolt in the end works well to cap an open male end. PTFE tape stops fluid seeping down the threads.
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  14. The Spark is suggesting a simple piece of stuff wire with a clip on each end. You bend it so the clips can hold your wires close enough to solder.
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  15. The shop timing is perfect. Just as people stop buying new cars they’ll want their used cars fixing.
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  16. Low adhesive cloth type loom wrapping tape is best for (erm) wrapping wiring looms. It doesn’t leave the slimy sludge you get from PVC tape.
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  17. The usual way to dissolve carbon is caustic soda (lye). But that also dissolves aluminium. There is a special treatment available only to the trade. Car Wizard covered it about a year ago.
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  18. Hydrocarbon test of coolant would show if there are any head gasket issues.
    2
  19. I carry an extending wheel nut breaker bar. Closed up, it’s about 14 inches long and near enough 2ft when extended. I torque my own lug nuts but there’s not much it won’t shift. Cheap as chips.
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  20. Engines this big should be using a bypass filter. Swap the main & sub micron bypass filters and top up the level. Job done. If you are really fussy get the oil sample tested.
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  21. Freezing it solid is about the only way to scrap a washer pump. They get too little use to actually wear out.
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  22. That rusty axle (and everything else) cries out for some ACF-50/Lanoguard/whatever to soak into the rust and stop it dead.
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  23. That power ratchet is a huge time saver. Being a Fiat owner, I really should get one.
    2
  24. Ford engineers have clearly spent weeks designing that primary fuel filter for maximum UN serviceability.
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  25. I always use that stuff on spark plugs ever since I had an air cooled Yamaha 900 bike. It’s plugs lasted 10,000 miles but even with (less than) annual changes, could be a struggle to remove. Action Can CS-90 solved the problem.
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  26. Sort the new trailer ASAP and sell the old one. Recovers some cash. That trailer filled with “stuff” is a burglar’s wet dream. Make sure you have EXTREME security. Perhaps even fit a removable A-frame so it can’t be towed.
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  27. Oil filters are 20 to 40 microns. Bypass filters (as used on mobile plant and trucks) have 5 micron 5% to 10% flow filters. They are a great idea but are not easy to fit on cars. Sadly.
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  28. My car’s oil filter can’t be primed as it fits horizontally. At least it’s a small filter so it fills fast.
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  29. Best case Ford pay for new parts and maybe some labour costs. Next best head gasket. You pay the lot Worst case = new head or new engine needed.
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  30. I had a car with steering like the Mustang. It turned out to be the strut too bearings. Both dry as sticks. The new ones were sealed so likely to go the same way eventually. I love my 2ft breaker bar for jobs like this.
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  31.  @smithgiovanni39  It’s normal for an open diff (on axle stands) to turn the other side in opposite direction. It’s possible the rear diff has a friction material (self locking).
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  32. Ive had outer CV joints make a ticking noise on full steering lock (worn internally but no way would they fall apart.  I had the central retaining nut shear off on an Austin Mini which caused the wheel to come loose. Clearly dangerous, but it was not visible until it failed.
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  33. Complete rear axle trashed for the cost of a wheel bearing. OMG.
    1
  34. I use a lever type ball joint separator for tie rods. It takes a moment longer but never damages threads. My cars don’t have the unthreaded top end.
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  35. Should have put the tyre back on the wheel and told the customer to take it to a tyre specialist.
    1
  36. Swap the injector with another cylinder and see if the problem moves.
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  37. I have a Fiat Panda. Small but well formed. Cam belts are awkward but no worse than many other FWD cars. They are very modular and generally easy to work on. On rare occasions that engine has to be removed it’s actually an easy job.
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  38. Honda bikes have some horrible sump drain plugs. The hex is so shallow that normal tools slip all too easily. At least access is easy (?) After you’ve spent hours taking off the plastic and exhaust system.
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  39. If you loop the spliced wire back, your self amalgamation tape will hold it in place. Same idea works for heat shrink sleeves. I used to consider this is a temporary fix but jobs I never got around to doing “properly” have been fine so it looks like the solder can be avoided.
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  40. My car has a welded flange under the sills. The wheel change jack is slotted to fit around that flange. Inverted triangles on the sill sides indicate where the wheel change jack should be fitted. I use a slotted wood block on a trolley jack to lift the car but axle stands go under the lift points shown in the video.
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  41. The biggest culprits are bikers on high beam in daylight. You literally cannot detect distance to them. (Smart arse cyclists with 900 lumen LED set to dazzle everybody in the area while providing no useful light for the cyclist. Very slow drivers who drive on low beam at 30mph because they can’t see where they are going.
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  42. Humans did perfectly well until (less than) 100 years ago when cars came into everyone’s lives. We will continue to bd just fine when Elon’s cars do all the driving. Sadly we are totally screwing ourselves up with Tick-Tock, Fart Buck, Titter and mainstream news that hides 90% of what’s going on.
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  43. Apart from silly wiring errors and weak alternator, that battery will be suffering heat soak. The trunk would be a better spot. Oh hang on that 50 mile fuel tank has grabbed all the space.
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  44. If that car was in U.K. the whole area would be a mess of salt corroded and seized bolts, clips & wotnot. I recently did front struts. Forgot to get replacement drop links and spent an hour getting one drop link nut off. Had to slice it with angle grinder but preserve the threads. It’s now well treated with a high solids anti seize paste. But will probably never need to come off again.
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  45. Welding nuts onto stuck bolts is all about putting heat into the seized threads and providing enough “glue” to unscrew the old stud. That’s it.
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  46. Unscrewing that oil drain plug took a whole lotta wrenching.
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  47. Go for it but I’m sure you are aware that being fabulous on the tools doesn’t (necessarily) make you a successful businessman. Get lots of advice before spending on premises etc.
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  48. The rear subframe mounts have a welded in thread that takes the rubber mount bolt. These have rusted out. They “could” be welded but costs would be silly. You can’t just patch over something structural.
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  49. I’ve had good results with Loctite 518 anaerobic gasket replacement. It sets only when air is excluded so any excess can’t clog your oil galleries etc. it’s also easy enough to separate when needs-be. I now only use RTV when the OEM recommends- eg oil pan joints.
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  50. Hey Ray I drove through a puddle and my engine stopped. How deep was that “puddle”? Only a foot or two honest.
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