This was the best diagnostic video I've seen in a long time. The highs and lows of thinking the problem has been found only to realize it hasn't. Then to actually find it. Those are the most frustrating and rewarding times. Great Job.
There's another RUclipsr called Diagnose Dan who does this kind of stuff all the time. Same meticulous process. He gets cars from other shops that have given up. I think he's Dutch or Danish but has all SnapOn tools.
Gotta be the best electrical diag video I've seen in a very long time. Proper mechanicing. It's difficult to explain how valuable being able to work with such expertise is to owners of older vehicles. I've seen too many places dismiss stuff like this as an older vehicle not worth their time or effort. Not everyone can afford to go out and buy a new car and to have people reject, decline or be unable to make repairs and tell you it's old, not worth it or whatever is very disheartening. I'm sure your customer will be incredibly grateful. Great job man.
Could have used someone this good on a 1994 S10 I used to own. Had to run emergency blinkers at night, tail lights blew fuse. Stop lights okay. Eventually thief took it.
A wiring harnes is a lot cheaper than a transmission rebuild! It really sucks when people get ripped off by other shops trying to upsell them on stuff they don't need. Good thing we got guys like Ray who don't rip people off!
There is no guarantee that they were ripped off. Alot of times Electrical Issues can Be heavily Intermittent and cause damage to the transmission depending on the failure. Its not entirely possible a worn out transmission developed an electrical issue further damaging it and when they showed up to the other shop the electrical issue was not present and They fixed the Screwed up Transmission. 3 Months Later they hit a Bump Just Right and the Electrical Issue Returns.
I had the perfect demonstration of this sort of problem. My 2004 Subaru Outback with just shy of 100 K miles started shifting very badly. The transmission was torn down to find burned clutches and other signs of damage. But after the total rebuild, the transmission was still not behaving. One trusted mechanic and one Subaru dealership later, the problem was still not resolved. Finally a second Subaru dealership located the problem. After several hours of labor, rodent chewed wires were found to be causing the problem. Now after another 125 K miles, the trans is still behaving perfectly.
I would hazard a guess the transmission shop pinched the harness during installation of the rebuild. The new trans didn’t shift leading to the error. Instead of maning up , the red brush on tape .
As a former diagnostic tech at a trans shop for 12 years, it's so sad that the trans shop can't perform any repair needed to get the transmission working correctly outside of rebuilding or repairing the transmission itself..... I always enjoyed electrical issues, cause it was always a challenge and no one else is the shop knew how to do it or cared to learn how to do it, so it was job security and self rewarding....
Lol yes, but in my experience knowing the shopci worked at and 2 other local trans shops, almost all builders know how to do just that tear down, and rebuild that is it!!! They are just taught that and that's all they do, when I would ask about a certain hydraulic circuit they were clueless, and I had to teach myself using literature they had with all the hydraulic circuit diagrams etc, to diagnose internal leaks or seal failure, valve body valve issues etc, which was fun being a mystery and finding the cause eventually, usually just warranty issues, most all new vehicle internal issues just got a full rebuild sold to the customer. I was basically a one man crew, but would get builder input when needed
@@natersalad889 I have had good dentists send me to an oral surgeon for a root canal the x-ray showed was beyond the dentist's skill. A wise skilled tradesperson will know their limits AND have connections to people who can fill in those gaps.
Many years ago my dad operated a salvage yard. He was gifted the Mercury version of this car with 60,000 miles due to a transmission problem. It slipped on the 1-2 shift. He babied it on the shift and drove it as his daily for another 200,000 miles. Yes, many broken springs, alternators and other maintenance items, but it kept going on the original transmission.
Hello Mr. Ray and good day to you! I had that exact same issue with a 2000 Taurus SE station wagon. The transmission went into 'limp' mode when that fuse blew. Instead of what you found, I found that the O2 sensor connector by the dog bone had gotten against the engine and melted to the point where the power wire would ground out against the engine whenever I turned to the right. I replaced the connector and zip tied it out of the way of the engine and porblem solved. As soon as you said limp mode, I knew it was going to be an O2 sensor. This video brought back memories.
I had the EXACT same issue with my 2001 Taurus SES. Also turned out to be an O2 sensor, mine was full of water. Replaced the sensor, sealed the back end with silicon and drove it for another 100K.
And the limp mode being second gear in this case made sense, because the "A" solenoid was responsible for shifting into first. Also, this would have been a perfect candidate for a thermal camera.
So many other shops would have fired the parts cannon multiple times and still never fixed the problem. Ray is getting it done and this is one of the VERY BEST troubleshooting and diagnostic videos I have seen in a long time. Amazing work Ray!
I watched the whole thing. I have to say I admire your integrity and as I would say pride in craftsmanship. It's not something I see too often in the workplace anymore. Two thumbs up to you👍👍
I got almost 300k miles off one of my Taurus’s before I finally sold it. My other one was on track for similar mileage, but my daughter totaled it (no one injured, her fault). Of course at the vehicles age/mileage it did not take much damage to total it. I only kept that last car as a teaching tool for my son on basic mechanics.
Good job finding the shorted wires. I'm guessing no other shop would have taken the time to find it. You and Mr. O are the diagnostic gurus. I loved my Taurus. The first car that I bought that lasted. All others fords rusted out in the salt belt.
Ray, your diagnostic was spot on. You found the root cause of the blown fuse. I had electrical problems with my 1991 Toyota Celica. I found a blown fuse but I knew I had to find the root cause which was a stray wire grounding to earth. Everybody needs a Ray 😊
I work in IT as a private contractor that specializes in hardware diagnostics. Basically I consider myself a computer mechanic. In my business we like to say that when presented with a scenario where many things appear to be wrong, whatever the actual issue is will normally be the hardest to reach component. 9 out of 10 times that logic has been accurate for me.
Ray. Well done!!!! I once had a car that required me to repair a harness once. In college I drove a 1970 MGB. Was not great to look at but mechanically in great shape (my dad and I rebuilt the engine and did a bit of blueprint and balancing). I saw another MGB one day, looked brand new and sounded way out of tune. I introduced myself to the young lady (about 2-3 yrs older than me) and offered to tune it up. We set a time a week out. I showed up and the car looked like it had been driving down a dirt road with black dirt. When she answered the door she broke into tears and hugged me. The car had caught fire. Main battery cable runs up to the front of the car with the rest of the harness... and the fuel line. The battery cable had finally worn the insulation through and shorted to the metal fuel line. Fire dept kept putting it out, but the pump supply was now shorted to everything else and kept pumping fuel. Cutting the battery cable at the battery finally put an end to it. She paid for the parts and I rebuilt the wiring harness (Main battery, brakes, running, left blinker, right blinker, fuel pump, reverse). Fuel line was patched with a piece of fuel hose clamped around the hole. Also tuned up the car as promised. She made me a nice dinner. 🙂.
They usually don't fuse the current testing circuit on multimeters. The board trace is usually the weak link. But I bet that trace was getting pretty warm!
@@damon20r ah, I stand corrected. I'm not an electrical engineer, Just saw it said 10amp fused in that configuration. Flukes are basically built like tanks
@@damon20r Actually Fluke 88V (Ray’s meter) has according to the marking on meter, the current ranges fused. I actually checked the full document and Fluke listed Fuse 2 to be 11A, fast blow for the 10 A scale!!!
@@FireStriker_Flukes are almost impossible to kill by doing a mistake, I saw a newbie connecting the leads wrong trying to measure voltage with it connected to Amps, blowing the fuse, everything else was fine, replacing the fuse got the multimeter recertificated and was perfect. Trying that os a cheap multimeter it would just blow/melt everything. That’s why newbie got the cheap stuff until they learned how to use.
Good morning Ray and happy hump day. When I was newlywed in 2004, we had a green 2002 Taurus 3.0. That car was solid better than my wife’s 1994 Saturn that we traded it for.
Great work Ray! Please consider trying a 1156 or 1157 bulb (depending on your load) in place of a fuse the next time you're working on something like this- the bulb will simply glow full brightness when the intermittent short exists and glow dimly with a regular load on it- you will not melt wires this way- plus, you won't risk blowing up the shunt in the DMM! I've used this method many times searching for wiring harness defect over the years and I think the method would serve you well. For larger loads I've even used an old headlamp as the temporary "fuse" - another advantage is you don't end up wasting fuses as well. Thanks for sharing your work with us, I always find it super interesting and enjoy your good humor on the job. Cheers.
I find it interesting that Ray's ammeter was supposedly fused at 10 amps, but passed nearly 30 amps. I'm guessing that Ray found the origin of the problem, but in the process he melted down both his test leads and that portion of the wiring harness. More or less short out the fuse and follow the smoke. Great suggestion using a test light in place of the fuse. Much better than "letting the smoke out".
Using a Digital meter is not the best way to go when monitoring for rapidly changing values- their is a 300-500ms delay in viewing the display due to integration time for the Analog to Digital converter in the meter, plus the display update, plus the autoranging range changes... I would say that this meter is likely toast and that the current shunt may have changed value due to overcurrent. I also would bet that the fuse blew in the past and that the new fuse is not a American brand such as Buss Littlefuse- many of the cheap fuse kits have grossly inadequate fuses in them and few blow as required or within the correct time for overcurrents. @@Scott.586
Great work and patience. I remember these days when I had a stolen and recovery 280 Z They would cut all the wires to get the ripped out of their way and you would either spline connectors from a new harness or run a new harness . Between the service manual and sheer luck everything would work. Again My background in the army in electronics repair 33B20 really came in handy when I had to diagnose the problem.
Had a similar problem with an O²-Sensor - brandnew - from the evil Bay. Because it was new, i was sure, the fuel-pump must be defect an replaced it. Nope. WE all here celebrate the win as you do!
👏👏👏 Hooray for Ray! You are a rarity Ray. 98% of mechanics out there wouldn’t want to touch a 200,000+miles car with a problem like that with a 10’ pole. Now, here’s the question, how do figure out how much to charge for this complicated and lengthy diagnosis and repair? Generally speaking, folks who own old worn out cars like that one can’t afford to pay the $100+/hour labor fee for work like that and that’s if you can find a guy like you who can and will do it. All props to you Ray for your persistence and honesty. I’m sure you will end up charging a fair price but don’t sell yourself short.
The cable may have been crushed when the transmission was rebuilt. However, I think you said that the rebuild was for the same shifting problem, so maybe it was damaged a long time ago. Absolute top shelf diagnosis Ray, much respect.
Yep, go first to the wiring with hot burny locations. Even if you don't want to. I actually suspected the AC at first, because the first 10A fuse blew shortly after he turned the AC on.
👍 fantastic job in your process of eliminating the electrical short that affects so many functions of that classic ford Taurus LOL 🤣 my first new car was an 1987 ford Taurus. Vulcan cast iron V6,one of the best car i ever owned.I had a mysterious electrical problem with it,every one or twice a year the fuel pump cut off relay would pop,i just go to it in the trunk and press the reset button and would be able start and run.Great video.
Good day Ray! The world needs more technicians like you. And we do t even need a Dave sighting due to your skills and knowledge. Kudos to you sir! Click!
My company had a fleet of cars, the Taurus was the #1 for the salespeople group. They seemed to be ok. Especially since the staff were very not into maintenance. Great work Raymond
I love a good detective story, with my afternoon coffee!😊 I think we need to indict the transmission company, for pinching wires, on install, CASE CLOSED!
That was great detective work. I laugh because when people find shorts many of them say "it's always the last thing I checked" Think about that for a minute. lol
Thats because they are not good at wiring. Especially if it shows up with the Problem Active. Fixing something that works is hard. Fixing something broken You touch very little - just enough to get to the circuit and unplug it and then Check it Youll find shorts super quick especially if you have a blown fuse.
@@ShiftingSkys I think you missed what I was getting at. Read what I wrote again. What you stated is obvious stuff BTW and not at all the point I was making tongue and cheek. Think about anything broken and you aren't sure what it is. When you finally find it that's the last thing you looked at. :)
@@scotts4125 I guess I do not understand that joke since Wiring is the first thing I check when a Componant is Malfunctioning. Step #1 Check Physical Connections. Step #2 Check Power, Ground, DL to Componant. What your stating based on your premise of your joke is obvious too. "Think about anything broken and you aren't sure what it is. When you finally find it that's the last thing you looked at. :)" Obviously the solution to your problem is the last thing you did.
Dude. I said it was maybe a bad ground wire or wiring harness. You nailed it. Good call. You never give up until you can figure it out. Thanks, Ray. I live in Massachusetts. Your awesome and honest mechanic. Thanks, buddy. Oh, by the way, I'm glad you all made it safe from the hurricane .
Consider using a headlight bulb as a test light in place of a fuse or your dvm. Wire it in series in place of the fuse. With 25 amps running through the circuit the bulb will light brightly and limit the current through the circuit. When a short is not present the blub allow 12ish volts through to power the circuit. Just a thought. I do enjoy your videos!!
Agree wholeheartedly with this suggestion. Ivan from Pine hollow has a similar setup with a bulb to avoid stressing the wiring (and your meter) too much.
What you did here, Ray, was AMAZING! How you were able to not only track down those burned up, melted and destroyed wires, but to get to and remove the wiring harness without taking half of the car apart was incredible. I thoroughly enjoyed this video. I'm looking forward to watching Part 2 tonight.
They tried to copy the Taurus look with the early AU Falcon, with all the oval shapes everywhere. They soon ditched that with the following models though lol
Ha. True. Not sure what they were thinking. Let's sell this revolutionary vehicle shaped like a catfish to a country who has a RWD sedan FAR more capable and solid with superior, more durable engines. It's not like the Taurus had significantly better fuel economy, interior space, ride quality, handling... Heck the US car enthusiasts were always jealous how Australia had the cool Falcons while we had....well....a car shaped like a fish lol
Shop I worked at in 1980s built machines for handling parts and feeding parts into machines for car plants. As maintenance I had a job of setting up in the front office an entire fixture for sub- frame and engine for the new Ford Taurus. It was dual overhead cam V6 and it was all quite innovative. I rememberit having head bolts that were not just conventional bolts but special head bolts just for that engine. Lot of totally different parts.
You diagnosed the problem the same way Eric O. does his, you both are excellent mechanics and treat your customers fair and square. Keep up the good work.
Sometimes when working on shorted lines , trying to find it, and I don't want to use up a ton of fuses I'll wrap some thin wire around a blown fuse so if I puff it I just puff a piece of the wire and just wrap some more. When done fixing then put in a good fuse.
Ive had more than one shop shrug their shoulders at me when I asked of they could diagnose an issue they thought was electrical. This is why I like Tay, he does the frustrating part and is positive about it.
Well done Ray! As an autoelectrician I salute you on your diagnostic skills. You are far better than many auto sparkies I could mention. I did wince a bit when I saw you pumping 25 to 30 amps thru that Fluke. They really are bullet proof, just don't go doing it too often, hey? Cheers from Downunda 👍
OMG. You had me glued to your step by step diagnosis through the process of elimination. Very easy to understand yet very hard to replicate. Man, I wish you were available here in Northern California. I have a 1990 Honda Prelude I could use your expertise with. You, sir, are nothing short of a true mechanic. Bravo!
I remember a Ferd Expedi-she-own with a 5.4L 3-valve from about two years ago at the old shop which had similar issues -- dozens of codes, violent fuse blows caused by a massive short, and it almost even melted Ray's test leads. The only thing this Ferd Taurus family hauling station wagon vehicle didn't have was that the Expedi-she-own did was a DOODLEY-DOODLEY-DOO code. Ray, as usual, always figures out what goes doodley-doo and gets to the bottom of the situation. Nice work, Ray.
Not European , we are uk , we suppose to be independent ,although we are on the same plate , like saying Mexicans are Spanish lol or Americans English , not offended just correcting ,although many brits believe they are Europeans
@@timjohnun4297 the germans call it a trunk So the word Europeans is not correct , uk calls it a boot , the Germans a trunk so incorrect not all from europe use the word boot.
Even the joy I felt when you found the issue was just awesome. This is why I enjoy repair work. I do not have a career in the Auto repair industry, but I do in the electronics repair industry, and sometimes the feeling I get after solving a multi day repair is better than any drug out there!!! Super Cool!! Good Job RRR
You are an awesome mechanic! You are not just a parts changer! You diagnose and find the real problem and fix it right! Awesome! I wish I could find a mechanic in Texas that was like you! Thank you for sharing your talent. Rob
Ray, I admire your willingness to trace and fix electrical issues despite the fact you are probably not officially trained in auto-electrical issues - except in the school of hard knocks. Very good. Just wanted to remark that you might consider adding a new word to your lexicon mate. In electrical vernacular, you almost never have a blown-up fuse (fire/carbon/fried). If a fuse is doing its job, it is either intact electrically or not. When it is not - it is said to be 'ruptured', and it is STILL doing the job it was designed to do. That is your word for the week - 'ruptured' - if you choose to adopt it. Great diagnostics on this one Ray.
that was a superb display of patience and intelligence and working systematically to find a very troublesome fault which made this one of the best diagnostic videos I've seen in quite some time. superb job Ray.
Man i appreciate this video. As a diy person... i love learning how to do things like this. You never know when the extra time & effort can save your bacon. Plus it helps me to understand what you guys do & how you do it, so i can communicate much more effectively when i do find something out of my wheel house.
What a fantastic video Ray. Shows the problems a wiring harness can cause. Anyone else would have packed up long ago. But you kept at and found the problem. Now it’s the tricky part repairing said harness. Thanks for a great video.
As I was watching this one, I was trying to diagnose what was blowing that fuse. In my head I was screaming O2 sensor especially after watching many Eric O and Ivan videos, I knew that’s what it had to be. I did however love that Ray tracked it down using his amp meter which was different than the way they did it. I have the same Fluke meter and it is phenomenal and expensive. I can’t believe it held 25-30 amps without blowing its own fuse. Thanks Ray for showing that there’s always more than one way to skin a cat. Nice work!! Can’t wait to see how you’re going to fix it. Have yourself a great day!!
Ray I like your approach to finding the problem. Process of elimination. No degrees in electrical engineering required. Common sense and a good meter plus not giving up.
That was some super Duper Diag troubleshoot reminds me of days of freightliners the wire looms in the dashboard. Eventually, you’ll get there well done Ray.
Fluke makes a phenomenal product! They gave me a tour of the production line when I was there to perform a service one day. I've used their products since the early 2000s. Great company and a great group of folks!
As a diy er I truly appreciate seeing the process and all the fails. I'm trying to keep two vehicles on the road that don't want to completely cooperate. Not knowing what test to perform where is my kryptonite.
Consider acquiring a digital clamp meter with Bluetooth. Load the app on your phone so you can monitor while driving or in you office. Very useful with cars that have the battery in the trunk or under a seat.
BROTHER ! This is such an amazing diag vid........ THIS IS AWSOME ! This is how people can learn from videos, especially noob types like myself who continually have problems troubleshooting electrical problems. THANKS BROTHER
This was the best diagnostic video I've seen in a long time. The highs and lows of thinking the problem has been found only to realize it hasn't. Then to actually find it. Those are the most frustrating and rewarding times. Great Job.
There's another RUclipsr called Diagnose Dan who does this kind of stuff all the time. Same meticulous process. He gets cars from other shops that have given up. I think he's Dutch or Danish but has all SnapOn tools.
As always, Ray is a first class detective when it comes down to chasing down and resolving electrical problems!
@@philipershler420Not really
@@polishhotdog933 What’s not really?
@@philipershler420 So, in witch class you put Ivan from Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics?? Masters class or even higher?
Gotta be the best electrical diag video I've seen in a very long time. Proper mechanicing. It's difficult to explain how valuable being able to work with such expertise is to owners of older vehicles. I've seen too many places dismiss stuff like this as an older vehicle not worth their time or effort. Not everyone can afford to go out and buy a new car and to have people reject, decline or be unable to make repairs and tell you it's old, not worth it or whatever is very disheartening. I'm sure your customer will be incredibly grateful. Great job man.
Could have used someone this good on a 1994 S10 I used to own. Had to run emergency blinkers at night, tail lights blew fuse. Stop lights okay. Eventually thief took it.
These Sherlock Ray Holmes episodes are the best !🤓
Agree
Was just about to comment something similar!
Junior high my dear Watson, Junior High.
I agree, we all learn from Ray. That's why I subscribe (way over 60 here, I am no longer in the DIY car repair).
Ray is like my deceased brother-in-law who could fix anything he put his hands on Ray is da man !!!
A wiring harnes is a lot cheaper than a transmission rebuild! It really sucks when people get ripped off by other shops trying to upsell them on stuff they don't need. Good thing we got guys like Ray who don't rip people off!
There is no guarantee that they were ripped off. Alot of times Electrical Issues can Be heavily Intermittent and cause damage to the transmission depending on the failure. Its not entirely possible a worn out transmission developed an electrical issue further damaging it and when they showed up to the other shop the electrical issue was not present and They fixed the Screwed up Transmission. 3 Months Later they hit a Bump Just Right and the Electrical Issue Returns.
I had the perfect demonstration of this sort of problem. My 2004 Subaru Outback with just shy of 100 K miles started shifting very badly. The transmission was torn down to find burned clutches and other signs of damage. But after the total rebuild, the transmission was still not behaving. One trusted mechanic and one Subaru dealership later, the problem was still not resolved. Finally a second Subaru dealership located the problem. After several hours of labor, rodent chewed wires were found to be causing the problem. Now after another 125 K miles, the trans is still behaving perfectly.
From the looks of that Transmission, it doesn't appear very clean to have been rebuilt!
I would hazard a guess the transmission shop pinched the harness during installation of the rebuild. The new trans didn’t shift leading to the error. Instead of maning up , the red brush on tape .
Why ray would be a Great person to work for
As a former diagnostic tech at a trans shop for 12 years, it's so sad that the trans shop can't perform any repair needed to get the transmission working correctly outside of rebuilding or repairing the transmission itself..... I always enjoyed electrical issues, cause it was always a challenge and no one else is the shop knew how to do it or cared to learn how to do it, so it was job security and self rewarding....
God you need patience though 👍🏻
@@DainSmart-vm7pc and experienced people!
Lol yes, but in my experience knowing the shopci worked at and 2 other local trans shops, almost all builders know how to do just that tear down, and rebuild that is it!!! They are just taught that and that's all they do, when I would ask about a certain hydraulic circuit they were clueless, and I had to teach myself using literature they had with all the hydraulic circuit diagrams etc, to diagnose internal leaks or seal failure, valve body valve issues etc, which was fun being a mystery and finding the cause eventually, usually just warranty issues, most all new vehicle internal issues just got a full rebuild sold to the customer. I was basically a one man crew, but would get builder input when needed
@@natersalad889 I have had good dentists send me to an oral surgeon for a root canal the x-ray showed was beyond the dentist's skill.
A wise skilled tradesperson will know their limits AND have connections to people who can fill in those gaps.
And most likely this was the trans shop's fault anyway for not putting the harness back in the right place during install.
Many years ago my dad operated a salvage yard. He was gifted the Mercury version of this car with 60,000 miles due to a transmission problem. It slipped on the 1-2 shift. He babied it on the shift and drove it as his daily for another 200,000 miles. Yes, many broken springs, alternators and other maintenance items, but it kept going on the original transmission.
Persitence and experience was the key ....when other techs were just too lazy or inexperienced to fully diag this problem....great job RAY!!!!!!
Hello Mr. Ray and good day to you! I had that exact same issue with a 2000 Taurus SE station wagon. The transmission went into 'limp' mode when that fuse blew. Instead of what you found, I found that the O2 sensor connector by the dog bone had gotten against the engine and melted to the point where the power wire would ground out against the engine whenever I turned to the right. I replaced the connector and zip tied it out of the way of the engine and porblem solved. As soon as you said limp mode, I knew it was going to be an O2 sensor. This video brought back memories.
I had the EXACT same issue with my 2001 Taurus SES. Also turned out to be an O2 sensor, mine was full of water. Replaced the sensor, sealed the back end with silicon and drove it for another 100K.
And the limp mode being second gear in this case made sense, because the "A" solenoid was responsible for shifting into first.
Also, this would have been a perfect candidate for a thermal camera.
This is my favorite kind of video. I love your methodical diag. Process.
So many other shops would have fired the parts cannon multiple times and still never fixed the problem. Ray is getting it done and this is one of the VERY BEST troubleshooting and diagnostic videos I have seen in a long time. Amazing work Ray!
that is how a real mecanik works !! GREAT WORK RAY !!!!!!!!!
I watched the whole thing. I have to say I admire your integrity and as I would say pride in craftsmanship. It's not something I see too often in the workplace anymore. Two thumbs up to you👍👍
I got almost 300k miles off one of my Taurus’s before I finally sold it. My other one was on track for similar mileage, but my daughter totaled it (no one injured, her fault). Of course at the vehicles age/mileage it did not take much damage to total it. I only kept that last car as a teaching tool for my son on basic mechanics.
Awesome find, nothing like the feeling of finding the gremlin after chasing it down.
Your troubleshooting skills are outstanding!! I'm sure you went home feeling the well deserved victory!
I love watching this kind of deep diagnostic repaired videos and i always wstching pine hollow auto disgnostic channel.
I actually expected a bad ground somewhere. Good to see you found it Ray.
Good job finding the shorted wires. I'm guessing no other shop would have taken the time to find it. You and Mr. O are the diagnostic gurus. I loved my Taurus. The first car that I bought that lasted. All others fords rusted out in the salt belt.
Ray, your diagnostic was spot on. You found the root cause of the blown fuse. I had electrical problems with my 1991 Toyota Celica. I found a blown fuse but I knew I had to find the root cause which was a stray wire grounding to earth. Everybody needs a Ray 😊
I work in IT as a private contractor that specializes in hardware diagnostics. Basically I consider myself a computer mechanic. In my business we like to say that when presented with a scenario where many things appear to be wrong, whatever the actual issue is will normally be the hardest to reach component. 9 out of 10 times that logic has been accurate for me.
One of the best diag videos you have done. Great job Ray.
Ray. Well done!!!!
I once had a car that required me to repair a harness once. In college I drove a 1970 MGB. Was not great to look at but mechanically in great shape (my dad and I rebuilt the engine and did a bit of blueprint and balancing). I saw another MGB one day, looked brand new and sounded way out of tune. I introduced myself to the young lady (about 2-3 yrs older than me) and offered to tune it up. We set a time a week out.
I showed up and the car looked like it had been driving down a dirt road with black dirt. When she answered the door she broke into tears and hugged me. The car had caught fire. Main battery cable runs up to the front of the car with the rest of the harness... and the fuel line. The battery cable had finally worn the insulation through and shorted to the metal fuel line. Fire dept kept putting it out, but the pump supply was now shorted to everything else and kept pumping fuel. Cutting the battery cable at the battery finally put an end to it.
She paid for the parts and I rebuilt the wiring harness (Main battery, brakes, running, left blinker, right blinker, fuel pump, reverse). Fuel line was patched with a piece of fuel hose clamped around the hole. Also tuned up the car as promised.
She made me a nice dinner. 🙂.
The 10 amp fuse in that fluke was hanging on for dear life
They usually don't fuse the current testing circuit on multimeters. The board trace is usually the weak link. But I bet that trace was getting pretty warm!
@@damon20r ah, I stand corrected. I'm not an electrical engineer, Just saw it said 10amp fused in that configuration. Flukes are basically built like tanks
@@damon20r Actually Fluke 88V (Ray’s meter) has according to the marking on meter, the current ranges fused. I actually checked the full document and Fluke listed Fuse 2 to be 11A, fast blow for the 10 A scale!!!
@@InssiAjaton Fast blow? something must be really wrong with with Ray's meter
@@FireStriker_Flukes are almost impossible to kill by doing a mistake, I saw a newbie connecting the leads wrong trying to measure voltage with it connected to Amps, blowing the fuse, everything else was fine, replacing the fuse got the multimeter recertificated and was perfect.
Trying that os a cheap multimeter it would just blow/melt everything.
That’s why newbie got the cheap stuff until they learned how to use.
Congratulations on your save. Finding the short or shorts in the wiring loom is every technology victory.
Good morning Ray and happy hump day. When I was newlywed in 2004, we had a green 2002 Taurus 3.0. That car was solid better than my wife’s 1994 Saturn that we traded it for.
My old Taurus that I bought New was one of the best cars that i have ever owned.
Yeah my Dad loved them. He owed three.
Great work Ray! Please consider trying a 1156 or 1157 bulb (depending on your load) in place of a fuse the next time you're working on something like this- the bulb will simply glow full brightness when the intermittent short exists and glow dimly with a regular load on it- you will not melt wires this way- plus, you won't risk blowing up the shunt in the DMM! I've used this method many times searching for wiring harness defect over the years and I think the method would serve you well. For larger loads I've even used an old headlamp as the temporary "fuse" - another advantage is you don't end up wasting fuses as well. Thanks for sharing your work with us, I always find it super interesting and enjoy your good humor on the job. Cheers.
I find it interesting that Ray's ammeter was supposedly fused at 10 amps, but passed nearly 30 amps. I'm guessing that Ray found the origin of the problem, but in the process he melted down both his test leads and that portion of the wiring harness. More or less short out the fuse and follow the smoke.
Great suggestion using a test light in place of the fuse. Much better than "letting the smoke out".
Using a Digital meter is not the best way to go when monitoring for rapidly changing values- their is a 300-500ms delay in viewing the display due to integration time for the Analog to Digital converter in the meter, plus the display update, plus the autoranging range changes... I would say that this meter is likely toast and that the current shunt may have changed value due to overcurrent. I also would bet that the fuse blew in the past and that the new fuse is not a American brand such as Buss Littlefuse- many of the cheap fuse kits have grossly inadequate fuses in them and few blow as required or within the correct time for overcurrents. @@Scott.586
if a fuse is blown, replacing the fuse is never the issue it’s just the result of a issue🤘🏼 good find ray!
Great work and patience.
I remember these days when I had a stolen and recovery 280 Z
They would cut all the wires to get the ripped out of their way and you would either spline connectors from a new harness or run a new harness .
Between the service manual and sheer luck everything would work.
Again My background in the army in electronics repair 33B20 really came in handy when I had to diagnose the problem.
When it comes to diagnosing faults “you the man” grab yourself a cold beer, you deserve one, but maybe wait till you get home😉
Had a similar problem with an O²-Sensor - brandnew - from the evil Bay.
Because it was new, i was sure, the fuel-pump must be defect an replaced it.
Nope.
WE all here celebrate the win as you do!
Great job finding that one. That took some extensive logical reasoning. You're awesome, Ray!
👏👏👏 Hooray for Ray! You are a rarity Ray. 98% of mechanics out there wouldn’t want to touch a 200,000+miles car with a problem like that with a 10’ pole.
Now, here’s the question, how do figure out how much to charge for this complicated and lengthy diagnosis and repair? Generally speaking, folks who own old worn out cars like that one can’t afford to pay the $100+/hour labor fee for work like that and that’s if you can find a guy like you who can and will do it. All props to you Ray for your persistence and honesty. I’m sure you will end up charging a fair price but don’t sell yourself short.
This is most certainly, hands down, the best troubleshooting video I've watched in a long time. You are amazing, Ray!
@Sarah-mg3gg If you liked this one. You’d really appreciate the diagnostics on Pine Hollow Auto channel. Every episode is in depth.
Once again this non-mechanic is impressed as all getout by your diagnostic skills! Great job, Ray. Thanks for the education and entertainment!
Electrical troubleshooting videos are very interesting. Thanks for making them sometimes. 😊
The cable may have been crushed when the transmission was rebuilt. However, I think you said that the rebuild was for the same shifting problem, so maybe it was damaged a long time ago. Absolute top shelf diagnosis Ray, much respect.
I’ve seen a lot of these circuit faults. I was suspecting an O2 from the start but you found the bad wiring. Nice job!
Yep, go first to the wiring with hot burny locations. Even if you don't want to.
I actually suspected the AC at first, because the first 10A fuse blew shortly after he turned the AC on.
Your expertise and persistence is phenomenal
car forensics at its best
You're a wonderful master mechanic. That diagnostic process was amazing. Best I've ever seen.
And that’s why GREAT mechanics like Ray are SUPER valuable to have around! Awesome troubleshooting Ray!👏👍
👍 fantastic job in your process of eliminating the electrical short that affects so many functions of that classic ford Taurus LOL 🤣 my first new car was an 1987 ford Taurus. Vulcan cast iron V6,one of the best car i ever owned.I had a mysterious electrical problem with it,every one or twice a year the fuel pump cut off relay would pop,i just go to it in the trunk and press the reset button and would be able start and run.Great video.
Excellent bit of detective work! Fascinating to watch.
Good day Ray! The world needs more technicians like you. And we do t even need a Dave sighting due to your skills and knowledge. Kudos to you sir! Click!
Great electrical issue diag video - fun to watch!
Phenomenal job. You are, without a doubt, a credit to the profession. Keep doing what you do.
Great detective work ! You are truly the rainman😁
My company had a fleet of cars, the Taurus was the #1 for the salespeople group. They seemed to be ok. Especially since the staff were very not into maintenance. Great work Raymond
Great job tracking that down.
I love a good detective story, with my afternoon coffee!😊 I think we need to indict the transmission company, for pinching wires, on install, CASE CLOSED!
That was great detective work. I laugh because when people find shorts many of them say "it's always the last thing I checked" Think about that for a minute. lol
Thats because they are not good at wiring. Especially if it shows up with the Problem Active. Fixing something that works is hard. Fixing something broken You touch very little - just enough to get to the circuit and unplug it and then Check it Youll find shorts super quick especially if you have a blown fuse.
@@ShiftingSkys I think you missed what I was getting at. Read what I wrote again. What you stated is obvious stuff BTW and not at all the point I was making tongue and cheek.
Think about anything broken and you aren't sure what it is. When you finally find it that's the last thing you looked at. :)
@@scotts4125 I guess I do not understand that joke since Wiring is the first thing I check when a Componant is Malfunctioning. Step #1 Check Physical Connections. Step #2 Check Power, Ground, DL to Componant. What your stating based on your premise of your joke is obvious too. "Think about anything broken and you aren't sure what it is. When you finally find it that's the last thing you looked at. :)" Obviously the solution to your problem is the last thing you did.
Dude. I said it was maybe a bad ground wire or wiring harness. You nailed it. Good call. You never give up until you can figure it out. Thanks, Ray. I live in Massachusetts. Your awesome and honest mechanic. Thanks, buddy. Oh, by the way, I'm glad you all made it safe from the hurricane .
Consider using a headlight bulb as a test light in place of a fuse or your dvm. Wire it in series in place of the fuse. With 25 amps running through the circuit the bulb will light brightly and limit the current through the circuit. When a short is not present the blub allow 12ish volts through to power the circuit. Just a thought. I do enjoy your videos!!
Agree wholeheartedly with this suggestion. Ivan from Pine hollow has a similar setup with a bulb to avoid stressing the wiring (and your meter) too much.
Awesome diagnostic I'm glad I stood to the end you are a great mechanic didn't give up and confirm the short excellent 👍 good job buddy
Happy midnight from Hawaii
I just love the rush you get when you find the smoking gun on these difficult projects. Great job Ray.
Ray we saw you fired the parts cannon at your experiment, LOL.. 😂😂
What you did here, Ray, was AMAZING! How you were able to not only track down those burned up, melted and destroyed wires, but to get to and remove the wiring harness without taking half of the car apart was incredible. I thoroughly enjoyed this video. I'm looking forward to watching Part 2 tonight.
Ford tried to sell the Taurus in Australia , they could hardly give them away . The Aussie Falcon was far superior
They looked like a cockroach from behind so no wonder they didn't sell.
I wish we had the Aussie Falcon stateside.
They tried to copy the Taurus look with the early AU Falcon, with all the oval shapes everywhere. They soon ditched that with the following models though lol
Ha. True. Not sure what they were thinking. Let's sell this revolutionary vehicle shaped like a catfish to a country who has a RWD sedan FAR more capable and solid with superior, more durable engines.
It's not like the Taurus had significantly better fuel economy, interior space, ride quality, handling...
Heck the US car enthusiasts were always jealous how Australia had the cool Falcons while we had....well....a car shaped like a fish lol
Shop I worked at in 1980s built machines for handling parts and feeding parts into machines for car plants.
As maintenance I had a job of setting up in the front office an entire fixture for sub- frame and engine for the new Ford Taurus.
It was dual overhead cam V6 and it was all quite innovative. I rememberit having head bolts that were not just conventional bolts but special head bolts just for that engine. Lot of totally different parts.
You diagnosed the problem the same way Eric O. does his, you both are excellent mechanics and treat your customers fair and square. Keep up the good work.
"You're gonna need a bigger FUSE" Bigger is always better. Bigger fuses make better 🔥🔥
😂😂😂
Piece of aluminum works
Sometimes when working on shorted lines , trying to find it, and I don't want to use up a ton of fuses I'll wrap some thin wire around a blown fuse so if I puff it I just puff a piece of the wire and just wrap some more.
When done fixing then put in a good fuse.
We are going to observe Circuit protection 😂 intro was hilarious 😂 0:10 @Rainman Ray's Repairs
Ive had more than one shop shrug their shoulders at me when I asked of they could diagnose an issue they thought was electrical. This is why I like Tay, he does the frustrating part and is positive about it.
Well done Ray! As an autoelectrician I salute you on your diagnostic skills. You are far better than many auto sparkies I could mention. I did wince a bit when I saw you pumping 25 to 30 amps thru that Fluke. They really are bullet proof, just don't go doing it too often, hey?
Cheers from Downunda 👍
sublime detective work
OMG. You had me glued to your step by step diagnosis through the process of elimination. Very easy to understand yet very hard to replicate. Man, I wish you were available here in Northern California. I have a 1990 Honda Prelude I could use your expertise with. You, sir, are nothing short of a true mechanic. Bravo!
Ah the good old Ford Taurus. The ultimate symbol to signal to everyone that you truly have given up on life.
2010 Taurus SHO was one of my favorite cars.
Not too dispute 0 self respect point
@@JHamister1 No judgement...
@@JHamister1 I edited it for you... I might have been a bit harsh.
I've owned several of them and absolutely loved them. They were very roomy and smooth riding while getting very decent fuel mileage.
O2 sensor heat circuit is blowing fuse, no brainer, ford problem, harness getting frayed….you are the one who showed me!!!
Fix
On a
Regular
Daily basis 🤣
I was taught :
Fix
Or
Repair
Daily
Found On Road Dead
Ha! An electrical problem diagnosis. Eric O. at SMA would be proud! 😄💙
Pine Hallow mechanic has the same standards.
I remember a Ferd Expedi-she-own with a 5.4L 3-valve from about two years ago at the old shop which had similar issues -- dozens of codes, violent fuse blows caused by a massive short, and it almost even melted Ray's test leads. The only thing this Ferd Taurus family hauling station wagon vehicle didn't have was that the Expedi-she-own did was a DOODLEY-DOODLEY-DOO code. Ray, as usual, always figures out what goes doodley-doo and gets to the bottom of the situation. Nice work, Ray.
Not European , we are uk , we suppose to be independent ,although we are on the same plate , like saying Mexicans are Spanish lol or Americans English , not offended just correcting ,although many brits believe they are Europeans
British isles are part of the european continent
We call it the bonnet in Australia, too.
@@hillppari I know ,But i do not come under the European idealism or the union for that matter that the Americans put out .
@@timjohnun4297 the germans call it a trunk
So the word Europeans is not correct , uk calls it a boot , the Germans a trunk
so incorrect not all from europe use the word boot.
@@XENONEOMORPH1979 Where did I mention boot? Or Germans? Or Europeans??
Excellent diag. As others have stated..actually have a Tardis ( our nickname), in our fleet...same year.. under 100k...thanks.
Haha! Finally! First!
Even the joy I felt when you found the issue was just awesome. This is why I enjoy repair work. I do not have a career in the Auto repair industry, but I do in the electronics repair industry, and sometimes the feeling I get after solving a multi day repair is better than any drug out there!!! Super Cool!! Good Job RRR
You are an awesome mechanic! You are not just a parts changer! You diagnose and find the real problem and fix it right! Awesome! I wish I could find a mechanic in Texas that was like you! Thank you for sharing your talent. Rob
Ray, I admire your willingness to trace and fix electrical issues despite the fact you are probably not officially trained in auto-electrical issues - except in the school of hard knocks. Very good.
Just wanted to remark that you might consider adding a new word to your lexicon mate.
In electrical vernacular, you almost never have a blown-up fuse (fire/carbon/fried). If a fuse is doing its job, it is either intact electrically or not. When it is not - it is said to be 'ruptured', and it is STILL doing the job it was designed to do.
That is your word for the week - 'ruptured' - if you choose to adopt it.
Great diagnostics on this one Ray.
that was a superb display of patience and intelligence and working systematically to find a very troublesome fault which made this one of the best diagnostic videos I've seen in quite some time. superb job Ray.
This was absolutely fascinating to watch unfold.
That was an outstanding diagnosis. Kudos Ray 👍👍
The amount of patience you showed this torus deserves a round of applause 👏🏻
Highest skilled diagnostic video I've ever seen. Brilliant technician. Great job Ray. Love your videos. Never say die.
Man i appreciate this video. As a diy person... i love learning how to do things like this. You never know when the extra time & effort can save your bacon. Plus it helps me to understand what you guys do & how you do it, so i can communicate much more effectively when i do find something out of my wheel house.
What a fantastic video Ray. Shows the problems a wiring harness can cause. Anyone else would have packed up long ago. But you kept at and found the problem. Now it’s the tricky part repairing said harness. Thanks for a great video.
As I was watching this one, I was trying to diagnose what was blowing that fuse. In my head I was screaming O2 sensor especially after watching many Eric O and Ivan videos, I knew that’s what it had to be. I did however love that Ray tracked it down using his amp meter which was different than the way they did it. I have the same Fluke meter and it is phenomenal and expensive. I can’t believe it held 25-30 amps without blowing its own fuse. Thanks Ray for showing that there’s always more than one way to skin a cat. Nice work!! Can’t wait to see how you’re going to fix it. Have yourself a great day!!
What a painstaking diagnosis with a triumphant end. Very well done.
Phew you did a fab job diagnosing the problem on this ford
Ray I like your approach to finding the problem. Process of elimination. No degrees in electrical engineering required. Common sense and a good meter plus not giving up.
Just gotta love these learning videos..the Detective caught the culprit!
I dont know that I have ever seen any mechanican like that In my whole life! Bravo!!!!
Top draw diagnostics Ray.....
Great result.....👍
That was some super Duper Diag troubleshoot reminds me of days of freightliners the wire looms in the dashboard. Eventually, you’ll get there well done Ray.
Fluke makes a phenomenal product! They gave me a tour of the production line when I was there to perform a service one day. I've used their products since the early 2000s. Great company and a great group of folks!
The world needs more mechanics like you. Great work.
As a diy er I truly appreciate seeing the process and all the fails. I'm trying to keep two vehicles on the road that don't want to completely cooperate. Not knowing what test to perform where is my kryptonite.
WOW. Thanks for diligenceing the fire out of this, literally. Keeping on with it. Helping us to never give up. Thanks again
So proud to know this channel one of the best there is ,S.M.A AND Jimmy making work are very good but ray the top man 💂🏻🇬🇧🙏🏻♥️
Consider acquiring a digital clamp meter with Bluetooth. Load the app on your phone so you can monitor while driving or in you office. Very useful with cars that have the battery in the trunk or under a seat.
BROTHER ! This is such an amazing diag vid........ THIS IS AWSOME ! This is how people can learn from videos, especially noob types like myself who continually have problems troubleshooting electrical problems. THANKS BROTHER
You have the understanding and intuitive feel for electrical systems that stymies many mechanics.