No kidding I believe this might just be the best mechanic I’ve ever seen in my life. His brain is on another level. Thank you so much for taking the time to record this stuff.
I just wanted to say thanks, I watch your channel quite often. I recently acquired a $550 "towyard-special" 2001 Xterra with a KA24DE. It was running terribly and I was able to identify a blocked upstream catalytic converter with the aid of this video. $95 for an eBay cat and no more CEL. Keep up the excellent work bud.
@@hahnmowermotorsports179 thats a great one. I used that product before. Works like a champ. Also used it combined with screw driver and hammer cleaner to make sure it was sparkling clean.
Hey! About 4 years ago here in Armstrong County PA I used a similar cleaner to what you guys used on my old 2004 silverado pickup. I believe it was called "sawzall, exhaust tube bender, and straight pipe". Kind of a weird name for a cleaner but it worked better than ever and sure cleaned her out. Only one cat was plugged (there is one on each bank of the 6.0 v8) so the truck was running really really weird. Also I was able to use the "hp tuners" "tune up" software to take care of my new false check engine light that came on because I used this cleaner. Took care of that and actually plugged the truck into my friends emission machine and it passed! Yes is passed after that!! That tune up software really works!!!!
Another excellent video. Your ability to diagnose mechanical problems is amazing every video it's like a shop class. I'm 72 and have known a lot of good mechanics but I think you are probably the best I've seen!
I just starte4d watchina g your videos recently. I am 75 years old and my very first car was a 1955 Chevy with a 265 V8 which burned oil so In decided to tear the engine apart and relace the rings. I got most of my tools from Sears and parts by mail from J C Whitney catalogs. In 1963 that was the equal to Amazon today for cars and truck parts. I got it done and all reaasmbled but Im ended up with 2 bolts left over. Not a clue where from. The car ran well for a while but then started to burn oil again. So I took everything apart again and found out that I left the 2 bolts off the main bearing cap on the crankahaft. Solved the mystery of the 2 extra bolts. I enjoy watching auto repair videos but the electronics lose me. Keep up the good videos Pete
I said(out loud) to my phone "Plugged cat" at 0:38 of the video. I'm not a mechanic,per se,but had plenty of experience with plugged cats. Bought my first brand new vehicle in 1998,a 3.9L Dakota sport pick-up. It had a total of 83,000 miles when I traded it in and had been thru 5 CATALYTIC CONVERTERS. Exact same symptoms as this truck but with enhanced rattle. Went out every 15,000 almost to the mile! Didnt find out why,didnt really care. Got rid of that POS and never looked back! Enjoy your videos!
In the old days, we diagnosed a restricted exhaust with a simple vacuum gauge. Start at idle and slowly bring the throttle up. The vacuum should go up as engine rpm increases. If it goes down, the exhaust is restricted.
Very cool to see how the testing changed your initial assumption and confirmed the cause. Lots of shops would have thrown a fuel pump on and charged you for it despite it not fixing the problem. Good job!
Eric was excellent in diagnosing a bad catalytic converter. With this in mind, there are two points which may be of assistance to viewers of this video which are having a similar problem. First, the rattle noise heard coming from the exhaust is most likely the heat shield on the front catalytic converter. Over time, the heat shield will become loose and deliver the "Nissan Rattle". In such a case, a stainless hose clamp placed at the appropriate spot will remove this noise. Secondly, you may have a vehicle which still has a warranty in place. Though your vehicle is outside of the standard 5yr/60,000 mile factory warranty, converters are covered by an emission control warranty for 8 years or 80,000 miles. Dont spend a fortune on a repair if you dont have to.
My first test on a car with this similar issue is is take it down the road. Give it gas tell it starts choking out and pop in in neutral will my foot still on the gas. If the rpms go up it’s most likely a fuel delivery issue. If not looking more like catalytic converter. Great work! Love the videos
Eric I like to use a vacuum gauge to diagnose a plugged exhaust. Then remove 02 sensors and see when the power output comes back. Thats how I figure out which one is plugged.
When you take a measurement when you were trying to reach zero on the pico, you can just type in “0” on the measurement box after you pull it down and it will go automatically
I had a similar issue with my 2012 Nissan Frontier with the 4.0 liter engine. They replaced many parts at the used auto service department and still couldn't fix the issue. Issue: loss of power out of the blue and when engine would warm up. No engine check light. Engine thermostat was reading high but not in the red. To make a long story short, the Nissan garage had it for about 15 minutes and found it was a bad thermostat. Because it was overheating, but not in the red (danger zone) the system would cut power to the engine so it wouldn't destroy itself. Great video. I would just tell people to make sure and take your vehicles to a reputable mechanic. I was without my almost new truck for about a month and a half because the service department at the dealership couldn't diagnose a simple problem.
As soon as I heard the engine sound when it was being revved up, I thought plugged catalytic converter. I’ve heard other motors with that problem and it sounded exactly the same.
Should have a p0420 code well before the cat gets too bad to drive probably something like a mass air flow meter just guessing because I haven’t finished the video.
Hey Eric O. Just want to say your channel is awesome and I'm constantly looking to see if you put any new videos out! You're a great dude. I also broke my foot recently after finishing a timing belt on my A4 3.0 Audi, so I been holed up on the couch. At least I can spend my recovery learning some new stuff! Thanks for all you do!
I absolutely LOVE how you make your decisions based upon data! You are the best automotive tech I've seen. I WISH ALL automotive techs had your level of professionalism and data-driven decision making processes. From now on I'm going to request factual proof from any auto tech looking at my car before approving any repair. From your videos, it's clear the data can be provided. You know what I would love to see from you? A collection of videos where you publish known automotive issues and how to identify them based upon the OBD2 or CAN bus data. Please please please do something like that!
The first thing I heard at the beginning of the video when you were showing us the way the engine sounded like that rattle sound I knew that it could have a bad catalytic converter so I will resume to watch the rest of the video to see if I'm right.
Eric.. Just FYI The Felpro ES72481 Spark-plug tube seal kit fit almost all of the Nissan valve covers. I have used them numerous times. They cross reference for the 3.5 engines in the Altima's but they fit and seal perfectly on almost all of them.
When you started it up, I heard that clanging and instantly thought, cat heat shield rattling, must be a clogged cat. Time to sharpen up a piece of conduit, and grab a hammer. lol
i remember my younger days blowing the converter in my camaro......no power and it would overheat after 5 minutes after startup...the fact that i was constantly flooring did not help either.. expensive lesson lol. once again good diagnosis eric.
Hi Eric, thanks for the upload. If you get the job and have time, please do another waveform and temp check. I'm curious to see good numbers for this truck.
I'm assuming they never did have you replace the converter. Was curious what the old one looked like inside. Bet they took it to some backwoods shop and they simply shoved a pipe through it.
My repairman told me to floor it from time to time, just to blow the converter. Have not had any converter problems (no plugging or emission inspection fails) so far.
My Nissan did the same exact thing. I thought it was bad gas too. I was 200 miles away from home and had to drive it with barely any power and missfiring like hell. Finally got it cleaned and now it runs perfect
Had a similar failure on a Ford V6 Escape, front maniverter came apart internally, clogged the down stream cat. Caused the plastic oem EGR to blow off as well as the no throttle response symptom. OBD showed misfire on two front cylinders. Thanks Eric.
That's just another of the many reasons I'll never set foot in New York. I've seen that upstate is nothing like the south around the city.. having said that, the laws apply upstate too. That's a shame as well, upstate is a lot like Central PA, where I hail from.
Yep I live in the catskills ny about 95 miles up from NYC. We get folks from down there come up to the local junk yards and grab a cat from there . we have 3 yards with in 60 miles from me .There was a shop that would cut them out by the pipe method but you have to register it in NJ to pass the inspection
know of a couple cases on these 4.0 where not only did the front cats come apart, but the back pressure forced particles back-up into the cylinders causing valve and piston damage (on iATN). These guys were fortunate.
pico scoping is awesome. you can also hook up a cheap vacuum gauge and show us some mc giver stuff. was all that rattling coming from the converter. should have taken 2 more minutes and pulled it off and give us guys a picture ha ha. you are an awesome mechanic thanks for showing us some of you work. i bet your an aitn member. keep up the good work and may the Lord bless you in all you do.
In the good ole days before OBD etc, we used to rev it up, switch off and listen. If you listen carefully at 13.47 you can hear the exhaust gasses hissing as they escape.
you could have done a running vacuum test too. when you rev it up if the vacuum doesnt drop hard, your exhaust is plugged up. ols skool test that still works on any engine.
The ceramic inside a catalytic converter is made from fragile material. It is typically protected by an insulating mat. This mat holds the catalyst in place and provides moderate protection against damage. However when anything strikes the converter or a broken exhaust system support can cause this catalytic material to fracture. Once the ceramic catalyst is fractured, the broken pieces become loose and rattle around and break up into smaller pieces. Flow is interrupted and backpressure in the exhaust system increases. This leads to heat build up and loss of power.
When you said it started all of a sudden and I heard the rattling sound, I put my money on an obstructed exhaust. But I thought the owner had hit something under the truck that squeezed the pipe to the point of almost total obstruction.
Clogged cat is horrible for the motor. Increased pressure will definitely do some heavy damage to the pistons. Probably caused the truck to go into fail safe mode by shutting down a cylinder
My immediate thought was plugged cat or plugged exhaust then you said fuel pump and I was disappointed. But now your data makes you think exhaust.. still watching hope I'm right!
You are gonna love the wps 500 Eric. Awesome tool. I use mine quite a bit to determine if I have inadequate fuel pressure on the low side on our buses.
Before you even tested it I figured that's what it was.. I have a v6 pathfinder of the same era and I have replaced.... All.. 4.. catalytic converters (with cheap ass ones that'll probably only last a few years). Those O2 and AFR's are actually pretty stout on these. I took mine off about 5 times and it was tough the first time but not horrible.
It was even audible after you shut the engine off, the hiss of the pressure escaping. (obviously could also have been AC low on gas/evap purging or similar so wise to diagnose with the scope and pyro too). First time I've heard of it occurring suddenly though like you say, normally takes a while and in my experience usually plugs up the back box. Wonder what state the 2nd cat was in, too, having been bombarded with chunks of porcelain?
I believe that converter is covered under warranty still. Unless it's past the mileage allocation part. Oem nissan parts aren't priced bad at all for the cat. Another great video.
Wonder if the misfires took the cat out or if the misfires are associated with the failed cat. Curious if you still had the misfires after you changed the cat if your got the job...unless of course you video'd it and then I guess I'm just going to have to wait. This is where diagnosing with a lab scope helps pay for itself & saves you so much time. You didn't turn a wrench or get your hands dirty other than removing the sparkplug but definitely better than stripping out an AFR sensor to check back pressure! I love my Pico & thanks again. Great diagnosis as usual & hope you got the job.
Yeah didn't get a chance to record this one just because I was spent on time but when the job was all done, the FT's were spot on and when i drove it , it didn't miss a beat. Dunno, but I am sure time will tell :D
Eric I worked at a shop in allegany NY. Not far from you and we had at least two of these come in this way. Couldn't find a cause from what I remember either. Also I remember these having trouble with 02 sensors. Have yo ever run into the ford 500 problem? Where the egr melts a hole in the intake and then the cat melts? Haha they do it at like 50k too!
Definitely worth taking a little bit of time to get a feel for the metric system. The best way is to give up on trying to convert to imperial, and just go for thinking in metric. 1 metre = large 1 step, 1 centimetre = the width of your little finger, 25 degrees celcius (or centigrade for USA folks) = a beautiful sunny day. Metric is excellent when you want to convert weight to volume, because 1000 litres of water = one metric tonne.
I'm impressed by your tech and mechanical knowledge. Hope you're starting to recycle in electric cars cause that's coming soon and all those technical tools you're using right now will be obsolete. But I see a future when old school mechanics will be rare to find and command high premium fees to maintain private car collections from rich dude or nostalgic track racing enthusiastic. Having knowledge in both old and new technology is good for your business, STAY AHEAD, it will make you invaluable and one step ahead of others. THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM OUR FUTURE.
I wonder when he had oil in the plug wells if he drove it long enough with it misfiring to load the cat with gas? Too bad he is past emissions warranty as well. That part is going to be expensive. So the cat and manifold are all one piece on that? Wow, that's crazy. Cool checking for the exhaust restriction with the scope, great video.
This is why I only drive older cars...to many sensors in top of sensors .. I like the ability to look at a engine..and figure it out...I would need 6 years of computer automotive classes to work on these new cars cuz I couldn't understand any of that computer stuffs
For me - best automotive channel in YT right now! ;) I wish at least 1/10 mechanics would have such knowledge of what they are doing ;) Gr8 job Eric ;) BTW. where is Cheeba?
Nice discussion at the end. Sometimes due to the rules we have to swat flies with a sledge hammer. I intend to mow the yard today and my old mower is going to pollute more, a whole lot more, than the cars driving past as I mow.
man, I need to get one of those scanners. I'm an aspiring mechanic, I currently work for myself and do a a lot of side jobs, usually doing work for people in their driveways. and it blows my mind how quick you got that thing diagnosed, just chilling in the driver seat!! haha! I feel like I'm in the damn stone age. it would took me forever to figure that out! anyways, you sir are hands down my favorite RUclips mechanic. I look forward to the day where I'm almost half as , skilled as you m8. keep up the Vids man. you are doing god's work. I'll be watching.
Your videos are great. Literally don't give a shit about Nissans but your diagnostics are different from everyone else and I really enjoy your way of doing things. Whenever I have the 30 minutes or so to watch your videos I do lol. Awesome work and I appreciate the shared knowledge.
Nice video Eric. Using the pressure transducer to diagnose the high back pressure in a cylinder was pretty interesting. I'm not sure if i would have thought of that. I'm surprised it didn't throw a P0420. If it was me I'd cut open the manifold pipe, remove the catalyst to make it drivable and then sneak across the border and get a cheap one put in. It isn't worth putting an OEM cat on a Nissan of that vintage.
The DIY cowboys definitely have an advantage over you in this department. Must be good business for the shops just over the border in PA in converter replacements.
Every 10C = 18F. Add 32 at the end and there you go. For kms, multiply by 6 and then divide by 10. You'll be off somewhat on large conversions but it'll get you in the ballpark.
In my career Nissan's are notorious to plug up cats and even the ultima's the cat material would go back into the motor and wear out the cylinders and rings and you are right that AFR is a bit pricey.
It's weird that it didn't have a code come up. My xterra had a p0430 and that catalytic converter was plugged. Since living in California the repair cost 1,300 for a new one. But I can't complain it has 270,000 miles on it and that's if first problem it had.
A potential problem has been detected in Europe with Nissan Navara, Frontier in USA. "Furious customers urge Nissan to recall 4X4 Navaras after it emerges that major fault could see trucks snap in HALF", due to a rust/corrosion problem with the chasis.
starving for fuel, pump not delivering or (suddenly?!!) clogged filter was my guess ... no, he looks at gasses... pressures... Thank you for the lesson!
I had one but the 4.0, hated that "truck". Twice it had no power, once converters clogged, 2nd throttle control wire broke. Had multiple issues with it. I gutted the converters, got the best milage it ever got, had more power than it ever had
No kidding I believe this might just be the best mechanic I’ve ever seen in my life. His brain is on another level. Thank you so much for taking the time to record this stuff.
I just wanted to say thanks, I watch your channel quite often. I recently acquired a $550 "towyard-special" 2001 Xterra with a KA24DE. It was running terribly and I was able to identify a blocked upstream catalytic converter with the aid of this video. $95 for an eBay cat and no more CEL. Keep up the excellent work bud.
This man is incredibly smart. His test equipment is top notch. He is smarter than most engineers ! Thank you so much !!
they used to make this really good catalytic converter cleaner back in the day. i believe it was called “Screwdriver and Hammer”
Yup, just sold a infinit Qx4 , former owner conducted that surgery B4 I owned it , problem solved
I always use one called “drill and auger bit.” Works great
I picked up some new old stock of that the other day works like a champ.
@@hahnmowermotorsports179 thats a great one. I used that product before. Works like a champ. Also used it combined with screw driver and hammer cleaner to make sure it was sparkling clean.
Hey! About 4 years ago here in Armstrong County PA I used a similar cleaner to what you guys used on my old 2004 silverado pickup. I believe it was called "sawzall, exhaust tube bender, and straight pipe". Kind of a weird name for a cleaner but it worked better than ever and sure cleaned her out. Only one cat was plugged (there is one on each bank of the 6.0 v8) so the truck was running really really weird. Also I was able to use the "hp tuners" "tune up" software to take care of my new false check engine light that came on because I used this cleaner. Took care of that and actually plugged the truck into my friends emission machine and it passed! Yes is passed after that!! That tune up software really works!!!!
Another excellent video. Your ability to diagnose mechanical problems is amazing every video it's like a shop class. I'm 72 and have known a lot of good mechanics but I think you are probably the best I've seen!
don't give him a big head. lol
I just starte4d watchina g your videos recently. I am 75 years old and my very first car was a 1955 Chevy with a 265 V8 which burned oil so In decided to tear the engine apart and relace the rings. I got most of my tools from Sears and parts by mail from J C Whitney catalogs. In 1963 that was the equal to Amazon today for cars and truck parts. I got it done and all reaasmbled but Im ended up with 2 bolts left over. Not a clue where from. The car ran well for a while but then started to burn oil again. So I took everything apart again and found out that I left the 2 bolts off the main bearing cap on the crankahaft. Solved the mystery of the 2 extra bolts. I enjoy watching auto repair videos but the electronics lose me.
Keep up the good videos Pete
I said(out loud) to my phone "Plugged cat" at 0:38 of the video. I'm not a mechanic,per se,but had plenty of experience with plugged cats. Bought my first brand new vehicle in 1998,a 3.9L Dakota sport pick-up. It had a total of 83,000 miles when I traded it in and had been thru 5 CATALYTIC CONVERTERS. Exact same symptoms as this truck but with enhanced rattle. Went out every 15,000 almost to the mile! Didnt find out why,didnt really care. Got rid of that POS and never looked back! Enjoy your videos!
That is the cleanest Frontier engine bay I've ever seen, by far.
In the old days, we diagnosed a restricted exhaust with a simple vacuum gauge. Start at idle and slowly bring the throttle up. The vacuum should go up as engine rpm increases. If it goes down, the exhaust is restricted.
Excellent example of proper diagnostic technique. You guys do it right and don't just trust intuition, you go for the data and the facts well done
Very cool to see how the testing changed your initial assumption and confirmed the cause. Lots of shops would have thrown a fuel pump on and charged you for it despite it not fixing the problem. Good job!
Eric was excellent in diagnosing a bad catalytic converter. With this in mind, there are two points which may be of assistance to viewers of this video which are having a similar problem. First, the rattle noise heard coming from the exhaust is most likely the heat shield on the front catalytic converter. Over time, the heat shield will become loose and deliver the "Nissan Rattle". In such a case, a stainless hose clamp placed at the appropriate spot will remove this noise. Secondly, you may have a vehicle which still has a warranty in place. Though your vehicle is outside of the standard 5yr/60,000 mile factory warranty, converters are covered by an emission control warranty for 8 years or 80,000 miles. Dont spend a fortune on a repair if you dont have to.
I love your explanation for how you analyze your customer and their actions in order to better diagnose their concern.
And off camera he treats them like the a-wholes they are
My first test on a car with this similar issue is is take it down the road. Give it gas tell it starts choking out and pop in in neutral will my foot still on the gas. If the rpms go up it’s most likely a fuel delivery issue. If not looking more like catalytic converter. Great work! Love the videos
Like your practical approach and how you integrate the tools without an over kill... good work dude!
Thanks Man!
Man, those muffler bearings sound shot as hell
Yup i can hear rhem rattling around in there.😁
Eric I like to use a vacuum gauge to diagnose a plugged exhaust. Then remove 02 sensors and see when the power output comes back. Thats how I figure out which one is plugged.
Thanks for showing the scope and in-cyl transducer analysis. Very informative.
When you take a measurement when you were trying to reach zero on the pico, you can just type in “0” on the measurement box after you pull it down and it will go automatically
I had a similar issue with my 2012 Nissan Frontier with the 4.0 liter engine. They replaced many parts at the used auto service department and still couldn't fix the issue.
Issue: loss of power out of the blue and when engine would warm up. No engine check light. Engine thermostat was reading high but not in the red.
To make a long story short, the Nissan garage had it for about 15 minutes and found it was a bad thermostat. Because it was overheating, but not in the red (danger zone) the system would cut power to the engine so it wouldn't destroy itself.
Great video. I would just tell people to make sure and take your vehicles to a reputable mechanic. I was without my almost new truck for about a month and a half because the service department at the dealership couldn't diagnose a simple problem.
Fresh off the hook, no beans---love the lingo.
As soon as I heard the engine sound when it was being revved up, I thought plugged catalytic converter. I’ve heard other motors with that problem and it sounded exactly the same.
There are other ways to check for bad cats without running the engine which could cause some major issues!
Should have a p0420 code well before the cat gets too bad to drive probably something like a mass air flow meter just guessing because I haven’t finished the video.
Hey Eric O. Just want to say your channel is awesome and I'm constantly looking to see if you put any new videos out! You're a great dude. I also broke my foot recently after finishing a timing belt on my A4 3.0 Audi, so I been holed up on the couch. At least I can spend my recovery learning some new stuff! Thanks for all you do!
I absolutely LOVE how you make your decisions based upon data! You are the best automotive tech I've seen. I WISH ALL automotive techs had your level of professionalism and data-driven decision making processes. From now on I'm going to request factual proof from any auto tech looking at my car before approving any repair. From your videos, it's clear the data can be provided.
You know what I would love to see from you? A collection of videos where you publish known automotive issues and how to identify them based upon the OBD2 or CAN bus data. Please please please do something like that!
I've had the exact problem except it was the header piped delaminated on the inside. Love your channel Eric O.
I learned a lot about exhaust restrictions on a 73 Buick. Special tool-hacksaw. Collapsed inner wall of exhaust pipe.
Hi Eric you probably know this . but i just double the Celsius and add 28 . always gets me near . Keep up the Excellent work. Dave from England
i thought i knew a lot about cars till i started watching you. you're very good
The first thing I heard at the beginning of the video when you were showing us the way the engine sounded like that rattle sound I knew that it could have a bad catalytic converter so I will resume to watch the rest of the video to see if I'm right.
V10PDTDI
You are 110% right
V10PDTDI exactly what I thought one he started it
V10PDTDI that was exactly my thought bad cat
@@Lindenbum me too
Eric.. Just FYI The Felpro ES72481 Spark-plug tube seal kit fit almost all of the Nissan valve covers. I have used them numerous times. They cross reference for the 3.5 engines in the Altima's but they fit and seal perfectly on almost all of them.
My first view of your channel. Thank you so very much for showing me how things are done these days.
When you started it up, I heard that clanging and instantly thought, cat heat shield rattling, must be a clogged cat. Time to sharpen up a piece of conduit, and grab a hammer. lol
I like video's that contain good information and nobody gets called a moron .thanks Eric O.
Always right on time when i go to youtube! Always happy when i see SMA video good job eric o!
14:39, "That is super cool." Yes it is! Yet another double thumbs up SMA video and terrific "plug" for Pico.
Hey , jsut use what works the best :D
you know its gonna be a good day when you can start it with a SMA video
i remember my younger days blowing the converter in my camaro......no power and it would overheat after 5 minutes after startup...the fact that i was constantly flooring did not help either.. expensive lesson lol. once again good diagnosis eric.
Hi Eric, thanks for the upload.
If you get the job and have time, please do another waveform and temp check. I'm curious to see good numbers for this truck.
General comment, I really love your videos and the detailed explanations provided. Thank you for doing all the work it takes to produce these!
is it possible this customer fell for the ol banana in the tail pipe
I'm assuming they never did have you replace the converter. Was curious what the old one looked like inside. Bet they took it to some backwoods shop and they simply shoved a pipe through it.
My repairman told me to floor it from time to time, just to blow the converter. Have not had any converter problems (no plugging or emission inspection fails) so far.
Thank you for making these videos, you make me smarter every day
Awesome troubleshooting. Excellent tooling. Top notch mechanic man. Impressive
Love the scanner info but you can diagnose a clogged exhaust with a vacuum gauge also
My Nissan did the same exact thing. I thought it was bad gas too. I was 200 miles away from home and had to drive it with barely any power and missfiring like hell. Finally got it cleaned and now it runs perfect
Had a similar failure on a Ford V6 Escape, front maniverter came apart internally, clogged the down stream cat. Caused the plastic oem EGR to blow off as well as the no throttle response symptom. OBD showed misfire on two front cylinders. Thanks Eric.
That's just another of the many reasons I'll never set foot in New York. I've seen that upstate is nothing like the south around the city.. having said that, the laws apply upstate too. That's a shame as well, upstate is a lot like Central PA, where I hail from.
Great to see all of these different faults you can fix this is real mechanic at work. Great channel. New sub.
Yep I live in the catskills ny about 95 miles up from NYC. We get folks from down there come up to the local junk yards and grab a cat from there . we have 3 yards with in 60 miles from me .There was a shop that would cut them out by the pipe method but you have to register it in NJ to pass the inspection
know of a couple cases on these 4.0 where not only did the front cats come apart, but the back pressure forced particles back-up into the cylinders causing valve and piston damage (on iATN). These guys were fortunate.
pico scoping is awesome. you can also hook up a cheap vacuum gauge and show us some mc giver stuff. was all that rattling coming from the converter. should have taken 2 more minutes and pulled it off and give us guys a picture ha ha. you are an awesome mechanic thanks for showing us some of you work. i bet your an aitn member. keep up the good work and may the Lord bless you in all you do.
I like your diagnostic approach. And that you choose a noninvasive solution to confirm. thx for sharing.
In the good ole days before OBD etc, we used to rev it up, switch off and listen. If you listen carefully at 13.47 you can hear the exhaust gasses hissing as they escape.
you could have done a running vacuum test too. when you rev it up if the vacuum doesnt drop hard, your exhaust is plugged up. ols skool test that still works on any engine.
Plugged exhaust was my guess having watched one of your videos of a vehicle with the same symptoms. Thanks for the video.
The ceramic inside a catalytic converter is made from fragile material. It is typically protected by an insulating mat. This mat holds the catalyst in place and provides moderate protection against damage. However when anything strikes the converter or a broken exhaust system support can cause this catalytic material to fracture. Once the ceramic catalyst is fractured, the broken pieces become loose and rattle around and break up into smaller pieces. Flow is interrupted and backpressure in the exhaust system increases. This leads to heat build up and loss of power.
When you said it started all of a sudden and I heard the rattling sound, I put my money on an obstructed exhaust. But I thought the owner had hit something under the truck that squeezed the pipe to the point of almost total obstruction.
Clogged cat is horrible for the motor. Increased pressure will definitely do some heavy damage to the pistons. Probably caused the truck to go into fail safe mode by shutting down a cylinder
So he's got a special performance reducing exhaust?
opl500
Ordered in all the way from Calizuela!
My immediate thought was plugged cat or plugged exhaust then you said fuel pump and I was disappointed. But now your data makes you think exhaust.. still watching hope I'm right!
great bit of diagnosing .. like you say a mystry on why it suddenly went bad.
You are gonna love the wps 500 Eric. Awesome tool. I use mine quite a bit to determine if I have inadequate fuel pressure on the low side on our buses.
Yeah I have had mine for a bit and have been enjoying it
Before you even tested it I figured that's what it was.. I have a v6 pathfinder of the same era and I have replaced.... All.. 4.. catalytic converters (with cheap ass ones that'll probably only last a few years). Those O2 and AFR's are actually pretty stout on these. I took mine off about 5 times and it was tough the first time but not horrible.
It was even audible after you shut the engine off, the hiss of the pressure escaping. (obviously could also have been AC low on gas/evap purging or similar so wise to diagnose with the scope and pyro too). First time I've heard of it occurring suddenly though like you say, normally takes a while and in my experience usually plugs up the back box. Wonder what state the 2nd cat was in, too, having been bombarded with chunks of porcelain?
I believe that converter is covered under warranty still. Unless it's past the mileage allocation part. Oem nissan parts aren't priced bad at all for the cat. Another great video.
yeah it was past in miles and it was less than 500 for all OEM parts. Not to bad
Nice find, all your vids are super helpful and appreciated
Great way of proving the back pressure with the transducer. #testnotguess Happy Easter Eric!
I knew it was the converter when I heard that rattling sound. The sound is pieces the converter rattling around in the converter
Heat shield?
Wonder if the misfires took the cat out or if the misfires are associated with the failed cat. Curious if you still had the misfires after you changed the cat if your got the job...unless of course you video'd it and then I guess I'm just going to have to wait. This is where diagnosing with a lab scope helps pay for itself & saves you so much time. You didn't turn a wrench or get your hands dirty other than removing the sparkplug but definitely better than stripping out an AFR sensor to check back pressure! I love my Pico & thanks again. Great diagnosis as usual & hope you got the job.
Yeah didn't get a chance to record this one just because I was spent on time but when the job was all done, the FT's were spot on and when i drove it , it didn't miss a beat. Dunno, but I am sure time will tell :D
Eric I worked at a shop in allegany NY. Not far from you and we had at least two of these come in this way. Couldn't find a cause from what I remember either. Also I remember these having trouble with 02 sensors. Have yo ever run into the ford 500 problem? Where the egr melts a hole in the intake and then the cat melts? Haha they do it at like 50k too!
As mechanic, I say yes. A misfire probably shortened the life of the cat. It would. That's why we have car software that monitors misfire.
Definitely worth taking a little bit of time to get a feel for the metric system. The best way is to give up on trying to convert to imperial, and just go for thinking in metric. 1 metre = large 1 step, 1 centimetre = the width of your little finger, 25 degrees celcius (or centigrade for USA folks) = a beautiful sunny day. Metric is excellent when you want to convert weight to volume, because 1000 litres of water = one metric tonne.
This is by far thee most interesting video ive seen in a long time, the data logging and all is soooo fricken cool
I'm impressed by your tech and mechanical knowledge. Hope you're starting to recycle in electric cars cause that's coming soon and all those technical tools you're using right now will be obsolete. But I see a future when old school mechanics will be rare to find and command high premium fees to maintain private car collections from rich dude or nostalgic track racing enthusiastic. Having knowledge in both old and new technology is good for your business, STAY AHEAD, it will make you invaluable and one step ahead of others. THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM OUR FUTURE.
Jake brake is on
I wonder when he had oil in the plug wells if he drove it long enough with it misfiring to load the cat with gas? Too bad he is past emissions warranty as well. That part is going to be expensive. So the cat and manifold are all one piece on that? Wow, that's crazy. Cool checking for the exhaust restriction with the scope, great video.
Yep they are all one piece but it wasn't to bad, about $500 for the factory one
Interesting to see what goes into troubleshooting modern cars.
This is why I only drive older cars...to many sensors in top of sensors .. I like the ability to look at a engine..and figure it out...I would need 6 years of computer automotive classes to work on these new cars cuz I couldn't understand any of that computer stuffs
For me - best automotive channel in YT right now! ;)
I wish at least 1/10 mechanics would have such knowledge of what they are doing ;)
Gr8 job Eric ;)
BTW. where is Cheeba?
Sheba has been at home with Mrs.O on spring break
South Main Auto Repair oh sorry - its Sheba :)
my bad ;)
Damn, that Picoscope is worth every penny. Sweet diag Eric. Thanks!!
Sure is man! Thanks!
900 bucks idk lol
Nice discussion at the end. Sometimes due to the rules we have to swat flies with a sledge hammer. I intend to mow the yard today and my old mower is going to pollute more, a whole lot more, than the cars driving past as I mow.
Haha yep, my mower is diesel and she rolls coal when the grass gets deep :D
You're in luck. Dorman makes one of these.
Hahha NOT A CHANCE!
Sarcasm of course.
LOL, the Dorman jokes never get old.
Honestly, does Dorman make any good parts, like a reman tipm? I am in the market for a tipm & dorman offers a plug-&-play.
@@5jjt I have some silver crush washers by them that seem to be pretty good....
I am so STOKED, Eric about your use of PIco products! I bought their amp clamp. Great stuff.
You da MAN!
(We repair espresso machinery.)
some of the best work ive seen
man, I need to get one of those scanners.
I'm an aspiring mechanic, I currently work for myself and do a a lot of side jobs, usually doing work for people in their driveways.
and it blows my mind how quick you got that thing diagnosed, just chilling in the driver seat!!
haha! I feel like I'm in the damn stone age. it would took me forever to figure that out!
anyways, you sir are hands down my favorite RUclips mechanic.
I look forward to the day where I'm almost half as , skilled as you m8.
keep up the Vids man. you are doing god's work.
I'll be watching.
Great video! Fancy Shmancy computer work!
I would've thought it was a dirty air filter.
Your videos are great. Literally don't give a shit about Nissans but your diagnostics are different from everyone else and I really enjoy your way of doing things. Whenever I have the 30 minutes or so to watch your videos I do lol. Awesome work and I appreciate the shared knowledge.
Cheaper than I thought.well that's good news for the owner.good luck,looks like it is going to be a fun one to do.
Nice video Eric. Using the pressure transducer to diagnose the high back pressure in a cylinder was pretty interesting. I'm not sure if i would have thought of that. I'm surprised it didn't throw a P0420.
If it was me I'd cut open the manifold pipe, remove the catalyst to make it drivable and then sneak across the border and get a cheap one put in. It isn't worth putting an OEM cat on a Nissan of that vintage.
Well unfortunately here we have to abide by the C.A.R.B. law and have to use a "NY Cat"
The DIY cowboys definitely have an advantage over you in this department. Must be good business for the shops just over the border in PA in converter replacements.
Another great one, thanks.
Every 10C = 18F. Add 32 at the end and there you go. For kms, multiply by 6 and then divide by 10. You'll be off somewhat on large conversions but it'll get you in the ballpark.
Over this side of the world we take f- reading, -32, divide remainder by 2, = C.
if you want do the exact conversion, the easiest way in your head is double the temp in C, take away 10%, add 32.
@Never Gonnatell nah, takes too long lol, always 2nd guessing it's correct
Checking Manifold absoloute pressure/ intake pressure while at 2000 rpm in park should give a good indication of a blockage in the exhaust.
Thank you, I learn so much from your videos.
In my career Nissan's are notorious to plug up cats and even the ultima's the cat material would go back into the motor and wear out the cylinders and rings and you are right that AFR is a bit pricey.
here it is 2am in the pnw i should be sleeping when i get a notification of a new sma video lol
You have your priorities right brother .What can I say LOL Daz UK
Good catch. Make sure you do a follow up video. I want to see you cut the cat open. Once again, I've learned something. Thanks, Dave at Hamburg.
Wish I could but it had a $200 core charge on it :(
Converters usually have very long warranties on them. Often far outstretching the standard warranty on the car. Check to see if it applies here.
It's weird that it didn't have a code come up. My xterra had a p0430 and that catalytic converter was plugged. Since living in California the repair cost 1,300 for a new one. But I can't complain it has 270,000 miles on it and that's if first problem it had.
Thanks helped me diagnose a 17 frontier with p0304 same problem
That pressure sensor is awesome. I wish we had those back in the 70s/80s.
A potential problem has been detected in Europe with Nissan Navara, Frontier in USA. "Furious customers urge Nissan to recall 4X4 Navaras after it emerges that major fault could see trucks snap in HALF", due to a rust/corrosion problem with the chasis.
torre1976 Vs this happened to Toyota tacos . Seen the picture of the tech who put one on a lift and it snapped in half?
Nissan is using Toyota frames now I assume.
starving for fuel, pump not delivering or (suddenly?!!) clogged filter was my guess
... no, he looks at gasses... pressures...
Thank you for the lesson!
I had one but the 4.0, hated that "truck". Twice it had no power, once converters clogged, 2nd throttle control wire broke. Had multiple issues with it. I gutted the converters, got the best milage it ever got, had more power than it ever had