I think it's more along the lines of a mint buick in the great rust area. I mean, in one of Wes' previous episodes, he worked on a pile of salt with wheels...
My mother and father in law had a matched pair of Buick’s, 2001 and 2004 LeSabres just like that one. Also pristine, high mileage, rural drivers, and both still on the road.
😅😅😅😅. The majority of my family are UAW GM veterans or working there now and swear by Chovies. I live in the real world of Fordlandia where working on your vehicle doesn't constantly induce mass amounts of cussing and tool throwing. Not to mention they just plain last longer than those tinker toy vehicles made by GM.
Back in the 1900's when I was young, if a starter wouldn't crank the engine, the first test we did was the tappy tap tap-especially on GMs. Hammers don't usually give a false reading. I could hear the bendix hitting the flexplate. There's you problem lady.
Wes, Thank you for replacing the questionable starter. The elderly owner didn’t need to be stranded either at home needing to go somewhere nor out in a parking lot or on the street without being able to get his car started!!!
Love the test light in the wheel ! You could've cut that out but didn't We're all human and many of us have been there ;-) Thanks for the vid Wes. Stay warm out there.
I had three of those Buick LeSabre's as company cars. Drove each one to over 200,000 miles and never had a problem with anything. Brakes, tires and fluids is all. Oh wait, one needed an alternator. The last one I drove for 249,500 miles. Was upset that I did not get to 1/4 million, but we traded it on a new car. Great vehicles and fuel efficient as well. I averaged 26 mpg at turnpike speeds all those years.
Hi Wes, Great video. Thanks for sharing. On your battery tester, your voltmeter face has a static electricity buildup ... when you touched the face at 6:17 you saw the needle jump upward (very low humidity at 0°F, which allows static buildup). Easy fix (no, not dielectric grease this time!) ... grab a fabric softener dryer sheet and wipe the face of the meter. This will provide a conductive path to keep the static from building up and holding the needle in place. Regards, R
Wes, just wanted to say my son (11yo) and I found your channel a few months back. We have been watching your old catalog. Your videos are great and your knowledge base is extremely impressive. As a father son team who loves to tinker/fix/etc... Which is a lot art on the next generation, thank you for being a great example to my son. Keep up the good work and I am very happy for the success of your channel.
I had a 2004 LeSabre Limited with leather and all the buttons, bells and whistles. I never had one ounce of trouble with the car except for one battery replacement. When I retired in December of 2012, I had to make a decision, my truck or the car. I decided to keep the truck. I hated to see it go but as a widower I had no use for both vehicles. That Buick was the smoothest riding, quietest car I have ever had the pleasure to drive. It was the same color as this one.
Hopefully that guy will be back to get the blown shock replaced. It also looked like maybe it had a leak towards the front. Entertaining as always, keep up the good work!
I think you got it, with that loud solenoid click but starter that doesn't want to wake up, problem must be solenoid/starter related. Us old guys don't want to fool with our cars anymore to save a few bucks. We just want them to work every time. We earned that in our youth laying under cars in the middle of winter , driving with an extra battery in the floor board and running bald tires. We learned our lesson the hard way.
Old style Denso starter motors offered a diagnostic post between the solenoid and the motor. Especially in those a scope can show details that clinch the diagnosis when it's not clear. I guess we shouldn't be surprised these can be hard to diagnose since the copper ring inside the solenoid will rotate, offering a different, shifting contact every time the contacts come together. The way those things get pitted up can give a few months of unreliability before they finally leave one stranded. It's too bad we don't often make the effort to find parts to replace contacts, but I can see why a pro wouldn't want to risk an unhappy customer. In the end you did a trustworthy fix for any cold winter day.
Di-electric grease prevents the flow of electricity? SWEET! Next time I have to work on household electric, I'm just going to paint the end of the wires rather than turning off the breaker. I'll update on how well that works. LOL
Yeah, all it actually means is the grease itself won't conduct electricity, as in, won't bridge your connections. The metal underneath still conducts just fine.
Those 3.8L V6 Buick motors are rock solid. I've had two Buicks sent to the junkyard for various isssues where it wasn't practical to repair, both were still running. Both had over 200K miles.
hey isn't it just life, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't, some videos have excitement some not so much. I just love the mixture. Keep on doing what ever you want and I will still be here watching. And that's from someone who can not drive a car (no license) but can drive a motorcycle, a boat and a train ! Thanks
Watching you with that starter is like the first time you find out you can back a semi-trailer into a spot you can’t drive out of. Leaves you scratching your head and kicking your butt. Great 👍 Content 🇺🇸🦅🌏⚓️🇺🇸
What a great way to brighten a gloomy day! Watch Wes Work and Dirt Perfect videos! WWW is still number ONE for me! Now a guy just needs a Vice Grip Garage video!
Are you kidding! Best video ever. Test light does a triple with a full gainer. Load tester goes down in solidarity with the test light. the simple joy of the sight of a rust belt Buick that is not swiss cheesed and miracle of miracles, swapping the starter didn't require an engine jack or body off frame Good day all in all.
thank you for showing your little moment of indiscretion at the front wheel. glad to see that someone who is clearly a more experienced mechanic than i can still make a "dumb" mistake. as long as we don't lose a finger in the process it's a lesson learned with a minimum of harm done. i enjoy your videos ... no bad music, no shaky camera; keep up the good work.
Bearing in mind how cold it is there, I think your meter issue on the load tester could be static related. It's something I learned of through radio & test instrument repair and apparently cold dry air can cause it to be worse. Basically a charge builds up somehow in the plastic meter lens & can hold up the movement on mechanical meters like that. ISTR cleaning the lens with antistatic wipe or a cloth dampened with water/dish soap helped.
Static build up charges also effect us in the cable tv / internet industry. The plastic sheathing combine with copper core with no ground would build up a charge at the connector causing attenuation of signal. As soon as you disconnected the cable and grounded it through your body, the problem would vanish.
I work in the Navy ship repair business. We use a similar substance to protect against corrosion between dissimilar metals in the sea environment. When you tighten the hardware it displaces the grease. The grease is just there to coat the surfaces and slow water intrusion. Eventually, everything succumbs to salt water. You just do your best to prevent it. Keep doing what you are doing!!!!
Glad to see you agonizing over putting in a new part. A lot of the mechanics around here (southern NY state) would say, "Ok we fixed the problem, we put new bulbs in your break lights and now your car starts." Great video, Wes thumbs up.
When Wes said he thought he found the problem, I almost thought he was going to say that you cannot install CHEVROLET floor mats in a BUICK and expect it to run properly.......
Good work Wes! Finally, a RUclipsr who is under 60 years of age and knows the difference between the words “well” and “good” and how to use each. Let me know if that old chap wants sell the Buick.
I had the exact same car but 2002 ! I never bought new cars and this was the first new car I ever bought. It had 28 miles on it when I bought it. I ran that thing up to 261k miles. I finally sold it when the radiator was leaking badly, The transmission was slipping - noticed it was a lot harder to get up hills. As the new owner was pulling out of my driveway the front drivers side head light burned out. Kinda like a "Goodbye" from salute from that car. I think these were the last of the good cars that GM ever made. That 3800 engine is one heck of an engine. I now own a 2008 Lucerne with 150k miles on it. Its got the 3800 series III. After owning my 2002 I vowed to learn to fix my own cars. From that point on its been quite the adventure and I have graduated up to even replacing the intake manifold gaskets. I have saved a ton of money doing it myself and gave me a great excuse to buy some really cool tools. :) Getting ready to buy my next car probably this coming fall. Sadly, I cannot justify buying a GM/Ford/Chrysler vehicle. I really want to stay American made but I always run my cars over 100k and need a dependable vehicle. So, Looking at a Lexus RX350 I guess at this point - Used of course. Probably a year or two old. Low miles. Wes, Thank you very much for your videos. I really enjoy watching them. Its these videos (and from others like South Main Auto) that inspires people to work on their own cars and trucks. Thats something that has been missing for a while and needs to be brought back.
Hey Wes - many (many) moons ago I worked at AutoMeter. Those meter faces are very prone to picking up static charges. I noticed after you load tested the battery in the car that your hand near the meter cover made the volt needle move. I immediately flashed back to my days in the factory rebuilding those meters. You need to dissipate the static charge on that cover and it'll (probably) be ok. We spritzed them with glass cleaner and wiped them off and that dissipated the static (for a while).
I had a starter this past year would do the same thing, then it seamed it self healed for a month or more then it went back to its old tricks. Glad you replaced it!
Nobody:man this battery under the hood gets in the way Gm: perfect we love fixing problems with more problems Chrysler: hold my beer while I take this tire off
We use an anti-oxidant grease (like Noalox) prior to attaching electrical connections then wipe down and apply Di-electric grease to coat everything after the connection is complete...just a thought...love your channel
Had a code for faulty cam position sensor. Connector was all crusty. Cleaned it out and packed it full of dielectric grease. Sensor works now. Huh, imagine that.
I bought my Ranger used. It came with fancy Weather Guard floor mats. Over rubber floors. After a week of catching my feet on them I threw them in the back of the truck. Made rubber footboard covers for my rider. Liquid nails doesn't last long on a mower.
Lol. I love your sarcasm on the dielectric grease, but you are so dry about it it's hard to tell you are kidding. I can imagine people with less knowledge on the subject thinking you are serious. "We wouldn't want any electricity going through those connections..." Hahaha. Imagine some guy trying to learn auto mechanics scratching his head.
Nah - I heard the same thing from my dad decades ago. I store my batteries on concrete floors all the time for months or even over a year an they don't lose charge. Maybe the don't put it on the floor came for the old hard rubber case batteries used many many moons ago but hard plastic doesn't care. But acid leaks and drips from the battery on to concrete will certainly screw up the concrete.
Hopefully that fixes the problem for a long time. In the old days starters could wear out the bushings and draw to much juice and make the car start hard. I don't know anything about new starters of today's world though. Great fix. Thanks for the video.
@@ThePlayerToBeNamedLater I use that line at work. They have this saying there about the "nurple nromise" I call it the p... penis. When they mention it, I think: BO, Here is comes again....
Sweet ride for a senior citizen. It probably sits in a garage with such low mileage. Most old folks generally don't drive much anyways. The bendix was probably worn just enough to have a 'flat spot' in it or something. Damn easy to change, that's for sure. A 4 cylinder Honda or most Volkswagens are two of the easiest starters to swap that I can think of off the top of my head, since you can do the job from the top of the bay, and don't even need to get underneath the car. Looks like he had a forest growing in his cowl, so maybe I was wrong about the car being garage kept. Lol. I don't consider that 'shotgunning' parts at it, since you were through in your diag, and did everything you should've done to confirm everything was functioning the way it should've up to that point. An old guy isn't going to wait for it to fail completely and then change the thing himself like you or I might, so you did the right thing. Intermittent electrical stuff is annoying but what are ya gonna do.... Take care Wes, and stay warm man! 👍
Wes when I heard that old starter click, my 48 years of mechanical senses said put a starter in it.. you went the extra mile to make sure there were no other problems so I feel good about the job being done correctly... as in all your videos. Thanks for the entertainment. That test light you made out of a brake light, we had something very similar in the Air Force for testing starters on jets. We called it a load light.. the only difference was we had three bulbs wired in series to provide more load on the circuit..
Not every episode requires problems and frustration , a straight up , simple solution can be satisfying . Hoping this isn't some intermittent issue that comes back to haunt you . Car wiring can be difficult at times .
Since watching Wes I have been applying die-electric grease to all the connections I pull apart. By coincidence my corrosion problems have stopped. Thanks Wes. Keep up the good work and don't freeze out there.
Thank you again Wess always good. Parts Canon. I love that you always treat a customer car as if it is your wife's car. And always do your due diligence to troubleshoot and not just fire the Parts Canon. You are a rare breed these days. I worked for dealerships years ago that the service managers would be all over you to get er done. No time to sort out a problem just swap out everything. Or they just diagnose the problem with only a verbal conversation with the customer. Then tell you to throw the new Parts on. Often times it was not the problem at all. But the owners of the dealership were happy to sell Parts so the customer's bill just grew. Have a wonderful day.
Your test meter may have a static charge on the plastic cover over face, wipe it with a damp paper towel and see if the neddle moves back to zero. I used to work in an electric motor shop and we had an old Simpson analog meter and it would get a static charge on the plastic cover over the face and I would wipe it with a damp paper towel and the needle would drop back to zero. Nice job on the clean Buick. Good old Oliver working too. Have a blessed day.
Good to see how easy you are on the Oliver in the "bonus" snow clearing footage. Reminded my of Squatch253 who is equally caring of his tools and machines.
Static electricity will cause the meter needle to move like that. I noticed when you placed your finger on the face the needle moved. Cold dry air will cause that. Maybe wipe it down with a dryer sheet to dissipate static. The vent is to prevent hydrogen explosions if there is a spark under there - and to get the acid fumes away from the under seat area. Love your channel man!
Wes, I learned about this little trick which has worked for me a couple times in checking a valve leak. Take a light piece of cardboard like a pop carton or cereal box and hold it a little ways away from the tailpipe while the engine is running. If a valve is burnt or leaking it will suck the cardboard flap against the tailpipe. Also could you mention that working with discharged batteries in cold weather that they maybe frozen and when hooked up to the charger, they could blow. I have heard of it happening a couple times. Keep up the good work and I enjoy your family. The dishwasher video was great especially the scratch and the good outtakes.
Wes- About your sticky meter on the battery tester- when humidity is very low, those plastic lenses often build up a static charge that causes the movement to stick. Old trick is just to apply your breath to it, like if you wanted to fog it. If that’s the problem, the needle will fall right back down.
I've owned three lesabres in my life. When I had my 97 I remember having some starter problems. If I recall correctly, I pulled it apart and discovered one of the arms on the yoke was cracked, which allowed the yoke to slip in front of the collar. That was almost a decade ago, and I think I just welded it up and put it back together. The things you'll do when you're poor and freshly married, just to get by. Never had a problem after that though.
I just discovered your channel a couple of months ago and I'm hooked. With regard to the comment that the starter motor may have snapped out of it's funk. When I was in college, I worked as a junior mechanic in an auto repair shop in the late '60's/early 70's, when cars were much less complicated. One of the things the senior lead mechanic used to tell us, 'cars don't heal themselves, problems only get worse, and more expensive unless addressed.'. I think your approach to replace the starter motor was the right answer.
A mint buick belongs to an elderly gentleman. Inconceivable!
I think it's more along the lines of a mint buick in the great rust area. I mean, in one of Wes' previous episodes, he worked on a pile of salt with wheels...
Pulled up to autozone in NY the other day and there was an old century there. I could see the guys feet through the rust hole in the passenger door
My mother and father in law had a matched pair of Buick’s, 2001 and 2004 LeSabres just like that one. Also pristine, high mileage, rural drivers, and both still on the road.
I don't the word means what you think it means,
back & forth to church on Sunday's.
Laugh out loud moment...Chevy floor mat. "I think I found the problem"
😅😅😅😅.
The majority of my family are UAW GM veterans or working there now and swear by Chovies.
I live in the real world of Fordlandia where working on your vehicle doesn't constantly induce mass amounts of cussing and tool throwing.
Not to mention they just plain last longer than those tinker toy vehicles made by GM.
@@ronaldheit196 my favorite cheebies were 50s and 60s models. After that pretty much... meh...
17th times a charm 👍
Dr O in the house... get to work, slacker.... you can't make Josh do everything! LOL
Here to learn something or debate the dielectric grease?...:-)
We are not worthy o'great one
If u crank it more than twice ur playing with it
17th time is the charm :)
Worked in a Buick/GMC parts department in my late teens and early twenties and learned to respect how solid the Buick 3.8 is.
Back in the 1900's when I was young, if a starter wouldn't crank the engine, the first test we did was the tappy tap tap-especially on GMs. Hammers don't usually give a false reading. I could hear the bendix hitting the flexplate. There's you problem lady.
Wes, Thank you for replacing the questionable starter. The elderly owner didn’t need to be stranded either at home needing to go somewhere nor out in a parking lot or on the street without being able to get his car started!!!
This vehicle did not meet the minimum rust requirement to be featured in a WWW video :P
Good point! It failed the MRR ratio test. 😝
True. It must be a plant!
@@WatchWesWork :)
I missed this one when first shown . Your video's are timeless . Intermitentes are always a puzzelment .
Love the test light in the wheel ! You could've cut that out but didn't We're all human and many of us have been there ;-) Thanks for the vid Wes. Stay warm out there.
It happened, might as well show it.
It was nice to see an obviously very well cared for LeSabre. Hope the old fella's still around and enjoying his Buick.
I had three of those Buick LeSabre's as company cars. Drove each one to over 200,000 miles and never had a problem with anything. Brakes, tires and fluids is all. Oh wait, one needed an alternator. The last one I drove for 249,500 miles. Was upset that I did not get to 1/4 million, but we traded it on a new car. Great vehicles and fuel efficient as well. I averaged 26 mpg at turnpike speeds all those years.
The channel needs to be re-branded "Watch Wes Freeze"...
so in the summer time he works inside a Westinghouse chest freezer?
@@roadtrain5910 It's still cold as a mug up there.
@@rickbaker4571 in canada?
With a new series in April " Wes Springs into Action "
@@DaBossk no its not but ok
I never thought I’d hear an electrical connector referred to as “a gender bender”. That’s gold!
Gender benders were common back in the days of RS232 cables.
Yep, that is what they are called. Every technician needs them sometime. The term is right on the packages for DB 9 connectors etc.
There's a great meme about this on Facebook, it's a shame we can't do picture comments on youtube.
that first one was a broke bac mountain connector the second was called a spit
The “a gender bender” a pretty standard term in electronics, computers, and broadcasting...
"Tango Uniform" = Tits Up
LMAO good one Wes, always love your content buddy!!
when he said it, i thought Wes just said, "tits up" and i smiled...
"Total inability to sustain usual performance" :-)
10:13 that statement about dielectric grease is a great sarcasm
Hi Wes,
Great video. Thanks for sharing.
On your battery tester, your voltmeter face has a static electricity buildup ... when you touched the face at 6:17 you saw the needle jump upward (very low humidity at 0°F, which allows static buildup). Easy fix (no, not dielectric grease this time!) ... grab a fabric softener dryer sheet and wipe the face of the meter. This will provide a conductive path to keep the static from building up and holding the needle in place.
Regards,
R
Thanks for the info!
Wes, just wanted to say my son (11yo) and I found your channel a few months back. We have been watching your old catalog. Your videos are great and your knowledge base is extremely impressive. As a father son team who loves to tinker/fix/etc... Which is a lot art on the next generation, thank you for being a great example to my son. Keep up the good work and I am very happy for the success of your channel.
I had a 2004 LeSabre Limited with leather and all the buttons, bells and whistles. I never had one ounce of trouble with the car except for one battery replacement. When I retired in December of 2012, I had to make a decision, my truck or the car. I decided to keep the truck. I hated to see it go but as a widower I had no use for both vehicles. That Buick was the smoothest riding, quietest car I have ever had the pleasure to drive. It was the same color as this one.
Hopefully that guy will be back to get the blown shock replaced. It also looked like maybe it had a leak towards the front. Entertaining as always, keep up the good work!
mike I caught the oil leak also
Yeah, oil pan maybe.
I think you got it, with that loud solenoid click but starter that doesn't want to wake up, problem must be solenoid/starter related. Us old guys don't want to fool with our cars anymore to save a few bucks. We just want them to work every time. We earned that in our youth laying under cars in the middle of winter , driving with an extra battery in the floor board and running bald tires. We learned our lesson the hard way.
The Cursory tap is called "Percussive Maintenance" and it's standard procedure for all electronics.
I keep a calibrating hammer in my electronic tool kit. Use it too...sometimes too vigorously.🤪
This customer chose the BEST to repair his car!. THANKS Wes..
The day isn't complete without a video from the great www
Thanks!
Old style Denso starter motors offered a diagnostic post between the solenoid and the motor. Especially in those a scope can show details that clinch the diagnosis when it's not clear. I guess we shouldn't be surprised these can be hard to diagnose since the copper ring inside the solenoid will rotate, offering a different, shifting contact every time the contacts come together. The way those things get pitted up can give a few months of unreliability before they finally leave one stranded. It's too bad we don't often make the effort to find parts to replace contacts, but I can see why a pro wouldn't want to risk an unhappy customer. In the end you did a trustworthy fix for any cold winter day.
Di-electric grease prevents the flow of electricity? SWEET! Next time I have to work on household electric, I'm just going to paint the end of the wires rather than turning off the breaker. I'll update on how well that works. LOL
RIP lol
Makes sure to liberally cover your hands too LOL
Yeah, all it actually means is the grease itself won't conduct electricity, as in, won't bridge your connections. The metal underneath still conducts just fine.
Oh but, the trolls know everything right? 🤣🤣
You'll be fine as long as you hold a 60W light buld in your mouth the whole time.
Wow this was a wild one. Gender bender, test lights a flinging, battery tester a fluke. Liked it. The music at the ends was cool too.
Wes teaches the modern birds and the bees to RUclips
Totally agree with your decision to put a starter in.........love the ending with the tractor almost like a zen to watch
Those 3.8L V6 Buick motors are rock solid. I've had two Buicks sent to the junkyard for various isssues where it wasn't practical to repair, both were still running. Both had over 200K miles.
hey isn't it just life, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't, some videos have excitement some not so much. I just love the mixture. Keep on doing what ever you want and I will still be here watching. And that's from someone who can not drive a car (no license) but can drive a motorcycle, a boat and a train ! Thanks
Watching you with that starter is like the first time you find out you can back a semi-trailer into a spot you can’t drive out of. Leaves you scratching your head and kicking your butt. Great 👍 Content
🇺🇸🦅🌏⚓️🇺🇸
I've been there!
Man it is 80 degrees today in South Carolina, and watching you deal with that snow, just reminds me why I live here,
What a great way to brighten a gloomy day! Watch Wes Work and Dirt Perfect videos! WWW is still number ONE for me! Now a guy just needs a Vice Grip Garage video!
Vice Grip Garage put out a video yesterday, go watch it.
@@fuglyorphan saw it yesterday! Great weekend!!
Dont forget @dieselcreek
@@timodeporto686 and Junkyard Digs
I'm trying to crank them out... Bad joke...
Are you kidding! Best video ever. Test light does a triple with a full gainer. Load tester goes down in solidarity with the test light. the simple joy of the sight of a rust belt Buick that is not swiss cheesed and miracle of miracles, swapping the starter didn't require an engine jack or body off frame
Good day all in all.
thank you for showing your little moment of indiscretion at the front wheel. glad to see that someone who is clearly a more experienced mechanic than i can still make a "dumb" mistake. as long as we don't lose a finger in the process it's a lesson learned with a minimum of harm done. i enjoy your videos ... no bad music, no shaky camera; keep up the good work.
And no foul language which is all too rare these days.
Nice to see that sweet old Oliver tractor working and being given the respect of a warm shop to live in.
From an ex mechanic, I completely agree with your diagnosis.
Sometimes you just have to do it just because.
Concise, very clear, and well-edited. We subscribed.
Bearing in mind how cold it is there, I think your meter issue on the load tester could be static related. It's something I learned of through radio & test instrument repair and apparently cold dry air can cause it to be worse. Basically a charge builds up somehow in the plastic meter lens & can hold up the movement on mechanical meters like that. ISTR cleaning the lens with antistatic wipe or a cloth dampened with water/dish soap helped.
?..that comment got me to thinking....!
Back before digital meters, a static charge on plastic-faced meters was a common problem that would affect meter needles just as happened to you.
Static build up charges also effect us in the cable tv / internet industry. The plastic sheathing combine with copper core with no ground would build up a charge at the connector causing attenuation of signal. As soon as you disconnected the cable and grounded it through your body, the problem would vanish.
I work in the Navy ship repair business. We use a similar substance to protect against corrosion between dissimilar metals in the sea environment. When you tighten the hardware it displaces the grease. The grease is just there to coat the surfaces and slow water intrusion. Eventually, everything succumbs to salt water. You just do your best to prevent it. Keep doing what you are doing!!!!
If it moves, salute it ! If it doesn't, paint it !
In the UK we call them Sunday drivers, that's why their cars are so clean.
Glad to see you agonizing over putting in a new part. A lot of the mechanics around here (southern NY state) would say, "Ok we fixed the problem, we put new bulbs in your break lights and now your car starts." Great video, Wes thumbs up.
When Wes said he thought he found the problem, I almost thought he was going to say that you cannot install CHEVROLET floor mats in a BUICK and expect it to run properly.......
Good work Wes! Finally, a RUclipsr who is under 60 years of age and knows the difference between the words “well” and “good” and how to use each.
Let me know if that old chap wants sell the Buick.
Adverbs and adjectives. One wonders if sentence conjugation is even a thing in school anymore.
@@ScottHammet Sentence conjugation? Isn't that what they do in prisons?
Words are hard.
Allot of folks don’t know the internet was named after thisRUclips channel. WWW. Respect!
I had the exact same car but 2002 ! I never bought new cars and this was the first new car I ever bought. It had 28 miles on it when I bought it. I ran that thing up to 261k miles. I finally sold it when the radiator was leaking badly, The transmission was slipping - noticed it was a lot harder to get up hills. As the new owner was pulling out of my driveway the front drivers side head light burned out. Kinda like a "Goodbye" from salute from that car.
I think these were the last of the good cars that GM ever made. That 3800 engine is one heck of an engine. I now own a 2008 Lucerne with 150k miles on it. Its got the 3800 series III.
After owning my 2002 I vowed to learn to fix my own cars. From that point on its been quite the adventure and I have graduated up to even replacing the intake manifold gaskets. I have saved a ton of money doing it myself and gave me a great excuse to buy some really cool tools. :)
Getting ready to buy my next car probably this coming fall. Sadly, I cannot justify buying a GM/Ford/Chrysler vehicle. I really want to stay American made but I always run my cars over 100k and need a dependable vehicle. So, Looking at a Lexus RX350 I guess at this point - Used of course. Probably a year or two old. Low miles.
Wes, Thank you very much for your videos. I really enjoy watching them. Its these videos (and from others like South Main Auto) that inspires people to work on their own cars and trucks. Thats something that has been missing for a while and needs to be brought back.
Hard to go wrong with Toyota/Lexus.
A red car that fixes itself, last one I've heard of was "Christine"! "Watch Out Wes" haha
Can't say I've ever seen a westendorf loader in like new condition. That Oliver was a heck of a find.
Best regards from Indiana.
Gotta use that ol' cookie sometimes! 😄
Love the Oliver action at the end. 🙂
OMG, Tango Uniform is by far the funniest way of describing the death of a machine that I've heard in a long time.
I love when Wes makes sarcastic comments. That means he’s happy with how the job is going. BTW with the TLC you give that car it’ll go another 20 yrs.
It's true!
I was thinking solenoid contactor most likely getting burned & pitted. For the sake of dependability, you did the right thing.
Hey Wes - many (many) moons ago I worked at AutoMeter. Those meter faces are very prone to picking up static charges. I noticed after you load tested the battery in the car that your hand near the meter cover made the volt needle move. I immediately flashed back to my days in the factory rebuilding those meters. You need to dissipate the static charge on that cover and it'll (probably) be ok. We spritzed them with glass cleaner and wiped them off and that dissipated the static (for a while).
Interesting! I will do that. That load tester is a beast.
I had a starter this past year would do the same thing, then it seamed it self healed for a month or more then it went back to its old tricks. Glad you replaced it!
Nobody:man this battery under the hood gets in the way
Gm: perfect we love fixing problems with more problems
Chrysler: hold my beer while I take this tire off
Anyone that's ever owned a VW beetle knows all about batteries under the rear seat, or dragging by the cables under the car.........
@@tomkrause62 and if the springs for the seat hit the battery post it’s a great seat warmer
@@BIBSTERSrepairshop I have a bug...there's a thick rubber mat on top of the battery so my son sitting back there doesn't burn my car down ;)
The battery location was designed by a cat...
_they will never find it there_
GM can't figure it out. I think the Lumina had the battery under the surge tank. Some Caddies are in the trunk.
I really enjoyed the moment of Zen at the end with the instrumental and snow clearing. "Mighty Wes, mellow mechanic".
"The Art and Zen of Wes Mechanics"
Went Tango Uniform .... haven't heard that since my military days 😁
It's a good one!
I thought that saying went tits up long ago....:-)
I was patting myself on the back for getting that one. #NonCombatant. 🇨🇦
We use an anti-oxidant grease (like Noalox) prior to attaching electrical connections then wipe down and apply Di-electric grease to coat everything after the connection is complete...just a thought...love your channel
Hilarious about the grease, I put it on everything! Lol
The Tabasco of the mechanics world
@@rhekman I'm glad I finished my coffee before reading this! Well done!!
Fluid flim and dielectric grease goes on everything so much salt on the road
Had a code for faulty cam position sensor. Connector was all crusty. Cleaned it out and packed it full of dielectric grease. Sensor works now. Huh, imagine that.
Me too. Silicone based grease is also a great anti-seize.
I bought my Ranger used. It came with fancy Weather Guard floor mats. Over rubber floors. After a week of catching my feet on them I threw them in the back of the truck. Made rubber footboard covers for my rider. Liquid nails doesn't last long on a mower.
Lol. I love your sarcasm on the dielectric grease, but you are so dry about it it's hard to tell you are kidding. I can imagine people with less knowledge on the subject thinking you are serious. "We wouldn't want any electricity going through those connections..." Hahaha. Imagine some guy trying to learn auto mechanics scratching his head.
loved the ending and music. Thanks for the great videos Wes!
You were getting odd readings because your battery was on a concrete floor. Everyone knows that makes them unreliable in inexplicable ways.
Ha ha 👎
Nah - I heard the same thing from my dad decades ago. I store my batteries on concrete floors all the time for months or even over a year an they don't lose charge. Maybe the don't put it on the floor came for the old hard rubber case batteries used many many moons ago but hard plastic doesn't care. But acid leaks and drips from the battery on to concrete will certainly screw up the concrete.
@@stevemiller6766 it was SARCASM! Its an OLD Wives tale
@@stevemiller6766 (It was a joke. Wes often rants about people that believe the myth.)
Plus the tester was on the floor. Fail!
Hopefully that fixes the problem for a long time. In the old days starters could wear out the bushings and draw to much juice and make the car start hard. I don't know anything about new starters of today's world though. Great fix. Thanks for the video.
TU, perfect. Will watch for the commenter who doesn't get it. LOL
Tango Uniform!! LOL...made coffee come out my nose!! 😂
How about BOHICA? Ran into that one a lot in the AF.
Bend
Over
Here
It
Comes
Again
@@ThePlayerToBeNamedLater I use that line at work. They have this saying there about the "nurple nromise" I call it the p... penis. When they mention it, I think: BO, Here is comes again....
Classic!
Sweet ride for a senior citizen. It probably sits in a garage with such low mileage. Most old folks generally don't drive much anyways. The bendix was probably worn just enough to have a 'flat spot' in it or something. Damn easy to change, that's for sure. A 4 cylinder Honda or most Volkswagens are two of the easiest starters to swap that I can think of off the top of my head, since you can do the job from the top of the bay, and don't even need to get underneath the car. Looks like he had a forest growing in his cowl, so maybe I was wrong about the car being garage kept. Lol. I don't consider that 'shotgunning' parts at it, since you were through in your diag, and did everything you should've done to confirm everything was functioning the way it should've up to that point. An old guy isn't going to wait for it to fail completely and then change the thing himself like you or I might, so you did the right thing. Intermittent electrical stuff is annoying but what are ya gonna do.... Take care Wes, and stay warm man! 👍
I like the wheel test light,
Was that recommended by your dislike for the gman products 🤔
GM revenge!
The Florida pool pump motor repair guy approved ! that was good info Wes
Thats a pretty, uh, progressive test rig you've got there.
Wes when I heard that old starter click, my 48 years of mechanical senses said put a starter in it.. you went the extra mile to make sure there were no other problems so I feel good about the job being done correctly... as in all your videos. Thanks for the entertainment. That test light you made out of a brake light, we had something very similar in the Air Force for testing starters on jets. We called it a load light.. the only difference was we had three bulbs wired in series to provide more load on the circuit..
I have one that draws about 5 amps. We used to have a window regulator that we could really load up for testing.
Here's to intermittent problems, especially intermittent electrical problems. You gotta love them. Not.
It's only intermittent when you're looking!
Not every episode requires problems and frustration , a straight up , simple solution can be satisfying . Hoping this isn't some intermittent issue that comes back to haunt you . Car wiring can be difficult at times .
A Buick "owned by an older gentleman". Did it have the obligatory box of Kleenex in the back dash?
And a doily on his wife's head rest. And his-n-hers vanity license plates with their initials
The reason the car was called the Buick Century was because that's the average age of the owner :D
a kleenex box with a crocheted slip cover-
Only if the better half drives the vehicle.
Heh, and a pillow on the back seat. It does have a CB radio...
Nice touch on the ending of the video with good Ole music and plowing
I would be more worried about the flammability of the gases that come off a charging battery.
Yeah that's not good either!
Since watching Wes I have been applying die-electric grease to all the connections I pull apart. By coincidence my corrosion problems have stopped. Thanks Wes. Keep up the good work and don't freeze out there.
i had a 92 Lumina that wouldn't crank or start, nor could you move crank shaft with a four foot bar.
So it was a race engine with tons of compression???? Lol lol
@@gmcman355crazy aww that must have been what it was.
Holds the boat just fine though!
@@WatchWesWork wasn't 'yard art' worthy but I think I got $150 in scrap value so it was a win.
Wow that LeSlober is in beautiful shape.
Wes, do u still mess around any with machine shop stuff anymore?
He mentioned in the Q&A that machine videos just don't get the views that wrenching does.
@@Volcker1929 thank you.
Once in a while.
The fact you even worried about firing the parts cannon shows you are one of the good guys. Keep up the great work!
4 min fix just needs test light on starter
Tough to do by yourself.
Intermittent / self correcting problems are the worst to diagnose. Good video / sound quality on this one. 👍
Im sorry, but the Light flipping around the tire and wires..............EPIC! Love the videos and this is #1......yes I have seen all videos!
Im glad to see your vid and quality is rising its pleasure too, thanks
Thank you again Wess always good. Parts Canon. I love that you always treat a customer car as if it is your wife's car. And always do your due diligence to troubleshoot and not just fire the Parts Canon. You are a rare breed these days. I worked for dealerships years ago that the service managers would be all over you to get er done. No time to sort out a problem just swap out everything. Or they just diagnose the problem with only a verbal conversation with the customer. Then tell you to throw the new Parts on. Often times it was not the problem at all. But the owners of the dealership were happy to sell Parts so the customer's bill just grew. Have a wonderful day.
I've read something like 80% of electrical parts exchanged for warranty or as cores were tested and found to have no faults.
That's a solid Buick for a 20+ years old IL car wish I had it
Your test meter may have a static charge on the plastic cover over face, wipe it with a damp paper towel and see if the neddle moves back to zero. I used to work in an electric motor shop and we had an old Simpson analog meter and it would get a static charge on the plastic cover over the face and I would wipe it with a damp paper towel and the needle would drop back to zero. Nice job on the clean Buick. Good old Oliver working too. Have a blessed day.
I like the sarcasm when it comes to die-electric grease
The old gentleman obviously looks after his car and he needs it to start 100% so changing the tired starter motor is well justified.
Good call Wes😎
Good to see how easy you are on the Oliver in the "bonus" snow clearing footage. Reminded my of Squatch253 who is equally caring of his tools and machines.
Static electricity will cause the meter needle to move like that. I noticed when you placed your finger on the face the needle moved. Cold dry air will cause that. Maybe wipe it down with a dryer sheet to dissipate static. The vent is to prevent hydrogen explosions if there is a spark under there - and to get the acid fumes away from the under seat area. Love your channel man!
Interesting!
Those Buick engines were in Holden commodores here in Australia. Rear wheel drive. Cool to see it like this
Wes, I learned about this little trick which has worked for me a couple times in checking a valve leak. Take a light piece of cardboard like a pop carton or cereal box and hold it a little ways away from the tailpipe while the engine is running. If a valve is burnt or leaking it will suck the cardboard flap against the tailpipe. Also could you mention that working with discharged batteries in cold weather that they maybe frozen and when hooked up to the charger, they could blow. I have heard of it happening a couple times. Keep up the good work and I enjoy your family. The dishwasher video was great especially the scratch and the good outtakes.
Made it through it ?, trust me Wez, your videos are a pleasure to watch and I think I speak for everone here
Wes- About your sticky meter on the battery tester- when humidity is very low, those plastic lenses often build up a static charge that causes the movement to stick. Old trick is just to apply your breath to it, like if you wanted to fog it. If that’s the problem, the needle will fall right back down.
I liked the percussive maintenance on the battery tester, reminds me of people thumping the side of their tvs when the picture started to roll.
Good diagnosis Wes! You’re definitely a mechanic’s mechanic if you know what I mean.
I've owned three lesabres in my life. When I had my 97 I remember having some starter problems. If I recall correctly, I pulled it apart and discovered one of the arms on the yoke was cracked, which allowed the yoke to slip in front of the collar. That was almost a decade ago, and I think I just welded it up and put it back together. The things you'll do when you're poor and freshly married, just to get by. Never had a problem after that though.
I love your shop! You did your best to diagnose the issue and I cannot believe it was too expensive of a starter.
Nah it was not bad.
I just discovered your channel a couple of months ago and I'm hooked. With regard to the comment that the starter motor may have snapped out of it's funk. When I was in college, I worked as a junior mechanic in an auto repair shop in the late '60's/early 70's, when cars were much less complicated. One of the things the senior lead mechanic used to tell us, 'cars don't heal themselves, problems only get worse, and more expensive unless addressed.'. I think your approach to replace the starter motor was the right answer.