I was there and I am still not sure it works. I go out to the shop a few times a day and play with it to make sure It still works. You don't have to worry Ivan I won't let my wife touch it . Many thanks to Ivan and Keith for their diligence and his hard work on the Envoy. We plan to keep it and enjoy it. Thanks William
Man that was an incredible repair and diagnosis from Ivan and Keith. I must say Ivan almost never is stumped on any job. This one almost took him out. LOL. THESE new vehicles and all their fancy extras are a nightmare it seems. Makes you want to go back to just the simple convinces of just power window .all the motors switches relays and ect. Are disasters waiting to happen as proof of this car.
You should keep this vehicle. In age it is close to qualifying as a classic. You will then be able to take it to cars shows and park it with the Ford Edsels, Chevy Vegas, and other failed design vehicles. The Envoy XUV is also a low production vehicle with less than 13,000 made. If you can keep the vehicle in good condition, given enough time the value will rise. I had this experience with a 1967 Pontiac Sprint, buying it for $250 in 1975 and selling it for $8000 in 1998.
It seems like 650 was a threshold where if it went beyond that, something was determined to be faulty and the system would no longer function. I suspect that someone was in there before, which is probably why the motor was not mounted securely, and in the whole process of dinking around, the motor would go beyond the counts that it should be able to. It would be nice to set a code for something like that.... like "end gate window motor position beyond limits."
That’s interesting that now the system is happy when the position is lower than the learned value. So what it didn’t like was exceeding the learned value. It’s a shame GM didn’t incorporate window learning by using the open close switch like most cars with pinch protection. At least they provide free play adjustment to compensate for cable stretch which seemed to be the root problem. Great video Ivan you have a lot of dedication and I’m glad you found your niche.
actually its more of a logic flaw. why exactly would you stop the roof from working because the window opened/closed 1 click too far? what's that actual distance to cause it to be a no go. why did they code it to be over sensitive.
@@bobspurloc definitely agree with your statement. To be more critical of the software coding is the high number is when the window is down. The low number of 26 is more of a critical number due to the overhead roof conflicts. I think if the sliding roof idea caught on and more people bought this option they would have probably revised the software. Studebaker was the inventor of the sliding roof for the Lark wagon called the Wagonaire. That was criticized for its tendency to leak and rust. GM took their idea and made it better🤣
It looks to me like it will re-learn on it's own, but there's limits. Perhaps it only will work if it's only one count over. This thing was drifting all over the place.
As somebody who has written firmware for actuator positioning, one way to control motor speed is to use PWM with voltage feedback. That way, the window motor moves the same speed whether the vehicle is running or not. Also, the motor speed can be slowed down as it reaches the set point to prevent overrunning the set points for open and close positions. Probably the easiest fix would be to implement a fudge factor which allows the roof to operate as long as the window position is within so many counts plus or minus of the open position.
I was taught if you can't figure something out and it's stressing you out then your no good in that situation. Take a step back, a short break, take your mind off of it for a minute. In those moments when you least expect it the solution or at least another thing to try will come to you. That's worked for me like 90% of the time. A scrambled brain can't think clearly.
yes, taking a stress break allows the thoughts of the sub concious mind to come to the forefront,, there is alot of work going on in our minds that we dont even realize.. thats where the old saying, "im going to sleep on it" came from... stress and anxiety, which is really frustration and fear, are what clutters the mind.. really intelligent people seem to have the ability to easily control these emotions, and thier minds are working at a very efficient rate most of the time.. this gift is something you either have, or you dont,, humans never forget anything they have ever seen, heard, learned... its in your brain. somewhere, you just have to recall it.,.@@matthewmcmaster2731
I had the same model and year handed down from my father 3 years ago. It reinforced my disdain for bells and whistles on any car. Every month it was something. Salvaged it a couple of months ago. Finally lost all brakes and I was done with it.
I know the struggle same thing with my Envoy always a problem. I mean if your only problem is you cant open this roof u should feel blessed. mine the rear frame finally rotted apart from launching boats in the ocean when it was younger
Your ability to solve complex problems using common sense and logic is unbelievable. You really are one of the best diagnostic engineers in this planet!
Worked on industrial equipment for decades, from before PLC's through the advent of plc"s. Everything worked great when the machines were new, after a few years dirt, wear and abuse the problems started. The original PLC programs had no wiggle room for wear or any way to recalibrate.
Ibworked in ground support equipment maintenance at various airports across Alaska and got to see first hand when PLC's started being implemented. You are absolutely right. We got plc's with adjustments and had to adjust setpoints based on wheather. It was a nightmare for the first few years.
Excellent job as always! The crazy part about this whole system is the documentation on how it works is so poor you had to sherlock every inch of this system to fix it. Great job man!
I would lubricate all the window gaskets and sliding points with silicone spray. Maybe it has too much friction and the controller thinks the window is already at the end of position (stalled) and goes into a fault.
Also it looks like those two white plastic parts on the cables adjust the end stop positions that the encoder sees. It seems like there should be a calibration procedure for their adjustment after replacing the window regulator. If there is none that seems like a big oversight from the manufacturer (and also a bad software design that is too sensitive to end stop position changes)
Could be a bit of wear and tear in the actuator bit of stretch in the cable and being all loose and flopping about was the cause mechanical rather than electrical? Once you tightened it up and took a bit of slack out of the cable it seems to be ok well done fella
You might want to add a fender washer on top of that grommet to keep it from wanting to pull through again. Experience tells me if it happened once, it will happen again.
I agree that adding a washer is a good idea to make sure everything stays in place. However, it won’t have anything to do with keeping the problem from recurring. Remember, Ivan put everything back in place securely, but continued to have the fault due to overtravel. It wasn’t until the spring mechanism was readjusted to limit the travel, that the system stayed happy. As long as that setting is maintained, everything should remain good.🤞
@@jayandmargie All fine and good. EXCEPT! Since that grommet is already stressed, the odds of it staying in place are slim at best regardless of travel. And since you can see that the grommet was a good distance away from the mounting hole, it means there is also stress in a perpendicular direction wanting to pull the grommet through the hole again. A washer would definitely prevent this. Especially after all the bullshit the poor customer has been through. Why take the chance?
@@HueToobBlows great observation and sound recommendation....also, can they acquire an OEM washer/grommet? OK, tell them to acquire 2, and keep the extra in the glove compartment, in a clearly marked envelops. Cross fingers, and walk around the vehicle 9 times....praying to U know Hoo!!!!
@@HueToobBlows I don’t disagree with you that it would do a better job of securing the grommet, and the motor in place. I was just pointing out that the movement of the motor didn’t end up being the cause of the overtravel. The fix was adjusting the cable and spring at the motor. As long as that adjustment holds, and the integrity of the cable jacket remains, the problem shouldn’t return. If the cable jacket were to crack, and then compress more, it could result in overtravel again. I’m sure the motor, being properly secured, could help to minimize the chances of this happening down the road.
Wow! 5 years + I've not been able to open the tailgate and roof. I did the adjustment on the window regulator tab, and now everything is working ! The latches are hanging up a bit, but it's probably from being closed for so long! Thank you so much !
Funny, I was yelling the tech2 original video said engine had to be running didn’t it? and the window had to be in a specific position to learn lol. Awesome way to end the video with that money shot. Your awesome man. Way to stay the course to resolution.
I think you found THE problem now. There could be some or a lot of wear even though that system is not used on a daily basis. Since there seems to be zero tolerance for the program the computer is doing it's job, except that is a real PITA! Any chance there's a TSB with a programmable update? That system needs to be told to ignore a few counts change every time the window goes up and down especially with the engine running. The alternator could have some "stray A/C" coming out of the diodes or the ignition system might also be affecting the system's program. Just random thoughts here. Good one Ivan.
What do you want to bet that was actually supposed to be part of the procedure, to loosen that white plastic stopper nut thing, do the learn, then reset the tension on it a bit higher. The only alternative is that the programming is inherently flawed and unable to compensate for wear over time. Can you imagine a car not starting because the IAC counts were one more than the predefined limit? Same concept, different system. Glad to see this rare little beast fixed, and the owners happy! There is no better feeling in the world than clutching a victory from something that's been beating you down for so long! :D
Wow this one took Ivan AND Keith to fix!! The problem is not having the data to properly diagnose, too many variables and no DTCs. Hindsight is 20/20 and now it seems as if the windows open count limit is 650. Most likely the cables just stretched or mechanical stops moved causing the counts to go over 650. Why didn't any DTCs set? It wasn't happy because the IC displayed the message. Frustrating! Thanks for the amazing case study! Great job, Ivan...
Indeed. My father was a car mechanic and he drove all his life only base models. That is enough to go from A to B in all weather conditions, he said. He also said that the last thing he wanted to do, was to work on his own car.
Cautionary tale for not getting extra features if it’s a pos brand like GM. You can get all the extra features on a Toyota and they’ll still work 15 years later.
@@joeyt6089 i dont know my buddy has Fancy roof racks on his 2019 Rav4 Trail and they are leaking very and destroyed headliner and causes electrical issues, and it is a very common issues so Toyota is a pos brand
Great to see the red six shooter on stage again, still a great little tool. Mine has been used very little since I got the Thinktool. Those type of “ tailgates” are often closed with somewhat excessive inertia, which might have some effect on those readings over time. Just a thought. Nice work Ivan. 👍👍🇺🇸
Oh man, what a crazy journey! It would be nice if there was information on the full operation theory of the roof system, it probably would have helped you. The owner also takes good care of the truck, it's in good shape, i can see why they wanted to fix it.
This was enjoyable because of all parties understood that this breakdown was (past tense?) an oddball malfunction plus two things, very few of this particular model made and the opportunity to have prior experienced this. I find this fascinating to watch three parties so compatible. Bravo to Ivan, Keith and the owners. Thank you all.
What a sweet garage! Why spend so much time on this problem/vehicle? He's retired and a tinkerer. Why not? Vehicle is mint with milage in the low 40,000 range. Just a unique truck to add to their collection.
Wow, not sure encoders are the best for that application. Some type of limit sensor/switch would be better. Encoder would be OK if there were different functions at different positions, but there's not. It's all the way up, or all the way down. The whole system is prone to failure with just normal wear with the tolerances so tight. Each count on the encoder must only be a few hundredths of an inch. They should have at least given it a landing zone between xxx and xxx ok for the roof to open. Way overkill in my opinion. Great job Iven! You have the patience of a saint!
Wow, crazy stuff man ! GM sure knows how to complicate the life. Engineer of that mechanism design was probably hating mechanichs out there. Great work and great customer that was ready to go all the way! Very often its a bummer when you spend few hours on a trouble but then either the customer backs off or your boss tells you that your next appointment is here!
What a crazy ride that was. I get it, the module wants to make sure nothing clashes so it was doing its job. The repeatability was key; if you cannot answer the “what” then finding the “why” is nearly impossible. All around, the customer, Keith, and yourself did an excellent job at proving the process and how doing any job is worth doing 💯
At 30:57 I just got the feeling you have found the issue! I was thinking a component in the drive system had worn out too soon, early on. When you opened that tailgate and I saw that grommet out of place - I thought: BINGO! 🤓😎💀💀👍👍👍
Nice find! If it works with a larger learned number then pull the weather stripping and stops and learn it that way so it should never close at that high number! Hopefully the white spring guide stays in that spot!
You are amazing! I'm glad I'm not the only one who has experience in fixing something without having a clear explanation of what was broken to begin with. Stuff like this throws off the experience of "I've seen this before " diagnosis. Thanks for the through walk thru of this wacky issue.
Ivan, excellent troubleshooting on window door opening and closing, the only other thing I would recommend is lubricate sides of window slides with silicon lubricant spray, if it slides faster without binding that would affect the counts also.
Nice Victory for all involved, Especially with the Shutdowns looming parts maybe hard to find, None needed 👍 Definitely a better world thanks to Ivan's FULL system diagnosis and final solution's, (I wonder if that rear window was frozen one winter causing this failure in the first place,) Maybe tell the owner's Make sure it's fully warmed up in the winter especially in the rear before touching those buttons so that rear tailgate window Motor doesn't trying leaving the Vehicle like it had started to, Like someone else mentioned I would silicone lube all the moving parts-window tracks so it stays more consistent and only open and close all that with the Vehicle running only, Just my final thoughts, My guess Yours are close to that anyways, Great Content, Never Stop, Why? because people need this kind of information now More than EVER due to the high cost of everything and the Shortages with people on strike, I just talked to a rebuilder Andy in Chicago at Toy Factory He's already having problems getting OEM parts from Dealership's He needs because of the Union Auto strikes, I picked up a 2020 black edition Ridgeline for my wife is how I know if anyone was wondering since I'm from Central WIS. Cheers 🇺🇸 and 👍up for this channel everyone it's FREE❗ Where else do You get honest real Value unless you're watching South Main Auto this and only a few others here on RUclips.
Now that is what I call diagnostic entertainment, I just had to watch the whole show lol, I have an old mg and I'm going to hang on to it if that's the shape or things to come, great entertainment, thanx 🇬🇧
Adjustment for cable and gear wear. Similar to the mid-cable adjusting provisions on motorcycles. The grommet certainly didn't help, but it needs a washer. Great job to both of you for getting it fixed, but I have to say, sometimes we have tunnel vision for the trade we work in. Sparkies = Electrical. Me, Brakes. But looking at the electrical data was the only way to track this down. Absolutely great job for going above and beyond. 👏👏👏
im not understanding why it was important for the roof to work.. just to get rid of the message? as an owner of a 2002 envoy for 10 years. just being able to drive the car daily without a mechanical problem was a blessing in itself. no engine issues. just everything around it including the piece of junk cooling fan setup that I changed to twin electric. the annoying fuel pump wire getting frayed and shorted from the loom being crushed between the frame and body of the car at the drives door area was another hidden gem
Ivan, if I can throw my thoughts into the mix. What about checking the continuity between. The main car body and the tailgate. The small amounts of resistance between the 2 bodies could account for the loss of current, possibly intermittently throwing out the learning algorithm. It would account for no Diagnostic codes being displayed. Only a slotted opto disc arrangement would accurately measure window movement, plus the fact that motor actuator not being secure wouldn’t help either. Placement for the window is paramount because the roof need to meet accurately together without causing possible damage. Without human intervention. Good luck pal!
I've always been impressed with Iran thinking out of the box, going back to that P.T. Cruiser that needed that expensive $$$ TIPM and Ivan just installed a Bosch external relay to fix the problem . wow
Here's my thought on this Ivan I think the plastic gear inside the motor is worn just enough to give it a few extra count because it takes more force to go up than it does to come down so when you move that spring into a new clock position you change the positioned you could have just filed a new slot just in front of the old slot to reposition it.
I had a 2005 chevy uplander. The sliding doors would never work right and the dealer could not fix it reliably. I ended up dumping it after I could not even get the doors to close manually without the chimes going. After watching these videos, I think my doors had a similar problem to this tailgate window.
Like Chrysler convertible tops. A real pita when they have problems. Nice job figuring out a solution. I wonder if stretching out the spring would have worked. You sure have patience Ivan.
Hey Ivan. You and Keith are masters of your craft. Kudos to you both. I have a similar experience with my 2003 745Li BMW. I had to replace the front passenger side window regulator. I bought a non-genuine regulator and guess what, a similar thing happened. When I put it through its relearning phase, the window would go up and then down and the software report came back as a fail. I made so many adjustments but it was no good in the end, I just couldn't get it right. I bit the bullet and bought a guanine regulator ($600 Australian!!!) and it worked perfectly. I guess there are tight tolerances in these devices.
The piece of fuzz knocked the grommet out of place😂, it seems logical that the regulator is wearing out but of coarse thats just a guess, i replaced mine in the midgate and been ok ever since. Mine also had the typical vent notor clicking everytime you disconnect the battery, i replaced it with oem part and use a memory saver when i disc batt. Personally i love this vehicle and i will own it till its dead or im dead whichever comes first, ive fit quads and motorcycles in it, unlike any other vehicle out there. Ill call you when it breaks and i cant figure it out… im sure you cant wait for the next video. Knock on wood everything on mine works, just bleeds a lil oil from the rear main, thats how i know it has oil in it tho😊
Thanks, perseverance pays off, hope we do not see a part 4. You are now the country expert on this fault, but it was a steep learning curve, thanks for sharing.
Wondering if the controller has a 'maximum open counts' hard limit of 651 (greater than 651 and the controller faults out). Also, what are the 'Counts' based on, is it a value given to the position of a potentiometer in the regulator, or is it counting a flag/tone wheel in the regulator mechanism? If the latter, perhaps there is a way to reduce the closed position counter such that the opened position is a lower value (start the relearn with the window in the closed position?). If the former, then it seems that the potentiometer needs to be adjusted back a bit, or the cables have over-stretched, and it is now out of spec (regulator needs to be replaced).
I'm guessing the stop position is adjustable and during troubleshooting ,it probably got turned to a position to put it at the max end of the open stop limit which was too much. If it's not adjustable and the problem reoccurs, I'd look at putting a thin washer in there as a spacer as a permanent fix.
Extra credit for your persistence and customer care. Looks like the actual count must be equal or less than the learned value otherwise the window is not recognized as fully open. Maybe the GM learning procedure includes a sequence step to move the spring preload adjustment? The devil is in those details. Question: Do you think this may have been a "No Parts Required" from the beginning?
Wow! The tolerances for the encoder is very precise. It must have been at the max allowable parameter and battery voltage pushed it over the cliff so to speak
I knew there was something too easy about the batting Keith found and the issue, Super great job Ivan it does seem much happier now, that regulator was about to fall off !
Glad you sorted it and admire your diligence. Seems like a majority of the ultimate fixes on this channel come down to what's spotted during a thorough visual inspection. If staring at scan tool for hours and multiple relearns don't answer questions, maybe old school looking for something f*cked up earlier might answer questions if done earlier? Ask yourself, what if the previous tech was a tweaker? lol.
Congratulations, Ivan! That is one more crazy detail, to add to the overcomplicated interactions of tailgate, windows and roof! Why isn't there some margin of error in the software, for the window max count of 650? Normal wear will change that "magic" count, and it simply wont tolerate it. Only wonder if that plastic stop will stay in place :-)
@@Keanu-x7w Yeah, I wasn't clear. I meant at the design stage, not for Ivan to bodge. I wonder if my VW sunroof uses this encoding method, it gets possessed sometimes!
I would lubricate all the weather stripping and the track , you can hear on video that the load on the motor fluctuates. After all friction points are over lubed and cycled a few times I wouldn’t be surprised if the relearn is needed again.
Awesome job at not giving, up most shops would have thrown in the towel after the first diagnostic , I have an 06 Tahoe and the HVAC system has similar logic were the computer measures the current to determine the (counts) aka "stop points" Voltage always effects current so solving problem for all conditions is tough, after many hours of diagnostics with my Think tool pros scanner I put a mechanical stop inside the actuator , I believe over the years their is wear in the mechanical parts that allows the actuator to travel past it calibration or prevent it from calibrated as this function is done any time the battery is disconnected . I did the front recirculation door first , My next project is correcting the the same problem with my HVAC rear blend door.
I had something similar with a Honda the window drop parameter when opening kept changing locking the window from moving the switch was working but loose enough that every second or third operation it would move enough that a recalibration was required to unlock it
WOW, that one was giving me a headache to watch. Lucky you noticed the grommet was loose, I’m Sure it contributed to the problem. Sometimes the touchy feely will find the problem, as Eric O says.
The stop switchs in the Tail gate may be loose. And moving, causing the position to change all the time. While driving vibration could move them. Just thinking Ivan. But something in the tail gate controls the stop..ya that cable adj. The travel of the window. Looks to be a bushing on that side their.
Amazing troubleshooting! I see the root as programming that doesn't allow for variations in the mechanical parts' performance. Maybe if this had been manufactured for longer, the program would have been updated. I wonder what will happen when it's colder or warmer ....
Rear glass and roof have some safety, don't snap off the glass, interlock and it has hard coded limits for this interlock, defiantly looks like a programming glitch. If the window is up an inch or so it isn't that unsafe to open the tailgate, the rear window going up and down is why they have this check. If it were a fixed window in a door frame it would not have checks and also would not flip down. The connector fix is temporary, the opening and closing will dislodge another design flaw. Looked back at the operation of 60s wagon tailgates, some had interlocks but not to the last 1% or they had a window in a frame that went up.
It maybe set in programming that the maximum count allowed is 651. Possibly from factory it’s supposed to be around the 640 mark to allow for wear etc Maybe the rubber on the window stops is a bit crushed / perished and with the spring play allowed it to go over.. Also the fact that the white plastic thing is allowed to turn is it supposed to be in that position from the factory? Just a theory Anyway nice job as always
Haven't finished yet but the inconsistency with the rear window would point me in the direction of engine running vs not (voltage difference, might open/close further when running) or even just lubrication of the tracks. Also seems like something an updated module firmware might resolve.
I was there and I am still not sure it works. I go out to the shop a few times a day and play with it to make sure It still works. You don't have to worry Ivan I won't let my wife touch it . Many thanks to Ivan and Keith for their diligence and his hard work on the Envoy. We plan to keep it and enjoy it. Thanks William
Man that was an incredible repair and diagnosis from Ivan and Keith. I must say Ivan almost never is stumped on any job. This one almost took him out. LOL. THESE new vehicles and all their fancy extras are a nightmare it seems. Makes you want to go back to just the simple convinces of just power window .all the motors switches relays and ect. Are disasters waiting to happen as proof of this car.
if the truck is that much trouble, and it bothers the crap out of you, I would sell it.., its obviously 10 pounds of shit in a 5 pound bag.
This is exactly why my career path has changed to this direction... $$$ in what MOST people won't even try!
William that's a pretty cool "Man Cave" you've got there! My Shed is 18m x 16m & is so full of Cars & crap I can barely move in it!
You should keep this vehicle. In age it is close to qualifying as a classic. You will then be able to take it to cars shows and park it with the Ford Edsels, Chevy Vegas, and other failed design vehicles. The Envoy XUV is also a low production vehicle with less than 13,000 made. If you can keep the vehicle in good condition, given enough time the value will rise. I had this experience with a 1967 Pontiac Sprint, buying it for $250 in 1975 and selling it for $8000 in 1998.
It seems like 650 was a threshold where if it went beyond that, something was determined to be faulty and the system would no longer function.
I suspect that someone was in there before, which is probably why the motor was not mounted securely, and in the whole process of dinking around, the motor would go beyond the counts that it should be able to.
It would be nice to set a code for something like that.... like "end gate window motor position beyond limits."
Yup exactly!
with all the line code in these vehs they could have gave a code for that over travel problem and put you straight to it.
That’s interesting that now the system is happy when the position is lower than the learned value. So what it didn’t like was exceeding the learned value. It’s a shame GM didn’t incorporate window learning by using the open close switch like most cars with pinch protection. At least they provide free play adjustment to compensate for cable stretch which seemed to be the root problem. Great video Ivan you have a lot of dedication and I’m glad you found your niche.
Bingo, you have come to the correct conclusion.
actually its more of a logic flaw. why exactly would you stop the roof from working because the window opened/closed 1 click too far? what's that actual distance to cause it to be a no go. why did they code it to be over sensitive.
@@bobspurloc definitely agree with your statement. To be more critical of the software coding is the high number is when the window is down. The low number of 26 is more of a critical number due to the overhead roof conflicts. I think if the sliding roof idea caught on and more people bought this option they would have probably revised the software. Studebaker was the inventor of the sliding roof for the Lark wagon called the Wagonaire. That was criticized for its tendency to leak and rust. GM took their idea and made it better🤣
It looks to me like it will re-learn on it's own, but there's limits. Perhaps it only will work if it's only one count over. This thing was drifting all over the place.
Ivan, the parting "muscle shot" of you standing in the open roof is well deserved and awesome.💪
Ivan having a customer willing to let you work with a complex system like that and not getting upset over failures is a joy to see.
As somebody who has written firmware for actuator positioning, one way to control motor speed is to use PWM with voltage feedback. That way, the window motor moves the same speed whether the vehicle is running or not. Also, the motor speed can be slowed down as it reaches the set point to prevent overrunning the set points for open and close positions. Probably the easiest fix would be to implement a fudge factor which allows the roof to operate as long as the window position is within so many counts plus or minus of the open position.
@bobjoseph8819 Fancy word for threshold or tolerance probably
wait a minute....tell us what PWM is.....how to do it????
@@wallace3953 PWM is pulse width modulation which gives a specific voltage in bursts to reduce power (oversimplified explanation).
A voltage regulator is proberly easier.
Came here to say this is simply poor firmware implementation, and you've nailed it with your comment. Nice workaround Ivan
Incredible work Ivan. Your ability to remain calm is astounding.
This one tested my patience 😆
especially with the customer birdogging him..
Ivan is not a normal human,.
I was taught if you can't figure something out and it's stressing you out then your no good in that situation. Take a step back, a short break, take your mind off of it for a minute. In those moments when you least expect it the solution or at least another thing to try will come to you. That's worked for me like 90% of the time. A scrambled brain can't think clearly.
yes, taking a stress break allows the thoughts of the sub concious mind to come to the forefront,, there is alot of work going on in our minds that we dont even realize.. thats where the old saying, "im going to sleep on it" came from... stress and anxiety, which is really frustration and fear, are what clutters the mind.. really intelligent people seem to have the ability to easily control these emotions, and thier minds are working at a very efficient rate most of the time.. this gift is something you either have, or you dont,, humans never forget anything they have ever seen, heard, learned... its in your brain. somewhere, you just have to recall it.,.@@matthewmcmaster2731
I had the same model and year handed down from my father 3 years ago. It reinforced my disdain for bells and whistles on any car. Every month it was something. Salvaged it a couple of months ago. Finally lost all brakes and I was done with it.
I know the struggle same thing with my Envoy always a problem. I mean if your only problem is you cant open this roof u should feel blessed. mine the rear frame finally rotted apart from launching boats in the ocean when it was younger
Your ability to solve complex problems using common sense and logic is unbelievable. You really are one of the best diagnostic engineers in this planet!
My thoughts exactly. Yeah Ivan is among the elite guys of electrical/electronic diagnostics 👍👍😀
Worked on industrial equipment for decades, from before PLC's through the advent of plc"s. Everything worked great when the machines were new, after a few years dirt, wear and abuse the problems started. The original PLC programs had no wiggle room for wear or any way to recalibrate.
Ibworked in ground support equipment maintenance at various airports across Alaska and got to see first hand when PLC's started being implemented. You are absolutely right. We got plc's with adjustments and had to adjust setpoints based on wheather. It was a nightmare for the first few years.
Excellent job as always! The crazy part about this whole system is the documentation on how it works is so poor you had to sherlock every inch of this system to fix it. Great job man!
I would lubricate all the window gaskets and sliding points with silicone spray. Maybe it has too much friction and the controller thinks the window is already at the end of position (stalled) and goes into a fault.
Also it looks like those two white plastic parts on the cables adjust the end stop positions that the encoder sees. It seems like there should be a calibration procedure for their adjustment after replacing the window regulator. If there is none that seems like a big oversight from the manufacturer (and also a bad software design that is too sensitive to end stop position changes)
The fault is purely for encoder counts being too high. Apparently 650 is the magic limit lol!
I thought the same thing, but apparently the window was moving too far, not getting stuck.
Could be a bit of wear and tear in the actuator bit of stretch in the cable and being all loose and flopping about was the cause mechanical rather than electrical? Once you tightened it up and took a bit of slack out of the cable it seems to be ok well done fella
Nice to see that you would never give up and let a vehicle beat you.
You might want to add a fender washer on top of that grommet to keep it from wanting to pull through again. Experience tells me if it happened once, it will happen again.
My thought also, it would compress the grommet.
I agree that adding a washer is a good idea to make sure everything stays in place. However, it won’t have anything to do with keeping the problem from recurring. Remember, Ivan put everything back in place securely, but continued to have the fault due to overtravel. It wasn’t until the spring mechanism was readjusted to limit the travel, that the system stayed happy. As long as that setting is maintained, everything should remain good.🤞
@@jayandmargie All fine and good.
EXCEPT! Since that grommet is already stressed, the odds of it staying in place are slim at best regardless of travel. And since you can see that the grommet was a good distance away from the mounting hole, it means there is also stress in a perpendicular direction wanting to pull the grommet through the hole again.
A washer would definitely prevent this. Especially after all the bullshit the poor customer has been through. Why take the chance?
@@HueToobBlows great observation and sound recommendation....also, can they acquire an OEM washer/grommet? OK, tell them to acquire 2, and keep the extra in the glove compartment, in a clearly marked envelops. Cross fingers, and walk around the vehicle 9 times....praying to U know Hoo!!!!
@@HueToobBlows I don’t disagree with you that it would do a better job of securing the grommet, and the motor in place. I was just pointing out that the movement of the motor didn’t end up being the cause of the overtravel. The fix was adjusting the cable and spring at the motor. As long as that adjustment holds, and the integrity of the cable jacket remains, the problem shouldn’t return. If the cable jacket were to crack, and then compress more, it could result in overtravel again. I’m sure the motor, being properly secured, could help to minimize the chances of this happening down the road.
Awesome work Ivan. Multiple visits, multiple techs, multiple tools and a lot of patients all came together. Kudos to the owner for his patients too.
Wow! 5 years + I've not been able to open the tailgate and roof. I did the adjustment on the window regulator tab, and now everything is working ! The latches are hanging up a bit, but it's probably from being closed for so long! Thank you so much !
Wow that is crazy haha
Ivan, it nice to see that you would never let a car/truck beat you at your own game.
Funny, I was yelling the tech2 original video said engine had to be running didn’t it? and the window had to be in a specific position to learn lol. Awesome way to end the video with that money shot. Your awesome man. Way to stay the course to resolution.
I think you found THE problem now. There could be some or a lot of wear even though that system is not used on a daily basis. Since there seems to be zero tolerance for the program the computer is doing it's job, except that is a real PITA!
Any chance there's a TSB with a programmable update? That system needs to be told to ignore a few counts change every time the window goes up and down especially with the engine running. The alternator could have some "stray A/C" coming out of the diodes or the ignition system might also be affecting the system's program.
Just random thoughts here.
Good one Ivan.
What do you want to bet that was actually supposed to be part of the procedure, to loosen that white plastic stopper nut thing, do the learn, then reset the tension on it a bit higher.
The only alternative is that the programming is inherently flawed and unable to compensate for wear over time. Can you imagine a car not starting because the IAC counts were one more than the predefined limit? Same concept, different system.
Glad to see this rare little beast fixed, and the owners happy! There is no better feeling in the world than clutching a victory from something that's been beating you down for so long! :D
Wow this one took Ivan AND Keith to fix!! The problem is not having the data to properly diagnose, too many variables and no DTCs. Hindsight is 20/20 and now it seems as if the windows open count limit is 650. Most likely the cables just stretched or mechanical stops moved causing the counts to go over 650. Why didn't any DTCs set? It wasn't happy because the IC displayed the message. Frustrating! Thanks for the amazing case study! Great job, Ivan...
This is a cautionary tail for NOT GETTING extra futures on your vehicles.
Indeed. My father was a car mechanic and he drove all his life only base models. That is enough to go from A to B in all weather conditions, he said. He also said that the last thing he wanted to do, was to work on his own car.
@@ronaldderooij1774 haha that's why I drive old beater base model cars myself... Just basic maintenance required 😉👍
Cautionary tale for not getting extra features if it’s a pos brand like GM. You can get all the extra features on a Toyota and they’ll still work 15 years later.
@@joeyt6089 i dont know my buddy has Fancy roof racks on his 2019 Rav4 Trail and they are leaking very and destroyed headliner and causes electrical issues, and it is a very common issues so Toyota is a pos brand
What a saga....thanks for bringing us along on this rocky journey. Well done sir.
Great to see the red six shooter on stage again, still a great little tool. Mine has been used very little since I got the Thinktool. Those type of “ tailgates” are often closed with somewhat excessive inertia, which might have some effect on those readings over time. Just a thought. Nice work Ivan. 👍👍🇺🇸
Oh man, what a crazy journey!
It would be nice if there was information on the full operation theory of the roof system, it probably would have helped you.
The owner also takes good care of the truck, it's in good shape, i can see why they wanted to fix it.
This was enjoyable because of all parties understood that this breakdown was (past tense?) an oddball malfunction plus two things, very few of this particular model made and the opportunity to have prior experienced this. I find this fascinating to watch three parties so compatible. Bravo to Ivan, Keith and the owners. Thank you all.
To answer your question, personally I would have tried percussive maintenance... With a 20lbs sledgehammer.
What a sweet garage! Why spend so much time on this problem/vehicle? He's retired and a tinkerer. Why not? Vehicle is mint with milage in the low 40,000 range. Just a unique truck to add to their collection.
I just don't understand why he is not the "tinkerer".
@@kenyoung5682 because he may not be good with diagnostic tools? Computers and older fella's don't mix. Lol
Wow, not sure encoders are the best for that application. Some type of limit sensor/switch would be better. Encoder would be OK if there were different functions at different positions, but there's not. It's all the way up, or all the way down. The whole system is prone to failure with just normal wear with the tolerances so tight. Each count on the encoder must only be a few hundredths of an inch. They should have at least given it a landing zone between xxx and xxx ok for the roof to open. Way overkill in my opinion. Great job Iven! You have the patience of a saint!
Wow, crazy stuff man ! GM sure knows how to complicate the life. Engineer of that mechanism design was probably hating mechanichs out there. Great work and great customer that was ready to go all the way! Very often its a bummer when you spend few hours on a trouble but then either the customer backs off or your boss tells you that your next appointment is here!
Indian programmers to blame.They work for dirt
What a crazy ride that was. I get it, the module wants to make sure nothing clashes so it was doing its job. The repeatability was key; if you cannot answer the “what” then finding the “why” is nearly impossible. All around, the customer, Keith, and yourself did an excellent job at proving the process and how doing any job is worth doing 💯
Your persistence is remarkable sir....congratulations on a repair infact over repair😂...cheers
At 30:57 I just got the feeling you have found the issue! I was thinking a component in the drive system had worn out too soon, early on.
When you opened that tailgate and I saw that grommet out of place - I thought: BINGO! 🤓😎💀💀👍👍👍
Nice find! If it works with a larger learned number then pull the weather stripping and stops and learn it that way so it should never close at that high number! Hopefully the white spring guide stays in that spot!
You are amazing! I'm glad I'm not the only one who has experience in fixing something without having a clear explanation of what was broken to begin with. Stuff like this throws off the experience of "I've seen this before " diagnosis. Thanks for the through walk thru of this wacky issue.
The smell of victory! Great job Ivan
Everyone in the comments below stated it all Ivan you are the best diagnostic Engineers on this planet. Great job to you and Kieth.
Ivan, excellent troubleshooting on window door opening and closing, the only other thing I would recommend is lubricate sides of window slides with silicon lubricant spray, if it slides faster without binding that would affect the counts also.
Nice Victory for all involved, Especially with the Shutdowns looming parts maybe hard to find, None needed 👍 Definitely a better world thanks to Ivan's FULL system diagnosis and final solution's, (I wonder if that rear window was frozen one winter causing this failure in the first place,) Maybe tell the owner's Make sure it's fully warmed up in the winter especially in the rear before touching those buttons so that rear tailgate window Motor doesn't trying leaving the Vehicle like it had started to, Like someone else mentioned I would silicone lube all the moving parts-window tracks so it stays more consistent and only open and close all that with the Vehicle running only, Just my final thoughts, My guess Yours are close to that anyways, Great Content, Never Stop, Why? because people need this kind of information now More than EVER due to the high cost of everything and the Shortages with people on strike, I just talked to a rebuilder Andy in Chicago at Toy Factory He's already having problems getting OEM parts from Dealership's He needs because of the Union Auto strikes, I picked up a 2020 black edition Ridgeline for my wife is how I know if anyone was wondering since I'm from Central WIS. Cheers 🇺🇸 and 👍up for this channel everyone it's FREE❗ Where else do You get honest real Value unless you're watching South Main Auto this and only a few others here on RUclips.
Now that is what I call diagnostic entertainment, I just had to watch the whole show lol, I have an old mg and I'm going to hang on to it if that's the shape or things to come, great entertainment, thanx 🇬🇧
You'll enjoy the Thanksgiving Special 😉
You made that Good Ole boy happy--Car Whisperer.
Ivan 'THE MAN' wins again. Such patience you have and the will to win, awesome.Many thanks from UK.
Excellent job dude! Not many people would have stuck it through that long. I would have given up by that point. Crazy system.
Adjustment for cable and gear wear. Similar to the mid-cable adjusting provisions on motorcycles. The grommet certainly didn't help, but it needs a washer. Great job to both of you for getting it fixed, but I have to say, sometimes we have tunnel vision for the trade we work in. Sparkies = Electrical. Me, Brakes. But looking at the electrical data was the only way to track this down.
Absolutely great job for going above and beyond. 👏👏👏
im not understanding why it was important for the roof to work.. just to get rid of the message? as an owner of a 2002 envoy for 10 years. just being able to drive the car daily without a mechanical problem was a blessing in itself. no engine issues. just everything around it including the piece of junk cooling fan setup that I changed to twin electric. the annoying fuel pump wire getting frayed and shorted from the loom being crushed between the frame and body of the car at the drives door area was another hidden gem
Ivan, if I can throw my thoughts into the mix. What about checking the continuity between. The main car body and the tailgate. The small amounts of resistance between the 2 bodies could account for the loss of current, possibly intermittently throwing out the learning algorithm. It would account for no Diagnostic codes being displayed. Only a slotted opto disc arrangement would accurately measure window movement, plus the fact that motor actuator not being secure wouldn’t help either. Placement for the window is paramount because the roof need to meet accurately together without causing possible damage. Without human intervention. Good luck pal!
I've always been impressed with Iran thinking out of the box, going back to that P.T. Cruiser that needed that expensive $$$ TIPM and Ivan just installed a Bosch external relay to fix the problem . wow
Here's my thought on this Ivan I think the plastic gear inside the motor is worn just enough to give it a few extra count because it takes more force to go up than it does to come down so when you move that spring into a new clock position you change the positioned you could have just filed a new slot just in front of the old slot to reposition it.
I had a 2005 chevy uplander. The sliding doors would never work right and the dealer could not fix it reliably. I ended up dumping it after I could not even get the doors to close manually without the chimes going. After watching these videos, I think my doors had a similar problem to this tailgate window.
Dude!! What a victory! You’re awesome Ivan!
I have only seen one of these trucks in person. It is good that the owner is willing to go to great lengths to keep this one going. Well done, Ivan.
Like Chrysler convertible tops. A real pita when they have problems. Nice job figuring out a solution. I wonder if stretching out the spring would have worked. You sure have patience Ivan.
Hey Ivan. You and Keith are masters of your craft. Kudos to you both. I have a similar experience with my 2003 745Li BMW. I had to replace the front passenger side window regulator. I bought a non-genuine regulator and guess what, a similar thing happened. When I put it through its relearning phase, the window would go up and then down and the software report came back as a fail. I made so many adjustments but it was no good in the end, I just couldn't get it right. I bit the bullet and bought a guanine regulator ($600 Australian!!!) and it worked perfectly. I guess there are tight tolerances in these devices.
The piece of fuzz knocked the grommet out of place😂, it seems logical that the regulator is wearing out but of coarse thats just a guess, i replaced mine in the midgate and been ok ever since. Mine also had the typical vent notor clicking everytime you disconnect the battery, i replaced it with oem part and use a memory saver when i disc batt. Personally i love this vehicle and i will own it till its dead or im dead whichever comes first, ive fit quads and motorcycles in it, unlike any other vehicle out there. Ill call you when it breaks and i cant figure it out… im sure you cant wait for the next video. Knock on wood everything on mine works, just bleeds a lil oil from the rear main, thats how i know it has oil in it tho😊
Thanks, perseverance pays off, hope we do not see a part 4.
You are now the country expert on this fault, but it was a steep learning curve, thanks for sharing.
Your passion and patience paid off once again.
Well done Ivan perseverance calm cool and collective that’s what did it in the end cheers
🎉 normality has resumed! Nice work Ivan - medal in the post for that one! Well done.
Impressive commitment! I don't like to quit, even on projects that are that frustrating, but I admit I may have. You did great. 👍
Good case study you seem to never get defeated thanks for sharing.
Wondering if the controller has a 'maximum open counts' hard limit of 651 (greater than 651 and the controller faults out). Also, what are the 'Counts' based on, is it a value given to the position of a potentiometer in the regulator, or is it counting a flag/tone wheel in the regulator mechanism? If the latter, perhaps there is a way to reduce the closed position counter such that the opened position is a lower value (start the relearn with the window in the closed position?). If the former, then it seems that the potentiometer needs to be adjusted back a bit, or the cables have over-stretched, and it is now out of spec (regulator needs to be replaced).
21:00 Didn't the instructions in the last video say to do the learn with the motor running?
That's great news that it finally works after years of being broken
I'm guessing the stop position is adjustable and during troubleshooting ,it probably got turned to a position to put it at the max end of the open stop limit which was too much. If it's not adjustable and the problem reoccurs, I'd look at putting a thin washer in there as a spacer as a permanent fix.
Extra credit for your persistence and customer care. Looks like the actual count must be equal or less than the learned value otherwise the window is not recognized as fully open. Maybe the GM learning procedure includes a sequence step to move the spring preload adjustment? The devil is in those details. Question: Do you think this may have been a "No Parts Required" from the beginning?
Wow! The tolerances for the encoder is very precise. It must have been at the max allowable parameter and battery voltage pushed it over the cliff so to speak
I knew there was something too easy about the batting Keith found and the issue, Super great job Ivan it does seem much happier now, that regulator was about to fall off !
Put in a small voltage regulator on the circuit to keep it right at the required voltage so it wont set higher counts..
Wonderful video! I love your persistence.
Old man's got a dope man-cave!!!
You certainly get points for persistence!!
Man amazing, congratulations this victory deserves celebration😍
Great work BRO👍🏻
I told you this on last video. And I spent 1$ just to make sure you got my message. 👍 job
Im proud to say i learn alot from you ivan thank you so much
Ivan you are another guru it's amazing your never give up kudos to you love your videos thanks again
Glad you sorted it and admire your diligence. Seems like a majority of the ultimate fixes on this channel come down to what's spotted during a thorough visual inspection.
If staring at scan tool for hours and multiple relearns don't answer questions, maybe old school looking for something f*cked up earlier might answer questions if done earlier? Ask yourself, what if the previous tech was a tweaker? lol.
The owner seems a little nervous. Walking around and watching Ivan!
Wow, that’s a real puzzle. Great work.
Nobody but nobody went this far..the credit is all yours, 👍
Congratulations, Ivan! That is one more crazy detail, to add to the overcomplicated interactions of tailgate, windows and roof! Why isn't there some margin of error in the software, for the window max count of 650? Normal wear will change that "magic" count, and it simply wont tolerate it. Only wonder if that plastic stop will stay in place :-)
What a journey.... well done!
Wow. Use end stop switches and be done with it. I admire your tenacity!
Owner wanted back to factory.
@@Keanu-x7w Yeah, I wasn't clear. I meant at the design stage, not for Ivan to bodge. I wonder if my VW sunroof uses this encoding method, it gets possessed sometimes!
I would lubricate all the weather stripping and the track , you can hear on video that the load on the motor fluctuates. After all friction points are over lubed and cycled a few times I wouldn’t be surprised if the relearn is needed again.
Great job Ivan!
Thanks for the video Ivan.
Great video sequence & troubleshooting that one. Way too complex a system for a power roof & sequence of operations/interlocks…fricken GM.
Awesome job at not giving, up most shops would have thrown in the towel after the first diagnostic , I have an 06 Tahoe and the HVAC system has similar logic were the computer measures the current to determine the (counts) aka "stop points" Voltage always effects current so solving problem for all conditions is tough, after many hours of diagnostics with my Think tool pros scanner I put a mechanical stop inside the actuator , I believe over the years their is wear in the mechanical parts that allows the actuator to travel past it calibration or prevent it from calibrated as this function is done any time the battery is disconnected . I did the front recirculation door first , My next project is correcting the the same problem with my HVAC rear blend door.
awesome job !!!!!
I had something similar with a Honda the window drop parameter when opening kept changing locking the window from moving the switch was working but loose enough that every second or third operation it would move enough that a recalibration was required to unlock it
WOW, that one was giving me a headache to watch. Lucky you noticed the grommet was loose, I’m Sure it contributed to the problem. Sometimes the touchy feely will find the problem, as Eric O says.
The stop switchs in the Tail gate may be loose. And moving, causing the position to change all the time. While driving vibration could move them. Just thinking Ivan. But something in the tail gate controls the stop..ya that cable adj. The travel of the window. Looks to be a bushing on that side their.
Amazing troubleshooting! I see the root as programming that doesn't allow for variations in the mechanical parts' performance. Maybe if this had been manufactured for longer, the program would have been updated. I wonder what will happen when it's colder or warmer ....
Such a cool fight to get to the goldilocks number for that window position count pid. Well done finishing it off and following through man!
Ugh this unicorn was a stubborn one 😝
Persistence is a virtue
Rear glass and roof have some safety, don't snap off the glass, interlock and it has hard coded limits for this interlock, defiantly looks like a programming glitch. If the window is up an inch or so it isn't that unsafe to open the tailgate, the rear window going up and down is why they have this check. If it were a fixed window in a door frame it would not have checks and also would not flip down. The connector fix is temporary, the opening and closing will dislodge another design flaw. Looked back at the operation of 60s wagon tailgates, some had interlocks but not to the last 1% or they had a window in a frame that went up.
It maybe set in programming that the maximum count allowed is 651.
Possibly from factory it’s supposed to be around the 640 mark to allow for wear etc
Maybe the rubber on the window stops is a bit crushed / perished and with the spring play allowed it to go over..
Also the fact that the white plastic thing is allowed to turn is it supposed to be in that position from the factory?
Just a theory
Anyway nice job as always
That was a tough one good job Ivan
Your best work so far!!!
Wow, that was a royal pain. How much did that cost ? Good job, your very patient. The dealership would have had zero chance of pulling that off.
Haven't finished yet but the inconsistency with the rear window would point me in the direction of engine running vs not (voltage difference, might open/close further when running) or even just lubrication of the tracks. Also seems like something an updated module firmware might resolve.
Nicely done!