Mountain Views Garage

We are still having timing issues, so the plan is to order a new Volkswagen cam shaft position sensor. We then do a string alignment after we used our scanner to verify the steering angle sensor (SAS) was working. Next we calibrate the SAS and this turns off the stability control light on the dash. We then troubleshoot the a/c, finding the a/c pressure switch not functioning. After replacing the switch, we verify it's working now, but we still can't get the system to take refrigerant. My son finds the replacement hose we purchased off eBay pinched at the rubber section. After removing the hose we find it was bent where it attaches near the firewall. After carefully bending it back towards how it suppose to be and reinstalling, we now have the a/c working.

We get back on the Ranchero project by removing the water pump, oil pan & timing cover to fix the coolant leaks along with upgrading the high volume oil pump drive shaft with an ARP shaft. We use a puller to remove the crankshaft dampener. Music: "www.bensound.com"

We get everything cleaned up and after installing the upgraded ARP oil pump drive shaft, we install a new front seal in the timing cover then install the timing cover on the engine along with the water pump and oil pan all with new gaskets. Then we install the crankshaft dampener and other pulleys, when we find the power steering pulley is rubbing against the power steering pump. After installing a washer as a shim, there's no more rubbing. We also find they installed a temp switch that they wired to the temperature gauge causing it not to work properly. We also picked up the front bumper from the chroming company.

In this video we figure out why we are still getting timing errors causing the engine to go into limp mode. It ended up being 2 faulty camshaft position sensors. We test the resistance on the 2 new ones and they are both around 4.2ohms, we then test the original 2, one was a VW and the other was a generic sensor. The VW sensor tested at 24ohms steady, but the other sensor started at 100ohms and dropped 10-20 ohms until it reached 5ohms. I decided to install the old sensors back in and the codes are gone, it looks like the replacement sensors were faulty. Next we replaced the the carrier bearing / support bearing on the rear drive line. With both of these fixes, and a couple of successful test drives, those two issues are now fixed. Next video we will do a string alignment and test the steering angle sensor then a calibration.

We finally get our 2007 VW Touareg V6 back together for our fist test drive. But first we have to replace the transmission oil pan, while we are at it, we replace the filter as well. After topping off all the fluids, and bleed the brakes we head off for our first test drive since we've replaced the timing components. The first half starts off well, with no apparent problems. But after we stop to turn around we decided to put the scanner on the vehicle to monitor things a little closer. We check codes and find a camshaft position sensor code, but no check engine. We start our way back to the house when the stability control light comes on, then the check engine light comes on. As soon as I say its not in limp mode, it goes into limp mode and looses power as we are climbing a hill. We pull over to see if we can get it out of limp mode, we were able to get it out of limp mode so we get home. But as we are making our way home, we start hearing & feeling a loud thud banging sound from the drive line area. Well this test drive didn't go as planned, so we have more troubleshooting to do our V6 Touareg. Music: "www.bensound.com"

Unfortunately we lost all our video of putting the timing back together. But I recommend going over to "The Humble Mechanic" and searching his video's on the 3.6 VR6 Timing. He does a great job explaining what needs to be replaced, how to best replace them and details how to make sure it's time right! So we start getting the engine, transmission and transfer case back in the car using our pallet jack. We also replace the power steering cooler that was damaged. Music: "www.bensound.com"

We finally got in all the timing parts we were waiting on. So we remove the engine & transmission for a second time to address the timing issues. We do things a little different this time, trying to show more detailed sections of the process we use to remove the engine & transmission

Here's some video of us doing a 100,000 mile tune up on our 2004 Lincoln Navigator. We change the front and rear axle / differential oil, the transfer case oil and the transmission filter and fluid. We also change the engine oil & filter, spark plugs and PCV. Then move on to flushing the coolant & power steering. While rotating the tires, we inspect the brakes, suspension & steering components where we find some worn inner tie rods and the front brakes needing new pads. I also try to see if I can fit a dual electric fan setup that I have laying around.

We kick off our 2003 Ford Excursion build by putting together our new Norco heavy duty engine stand. Once together we remove the Powerstroke 6.0 engine and transmission from the donor truck frame. We are excited to get started on this build, we all miss the Excursion. Music: "www.bensound.com"

We finished putting the cooling system back together and replace the coolant over flow tank hose that was kinked. We then install the choke cable after doing some polishing on the dash. Next I crawl under the Ranchero and adjust the transmission linkage. While under the car doing an inspection, I find the steering hasn't been tightened and the transmission crossmember was installed where it is rubbing against the transmission pan causing it to leak all over, unfortunately they welded the crossmember to the frame. So we'll need to address that. We were able to start the engine and it drove under it's own power but we have another coolant leak. It's leaking near the oil pan meets the timing cover. So we will be pulling the front of the engine back apart and also removing the oil pan to install an ARP oil drive shaft and replace the timing cover gasket.

We tear down the front of the Ranchero's engine to repair the coolant leak. We find the thermostat bypass hose incorrectly installed and most likely the cause of most of the coolant leaking. It seems they used 3 different types of silicone and 2 different types of coolant. We remove the electric cooling fans and loosen the radiator so we can install a rubber membrane under it and test the horns, which we verify do work so the issue is either with the wiring or switch. We install the correct thermostat bypass hose on the correct ports and the water pump with new gaskets and silicone. We are getting close to being able to start the engine and see if we can get it to drive under it's own power. Thanks for watching!!! Music: "www.bensound.com"

We want to get the bumpers dropped off at a chroming shop in Sparks as soon as possible since the estimated time to finish the chroming is 3-6 months currently. So we remove both bumpers and bumper guards, take them to drop off and after talking with the company, decide not to have the rear bumper chromed. Instead we are looking for a bumper in better condition. Oddly enough we find a fellow selling one in really good condition in Santa Cruz California, which we were already planning a trip to the central valley to visit family, so we were able to take advantage of that trip. While we were there, we were able to take a look at his own custom 1957 Ranchero. We share some photo's of it in the video. Next we look at finding exhaust headers / manifolds which proves to be much more difficult than expected. Music: "www.bensound.com"

We get my dads 1957 Ford Ranchero in the shop and go over some of the things we need to do to it. Sadly, the more we look, the list of things needed gets longer. The first thing we are going to tackle is the coolant leak which we believe is coming from the water pump. Then we'll move on and install a rubber membrane under the radiator, install the choke cable, check the transmission linkage and see if we can get it to drive on it's own. After that we'll drop the fuel tank and install a rubber membrane as well, next will be going through the entire electrical, get the bumpers chromed, finish the interior and locate some missing parts. Music: "www.bensound.com"

We put the VW VR6 Touareg back together as we are waiting for the timing gear and we need the shop space for the Ranchero. So this is just a time lapse of us putting it back together so we don't loose any parts and we can move the Touareg out of the shop. We are building some storage shed so we can empty out our shop and be able to work on 2 or 3 projects instead of just 1. When we tear this VW back down, we'll try to do a better job at how we take it apart and put it back together. Music: "www.bensound.com"

We do a walk around of our blue 2006 VW Touareg V10 TDI diesel that runs, but doesn't build boost due to a communication issue with one of the turbo controllers. It's loaded with the interior in good shape and not body damage but it does have some clear coat pealing on the hood and roof. It does have a battery drain which I think is caused but the keyless entry. Unfortunately they did a coil over conversion on the air suspension. So we plan to restore it back to air suspension by replacing the air struts and the truck air tank, everything else looks to still be in place. We plan to pull the motor and transmission to rebuild both as it will be the wife's car. This motor did come with an extra V10 motor that we plan to rebuild. The other is a 2004 black VW Touareg V10 TDI diesel with air suspension, a 3" sub frame lift, 32" tires and a locking rear axle / differential. It does not run or crank over. The customer said he burned up the starter after he got the crank shaft position sensor failure. After we got it home, we found melted plastic in the oil filter. We have decided that we will pull the motor and rebuild both engine and transmission. They did say the air suspension had small leak. This will be our oldest daughters car, and we'll start working on it after we finish the white Touareg and the Excursion.

During our first successful test drive, we noticed the windshield washer sprayers were not spraying properly. We begin to fill up the washer reservoir and it starts leaking. So we remove the grille, front headlights, fender flares, wheel well moldings and front bumper so we can remove the reservoir tank and we find where it's leaking. After cleaning the tank really well, we use some plastic bond epoxy to seal up where it's leaking. After testing it for leaks, we reinstall it and find the nozzles are plugged. We use a dental pick and air pressure to clear the nozzles out. Now we have working windshield washers. Next, after some research we find out that we should have reset the learned parameters after repacing the Mass Air Flow sensor. After we reset those, the check engine light has remained off and the LR3 runs great. We've put on a couple hundred miles on the LR3 which no issues other than the transmission. We have an error code for a shift solenoid for 3rd & 4th gear. The shift solenoids are on back order from ZF, so once those are available we'll dig into the transmission. But the LR3 is still driveable. We then figure out why the traction control didn't seem to be working and the engine seemed to lack power. It was actually shifting to 2nd and/or 3rd gear. Once we put it in manual mode and 1st gear, everything worked as expected. I wonder if this is related to the other shifting problems in the transmission. We are ready for our first Land Roving trail ride, maybe this weekend! Music: "https://www.bensound.com"

We tear apart the dash to replace the front heater core which turns out to be one of the most difficult things we've done so far on the LR3. We then confirm the rear heater core isn't plugged but several of the rear lines are. We are able to unplug all but one, which we find has split open. Next we move onto replacing the engine oil cooler and removing the intake manifold so we can replace the thermostat housing and the coolant line that connects under the intake manifold. Music: "www.bensound.com"

We continue the cooling system overhaul on our 2006 Land Rover LR3. With the intake manifold removed, we replaced the complete thermostat housing and the hose under the manifold. We then re-install the intake manifold, replace the radiator, all of the cooling hoses. After everything is back together, we do a vacuum test on the cooling system which it passes. Then will fill it with coolant and go for our first successful test drive. We finish off with a suspension & traction test on a new off-road test area we are designing. Unfortunately the engine is lacking low end torque and the traction control doesn't seem to be working properly. We've replaced the MAF sensor due to a fuel trim code, but we are still getting the fuel trim code. So that will be our next issue to troubleshoot. Music: "www.bensound.com"

We tear apart the cam shaft adjusters on our 2007 Volkswagen Touareg 3.6 V6 and find signs of wear on the exhaust cam adjuster. The intake cam adjuster is different, we'll have to try and figure out if it is correct. We order the intake adjuster and find out one of the 2 gears we ordered are on back order and they are trying to locate one for us, but are telling us it could be 2-3 months. We decide to pull off the oil pan as it is needed to install the rear engine cover and find oil sludge in the oil pan. We clean it up and start putting the engine back together and decide to reassemble everything while we are waiting on the gear so we don't lose anything and also so we can move it out of the shop as we need to start working on the Ranchero and Excursion. We get the motor back together and back on the sub frame. Music: "www.bensound.com"

Our 2003 Ford Excursion 4x4 started leaking coolant again, about 3 months ago I replaced the small blue hose between the oil cooler and EDR cooler as it started leaking coolant from it. Now the leak is back, and we've noticed it blowing black smoke now under acceleration. We decided to run a cooling system pressure test and we find it building pressure under load unto 16psi which is where our reservoir cap releases at. Also during this test the engine developments a major miss. So we return back to the house incase we have an injector stuck open. Once home, we hook up our scanner and fine a #7 cylinder contribution engine code. We conduct a key on engine off injector test, all 8 pass. We then run a cylinder contribution test and confirm #7 cylinder isn't firing. Our suspicion is that we've blown a head gasket around the #7 cylinder. The family took a vote and the Excursion just got pushed up to the top of the project list. So we pressure wash and clean up the Excursion to get ready to start working on it. I go over what we have planned for it, including a 2006 F350 chassis that we have to convert it to 1 ton running gear, and coil spring front suspension, upgraded rear suspension. While we're at it, we are going to upgrade the engine to 2005 and new, stc fitting & stand pipe updates, remote external oil cooler, remote oil filter, performance shocks, air bags with cradles, regulated fuel return and more. Music: "www.bensound.com"

We find a good deal on a 2005 Ford F150 FX4 4x4 Crewcab with the 5.4L engine that we couldn't pass up, we only paid $500 for it. It does need a lot of work, it was smashed in the front, the interior has been neglected as well. But is pretty much a blank slate for us to build how ever we want. My youngest son Luke will be planning the is build. He's nicknamed it the Predator and wants to make it be able to complete against the Raptor & TRex. We have a lot of work ahead on this build but we are already starting to plan & dream what's in the future. We are thinking about solid axle swap, some type of coil over shocks at all 4 corners, 37" to 40" tires, lockers, maybe some type of bed organizer storage setup. He wants to be able to take it on the Rubicon and to Moab. Subscribe to see how this and our other projects turn out. Music: "www.bensound.com"

When we were visiting my parents and picking up their Lincoln to bring back. We got a chance to see my dads 1957 Ford Ranchero that he's restoring for the last couple years. My dad is a combat wounded Marine veteran that is still carrying around shrapnel in his body from when he was wounded in Vietnam. Around the time my dad started this restoration/build, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease which is connected to his exposure to Agent Orange while in Vietnam. Due to the Parkinson's, it became to dangerous for my dad to continue to work in the garage on his Ranchero. So after moving to Boise ID, they contracted out the finishing of the Ranchero to a gentlemen in Idaho. Unfortunately after taking quite a bit of their money, the car wasn't finished and they dropped it off at their garage. There's numerous things not finished with the car that I'll go more into in a future video. But we talked it over with my parents and they agreed to let us bring it back to our shop to try and finish the car so they can enjoy it. Music: "www.bensound.com"

Our attempts at flushing the cooling system ran into multiple problems, both front and rear heater cores are plugged, the radiator was plugged, but we managed to get some water to flow through it. The LR3 still continued to overheat with no thermostat while we were trying to flush the system. Then we sprung a coolant leak from the lower thermostat housing which is known to crack and leak. It looks like we're going to have to replace both heater cores, the radiator, the lower thermostat housing. But before we spend more money we decide to do a compression test on the engine to make sure there isn't a cylinder head or gasket issue. Although cylinder 2 was lower than the rest, we feel it is good enough to continue with the repairs. Music: "www.bensound.com"

In this video I diagnose and replace the rear 2 heater / air conditioning (HVAC) dampeners / actuators on our 2004 Lincoln Navigator, this should be the same for the Ford Expeditions as well. Music: "www.bensound.com

We continue the timing repair project on our 2007 Volkswagen Touareg with the 3.6 V6. We tear down the engine and separate the transmission, then pull the back covers off to gain access to the timing components. This is where it becomes obvious that someone has had this engine apart. We find gobs of silicone in places, bolts that don't fit or belong and the rear main seal isn't even installed properly. We find damaged timing chain guides, tensioners that don't move and timing gears that are severely worn. We'll have to order more parts for this project. Music: "www.bensound.com" Camshaft correlation crankshaft sensor