It's not really a hack job.. The guy ordered the harness with the vin number; You would think the dealer could get something right once in awhile, but they are pretty clueless half the time; and only interested at making sales on new cars.. I have a 2002 F350 7.3L diesel-- and I noticed that my door sticker doesn't tell me what axles I have--- so I called the dealer with my VIN and even they can't tell me what axles my truck was built with. The real "hack" here is the dealer (or whoever sold him the harness).
@@calholli A Dana 50 will have 229 cast into the center section webbing on the pinion support and a 1-1/8″ pinion nut. A Dana 60 will have 248 cast into the center section webbing on the pinion support and a 1-5/16″ pinion nut. The 229 and 248 correspond to the mm diameter of the ring gear in millimeters (mm). You can also look for a sticker on the rear of the passenger side axle tube. Look for a number on the lower right of the sticker. If it’s a 229 it will be a Dana 50 and if it’s 248 it’s a Dana 60.
@@truracer20 I'm fairly sure the front is a dana 60.. The rear is most likely a dana 70 from what I've seen. (SRW) .. I'll crawl around and look for the numbers. Thanks.
I prefer using an ohm meter to check for shorts, since it will also find high-resistance "shorts" that are low enough to corrupt the data line but not low enough to light the test light. I also like to measure between the different wires, not just between one wire and the body.
its only as good as your connections and sometimes you think you have a connection but dont. send a low voltage square wave and watch it on a scope is the best
As usual. I learned something. That's why I watch this channel. I always get little nuggets. I usually load check circuits. But not in the practice of doing it when doing simpler tests. This video is great example that load testing should always be used.
In the UK we have a phenomenon called Sod's Law (do you have that?). It's like Murphy's Law only worse. In your case, the Denali problem was more of a case of SODS Law coming into play where the information on the VIN was incorrect and sent the shop down the wrong road. If you can't rely on the manufacturer who can you rely on?
Great job on both vehicles! I can see how the second car would lead you in the wrong direction with the meter. Test light is the way to go. I love your little test light setup you built 👍🏻
ford had something called BLIS blind spot warning which was a bad system where the radar antennas in the rear bumper were often destroyed by water and anything else that hit them. they had an incredibly thin plastic housing
Thanks to you, in an earlier video you had almost the same issue using an ohm meter, and when I had a circuit in my RV go bad, I remembered what you said. Saved me a LOT of grief when I put a test light and found a grounded circuit (and I was even able to locate the issue)
That wiring change on the Denali/Yukon was a trap waiting to happen. I like how you re-pinned the module to prove your theory. Kudos for solving the puzzle caused by GM engineers and the body shop. The wiring analysis on the Equinox was very cool as well. Unfortunately too many techs out there still use the ohmmeter method without accounting for the load. Thanks for the lessons.
A multimeter is still a valid tool, though. If you don't have continuity, you certainly have a problem. But having continuity doesn't mean you don't have a problem. I always keep a multimeter in my vehicle. I almost never have a lightbulb with me. I guess I could carry a test light, but I find a multimeter to be the better general purpose tool. Also, you probably could have found the short in this example by checking continuity to ground with the multimeter. No load required. I think the only case where a load is required is if there's almost a complete break either mechanically or electrically due to corrosion.
@@major__kongalmost all wiring issues on vehicles are corrosion based, either at a connector or where corrosion enters thru a break in the insulation or someone didn’t cover a pin hole they caused probing wires. Getting into the habit of load testing circuits either with voltage drop or a test light will ensure you find the problem fast every time and not get caught making a mistake from using a ohm test. Meters are great for voltage drop testing or ohm testing a sensor/ motor but not so good for testing wiring integrity..
@@CodycoWeb I'm pretty sure I'm not disagreeing with you. But you can do a lot with a meter. For example, with the car on and it's loading the circuit not a test light, I can measure the voltage drop you talked about. Depending on what that voltage drop is at different locations in the circuit, I can generally tell what's going on. I don't do auto diagnostics, but I have a lot of hobby projects involving electronics and power electronics, and I haven't needed a test light yet. I also wire airplanes, trailers, etc. I completely understand the corrosion issue, which is why I use marine or milspec wire, healthy dollops of dielectric grease before crimping, and adhesive-lined shrink wrap.
Parts man at dealership ordered wrong harness. X88= Chevrolet, Z88= GMC, Z75= Cadillac. Working in parts department at GM dealership those are practically the first 3 RPO codes an individual would learn as any C/K truck built has one of the three codes in the spid label. Lots of part numbers provided in a body shop estimating guide are just that, a guide to aid in the creation of an estimate, and should always be checked against the GM parts catalog to ensure the correct part, especially wiring harnesses, trim and moldings.
Nice video! As a lead body tec I get to deal with those issues from time to time. Btw thanks for teaching us I always find something useful in your videos.
You can still test it with an ohm meter to ground and it would have also found the short. But I still agree, corrosion can have a short that changes when you add current-- always current load the circuit: test light for the Win.
you are definitely correct on wire integrity and using an ohm meter. You need to run some current through the wire(s) higher than what the ohm meter develops. Good video!!
I agree 100%. While some will still argue that using an ohm meter is a good test,checking circuits not loaded is not a good test. Now if they used a megohmmeter that’s a different story but they are expensive.
I had a similar issue recently with a harness that metered OK but had a short between two wires. Just for a bonus it also had a dodgy plug probably from being plugged in and out too often. Moral of the story is just because you find one problem doesn't mean you've found all the problems.
Youch! I see this a couple times a month. Watch your RPO codes when programming, too. The RPOs listed by SPS2 for the two variants WILL NOT appear in the door tag scan and have to be pulled by VIN to get the full build sheet. It is also VERY common to find the wrong part in the right bag. We've come to call these "Covid Cars." During the pandemic, especially within GM and Ford, there were a lot of last-minute adjustments made on the assembly line to utilize parts on hand, including alternate wiring harnesses, ghost modules, phantom coding, and all sorts of other fun little anomolies. These are all tracked internally by GM, but on GM and Ford vehicles 19-23, sometimes even scanning the QR code or ordering parts by VIN won't get the right data. Always request a full build sheet from the GM parts counter to get the actual configuration of the car, and run the VIN for TSBs to determine if there are ghost modules or features coded out that require special service procedures. :) As for the Equinox, roof skin jobs are always fun diags. Pinchy pinchy! :D
I would have bet that the owner had ran that truck through a car wash and forced water into the side object detection sensors and that set so many codes that it forced the medium-speed CANBUS to shut down the vehicle and to repair it would have cost $5,600.00. I am glad you were able to help, Ivan. Bonus footage that is over half of the video? GREAT VIDEO!
There's actually three wire tests you can run - continuity (multimeter), load (test light), and impedance (signal generator / network analyzer). Just because a wire passes continuity checks doesn't mean it will carry a load. But just because a wire will carry a load doesn't mean it will carry a signal. A damaged wire or the wrong kind of wire may have a high impedance at frequencies other than 0 (DC aka the test light). Think a CAN wire.
@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics I'm no expert, and maybe CAN isn't operating at a high enough frequency. But there are certainly applications where you can run a DC test and be fooled into thinking your wire is good. All you have to do is kink an ethernet cable or bend it slightly too tightly and performance will drop like a rock but it will still merrily carry DC current. And ethernet or ethernet-like communications is coming to cars.
With the Yukon,I would just repin the wiring harness & leave it be, with the Equinox I would test for continuity of the wiring harness as well as a short circuit to ground using the Ohms setting on my multimeter as an electrician. They are actually talking about placing me in an electrical engineering role in my trade now !
Never thought of doing it quite like that, quick and easy. I have always done end to end ohm reading then short to ground and power tests with a single test light then if all else fails load test on circuit. been burned on a data line where all tested good but circuit couldn't even twinkle a headlamp bulb. Nice work boots LOL
Yes Ivan wire integrity I like applying a load when checking. Good continuity doesn’t mean good conductivity in this case the ohm meter would have done it’s job but that leads to 3 other wires not knowing if they can handle current your way loading the wires is spot on CHEERS
IVAN, AWESOME/ GREAT/ INFORMATION ALWAYS LEARNING FROM THE BEST REALLY APPRECIATED ALL THE INFORMATION IN THIS CHANNEL THANKS FOR SHARING YOU ROCK BROTHER.
You can find that fault with a digital ohmeter, but you have to know which tests to make. Test every wire to every other wire for high resistance, and test every wire to chassis and battery positive for high resistance.
@@attilakohbor3360 that's why you need a digital ohmeter: 1 strand will read twice the resistance of 2 wires etc. As Ivan says, it needs to be less that 1 ohm, then it will pass at least 12A at battery voltage. It's important to know the resistance of your test leads so these can be subtracted.
@@dennisharvey4499 I see how you calculate it, but that calculation doesn't work if there is an actual 12A load since a small part of the wire can get hot and thus increase resistance significantly. For a remote receiver that has to draw less than a few mA since it is always on, the resistance measurement and short check is fine. Also you don't have to check to battery positive since most DMMs will start beeping if they see 12v on the ohms range.
the wiring diagrams are for UKC+Z88(rpo code for GMC)/X88(rpo code for Chevrolet). the other choice is UKC+Z75 (rpo code for Cadillac). so most likely what happened is the person ordering parts did not have the vin filtering turned on . many times aftermarket shops make their own pick list and do not order the right parts or they order the parts they think should be the same, because of availability. or the aftermarket shop thinks they know better than the gm dealership. my .02
You can also use a Megger to test for Insulation Resistance that would find the short-to-ground, short-to-shield (if shielded), or short-to-(other) conductor.
A "Meggar" uses high voltage in able to measure a small current. With todays electronics, if there was a short to a signal cable, this would likely kill the electronics: better to just use the digital multimeter as this generally uses a 9V battery.
@@dennisharvey4499 When checking aircraft wiring, we have a Meggar that goes down to 10V or 100V potential, depending on the circuit. With 10 V potential, on a 20 or 22 gage conductor, for example, an IR check of > 2 GOhm is considered fully-isolated. Conversely, we've measured IR (conductor to shield, for example) with IR in the xxx kOhm range, which indicates a fault. It's all about having the right tool, and knowing how to apply it :)
Yes, it is quite the 'thing'. Body shops have found that they can make more money by replacing the entire roof instead of fixing a damaged roof. Some roofs must be replaced because of severe damage. However, shops are cutting roofs off due to hail damage that can be fixed with paintless dent repair and other proven methods. Shop managers make a cut in the cost of parts and roofs can be very expensive.
Yes, very nice to use test light. I understand what the point of the test light is. Let's say you are going to test positive and negative volt wire but you take the test light on a data line wire and run 12v into it. What happens then?
A thorough check could have been done with the ohmmeter if the wires were tested for a short to ground and also for shorts to each other. Current carrying capability needs the light for sure. Long live the DVM! 😉
Some of those trucks that were built during COVID don't actually have the BSM modules installed. There is a tsb about that. That's not the only system with the same kinda issues😊
Only model year 2022 and 2023 I work for GM in the dlr parts support center and most of those vehicles have been retrofitted now as they have been getting it taken care of over the last 6 months fyi those that were built without the module have a jumper connector in place of the model to complete the communication network loop
Theres still the possibility of 2 wires shorted together without being grounded. You can use the load test or continuity test but you have to test to all 4 wires to be sure it's only good for 1 wite at a time.
Why use the small bulb and the test light together and not just the test light alone? The test light alone will allow too much current? Great video, thank you.
On the pinched wire job, you have to evaluate yourself when doing body work on every vehicle made after around 1995 or later due to the various wires, modules and so forth. Just to be on the safe side, all the body man had to do was maybe spend another 5 minutes being super careful when working the roof panel replacement or by having a helper when needed to be super careful when aligning up the new or removing the old panel. Who knows, the grey wire could have been pinched from when the roof panel got damaged and it went unnoticed by the tech. NOW, look at the time consumed to locate and correct the culprit...that is when you decide more time and concern needs to be taken when doing a job you probably are comfortable with from past experiences yet being more observant will pay off in the long run.
On the Yukon why couldn’t you swap the correct wires in the connector and make it work. They plugged in correctly and just needed the wires shifted to correct sockets in the connector.
Hi I wonder if you can advise me. I own a 1997 Toyota Landcruiser Colorado here in the UK, could you tell me if it is possible to have a new key fob made . I have owned this LC for 15 years and intend to keep it, it is in first class condition and runs great. I have tried the Toyota dealer in Wolverhampton and they supplied a master key (un programmed) which I don't need. I don't need any keys cut just the fob. I hope an aftermarket fob is available but so far no luck. I have watched quite a few of your videos and I am very impressed with you and your diagnostic skills. Regards from the UK Paul Reynolds.
A continunity test tests for an open. Testing between each individual wire tests for shorts. Using a good body ground then probing each wire tests for grounds. And it can be done with a digital VOM. There are only three posibilities when it comes to wiring. It's open, it's shorted, or it's grounded. The real stinker is finding a high open. A wire that is broken in two but under the right conditiins still works. The insulation looks great, but the wire is broken under the insulation. And unless the insulation looks funny at the point of the break, a tone or a test set used to find opens needs to be used. From experience, the insulation doesn't always look funny above the place where the wire is broken.
I saw a Ford F150 with leaking tail lamp housings that are not serviceable yet they have the side impact modules inside them. Corrosion took over and the only solution was to replace both tail lamps and harnesses because not only did they operate/communicate with the side modules but a handful of unrelated communication with other electronics. So, two tail lamps, two harnesses and a few other items and $5,600 later in parts expenses, the side modules were fixed as were other codes that showed up because of the tail lamp housings. HOW DUMB. In this case, I have to suggest that the VIN and the RPO codes are needed to obtain the correct parts so I place some blame here on the parts department for not asking more details about the correct part for the RPO list on the vehicle. Also, the shop owes this customer a NEW factory harness, not a splice job, which could be part of the problem and especially where the splices are, behind the rear tire and subject to the worst conditions any splice could be subjected to !
Wondering why they would change the pinout, maybe it was out of their control or they added features and did not want them to be interchanged accidentally.
I'm glad you clarified using ohm meter to ground because that most certainly would have found the problem without the foolish bulbs in this case and would have been quicker !
@@bigdaddymak1439 I was surprised to see it was 6 mo. ago. Maybe you missed the words "in this case". I do understand electricity pretty well after being an electrician for the last 40+ years !
For wire integrity, wouldn't you also need to check for shorts between wires and each wire to ground? Okay, you did find a ground short but I always use an ohm meter to check for ground shorts as well. Don't need a test light if you do this but for current carrying capability, a test light is useful. I had a really hard time with thd rear AC blower on my 2004 Suburban. Harness checked out for continuity but when there was a substantial current draw, there was a no-connect situation. Connector behind driver side foorwell cover had a burnt contact (diagonally opposite corner of truck from rear AC).
Yeah. Crosstalk between wires in a harness/connector is something many (myself included) tend to forget. This is why it pays to have a diagnostic routine which you stick to no matter what.
Two types of systems in one vehicle. Leave it up to GM for that. But what happens if it's like that on other vehicles? How many other makes have RPO code labels in the vehicle? Unless you have GM repair software that point's that out, you don't know for sure. That's a new one....roof replacement. I've seen pinched harnesses after the body shop installed aftermarket bulkheads that separated the driver/passenger area from the rear of the van. Good videos Ivan!
It's not 2 types of systems it's different levels of function the z88 z75 and x88 refer to the brand GMC Cadillac and Chevy witch obviously have different levels of function from each other they put a Cadillac harness in a gmc and surprise ofcourse it doesn't have the same pin out the caddy has the highest level of functionality of the 3
@@braaapattack2937 no they still have the spid label owners manual are going digital but it's required to have the rpo code label it's also included on the window sticker build sheet as well. But errors do happen and you can get a replacement label for the vehicle if needed
From a google search. I guess it’s a QR code now and you have to scan it with your phone to get it. Guess I’ll have to see if I have that now, but I got a printed paper copy I requested from gm after I got the truck and seen there was no rpo sticker
where in the headliner was the short do you have that info like around the door middle on lights where ? helpful to make sure others are careful on theircars if adding even a factory option or even replacing the liner like at ray Rainman repairs hey had to redo his liner because of it was in bad shape so he ordered a new one to put in plus new carpet too
Ivan, do you have a recommendation for a basic wiring connector kit? I’m always struggling with finding the right fitting, and end up using pins or paper clips or some such. Thanks! - Kip at Promasters Only.
Since your wrong call was made due to the fact the replacement wiring wasn't correct, how do you handle the diagnosis guarantee? Is is all on you, all on the shop who put in the wrong harness, or do you split between the two?
@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics wow!!! I thought I remember a while back. You did a review on those. I thought they might be useful on what you were just working on, but I can see you’re not a big fan. Thanks for your response. Best of luck. one of your longest followers.
Great job, as always, Ivan! This is the last time I comment or like your videos - YT has blocked me from watching, because I have an ad-blocker. So, until ad-blockers can respond to this, I can only watch in Private sessions, which prevent me from liking or commenting. No matter how much I like to be here, I will not be infested by stupid ads to do so. Sorry!
Here’s a nice fun fact I learned, the new gm’s (at least Chevy) don’t have the rpo codes anymore in the vehicle. I had to request the rpo/build sheet for my 2021 Silverado and printed it out and stuffed one in the glove box and one in my paperwork Edit: I guess it’s now a QR code on a certification label, hope you have cell service when you need parts lol
Moral of the story= Don't pinch the paycheck of your employee or he will pinch your harness and pull the other one down on to the hot muffler one of life's best lessons 👹
I make it a habit to hold on to every old part I have to replace for up to 2 weeks after the car is finished. Mainly to satisfy the customers and insurance adjusters to show that the parts in question were replaced. And can show why. Because sometimes not even photo and video proof are not enough. But hey, great tip for checking wire integrity. I've been fooled a couple of times testing with just an ohms meter and everything checks out. Then check again later with a test light and the problem finally shows up.
Rigging up all those test lights simply to check for a short to ground is completely unnecessary. You can easily do the same check with your multimeter while you are testing wire continuity. BONUS COMMENT: You should also check for shorts between the individual wires during an integrity check.
Hi everyone this discussion is hard for me to comprehend. Is there a good book out there to teach me about this load test, ohm, continuity? I'm sure you guys started somewhere to learn all these. Anyone here willing to help me? This discussion really fascinate me and want to learn it too if any soul out there can help me where to start. Thanks!
There's no reason you can't find a short to ground or a short between wires using an ohmmeter. You only did one of several checks that are possible with an ohmmeter.
You could have detected the Equinox signal wire ground short with an ohm meter, but you didn't test for signal wire ground shorts. So your contention to leave the ohm meter alone was wrong. The proper instruction would be to test for ground shorts.
There's making the wrong call, and then there is dealing with hack jobs that change parameters that lead people astray.
Definitely don't see that every day haha
It's not really a hack job.. The guy ordered the harness with the vin number; You would think the dealer could get something right once in awhile, but they are pretty clueless half the time; and only interested at making sales on new cars.. I have a 2002 F350 7.3L diesel-- and I noticed that my door sticker doesn't tell me what axles I have--- so I called the dealer with my VIN and even they can't tell me what axles my truck was built with. The real "hack" here is the dealer (or whoever sold him the harness).
@@calholli A Dana 50 will have 229 cast into the center section webbing on the pinion support and a 1-1/8″ pinion nut.
A Dana 60 will have 248 cast into the center section webbing on the pinion support and a 1-5/16″ pinion nut.
The 229 and 248 correspond to the mm diameter of the ring gear in millimeters (mm).
You can also look for a sticker on the rear of the passenger side axle tube. Look for a number on the lower right of the sticker. If it’s a 229 it will be a Dana 50 and if it’s 248 it’s a Dana 60.
@@calholli you'll find similar discrepancies if you try to find your turn signal flasher...
@@truracer20 I'm fairly sure the front is a dana 60.. The rear is most likely a dana 70 from what I've seen. (SRW) .. I'll crawl around and look for the numbers. Thanks.
I prefer using an ohm meter to check for shorts, since it will also find high-resistance "shorts" that are low enough to corrupt the data line but not low enough to light the test light. I also like to measure between the different wires, not just between one wire and the body.
Yes I agree. The test of each wire for shorts between themselves or to ground is what is needed.
its only as good as your connections and sometimes you think you have a connection but dont. send a low voltage square wave and watch it on a scope is the best
As usual. I learned something. That's why I watch this channel. I always get little nuggets. I usually load check circuits. But not in the practice of doing it when doing simpler tests. This video is great example that load testing should always be used.
Test light for the win.
In the UK we have a phenomenon called Sod's Law (do you have that?). It's like Murphy's Law only worse. In your case, the Denali problem was more of a case of SODS Law coming into play where the information on the VIN was incorrect and sent the shop down the wrong road. If you can't rely on the manufacturer who can you rely on?
Thanks GM for changing the pin layout in a harness in the middle of a model year for no apparent reason.
Everyday new things,I like the loaded circuit integrate test. That was sweet. Thanks Evan....
I think that you would see some form of grounding with the ohm meter as well but yes current carrying ability is always a good check.
Great job on both vehicles! I can see how the second car would lead you in the wrong direction with the meter. Test light is the way to go. I love your little test light setup you built 👍🏻
ford had something called BLIS blind spot warning which was a bad system where the radar antennas in the rear bumper were often destroyed by water and anything else that hit them. they had an incredibly thin plastic housing
Eric would be proud that you mentioned the scope on a rope.
Thanks to you, in an earlier video you had almost the same issue using an ohm meter, and when I had a circuit in my RV go bad, I remembered what you said. Saved me a LOT of grief when I put a test light and found a grounded circuit (and I was even able to locate the issue)
That wiring change on the Denali/Yukon was a trap waiting to happen. I like how you re-pinned the module to prove your theory. Kudos for solving the puzzle caused by GM engineers and the body shop. The wiring analysis on the Equinox was very cool as well. Unfortunately too many techs out there still use the ohmmeter method without accounting for the load. Thanks for the lessons.
Who knew?
A multimeter is still a valid tool, though. If you don't have continuity, you certainly have a problem. But having continuity doesn't mean you don't have a problem. I always keep a multimeter in my vehicle. I almost never have a lightbulb with me. I guess I could carry a test light, but I find a multimeter to be the better general purpose tool. Also, you probably could have found the short in this example by checking continuity to ground with the multimeter. No load required. I think the only case where a load is required is if there's almost a complete break either mechanically or electrically due to corrosion.
@@major__kongalmost all wiring issues on vehicles are corrosion based, either at a connector or where corrosion enters thru a break in the insulation or someone didn’t cover a pin hole they caused probing wires. Getting into the habit of load testing circuits either with voltage drop or a test light will ensure you find the problem fast every time and not get caught making a mistake from using a ohm test. Meters are great for voltage drop testing or ohm testing a sensor/ motor but not so good for testing wiring integrity..
@@CodycoWeb I'm pretty sure I'm not disagreeing with you. But you can do a lot with a meter. For example, with the car on and it's loading the circuit not a test light, I can measure the voltage drop you talked about. Depending on what that voltage drop is at different locations in the circuit, I can generally tell what's going on. I don't do auto diagnostics, but I have a lot of hobby projects involving electronics and power electronics, and I haven't needed a test light yet. I also wire airplanes, trailers, etc. I completely understand the corrosion issue, which is why I use marine or milspec wire, healthy dollops of dielectric grease before crimping, and adhesive-lined shrink wrap.
11:09 Sandals Baaahahahah Ivan's safety boots
The Denali wiring is crazy! What a boobytrap!! And the Equinox was crazy too, just not as tricky. Good going! You showed them who's boss!
Parts man at dealership ordered wrong harness. X88= Chevrolet, Z88= GMC, Z75= Cadillac. Working in parts department at GM dealership those are practically the first 3 RPO codes an individual would learn as any C/K truck built has one of the three codes in the spid label. Lots of part numbers provided in a body shop estimating guide are just that, a guide to aid in the creation of an estimate, and should always be checked against the GM parts catalog to ensure the correct part, especially wiring harnesses, trim and moldings.
Nice video! As a lead body tec I get to deal with those issues from time to time. Btw thanks for teaching us I always find something useful in your videos.
You can still test it with an ohm meter to ground and it would have also found the short. But I still agree, corrosion can have a short that changes when you add current-- always current load the circuit: test light for the Win.
you are definitely correct on wire integrity and using an ohm meter. You need to run some current through the wire(s) higher than what the ohm meter develops. Good video!!
I agree 100%. While some will still argue that using an ohm meter is a good test,checking circuits not loaded is not a good test. Now if they used a megohmmeter that’s a different story but they are expensive.
you can also check continuity to ground for each cable using a multimeter.
Your right Thats something i always do before checking continuity. But sometimes sending current load bring up stuff that meter doesn't show.
2 in 1 video, yay!! Nice teaching Ivan, thank you!!
I had a similar issue recently with a harness that metered OK but had a short between two wires. Just for a bonus it also had a dodgy plug probably from being plugged in and out too often.
Moral of the story is just because you find one problem doesn't mean you've found all the problems.
yep, i have a saying "i found a problem, but is it the problem?"
Youch! I see this a couple times a month. Watch your RPO codes when programming, too. The RPOs listed by SPS2 for the two variants WILL NOT appear in the door tag scan and have to be pulled by VIN to get the full build sheet. It is also VERY common to find the wrong part in the right bag.
We've come to call these "Covid Cars." During the pandemic, especially within GM and Ford, there were a lot of last-minute adjustments made on the assembly line to utilize parts on hand, including alternate wiring harnesses, ghost modules, phantom coding, and all sorts of other fun little anomolies. These are all tracked internally by GM, but on GM and Ford vehicles 19-23, sometimes even scanning the QR code or ordering parts by VIN won't get the right data. Always request a full build sheet from the GM parts counter to get the actual configuration of the car, and run the VIN for TSBs to determine if there are ghost modules or features coded out that require special service procedures. :)
As for the Equinox, roof skin jobs are always fun diags. Pinchy pinchy! :D
I would have bet that the owner had ran that truck through a car wash and forced water into the side object detection sensors and that set so many codes that it forced the medium-speed CANBUS to shut down the vehicle and to repair it would have cost $5,600.00. I am glad you were able to help, Ivan. Bonus footage that is over half of the video? GREAT VIDEO!
Also good point using two test lights. I would normaly use a jumper and one test light. the two test light setup is superior
There's actually three wire tests you can run - continuity (multimeter), load (test light), and impedance (signal generator / network analyzer). Just because a wire passes continuity checks doesn't mean it will carry a load. But just because a wire will carry a load doesn't mean it will carry a signal. A damaged wire or the wrong kind of wire may have a high impedance at frequencies other than 0 (DC aka the test light). Think a CAN wire.
If a CAN wire can carry 300mA, it can carry the CAN signal, at least from my experience :)
@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics I'm no expert, and maybe CAN isn't operating at a high enough frequency. But there are certainly applications where you can run a DC test and be fooled into thinking your wire is good. All you have to do is kink an ethernet cable or bend it slightly too tightly and performance will drop like a rock but it will still merrily carry DC current. And ethernet or ethernet-like communications is coming to cars.
With the Yukon,I would just repin the wiring harness & leave it be, with the Equinox I would test for continuity of the wiring harness as well as a short circuit to ground using the Ohms setting on my multimeter as an electrician.
They are actually talking about placing me in an electrical engineering role in my trade now !
😂 for a minute I thought you were going to say " load pro ".......
Never thought of doing it quite like that, quick and easy. I have always done end to end ohm reading then short to ground and power tests with a single test light then if all else fails load test on circuit. been burned on a data line where all tested good but circuit couldn't even twinkle a headlamp bulb. Nice work boots LOL
Yes Ivan wire integrity I like applying a load when checking. Good continuity doesn’t mean good conductivity in this case the ohm meter would have done it’s job but that leads to 3 other wires not knowing if they can handle current your way loading the wires is spot on CHEERS
Hey Ivan you could have pulled out the LOADPRO for that integrity check 😏
IVAN, AWESOME/ GREAT/ INFORMATION ALWAYS LEARNING FROM THE BEST REALLY APPRECIATED ALL THE INFORMATION IN THIS CHANNEL THANKS FOR SHARING YOU ROCK BROTHER.
Ivan, can you please show and explain how you made your test lights? Bulbs, wire and when and where to use them.
Hey,Ivàn I've never trusted a Multimeter for An integrity Check.
Wire integrity fix. No pàrts required!
You can find that fault with a digital ohmeter, but you have to know which tests to make. Test every wire to every other wire for high resistance, and test every wire to chassis and battery positive for high resistance.
@@attilakohbor3360 that's why you need a digital ohmeter: 1 strand will read twice the resistance of 2 wires etc. As Ivan says, it needs to be less that 1 ohm, then it will pass at least 12A at battery voltage. It's important to know the resistance of your test leads so these can be subtracted.
@@dennisharvey4499 even 3 strands doesn't mean it's a good wire haha
@@dennisharvey4499 I see how you calculate it, but that calculation doesn't work if there is an actual 12A load since a small part of the wire can get hot and thus increase resistance significantly. For a remote receiver that has to draw less than a few mA since it is always on, the resistance measurement and short check is fine.
Also you don't have to check to battery positive since most DMMs will start beeping if they see 12v on the ohms range.
the wiring diagrams are for UKC+Z88(rpo code for GMC)/X88(rpo code for Chevrolet). the other choice is UKC+Z75 (rpo code for Cadillac).
so most likely what happened is the person ordering parts did not have the vin filtering turned on . many times aftermarket shops make their own pick list and do not order the right parts or they order the parts they think should be the same, because of availability. or the aftermarket shop thinks they know better than the gm dealership. my .02
You can also use a Megger to test for Insulation Resistance that would find the short-to-ground, short-to-shield (if shielded), or short-to-(other) conductor.
A "Meggar" uses high voltage in able to measure a small current. With todays electronics, if there was a short to a signal cable, this would likely kill the electronics: better to just use the digital multimeter as this generally uses a 9V battery.
@@dennisharvey4499 When checking aircraft wiring, we have a Meggar that goes down to 10V or 100V potential, depending on the circuit. With 10 V potential, on a 20 or 22 gage conductor, for example, an IR check of > 2 GOhm is considered fully-isolated. Conversely, we've measured IR (conductor to shield, for example) with IR in the xxx kOhm range, which indicates a fault. It's all about having the right tool, and knowing how to apply it :)
Yes, it is quite the 'thing'. Body shops have found that they can make more money by replacing the entire roof instead of fixing a damaged roof. Some roofs must be replaced because of severe damage. However, shops are cutting roofs off due to hail damage that can be fixed with paintless dent repair and other proven methods. Shop managers make a cut in the cost of parts and roofs can be very expensive.
That's cool doesn't have to be a long one I like these when you doing more couple of weeks at least used to do one a day which is really cool
Yes, very nice to use test light.
I understand what the point of the test light is.
Let's say you are going to test positive and negative volt wire but you take the test light on a data line wire and run 12v into it. What happens then?
A thorough check could have been done with the ohmmeter if the wires were tested for a short to ground and also for shorts to each other. Current carrying capability needs the light for sure. Long live the DVM! 😉
I use a 12v buzzer/bulb combo so I don't have to keep watching the light when I go searching for pinched wires.
I alway save the old parts for a few weeks. Just in case the new parts fail, use as backup.
Thank you for the update
Some of those trucks that were built during COVID don't actually have the BSM modules installed. There is a tsb about that. That's not the only system with the same kinda issues😊
Only model year 2022 and 2023 I work for GM in the dlr parts support center and most of those vehicles have been retrofitted now as they have been getting it taken care of over the last 6 months fyi those that were built without the module have a jumper connector in place of the model to complete the communication network loop
Oh, how fortunate eh?
Good grief!
Theres still the possibility of 2 wires shorted together without being grounded. You can use the load test or continuity test but you have to test to all 4 wires to be sure it's only good for 1 wite at a time.
Hey Ivan, I liked your steel toed safety sandals, Are they OSHA approved?
Thanks Ivan!
Always measure continuity to ground with an ohmmeter when checking wire integrity!
I like those genuine Yankee work boots you are wearing.
Why use the small bulb and the test light together and not just the test light alone? The test light alone will allow too much current? Great video, thank you.
Awesome Ivan! This video just proves can’t OHM everything lol
Great one Ivan. Thank you!
I likee how you thinkee
That's pretty cool so you did two videos and one I like that
On the pinched wire job, you have to evaluate yourself when doing body work on every vehicle made after around 1995 or later due to the various wires, modules and so forth. Just to be on the safe side, all the body man had to do was maybe spend another 5 minutes being super careful when working the roof panel replacement or by having a helper when needed to be super careful when aligning up the new or removing the old panel. Who knows, the grey wire could have been pinched from when the roof panel got damaged and it went unnoticed by the tech. NOW, look at the time consumed to locate and correct the culprit...that is when you decide more time and concern needs to be taken when doing a job you probably are comfortable with from past experiences yet being more observant will pay off in the long run.
On the Yukon why couldn’t you swap the correct wires in the connector and make it work. They plugged in correctly and just needed the wires shifted to correct sockets in the connector.
Hi
I wonder if you can advise me. I own a 1997 Toyota Landcruiser Colorado here in the UK, could you tell me if it is possible to have a new key fob made . I have owned this LC for 15 years and intend to keep it, it is in first class condition and runs great.
I have tried the Toyota dealer in Wolverhampton and they supplied a master key (un programmed) which I don't need. I don't need any keys cut just the fob. I hope an aftermarket fob is available but so far no luck.
I have watched quite a few of your videos and I am very impressed with you and your diagnostic skills.
Regards from the UK
Paul Reynolds.
A continunity test tests for an open. Testing between each individual wire tests for shorts. Using a good body ground then probing each wire tests for grounds. And it can be done with a digital VOM. There are only three posibilities when it comes to wiring. It's open, it's shorted, or it's grounded. The real stinker is finding a high open. A wire that is broken in two but under the right conditiins still works. The insulation looks great, but the wire is broken under the insulation. And unless the insulation looks funny at the point of the break, a tone or a test set used to find opens needs to be used. From experience, the insulation doesn't always look funny above the place where the wire is broken.
I saw a Ford F150 with leaking tail lamp housings that are not serviceable yet they have the side impact modules inside them. Corrosion took over and the only solution was to replace both tail lamps and harnesses because not only did they operate/communicate with the side modules but a handful of unrelated communication with other electronics. So, two tail lamps, two harnesses and a few other items and $5,600 later in parts expenses, the side modules were fixed as were other codes that showed up because of the tail lamp housings. HOW DUMB.
In this case, I have to suggest that the VIN and the RPO codes are needed to obtain the correct parts so I place some blame here on the parts department for not asking more details about the correct part for the RPO list on the vehicle. Also, the shop owes this customer a NEW factory harness, not a splice job, which could be part of the problem and especially where the splices are, behind the rear tire and subject to the worst conditions any splice could be subjected to !
Wondering why they would change the pinout, maybe it was out of their control or they added features and did not want them to be interchanged accidentally.
I'm glad you clarified using ohm meter to ground because that most certainly would have found the problem without the foolish bulbs in this case and would have been quicker !
"foolish bulbs"?? lol
Haha had to come back to this crazy comment!! You definitely don't understand electricity and why you use a load to check integrity.
@@bigdaddymak1439 I was surprised to see it was 6 mo. ago. Maybe you missed the words "in this case". I do understand electricity pretty well after being an electrician for the last 40+ years !
Common for those rear bumper harness's to be wrong. Common spot for that harness to get pinched is the visor screws when they reinstall the headliner.
For wire integrity, wouldn't you also need to check for shorts between wires and each wire to ground? Okay, you did find a ground short but I always use an ohm meter to check for ground shorts as well. Don't need a test light if you do this but for current carrying capability, a test light is useful. I had a really hard time with thd rear AC blower on my 2004 Suburban. Harness checked out for continuity but when there was a substantial current draw, there was a no-connect situation. Connector behind driver side foorwell cover had a burnt contact (diagonally opposite corner of truck from rear AC).
Yeah. Crosstalk between wires in a harness/connector is something many (myself included) tend to forget. This is why it pays to have a diagnostic routine which you stick to no matter what.
Two types of systems in one vehicle. Leave it up to GM for that. But what happens if it's like that on other vehicles? How many other makes have RPO code labels in the vehicle? Unless you have GM repair software that point's that out, you don't know for sure.
That's a new one....roof replacement.
I've seen pinched harnesses after the body shop installed aftermarket bulkheads that separated the driver/passenger area from the rear of the van.
Good videos Ivan!
It's not 2 types of systems it's different levels of function the z88 z75 and x88 refer to the brand GMC Cadillac and Chevy witch obviously have different levels of function from each other they put a Cadillac harness in a gmc and surprise ofcourse it doesn't have the same pin out the caddy has the highest level of functionality of the 3
The new gm’s don’t have the rpo codes anymore in the vehicle, I had to request the build sheet for my 2021 from Chevy
@@braaapattack2937 no they still have the spid label owners manual are going digital but it's required to have the rpo code label it's also included on the window sticker build sheet as well. But errors do happen and you can get a replacement label for the vehicle if needed
@@claytoncoolidge992 unless they hid them now, my 2021 Silverado doesn’t have one, not in the glove box or on the door pillars
From a google search. I guess it’s a QR code now and you have to scan it with your phone to get it. Guess I’ll have to see if I have that now, but I got a printed paper copy I requested from gm after I got the truck and seen there was no rpo sticker
The trucks inDenali 😂
Great explanation sir.thanks 👌 cheers
where in the headliner was the short do you have that info like around the door middle on lights where ? helpful to make sure others are careful on theircars if adding even a factory option or even replacing the liner like at ray Rainman repairs hey had to redo his liner because of it was in bad shape so he ordered a new one to put in plus new carpet too
If you used an ohm meter and checked those wires for continuity and to ground you would have found it also.
Ivan, do you have a recommendation for a basic wiring connector kit? I’m always struggling with finding the right fitting, and end up using pins or paper clips or some such. Thanks! - Kip at Promasters Only.
AESWAVE.COM :)
Since your wrong call was made due to the fact the replacement wiring wasn't correct, how do you handle the diagnosis guarantee? Is is all on you, all on the shop who put in the wrong harness, or do you split between the two?
Don't feel bad Ivan, we all make mistakes. I made one once, back when I was a lad. I thought I was wrong.
Ive got that same two channel scope and yet to have used it!
Equinox works only 2 days a year .. once in spring and fall 😊
GOOD ONE xD
Nicely done!
Ivan, can I assume the shop just replaced the GMC module with the one you re-pinned, or did they replace the harness?
Harness was replaced again :)
Would Dan Sullivan’s loading test leads work and a test like that and if so, and if you have them could you demonstrate.
Dan Sullivan's cucumber Load Pro is best used as a wheel chock...even then it's not too useful LOL!
@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics wow!!! I thought I remember a while back. You did a review on those. I thought they might be useful on what you were just working on, but I can see you’re not a big fan. Thanks for your response. Best of luck. one of your longest followers.
On Kia's we have to replace both modules even if only one gets damaged
Side object detection system…. Idk about that. Most people just call them mirrors….
Great job, as always, Ivan! This is the last time I comment or like your videos - YT has blocked me from watching, because I have an ad-blocker. So, until ad-blockers can respond to this, I can only watch in Private sessions, which prevent me from liking or commenting. No matter how much I like to be here, I will not be infested by stupid ads to do so. Sorry!
If you have ublock origin, purge the cache and manually update.
ummm ok that's strange lol
Even after the vehicle is fixed you should keep the parts for up to 3 weeks
Here’s a nice fun fact I learned, the new gm’s (at least Chevy) don’t have the rpo codes anymore in the vehicle. I had to request the rpo/build sheet for my 2021 Silverado and printed it out and stuffed one in the glove box and one in my paperwork
Edit: I guess it’s now a QR code on a certification label, hope you have cell service when you need parts lol
Yeah it was nice when they had the stickers in the glove box!
Moral of the story=
Don't pinch the paycheck of your employee or he will pinch your harness and pull the other one down on to the hot muffler one of life's best lessons 👹
Ohm meter would work if you checked for grounds also ,
I make it a habit to hold on to every old part I have to replace for up to 2 weeks after the car is finished. Mainly to satisfy the customers and insurance adjusters to show that the parts in question were replaced. And can show why. Because sometimes not even photo and video proof are not enough. But hey, great tip for checking wire integrity. I've been fooled a couple of times testing with just an ohms meter and everything checks out. Then check again later with a test light and the problem finally shows up.
😂 2/3s ot the video is bonus footage
Rigging up all those test lights simply to check for a short to ground is completely unnecessary. You can easily do the same check with your multimeter while you are testing wire continuity. BONUS COMMENT: You should also check for shorts between the individual wires during an integrity check.
True. But you do need the test lights to check for current-carrying capability :)
serious question what is your hourly rate for diagnosing problems... just a rough number...
Ivan posted a shot of an invoice on a recent video.
See website
You are supposed to replace your roof every 3 months or 3k miles!
Does anyone know what multimeter Ivan uses? GM wants me to buy a Fluke 87 but they are so expensive.
AMAZON STORE!
Hi everyone this discussion is hard for me to comprehend. Is there a good book out there to teach me about this load test, ohm, continuity? I'm sure you guys started somewhere to learn all these. Anyone here willing to help me? This discussion really fascinate me and want to learn it too if any soul out there can help me where to start. Thanks!
I use my eyes to detect anything on either side of my vehicle. The whole thing is getting preposterous.
There's no reason you can't find a short to ground or a short between wires using an ohmmeter. You only did one of several checks that are possible with an ohmmeter.
How about checking a corroded wire ?
What am I missing? How did it work AFTER they replaced the wrong harness for a few weeks?
It never worked with the replacement harness after it got melted on the exhaust.
@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics ah I see. I missed that - thought they replaced the harness when the bodywork was first done.
@@travissheehan6082 yup I honestly don't know why they replaced it later since it wasn't the part that was damaged lol!
Electronics in the bumper. That’s the real problem. No need for all that.
Where do you get your diagnostics
What does this mean? 😅
👍
What do you think about load pro ?
See my Review of the Load Pro lol
Are those lights homemade or where can you find them?
yes, homemade.
You could have detected the Equinox signal wire ground short with an ohm meter, but you didn't test for signal wire ground shorts. So your contention to leave the ohm meter alone was wrong. The proper instruction would be to test for ground shorts.
Ohm meter would fail if wire is almost broken ;)