Total Transmission FAILURE? Circuit/Fault Codes?

[@Too_Many_Kittens]

So many shops would have condemned that transmission, absolutely outstanding work. I honestly got excited when you found that broken wire!!

[@hasmilalongk7598]

yesss....Agreed

[@johncraig406]

I would be Tempted to Silver Solder that circuit back together.....

[@notsureigaf]

That was a pretty exciting find. Once I saw how little metal was in the pan I figured the trans was probably OK mechanically, that looked pretty normal for an original trans with 130K. Ray might have saved the owner a couple grand.

[@adotintheshark4848]

this is because they won't take the time to diagnose. They just throw parts because they can make more money. Also, a mechanic who's worth his salt would never work at a dealership.

[@dcolb121]

Yep

[@RI-ns8wz]

OK: I have been a computer/network tecnician for almost 40 years, (began with gigantic mainframes) and grew in a mechanic garage, lending a hand to my father whenever He needed...until my, say...30 years... so, I think I have the "diagnosis knowledge" from both worlds, so different, but, sometimes sooo equal! Nowadays the frontier between them has not dissapeared but....almost !. This time You have performed an admirable "workshop", let me say "Memorable lesson" about diagnosing !! Finding that little broken "leg" was not luck...It was pure logic+knowledge+perseverance. OLD SCHOOL, at It's BEST! "Chapeau", my friend!

[@nohandleleft]

I'd be inclined to spray it down with brake cleaner and solder it back together, maybe place a very thin rubber strip over that side of the module to prevent it vibrating apart in future. Should be good to go.

[@just-another-guy]

That was my thought. I would have done that if it was mine. Not sure about doing it on a clients though as it's more of an experiment.

[@StrongDreamsWaitHere]

Yes, but then he owns it if it breaks again, plus there might be more faults that he didn’t see. Remember the scan tool showed two solenoid faults.

[@just-another-guy]

@@StrongDreamsWaitHere ahh yes it did. I had forgotten that. Yes they could be linked, but they might not be. It is for sure something to try on your own vehicle and if it works, you can pass it along in the future as a potential saving and also as a selling point for fix don't throw away.

[@StrongDreamsWaitHere]

@@just-another-guy my son-in-law would definitely prefer to spend many hours under the car and solder the connection himself, and he would consider it a win even if it broke again after 100 miles. I have better things to do with my time, and would rather order the replacement part with a warranty.

[@norfolkngood8960]

@@StrongDreamsWaitHere could be a shared ground or that another solenoid operates in conjunction with that one so if one fails. We'd need to see some diagrams to confirm

[@AquaPeet]

After the 168 bolts without any springen sproingen I applaude your perseverance and congratulate you with your success in finding the problem, Detective Ray!

[@geordiegixxer]

Cracking diagnosis man. You went WAY further into that than I would. Yet again saving the customer money. Top job 😀👍

[@hasmilalongk7598]

Agreed

[@timewa851]

@@hasmilalongk7598 now comes the awkward part.... customer will have to come retrieve their Nissan from the garage bay. No room in the cab for bothRainman & his gynormous nutsack. Well done. I pull direct & reverse clutches & one-way sprags to repair springs & seals, but I do not mess with intact valvebodies. Nope. Need a schematic & tutorial for that krap.

[@Paramount531]

Since it is in Ray's shop for a second opinion, I'd love to know what the first one was. I'm guessing it was "you need a new transmission at $X.000."

[@legionofanon]

Ray you reminded me of a channel I used to watch here, their last video is now about 8 months ago. They are Precision Transmission. Richard gave a ton of great information when it comes to rebuilding transmissions. I think for your valve body you pulled out here, it looks like you only needed to remove the perimeter bolts to remove the valve body. with that it looks like you can reinstall the filter before putting it back in the transmission, especially considering the pass through bolts it has

[@Docthewrench]

I loved that channel. Then his fucking son fucked his dad over for pussy . My heart broken for Richard..All that knowledge his dad Gave him. His son is worthless piece of shit and I would personally teach him a few martial arts.

[@ryulee458]

Richard and Trent from transmission position are professional experts and total take down and rebuilt transmissions I watched there videos as well but for some reason they stop making videos I don't know what happened did Richard died we don't know we're in the clueless area

[@bigkenny93]

Richard and Trent had family problems and split up. Richard now has his own channel. Richard and Teresa's educational transmission videos is the channels name.

[@ryulee458]

@@bigkenny93 wow thank you I had no clue it's sad that they had a fall-out cuz that was my morning videos besides Eric the car Guy bad guys awesome too

[@bigkenny93]

@ryulee458 no problem! Richard is still putting out great content, go check it out!

[@JRS-iq9pz]

Can't wait to see you put that transmission back together.

[@BoringOldXboxGamer]

Just watch the video in reverse.😁

[@weirdwillie]

​@@BoringOldXboxGamer no dont do that. Cause then that means he will be breaking a fixed transmission 😂

[@arteepee]

I always get nervous when I see electrical connections/wires in a fluid - I have to keep reminding myself that not all fluids are as electrically conductive as water! Nice find Ray! :-)

[@spencerm106]

I think you'll find water isn't actually conductive (in its pure state, of course). It's actually dissolved ions and particles etc. that make it conductive.

[@slammedniss]

Awesome diagnosis. It's always nice to see a mechanic whose thought process isn't to just parts-cannon the shit out of something.

[@stevehamilton9418]

Instead of being a parts changer, as so many are, this is how a tech is suppose to perform…great job finding the problem, Ray! Nothing like due diligence for your customer, this is how you build a name for your company!👍

[@ProToolsApproved]

What a great video. I celebrated with you finding the broken connection. I know that feeling when you're in unknown territory and the culprit shows itself! Great job.

[@hasmilalongk7598]

Agreed

[@ItsReklus]

Good find Ray, Love how you said 'i don't know what i am doing' about 2 minutes later confirmed kill on that valve body control unit. Absolute god tier automotive knowledge

[@ManleyMachines]

All 4.0L suffer from the vaporlock by heat on the fuel rail. They make an insulator, but it barely works. I did a video of it on my channel.

[@b2hibry]

Nice! A complete reman. VB TCM/solenoid pack is around $250 and only $150 for the Bosch board. Beats the snot out of a complete trans.

[@Sir_Uncle_Ned]

This is one of the many reasons people seek you out. You go well beyond the quick solutions other shops prefer and get to the heart of the problem

[@landongere7091]

This is the kind of thing I like watching you do. Great diagnostics. Not just parts cannon stuff. Well done, Ray!

[@russelldresh7832]

As always you hit the nail right on the head. Your ability to fault find and fix is second to none. Live long and prosper.

[@elrobo3568]

Check for a recall on that, they had a lot of problems with those breaking and maybe they will provide the part to replace it. Great job.

[@TheCRTman]

For someone who doesn't specialize in transmissions and says he doesn't know what he is doing, you sure knew what you were doing!!! Amazing video.

[@ToddAdams1234]

I never had any idea what those e-trans looked like inside that V-B area. Thanks for the brief education Ray 😊

[@tacobell7541]

What's an e- trans?

[@ToddAdams1234]

@@tacobell7541 electronically controlled shifting transmission

[@mikepickett3277]

Great diagnosis Ray. Persistence, never give up. It’s only nut and bolts and in this case faulty connectors!

[@Smakheed]

FYI Ray, when removing the valve body, any bolts with nuts on the bottom do not need to be undone until the body is out, they are there to hold the pack together.

[@GrayRaceCat]

Correct, and none of the bolts behind the filter needed to come out to remove the VB.

[@samholdsworth420]

Pro tip

[@Grumpy-sy7wr]

This is why some of us love TorqueFlites and Powerglides so much. NO wires! Transmission fluid makes for a wonderful shampoo. I highly recommend you try it Ray.

[@mikebrookerd5833]

Great diagnostic video. Gone are the good (?) old days with the check balls that always drop out when you remove valve body. 😂

[@alfiestein7977]

Repaired one of these a few years back. Had to use a jumper wire as vibration just breaks the solder joint. The first repair lasted 4 months with just solder. Second repair with cleaning, abrasion and jumper wire is still working to this day. Had to grind a bit of plastic away to make a good joint.

[@waldogarcia2605]

Nice find. The "let's see if this works" part of me would try to solder the connection to see if it works. But I agree with put a new one in for the customer.

[@wjsj69]

Anywhere else on the planet, this truck gets a whole transmission. Lucky customer to find Raymondo. This is inspiring Ray, nice work!

[@domrodgers70]

I think I would be tempted to try and temporarily solder that connector back together to see if it fixes the problem and to see if the trans is junk or not.

[@desotosky1372]

I would think the labor hours and increased customer inconvenience would not be worth a potential comeback. It is a different scenario when you are working on your own vehicle.

[@domrodgers70]

@@desotosky1372 yes, you're probably right. It's just me thinking of how I would go about it, if it was my car 🙂

[@nick1822]

99/100 shops would have condemned the transmission. You are one of the very few good mechanics out there willing to take the extra time to fully diagnose issues instead of throwing parts at a vehicle. I would much rather spend the extra money on diagnosing labor rather than waste money on throwing parts at my car hoping it fixes the issue without knowing what the culprit was. No one learns anything that way. Now when the same issue pops up for someone else they know where to look and there’s a solid chance (not 100% obviously) that they may have the same problem with the same make of vehicle. Good work ethic pays off both financially and morally.

[@Richie107]

Ray it looks so dramatic with the valve body laying in a blood soaked towel.. Great troubleshooting and determination. I love the adventurous mindset you have not being scared to dive into taking things apart to see how they work. Bravo SIR

[@samholdsworth420]

That's not blood that's cherry juice

[@russellstyles5381]

@@samholdsworth420 That's what we called it in Army. Had trouble getting it, not front line unit. Some Nissan's use blue fluid. Not sure what that is called. Smurf blood?

[@enesfazlic6017]

I done this repair on the Trans module on a Nissan Navara years ago and its still going today

[@jayweiland]

Commenting to help the channel. Awesome videos Ray! I love watching them with my coffee every morning. Have yourself a wonderful day.

[@spellcrafter23]

Probably happened when the transmission cover modification was done to add the nice concave design... Good find!!!

[@ford6]

As someone who serviced that family of transmission on fleet vehicles, the amount of sparklies is very good. FYI: heavy vibrations are the bane of that valve body. Most 4wd models get new valve bodys around 150,000 miles do to this.

[@abdul-kabiralegbe5660]

Good to know!

[@shadowofchaos8932]

Proper diagnostic you have done. You stay safe!

[@john_thorpe]

From what I can find online, replacing the V-B would be a lot cheaper than replacing the trans... course it depends on where Ray gets it. Also, from the way it looks, it looks like it comes as one piece with the solenoids attached. So based on that he just needs to unbox and place into the underside of the trans, reattach the filter (or the filter before putting it into the trans cause of the pass-through bolts) replace the cover and fill. Hopefully Ray ordered a new pan as well cause of the bend in the original one. Looks like they used that as a place for a jack when they were replacing the engine... but that's my guess.

[@georgewaring7168]

Totally agree with your diagnosis on that pan John.

[@GReaper]

Agree on the pan, get a new one on there. It would be fine as is, but since its structure has already started being compromised, a new one is a good idea. Also, the filter/strainer should be replaced since he's down there, as a matter of course. Although he may run the old fluid first to confirm fix, then change it when changing the fluid.

[@StrongDreamsWaitHere]

Even if Ray bought a whole new reconditioned transmission and just swapped the valve body, it would be cheaper on labor alone.

[@ahmadghosheh3104]

That's a good chase. Yes, those are super common breaking points. Should be able to get a new after market board. I have seen some people solder them back if it's not trashed.

[@hoseman1]

You are a braver man than I am, the last time I opened a transmission ball bearings went everywhere.

[@roccozarcone4393]

Great job absolutely took the time out. Patience is a virtue.❤

[@ken2tou]

Great diagnosis Ray! Thanks! I look forward to seeing the follow up after the repair.

[@Carp4125]

A great "show N tell" video. I'll bet every other shop would replace the transmission. The more I read and the more I see your videos, the less faith I have in most repair shops. Such great ethics Ray. Keep on with that and you'll sleep well at night.

[@squishy312]

If a newbie like me can rebuild a transmission, you definitely can. That amount of sparklies looks like a normal wear in amount rather than any real damage. The clutches might be slightly smoked, but the solenoids not being connected is a confirmed kill. I'd also recommend looking up the solenoid resistance amount and make sure that they are all within spec. It's just an ohm meter check and really simple. Valve bodies are the way more difficult part than the inside of the transmission. Mine had springen sproings and pistons valves, and a check valve to put in when putting it back in from underneath. It was an extreme pain until I got some super thick assembly grease. Had to take the valve body out a few times cause it was shifting weird... turns out, I had mismatched to giant c-clips on the second brake clutch. After repairing that and resetting the transmission, it ran like a dream.... never needed any valve body work. But I did it anyway, and put a shift kit in it. Looking forward to the follow up vidjao.

[@williambeckett2621]

I like that you are not afraid to look for the cause of the problem. I was the same way back when I was a VCR tech.

[@deniscudahy4549]

Brilliant find well worth the time just to see exactly what the problem is 👍👍👍

[@chrisdotson6417]

Let go Ray.... 500K. Rooting for you man, and keep up the Gravity.

[@Myrune1]

I would like to see part two on this one. Good catch.

[@grassroot011]

Good find there Ray. And we all learned something !

[@davidhomen4528]

Great job Ray! I remember in the past you said you don't work on transmissions. Kudos to you for diving into unknown territory! I love the videos! Keep them coming! BTW, haven't seen a wife unit video in a while.

[@proudcanadian5713]

Absolutely great diagnosis, Ray. You did the right thing and have saved that customer a ton of money which I'm sure he's grateful for after buying a new engine. As someone else said, another shop would have said, new tranny and could have made it even worse if they used the same module.

[@richarddouchkov9453]

very fascinating. Love your work. Such diligence and perseverance.

[@bioman1300]

We learned a plethora of new things today!!!

[@CV-uy1jc]

Awesome video!!! Outstanding diagnosis and find. I hope there’s a part 2. Very curious to see the final outcome and maybe education on the cost difference or savings. Once again, Great Job!

[@declanoshaughnessy7733]

Fair play Ray well done many would look at a fault in an automobile and just install a exchange transmission good work always pays off when the mechanic has experience best wishes from Ireland cheers Declan 👍 hope all is well

[@jimburgess9205]

Another day, another Ray. Yay!!!

[@michaelrobbins9679]

I love your old school dig in and find the issue proffessional attitude! Ray isnt a parts swapper! He is the real deal!

[@zevgoldman6769]

You are good, but you are also brave and skillful enough troubleshoot that transmission. Well done, Ray.

[@ryannugent5007]

I have literally grown into a the mechanic i am today and continue to grow and learn all because of your videos amd what you teach. I use everything you show in your videos. Thank you so much for creating your videos. And being new to flat rate you have saved me so much time and your diagnostics I have used a lot as well. It makes me look look much better and more professional than i probably am. Again thank you so much for video's!!

[@gcrauwels941]

A good feeling when you have to dive deep and you find the problem.

[@hestheMaster]

If you came to see Ray do a complete transmission fix ,forget it. This is as close as he has ever gone into one and found exactly what was wrong. High marks and praise for going to save the owner some big bucks!

[@iillaamusic]

All of the transmission fluid "left over" from the pan seems glittery to me, and from the camera perspective. It's shiny!

[@greasee.monkey7224]

That is professional. Tore it down to the point of failure to confirm a suspicion, instead of just condemning the trans. Excellent call Ray. Well done!! 👍👍

[@clivelawford9827]

Great work Ray. Perseverance definitely pays off in this case😮.

[@arsinoeivlostprincess4228]

I had a hot start issue after sitting for more than a half hour. I replaced the schraeder valve on the fuel rail fitting which I had damaged with a faulty pressure gauge. Pressure would slowly leak out. So, pinhole leak. Replacing the innards of the valve seemed to fix it.

[@OwenLowe]

Intrepid patience and persistance - terrific work - Inspirational

[@ronsloan7662]

Hey Ray, now that was different. Full kudos to you for digging into that one. Great diagnostic work on your part for going with your gut instinct and digging into it even though it was unfamiliar territory. I'm really looking forward to the next installment. Cheers!

[@treehuggermc]

how could that have broken i wonder... thanks Ray, love the content. much love from Texas

[@norfolkngood8960]

Mechanical feedback

[@ricgunn1439]

😢those pins look fragile

[@GReaper]

@@norfolkngood8960 Probably from whatever caused the pan damage, which probably happened at the shop that put the new engine in. It was made to seem like the issues arose after the engine was replaced. So the other shop probably dropped it while attempting to do something with the engine, which makes it their fault. Also, not wanting to point the scam finger, but who knows if maybe they did it on purpose? I would think it was more likely just carelessness in this case though.

[@williamhenderson9535]

Lol. I learned more about a transmission from Ray in a fast few minutes than I previously knew about them period. Thanks for the info!!!

[@joeapple8449]

Looking forward to seeing the follow up video

[@dustcommander100]

That was masterful! Drilling down to the failure point completely.

[@cwniehaus6487]

What a save bro. Now i'm not so weary of tearing an auto trans apart. or at least to the level you did. great catch. Also, I'm noticing that you're getting awfully close to that 500k sub mark. woohoo.😁

[@scottray103]

Jeep project. I had an old LTD, that would vapor lock only during the warm months of the year, and after the engine was warmed up. Eventually had to replace the fuel pump. It apparently was just weak so hopefully that’s a starting point for you Ray.

[@danielwhite3162]

Remember, you become the warranty after you take action

[@jwray9799]

Yep... 10ft or 10 seconds warranty...

[@Leon-qc7fe]

You can explain the options and change or give no warranty for the option the customer selects. For example tell the customer about the other wear and give the option to the customer to change the valve body or the entire trans. If you change one part inside the trans only warranty the part and write it on the bill. " Needs entire transmission replaced cust did not want replaced at this time. If transmission fails within 90 days credit paid for labor will be given to cost of labor and parts of total transmission replacement"

[@articchar-lf]

Well done Dr. Rainman! Fistbump 👊 !! Critical thinking, objective reasoning, common sense... Even Japanese Chryslers don't get through this!

[@richardsmith2721]

Wow! What you just did looks a lot more intimidating than dealing with gears and clutch packs.

[@pc-yx9uh]

this is some serious troubleshooting! i'm a board level tech, and this dedication is awesome! it is more about time management, but the dedication is spectacular.

[@johnmarino4085]

I admire your courage to go deeper to save your customer having to replace the transmission. Just make sure that you share that even with the minimal metal damage you found a shorter life expectancy exists.

[@Brettsharplpn]

If he worked on your car would you skip that video... I'm sure the owner will.

[@djsi38t]

All transmissions have that bit of debris,its completely harmless.

[@michaelbolton2741]

As others here have said, I'd have attempted to repair that circuit break with solder and bus wire (tinned copper wire) for extra mechanical strength. I've so "stitched" together copper foils on broken circuit boards, with success. Tedious, but it can be done. Great work, Ray. Sometimes, one has to dive headlong into a problem to learn how to solve it. 😉👍🏼

[@colinspencer2205]

I thought you might have a go at soldering that connection

[@zeeblats]

Once again, I am in awe of your perspicacity.

[@mauserwinchester]

Those sparkles look like normal bedding in leftovers Ray, I wouldnt be concerned about them, I know you will give it a service when you have it back together, the customer will be happy.

[@terminallygray]

I love it when I'm right and Ray, you found the exact cause - which will make the same problem I was yelling about during the first part of this video. The broken trace will take the solenoid out of the picture. (which is same thing, electrically speaking). At the beginning (when Ray was test driving) the transmission wouldn't downshift after it got into high gear, like it was stuck in high gear. I had the same problem on my S-10 that I owned many moons ago. I took it to my transmission man and he knew exactly what happened (common issue). After he replaced the bad solenoid, it worked like new. I got out easy....This guy has to spring for the internal parts of the tranny. It's just "a little" more costly. But Ray had mentioned that problem with GM trucks in his "dealership days".

[@stefanbatist]

Hey Ray, how about unpouring instead of draining? Just like the unclicks 😁

[@legionofanon]

I feel like its still pouring, just from the vehicle to the container instead of the container to the vehicle. Unpouring still works

[@aniciorossitorella7794]

You are a monster. Your skill and ability in troubleshooting are unbelievable. Many, many compliments.

[@Starchface]

Nice piece of work. Now remember it appeared there were TWO solenoids with no current. You found one with both connections severed. By my math that leaves one unaccounted for. I suggest checking each solenoid with your ohmmeter. I don't know the correct resistance values but it wouldn't be very much, perhaps a few ohms. Replacing some or all of those may not be a bad idea if you can get them.

[@johnt.848]

Your math doesn't account for the transmission being in limp mode. This basically locks it in one gear and prevents other solenoids from functioning.

[@spelunkerd]

Great video, what a minefield! I'd be worried that I got one bolt wrong at reassembly and it didn't come together properly. I wonder if one were to solder that single break, whether the problem would be solved....

[@jovangrbic97]

Solder!...

[@tylerryan354]

Great diagnostic work. Wish mechanics in my area did such a thorough inspection.

[@James-ol6rw]

What a great mechanic. Looking for the way to save the customer money. Very rare these days. Good for you Ray! I’m thinking about buying an older car just so I can come to Ray for car service. Lol!

[@leonardaltig]

Great find. Probably most mechanics would not go to the ends that you do to save the customer money and still get the job accomplished and out the door to the satisfaction of the customer and yourself. Great trouble shoot.

[@mickeysadler5272]

Eureka! Your instinct are great.

[@ShevieMine]

The last automatic I opened up was a 1969 Torqueflite for a valve body mod on my Hemi Roadrunner. It's great seeing the innards of a more modern tranny. Kudos for finding the problem.

[@TAKIZAWAYAMASHITA]

Now if the damaged trans pan is from the shop that put the engine in you could bill them for the repair. Its likely that impact if it was sharp and sudden enough could have caused one of those connections to break. Thin metal/ soder connections on pcbs are very susetible to impact damage especially when a weighted item is attached to it and its given some room to move

[@drpatferrydc3853]

NICE JOB RAY, YOU FOUND THE PROBLEM AND SAVED THAT GUY SOME SERIOUS DOUGH!

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Great finds @Rainman Ray's Repairs

[@MaxVaughn-h9s]

For the record, I love all your videos! Especially since you started working for yourself.

[@Markusmaximus1]

Iv met to many mechani s that claim to be "master mechanics" it's refreshing to actually learn from a real one thanks ray I appreciate everything you show to us even the german voices 👍👍👍😂

[@stevo4649]

that must of been so satisfying finding that fault,excellent work thankyou Ray,looking forward to the follow up to this very much,,👍👍

[@jamesu]

Looking forward to the exciting conclusion. I have done some work on Mercedes/Chrysler Nag transmission conductor plates. Very similar and an odd arrangement.

[@patricktrepp7031]

Ray, your exploration into the depths of a Frontier transmission was magnificent. I will definitely watch this a second time.