Your videos are so great for instructional information, but the added humor and personal touch is what makes it the best! You give viewers the tools to learn about our cars, fix them, save money, and as an added bonus entertain us! Thank you and best to you, Mrs. O and family.
How do you solder concrete to a weld? I'm joking. Oh crap... I commented before I reached the part in thr video that was relevant. So I guess this post is going to be my dunce cap award.
Not just a mechanic, but a teacher, a filmmaker, a comedian and the guy that triggers YT arm chair warriors. I absolutely love when E triggers people and how much he enjoys it. Luv me sum SMA❤
@thermalreboot Probably not, unfortunately . People are exceptionally resilient in their stupidity and most customers will continue to use an incompetent repair guy just because he's "their guy". Eric's right ... the guy who changed the blower motor tested for power AT THE MOTOR and found it there, so he assumed the motor was faulty. Didn't know how the circuit was supposed to work . Even so , he didn't bother to check for the other half of the circuit , the return to ground. That "mechanic" should stick to topping off windshield washer bottles .
@@nickg9021 If the customer threw the parts canon at it himself, or if this car came from the other shop I'd say you're on point. But if the customer himself took it to Eric he get's to see how much he paid for failure and how much less he paid for success. The video was something like 25 minutes long, I'm guessing the work took a little longer due to Eric moving and setting up cameras, but still, less than an hour to find and fix. That would make any customer take notice.
@@thermalreboot I sincerely hope that I'm wrong and you are right about Eric's customer . I just don't expect it. I've seen it so many times that it is hard to ignore. I see family members doing the same thing and then I hear their tales of woe when they get raked over the coals . It's at the point where I've started shrugging my shoulders when they start venting.
@@nickg9021I agree. I get irritated with people who refuse to switch mechanics and still complain about the guy they’re going to. In the end, the customer bears some culpability along with the mechanic.
In 1974, I was working as the electrical tech at a Chevrolet dealership in Houston, Texas. We had a customer bring in a 1968 Chevy Nova with the windshield wipers staying on all of the time with the key on. Quick testing showed that the system always had power with the key on (normal) and the ground circuit went through the two-speed wiper switch in the dash. High speed was a straight ground signal and low speed went through a resistor and cut the signal by half. The problem was that the wiper motor was insulated internally so as not to have a ground except through the switch in the dash, and it had grounded internally and was thus able to work as long as there was power going to it, as with the "key on" position. I told the customer that he needed a wiper motor. His response was that I was lying to him because he knew his wiper motor was good. He said I was trying to rip him off because the wiper motor was obviously okay considering it was working all of the time with the key on, so it must just be a cheap switch problem. He refused the repair and left to fix it himself. I wonder how many parts he threw at it before he finally bit the bullet and bought a new wiper motor? Unless you understand how a system works, you cannot diagnose it. Good work, Eric O.
But how did you determine the motor itself as the fault, that it had self-grounded internally? Sounds to me like you guessed at the problem & the customer felt the same. The resistor could've failed, could have had a short to ground in the wiring(s) leaving the wiper motor stuck in high-mode.. it doesn't matter how many times you've seen a problem or how well you understand the system if you can't prove the fault.. for every motor that goes bad there's 50 switches that went bad first.. what I would've done in that situation is plugged in a new wiper motor and shown the customer that it now has 2 speeds again, would've taken 2 minutes as everything on cars was easily accessible in 1968
@@COBRO98, please remember that this was 1974, and the vehicle was a 1968 Nova. The process was a simple and straightforward approach. You turn the key on and the circuit is designed to send power from the ignition through the wiper fuse to the wiper motor constantly. The factory designed the circuit to have no external ground at the motor, but rather, to have the ground circuit go to the switch to find ground (The switch itself was grounded by the metal dash it was mounted in). If you unplug the wiper motor with the key on and the wiper running, you can test both sides of the circuit at the plug. There was a constant switched 12 volts on the power side of the plug, and testing the ground side of the plug (which goes to the switch) showed no ground at all with the switch in the "off" position, and full ground in the "hi" position, and half ground in the "low" position. To verify the problem was an internal ground issue, I simply jumped power back to the power position of the motor while not hooking up any external ground. The motor would run as long as there was power going to it. Since the circuit is designed to work using the wiper switch as the ground side of the circuit, and I was a GM-certified tech, and I had schematics and an understanding of how and why it worked, I was able to come up with the proper diagnosis.
I bet all the nearby shops and dealerships feel pretty safe that they know no matter what they cant figure out and fix, you can!!! Nice safety blanket to have, love your videos!! Truly a master mechanic
Yup... good thing to know. First they fire the parts cannon and make the big bucks... then call a real mechanic to actually fix it and only charge you an hour of his time.
Being a retired electrical engineer with 35 years working as trouble shooter at power company in Chicago area i can with confidence tell you you are one the best i have seen at reading wiring diagrams and figuring out whats going on. You would not believe some of the people i was asked to train. No trouble shooting skills just don't think like that. They have other skills though to work in company. This is what happened at other shop. No trouble shooting skills but they can chage out parts real good.
Likewise, agreed. There's a depth to Eric's videos, most of which goes well over the crowd's head. For example in this case he put the motor connector back together and quickly checked it again, verifying that the electrical connections at that point are fine. He does this so smoothly, efficiently, and easily that people think the task is easy. A lot of thought goes into his work flow, and to really understand people need to pause the video as they follow the story and decide what they would do next. Passively following along is not enough.
Exactly. Some people struggle to think logically enough to troubleshoot effectively. Other people, like Eric, think it through so quickly that they look like wizards. (In a way, they are.)
I just love this episode in particular. This is nice, basic electrical troubleshooting. And like you said, the system has been out for many many years. Thanks so much for your great content. It’s like being in shop class with a teacher you actual like!
As a tech in my fifty's I remember great information my Grandfather told me when I was just starting into this field. And I quote "It's not what you know , it's what you understand" , "Go to the best source of information possible" and " (KISS) Keep It Simple Stupid" Thank you for the great work you do!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eric you are awesome at figuring out electrical issues. Yes you do use logic where most others are helter skelter in their approach. You inspire me to keep calm about electrical and to be honest electrical to me is an nightmare!
Both of you, just keep trying. I'm gonna say this in the dumbest way possible... there was a cartoon I saw when I was young where the main character (i think it was Charlie Brown) went to France and couldn't speak the language. After several months staying there in some exchange program, he was lamenting about how much of a loser he was when he noticed the château he was staying at was on fire. He ran panicked to tell the neighbors and get help when he realized he was speaking and understanding French fluently as this was happening. What I'm getting at is that even though it doesn't immediately click, you are still absorbing knowledge and one day you will realize it wasn't near as bad as you thought. Just don't shy away from trying so you don't stop that in its tracks.
You get beyond a single wire and start involving a diagram and many “mechanics” loose their mind and go crazy. I’ve seen guys chase their tail for hours trying to fix a light that has 2 wires. Then get mad when I start asking questions.
Bad ground probably couldn't hold the inrush current to spin the motor up. When you provided a good one, I think you got it started and the bad ground was able to sustain enough current to keep it running..
As soon as I seen the title I suspected that stupid box! I have owned a few of these trucks, they are really great little units. I got in the habit of replacing those connectors before they start causing problems.
This video is perfect timing because I have a 2014 Chevy Express that just started having an intermittent problem of blower not working. This will help me to troubleshoot and fix it.
I'm in the shop, working on a colorado with a blower motor that won't blow, and wife comes running in. "hey hon, Erics doing the same thing". Watched, cocked my head and went to the side of the engine bay. Same issue, saved me a good 20 - 30 minutes of diag, thanks man.
For those who were confused at about 3:00, the brown wire looks black on the video, it delivers power to the motor. The other wire is orange, not brown. That orange wire is downstream of the motor so grounding it causes the motor to run. My jaw dropped at 4:35 when it continued working after ground was removed from the orange wire on the blower resistor connector. There's an upstream T connection between only the orange wire and the switch. Presumably the switch was resting on the high speed setting at that time, allowing the motor to find ground through a tenuous connection after the charge on that wire was drained down. I find it amazing guys can understand this without a wiring diagram, but I guess if you've seen this often enough, memory of other diagrams comes to play.
A motor draws a large startup current after which the current goes way down during normal operation. The faulty ground connection couldn't carry that large startup current. Once it was started by manually grounding the wire with his probe it kept running because the faulty ground connection could still carry the lower operating current.
@@unimportant5122 This is exactly the reply I was going to post, well explained. It's amazing how many people work on equipment without knowing how it works, usually making the situation or problem worse than what they started with. (If you know how something works, you can work out why it doesn't !)
75 bucks for a blower motor 40 bucks for a resistor plus labor 250 bucks total (guesstamit) and all it needed was two 5 cent ring terminals. Great video again, Proving the parts cannon is usually wrong and testing is really the only way to a proper repair.
It's interesting to see the powers and grounds prove to be an issue yet again, and also why you want to look with your eyes and not grab stuff and then have no idea what was actually moved in the process. I admire both you and Ivan for constantly reminding us of this - yes, you want to find out what's wrong, but you want to do it in a manner that is methodical and that you can use as proof positive. Thanks, Eric!!
I never know whether to grin, giggle, poop or laugh - but i know one thing Mr O is a great teacher and i thank him again for keeping things real - Mr O once your hands and back cease to operate some kids are gonna get the best ever teacher of auto repair, make sure you do that before your to broken to stand and convey your knowledge.
Golly, I wish we had a technician near us that was half as good as you are!! I used to work on all our vehicles myself but I'm a disabled veteran and just can't do it anymore. Additionally, I sold most of my specialty tools and equipment when I had to retire in 2001.
Mr O finding electrical problems in 5 minutes meanwhile I’ve been tracking down an issue with my ac for 4 years and full parts cannon thrown at it. Still don’t have ac 😂😂
@@wendwllhickey6426 I’m the extreme version of fix it myself no matter how long or what it takes. I’ve learned way more failing than I do fixing so while it is extremely frustrating I enjoy the challenge.
Love your videos. You take time to troubleshoot and your knowledge of how a system works. Some folks claim they know but don't just start throwing things at it. A lot of time it is a bad ground. Thanks for the video
Being a certified solderer no trigger here, I would have done the same!! By the way it's actually called return, but I suppose you know that. I love your "In Case of Fire" sign on your wall...LOL
I like it. Eric, you stated that other people fire the parts cannon and get paid for their parts, labor, etc. I have been following you for 5 years now and this is a relatively simple system on this vehicle. You traced the problem down immediately and diagnosed a bad ground. You have said it many times, "TEST, don't GUESS!" GREAT VIDEO!
I always enjoy the troubleshooting videos the most. Eric has a slight unfair advantage in that he lives in the heart of the rust belt and the first place to start for electrical problems is always a bad ground. Excellent video.
Hey, it is not only the rust belt that has those problems, Florida does too - from the salt air. I don't know how many grounds I fixed on VWs in the 60s. One issue we could not fix directly was corrosion in the starter relay wire from the key switch. We would install a Ford starter relay to get around the problem. It may have only been on the 6V cars, I don't remember.
@@donaldmickunas8552 I think you missed my point. I agree that good troubleshooting methodology will uncover the faults. The real issue is one of **frequency**. Consider the example of a general practitioner doctor. He sees a certain set of ailments every day and can diagnose those rapidly and treat them. What happens when the doctor is confronted with something they don't see every day, like Ebola, or Lyme disease, or the Marburg virus? That doctor may only have seen those conditions in MED School many years ago. OTOH, if you are a doctor deep in the bowels of Africa, Marburg and Ebola are a semi-frequent occurrence and readily recognizable. Does that make sense?
@@wernerpd777 I understand your point. A bad ground is a more common problem in geographical areas where salt is prevalent. So, mechanics who simply replace parts can now add check the ground to the list. My point was that good troubleshooting will find the problem without expensive part swapping and despite the typical problems common to an area. That is my point.
Eric, that was a good example of troubleshooting a customer problem. I used good troubleshooting skills recently on my ‘12 Chrysler 200 Touring convertible. I had P0579 and P0591 trouble codes and correctly traced it to needing to replace the steering wheel mounted speed control switch Mopar 56046094AF. I’m awaiting my part to arrive so that I can install it being careful with the driver’s side airbag when I do the task.
As always perfect fix. But best of all, you make everyone happy! Thanks and keep putting out this great videos. Best of all you use common sense to do the job.
Eric, its really sad when people go to a mechanic and pay the money then leave with the same issue they cam in for. Mechanics these days are a dieing breed, there soo many young men who graduate highschool with no idea what to so so they become a mechanic either with or without actual training. while they know how to take things apart and replace parts. they lack basic troubleshooting skills. i love watching your videos because i have been ionto electronics since i was about 8 years old. your troubleshooting methodology is a mirror image of my own. you have not only an understanding of electronics, but like me you can visualize the entire circuit from end to end and make logical decisions alongt the way to lead you to the fault. i guarentee the last person who tried to fix it, found a power to the blower, put a blower in it and afterwords couldnt figure out how the new part was not working, he only knows how to troubleshoot half the circuit. this means he will only be able to make repairs to half the failures in the future.
Glad to see you're enjoying the No-Ox-Id!!! It is conductive, so you can smear the ring lugs and bolt as you assemble, if you want. It's great stuff. As you say, it's not difficult to find the problem if you understand the system.
Your videos are literally the most informative and educational thing on RUclips. Thank you for taking the time to film and edit these. It does not surprise but boggles the mind nonetheless at how lacking many shops diagnostic skills are.
Nice find when bumping the ground block with the intake box and finding the simple ground Issue good video as always Eric O @South Main Auto Repair LLC
Another great instructional video Eric. Approve the repair. Evidently the GM modular ground didn't work so well, so the old school style is probably more reliable. However, I was surprised you didn't repair that partially severed ground wire near the blower motor.
It's good to know the customer can now be confident about the new parts not lasting nearly as long as the original ones would have. The other shop then can correctly replace them for the eventual failure. Nice job Mr. O !
Other repairs shops, we threw several parts at it at hundreds of dollars, nothing fixed it. Eric, I spent few minutes diagnostic the issue, fixed a ground wire with no new parts and works great!
Great video, Eric! Your troubleshooting skills are so good because you understand the various systems so well. It's sad that so many shop mechanics have only basic troubleshooting skills, which are so insufficient for finding and fixing problems like this. Thank you for sharing your problem solving logic and skills with us.
Used to have one of those small trucks. 1998 GMC Sonoma. Manual transmission. 2.2L four banger. Crank windows. It did have cruise control on it though. Paid 13K for it. That was a good truck. Probably pay 35k now for the same thing. Nice one Eric.
Great video, you didn't let the smoke out when it started on its own. There's a anti corrosion grease called No-Lox I use. It was made for aluminum wire connections originally. I use on battery terminals, everything that might corrode.
Oh my God I can't believe that you did that you threw that thing in the air and now it's going to pollute the air but otherwise great job on fixing the problem and yes I would have done the same thing LOL
It's interesting (to me) that in my pre-retirement career in the oil/gas/power generation industry, we'd see the very same scenarios. Except in the O/G/PG industry, the parts canon shoots extremely expensive cartridges! lol I've seen thousands of dollars spent on a part, only to find out it wasn't the problem. Unfortunately I was usually the guy that got to go back and install the new part that wasn't the problem. Many times I refused to install a new part because the declared symptoms did not match the replacement part that was ordered. Totally pissing off the customer spending a day (re) troubleshooting, and leaving the job site some hours later with the machine on line and the new (expensive) part still in its box or crate in the shop. Then the customer loves me but hates the other guy who told them to order a part that they don't need!
So sad people lose so much money with bad mechanics. It’s becoming a lost art of proper T-Shooting of basic electronics repair. Technicians are really needed today. Thanks Sir O. for keeping the art alive. I salute you! Bless up!!!
Mr. O, you always say " If I can do it, you can do it " but that's not the case. I believe everyone is born with a gift or ability. Some folks can draw, some can sing, some can run, etc. Some (like you and I) are very good at understanding how mechanical and electrical things work and therefore are very good at troubleshooting when things aren't going right. You, sir are one of the best. Thank you for sharing with us.
2001 Seville, I had about 10 random issues from insane wipers to stereo to running issues - traced 100% of them back to a corroded comb ground. Took it apart (cough) and cleaned it all up. Everything fixed in one shot!
I'm old school Mechanic/Tech, I understand how things USED to Work, the hot + wire went to the resistor, resistor dropped the voltage and the motor ran at different speeds. I don't really get how the ground now drops the voltage and changes the speed, but I'm really not doing any more repairs at my age. Great video, i keep watching a master at his best, keep it up!!!
There is nothing more useful for the DIY guy than service data. I use Mitchel DIY all the time on my own and friends' stuff. I've diagnosed, successfully, numerous things on my own vehicles since watching SMA. I thought I was pretty good at fixing stuff before. Service data is amazing.
I’m completely triggered😂. I have chopped out many of those connectors back in the day and repaired it the same way. I guess I’m a hack from way back! Thanks for the video Eric!
Mr. O. is spot on. In my 42 years of being a tech I always told the new techs and customers, you have to understand how something works to figure out why it does not work now.
Stick shift, Roly-Poly windows, push button locks = Simple, reliable, easy to fix, sometimes even whether parts available or not. Try that stunt with a 2024 Land Rover LOL. Great work again Mr. O. Stay gold.
Wish I would have known about your shop when my daughter's 2012-ish Subaru suddenly started flashing dash lights and quit running. Dealer diagnosed the problem as a bad CVT tranny, but she eventually was able to drive it off and on for another couple of weeks before it started acting up again. I always suspected that it night have been fixable, but she needed a car for work and didn't have the quoted $7000 for a new transmission. I would have towed it the three hours to your shop just for the peace of mind that the problem was a part failure or not something simple as in this video. I really enjoy your troubleshooting comments and your taking the time to explain your methods in detail. I spent 30 years as a satellite TV dealer and the most enjoyment I got from the work was in troubleshooting problems. My reply when someone called and asked if I could fix it was that they would be watching TV that night or the service trip was free. I never had to payoff on my boast!
Your videos are so great for instructional information, but the added humor and personal touch is what makes it the best! You give viewers the tools to learn about our cars, fix them, save money, and as an added bonus entertain us! Thank you and best to you, Mrs. O and family.
Competent and honest mechanics are worth their weight in gold. Nice job Eric!
Weight in LEADED solder don't you mean....
Being a person with a solderingconcretewelding license, I approve this video! 😅🤣😂
How do you solder concrete to a weld?
I'm joking.
Oh crap... I commented before I reached the part in thr video that was relevant. So I guess this post is going to be my dunce cap award.
@@sumduma55 by using flux-core staples of course!
😅😂😅😂😅😂
@@Mr.Z1776 lol...
I just reached the part in the video that makes everything more understandable. Flux-core staples is a great response!
How do you weld concrete? I always just poor some in the crack. Tried a tube of that concrete filler once, wasn't impressed with it.
Not just a mechanic, but a teacher, a filmmaker, a comedian and the guy that triggers YT arm chair warriors.
I absolutely love when E triggers people and how much he enjoys it.
Luv me sum SMA❤
The other shop may have made all the money, but you made a loyal customer. You fixed it for less money than the other shop failed to fix it.
@thermalreboot
Probably not, unfortunately . People are exceptionally resilient in their stupidity and most customers will continue to use an incompetent repair guy just because he's "their guy". Eric's right ... the guy who changed the blower motor tested for power AT THE MOTOR and found it there, so he assumed the motor was faulty. Didn't know how the circuit was supposed to work . Even so , he didn't bother to check for the other half of the circuit , the return to ground. That "mechanic" should stick to topping off windshield washer bottles .
@@nickg9021he also didn't power the motor to see if it worked or not.
@@nickg9021 If the customer threw the parts canon at it himself, or if this car came from the other shop I'd say you're on point. But if the customer himself took it to Eric he get's to see how much he paid for failure and how much less he paid for success. The video was something like 25 minutes long, I'm guessing the work took a little longer due to Eric moving and setting up cameras, but still, less than an hour to find and fix. That would make any customer take notice.
@@thermalreboot I sincerely hope that I'm wrong and you are right about Eric's customer . I just don't expect it. I've seen it so many times that it is hard to ignore. I see family members doing the same thing and then I hear their tales of woe when they get raked over the coals . It's at the point where I've started shrugging my shoulders when they start venting.
@@nickg9021I agree. I get irritated with people who refuse to switch mechanics and still complain about the guy they’re going to. In the end, the customer bears some culpability along with the mechanic.
In 1974, I was working as the electrical tech at a Chevrolet dealership in Houston, Texas. We had a customer bring in a 1968 Chevy Nova with the windshield wipers staying on all of the time with the key on. Quick testing showed that the system always had power with the key on (normal) and the ground circuit went through the two-speed wiper switch in the dash. High speed was a straight ground signal and low speed went through a resistor and cut the signal by half. The problem was that the wiper motor was insulated internally so as not to have a ground except through the switch in the dash, and it had grounded internally and was thus able to work as long as there was power going to it, as with the "key on" position. I told the customer that he needed a wiper motor. His response was that I was lying to him because he knew his wiper motor was good. He said I was trying to rip him off because the wiper motor was obviously okay considering it was working all of the time with the key on, so it must just be a cheap switch problem. He refused the repair and left to fix it himself. I wonder how many parts he threw at it before he finally bit the bullet and bought a new wiper motor? Unless you understand how a system works, you cannot diagnose it. Good work, Eric O.
I’d guess he just put a switch on it and called it done.
If he knew how to fix it why did he bring it to you in the first place right?
But how did you determine the motor itself as the fault, that it had self-grounded internally? Sounds to me like you guessed at the problem & the customer felt the same. The resistor could've failed, could have had a short to ground in the wiring(s) leaving the wiper motor stuck in high-mode.. it doesn't matter how many times you've seen a problem or how well you understand the system if you can't prove the fault.. for every motor that goes bad there's 50 switches that went bad first.. what I would've done in that situation is plugged in a new wiper motor and shown the customer that it now has 2 speeds again, would've taken 2 minutes as everything on cars was easily accessible in 1968
@@COBRO98 well testing if a motor is shorted the ground internally is fairly simple.
@@COBRO98, please remember that this was 1974, and the vehicle was a 1968 Nova. The process was a simple and straightforward approach. You turn the key on and the circuit is designed to send power from the ignition through the wiper fuse to the wiper motor constantly. The factory designed the circuit to have no external ground at the motor, but rather, to have the ground circuit go to the switch to find ground (The switch itself was grounded by the metal dash it was mounted in). If you unplug the wiper motor with the key on and the wiper running, you can test both sides of the circuit at the plug. There was a constant switched 12 volts on the power side of the plug, and testing the ground side of the plug (which goes to the switch) showed no ground at all with the switch in the "off" position, and full ground in the "hi" position, and half ground in the "low" position. To verify the problem was an internal ground issue, I simply jumped power back to the power position of the motor while not hooking up any external ground. The motor would run as long as there was power going to it. Since the circuit is designed to work using the wiper switch as the ground side of the circuit, and I was a GM-certified tech, and I had schematics and an understanding of how and why it worked, I was able to come up with the proper diagnosis.
I bet all the nearby shops and dealerships feel pretty safe that they know no matter what they cant figure out and fix, you can!!! Nice safety blanket to have, love your videos!! Truly a master mechanic
Yup... good thing to know. First they fire the parts cannon and make the big bucks... then call a real mechanic to actually fix it and only charge you an hour of his time.
And then that same dealership tells the customer, We got. No problem. Our guy is a true pro!
If Eric is working on a car from the dealer, he should charge them the same labor rate they charge the general public. 😊
South Main Safety Blanket at your service. 😂😂😂😂
Being a retired electrical engineer with 35 years working as trouble shooter at power company in Chicago area i can with confidence tell you
you are one the best i have seen at reading wiring diagrams and figuring out whats going on. You would not believe some of the people i was
asked to train. No trouble shooting skills just don't think like that. They have other skills though to work in company. This is what happened at other
shop. No trouble shooting skills but they can chage out parts real good.
Likewise, agreed. There's a depth to Eric's videos, most of which goes well over the crowd's head. For example in this case he put the motor connector back together and quickly checked it again, verifying that the electrical connections at that point are fine. He does this so smoothly, efficiently, and easily that people think the task is easy. A lot of thought goes into his work flow, and to really understand people need to pause the video as they follow the story and decide what they would do next. Passively following along is not enough.
Exactly. Some people struggle to think logically enough to troubleshoot effectively. Other people, like Eric, think it through so quickly that they look like wizards. (In a way, they are.)
I just love this episode in particular. This is nice, basic electrical troubleshooting. And like you said, the system has been out for many many years. Thanks so much for your great content. It’s like being in shop class with a teacher you actual like!
You are a Lifesaver, The Frozen Northern Climate in Winter without heat can mean life or death.
If you don't know how the system works you can't diagnose it. Exactly. Appreciate the endless knowledge feed you have supplied us over the years!
Crimping while soldering and welding and doing concrete...!!! 🤣 Love the running commentary! Keep on keeping it real!
As a tech in my fifty's I remember great information my Grandfather told me when I was just starting into this field. And I quote "It's not what you know , it's what you understand" , "Go to the best source of information possible" and " (KISS) Keep It Simple Stupid" Thank you for the great work you do!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When you were tracing wires off G106, I half expected the Instrument Panel to use it also.
Eric, you win in the long run, because this guy is going to remember who really fixed his car.
This LADY*
"From another shop" are my favorites. The commentary at the end was spot on.
I always love the verbalization of Mr. O's thought process.
As always Mr O you are the master of electrical repair when all the others fail .
Eric you are awesome at figuring out electrical issues. Yes you do use logic where most others are helter skelter in their approach. You inspire me to keep calm about electrical and to be honest electrical to me is an nightmare!
Same here. Electrical stuff for me is like trying to understand Latin.
Both of you, just keep trying.
I'm gonna say this in the dumbest way possible... there was a cartoon I saw when I was young where the main character (i think it was Charlie Brown) went to France and couldn't speak the language. After several months staying there in some exchange program, he was lamenting about how much of a loser he was when he noticed the château he was staying at was on fire. He ran panicked to tell the neighbors and get help when he realized he was speaking and understanding French fluently as this was happening.
What I'm getting at is that even though it doesn't immediately click, you are still absorbing knowledge and one day you will realize it wasn't near as bad as you thought. Just don't shy away from trying so you don't stop that in its tracks.
The only way to fail is to stop trying. The hardest skill to teach is persistence.
@@DD-DD-DD - Yea....you kinda either have it or you don't.
You get beyond a single wire and start involving a diagram and many “mechanics” loose their mind and go crazy.
I’ve seen guys chase their tail for hours trying to fix a light that has 2 wires. Then get mad when I start asking questions.
I am amazed you can let us (The People) see so well under the dash while working there. Thanks for bring us along.
My truck is 51 GMC, I call it “Blue Thunder” 😂 the resister on the heater blower is a metal spring that heats up like a cigarette lighter.
Good old chevy Saving the Day and making Eric O some Money gotta love when others can fix it @South Main Auto Repair LLC
Love to see you fire up some comment generators so early this morning! 😂 Great diag and repair as always! Thanks for bringing us along!
Bad ground probably couldn't hold the inrush current to spin the motor up. When you provided a good one, I think you got it started and the bad ground was able to sustain enough current to keep it running..
As soon as I seen the title I suspected that stupid box! I have owned a few of these trucks, they are really great little units. I got in the habit of replacing those connectors before they start causing problems.
To me you are a true mechanic not a parts changer. You find the problem before changing parts. Great job
Thanks Mr O for teaching me yet again!!
This video is perfect timing because I have a 2014 Chevy Express that just started having an intermittent problem of blower not working. This will help me to troubleshoot and fix it.
I'm in the shop, working on a colorado with a blower motor that won't blow, and wife comes running in. "hey hon, Erics doing the same thing". Watched, cocked my head and went to the side of the engine bay. Same issue, saved me a good 20 - 30 minutes of diag, thanks man.
For those who were confused at about 3:00, the brown wire looks black on the video, it delivers power to the motor. The other wire is orange, not brown. That orange wire is downstream of the motor so grounding it causes the motor to run. My jaw dropped at 4:35 when it continued working after ground was removed from the orange wire on the blower resistor connector. There's an upstream T connection between only the orange wire and the switch. Presumably the switch was resting on the high speed setting at that time, allowing the motor to find ground through a tenuous connection after the charge on that wire was drained down. I find it amazing guys can understand this without a wiring diagram, but I guess if you've seen this often enough, memory of other diagrams comes to play.
A motor draws a large startup current after which the current goes way down during normal operation. The faulty ground connection couldn't carry that large startup current. Once it was started by manually grounding the wire with his probe it kept running because the faulty ground connection could still carry the lower operating current.
@@unimportant5122 Excellent point.
@@unimportant5122 This is exactly the reply I was going to post, well explained. It's amazing how many people work on equipment without knowing how it works, usually making the situation or problem worse than what they started with. (If you know how something works, you can work out why it doesn't !)
@@MrHandymonExactly! You must know how it's supposed to work to find out why it doesn't!
Leave the no parts required to the Russian. Your videos are the correct procedure and no complaints.
Weird place for a return ground, glad you caught it. Some mechanics have no visual concept of electrical wiring, glad you do!
75 bucks for a blower motor 40 bucks for a resistor plus labor 250 bucks total (guesstamit) and all it needed was two 5 cent ring terminals. Great video again, Proving the parts cannon is usually wrong and testing is really the only way to a proper repair.
❤ you got it poor lady got it too. Hope she can sit down now.
You get the repeat business. Your integrity lets you clients know it will be fixed the right way. They tell 5 friends and so one. Nice work.
The speech at the end was just as important as the fix itself.
It's interesting to see the powers and grounds prove to be an issue yet again, and also why you want to look with your eyes and not grab stuff and then have no idea what was actually moved in the process. I admire both you and Ivan for constantly reminding us of this - yes, you want to find out what's wrong, but you want to do it in a manner that is methodical and that you can use as proof positive. Thanks, Eric!!
The best auto diagnostician on you tube / bar none
I used to be uninterested in electrical t/s videos until i got an issue myself with my car. Been loving these videos ever since! 😂
You never lose when it comes to your integrity!
Another great diagnostic...especially liked the inflamatory crimp/solder/torque wrench fix!
I never know whether to grin, giggle, poop or laugh - but i know one thing Mr O is a great teacher and i thank him again for keeping things real - Mr O once your hands and back cease to operate some kids are gonna get the best ever teacher of auto repair, make sure you do that before your to broken to stand and convey your knowledge.
Golly, I wish we had a technician near us that was half as good as you are!! I used to work on all our vehicles myself but I'm a disabled veteran and just can't do it anymore. Additionally, I sold most of my specialty tools and equipment when I had to retire in 2001.
I feel smarter after each of your videos, thank you
Always such a great time to end my night shift, with a new SMA video. Thank you for what you do, Mr and Mrs O!
Van Halen resistor ! How many of your viewers got this !! Love it ! Great job as always!!
Not only is the mechanical/electrical process excellent in this video, but the explanations are invaluable. Thanks, Eric.
Logic and patience pays off. Thanks for the lesson.
Mr O finding electrical problems in 5 minutes meanwhile I’ve been tracking down an issue with my ac for 4 years and full parts cannon thrown at it. Still don’t have ac 😂😂
Time for vacation to South Main Auto my friend!😮😂😂🎉🎉
Don't you have any mechanical people in your area that can troubleshoot anything at all 😢
@@kenholt8297 man that would be amazing!
@@wendwllhickey6426 I’m the extreme version of fix it myself no matter how long or what it takes. I’ve learned way more failing than I do fixing so while it is extremely frustrating I enjoy the challenge.
Term of the day, boys and girls: Deductive Reasoning. Eric, you are a master of the process!
Love your videos. You take time to troubleshoot and your knowledge of how a system works. Some folks claim they know but don't just start throwing things at it. A lot of time it is a bad ground. Thanks for the video
South Main Auto.. Gotta love the ground issues on GM vehicles. Thanks for sharing it.
And again Eric O does what nobody else could do. I love your videos Eric. I have learned a ton from you.
Good job, Eric! No parts required - only grey cells and diagrams :-)
Being a certified solderer no trigger here, I would have done the same!! By the way it's actually called return, but I suppose you know that. I love your "In Case of Fire" sign on your wall...LOL
I like it. Eric, you stated that other people fire the parts cannon and get paid for their parts, labor, etc. I have been following you for 5 years now and this is a relatively simple system on this vehicle. You traced the problem down immediately and diagnosed a bad ground. You have said it many times, "TEST, don't GUESS!" GREAT VIDEO!
Your electrical troubleshooting is the best. Great information, logical explanation, and oh yeah, entertaining. 👍
Most professional repair that I have ever seen.
Simple system..... just have to be smarter than the problem one is solving. Thanks for the videos!
I always enjoy the troubleshooting videos the most. Eric has a slight unfair advantage in that he lives in the heart of the rust belt and the first place to start for electrical problems is always a bad ground. Excellent video.
Hey, it is not only the rust belt that has those problems, Florida does too - from the salt air. I don't know how many grounds I fixed on VWs in the 60s. One issue we could not fix directly was corrosion in the starter relay wire from the key switch. We would install a Ford starter relay to get around the problem. It may have only been on the 6V cars, I don't remember.
I don’t agree. Good troubleshooting methodology will lead to the problem every time given a well trained technician.
@@donaldmickunas8552 I think you missed my point. I agree that good troubleshooting methodology will uncover the faults. The real issue is one of **frequency**. Consider the example of a general practitioner doctor. He sees a certain set of ailments every day and can diagnose those rapidly and treat them. What happens when the doctor is confronted with something they don't see every day, like Ebola, or Lyme disease, or the Marburg virus? That doctor may only have seen those conditions in MED School many years ago. OTOH, if you are a doctor deep in the bowels of Africa, Marburg and Ebola are a semi-frequent occurrence and readily recognizable. Does that make sense?
@@wernerpd777 I understand your point. A bad ground is a more common problem in geographical areas where salt is prevalent. So, mechanics who simply replace parts can now add check the ground to the list. My point was that good troubleshooting will find the problem without expensive part swapping and despite the typical problems common to an area. That is my point.
Key board warriors be having to go to their therapist after that high quality repair job!
Found the problem and fixed it with the quickness! ❤
Real world. Solid repair.👍
Eric, that was a good example of troubleshooting a customer problem. I used good troubleshooting skills recently on my ‘12 Chrysler 200 Touring convertible. I had P0579 and P0591 trouble codes and correctly traced it to needing to replace the steering wheel mounted speed control switch Mopar 56046094AF. I’m awaiting my part to arrive so that I can install it being careful with the driver’s side airbag when I do the task.
As always perfect fix. But best of all, you make everyone happy! Thanks and keep putting out this great videos. Best of all you use common sense to do the job.
Eric, its really sad when people go to a mechanic and pay the money then leave with the same issue they cam in for. Mechanics these days are a dieing breed, there soo many young men who graduate highschool with no idea what to so so they become a mechanic either with or without actual training. while they know how to take things apart and replace parts. they lack basic troubleshooting skills. i love watching your videos because i have been ionto electronics since i was about 8 years old. your troubleshooting methodology is a mirror image of my own. you have not only an understanding of electronics, but like me you can visualize the entire circuit from end to end and make logical decisions alongt the way to lead you to the fault. i guarentee the last person who tried to fix it, found a power to the blower, put a blower in it and afterwords couldnt figure out how the new part was not working, he only knows how to troubleshoot half the circuit. this means he will only be able to make repairs to half the failures in the future.
Glad to see you're enjoying the No-Ox-Id!!! It is conductive, so you can smear the ring lugs and bolt as you assemble, if you want. It's great stuff.
As you say, it's not difficult to find the problem if you understand the system.
Crushing it as usual, the Professor is in. No parts cannon needed.
Good job, Eric! You have the DIY guy in your heart. Thanks
Your videos are literally the most informative and educational thing on RUclips. Thank you for taking the time to film and edit these. It does not surprise but boggles the mind nonetheless at how lacking many shops diagnostic skills are.
Nice find when bumping the ground block with the intake box and finding the simple ground Issue good video as always Eric O @South Main Auto Repair LLC
Another great instructional video Eric. Approve the repair. Evidently the GM modular ground didn't work so well, so the old school style is probably more reliable. However, I was surprised you didn't repair that partially severed ground wire near the blower motor.
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It's good to know the customer can now be confident about the new parts not lasting nearly as long as the original ones would have. The other shop then can correctly replace them for the eventual failure. Nice job Mr. O !
Masterful job Eric. Every video is a Master Class in automotive diagnostics. Have a great day.
Other repairs shops, we threw several parts at it at hundreds of dollars, nothing fixed it. Eric, I spent few minutes diagnostic the issue, fixed a ground wire with no new parts and works great!
Great video, Eric! Your troubleshooting skills are so good because you understand the various systems so well. It's sad that so many shop mechanics have only basic troubleshooting skills, which are so insufficient for finding and fixing problems like this. Thank you for sharing your problem solving logic and skills with us.
Used to have one of those small trucks. 1998 GMC Sonoma. Manual transmission. 2.2L four banger. Crank windows. It did have cruise control on it though. Paid 13K for it. That was a good truck. Probably pay 35k now for the same thing. Nice one Eric.
Great video, you didn't let the smoke out when it started on its own. There's a anti corrosion grease called No-Lox I use. It was made for aluminum wire connections originally. I use on battery terminals, everything that might corrode.
Great job Eric O .
Oh my God I can't believe that you did that you threw that thing in the air and now it's going to pollute the air but otherwise great job on fixing the problem and yes I would have done the same thing LOL
If it was such a easy fix Eric the other shop should have done it. Easy for you because your the man.
It's interesting (to me) that in my pre-retirement career in the oil/gas/power generation industry, we'd see the very same scenarios. Except in the O/G/PG industry, the parts canon shoots extremely expensive cartridges! lol I've seen thousands of dollars spent on a part, only to find out it wasn't the problem. Unfortunately I was usually the guy that got to go back and install the new part that wasn't the problem. Many times I refused to install a new part because the declared symptoms did not match the replacement part that was ordered. Totally pissing off the customer spending a day (re) troubleshooting, and leaving the job site some hours later with the machine on line and the new (expensive) part still in its box or crate in the shop. Then the customer loves me but hates the other guy who told them to order a part that they don't need!
So sad people lose so much money with bad mechanics. It’s becoming a lost art of proper T-Shooting of basic electronics repair. Technicians are really needed today. Thanks Sir O. for keeping the art alive. I salute you! Bless up!!!
Thats why they bring it to the best. The rest have tried and failed Eric o to save the day
He saves the day because he has common sense. He also follows process to finding the problem.
You always amaze how you diagnose when it comes about wiring in vehicles
Van Halen ! LOL
Thanks, Eric.
We appreciate your diligence about torque specs!
That's it, Eric! You're grounded!
Mr. O, you always say " If I can do it, you can do it " but that's not the case. I believe everyone is born with a gift or ability. Some folks can draw, some can sing, some can run, etc. Some (like you and I) are very good at understanding how mechanical and electrical things work and therefore are very good at troubleshooting when things aren't going right. You, sir are one of the best. Thank you for sharing with us.
You are a mechanic to my heart you learnd your trade really well.
2001 Seville, I had about 10 random issues from insane wipers to stereo to running issues - traced 100% of them back to a corroded comb ground. Took it apart (cough) and cleaned it all up. Everything fixed in one shot!
Oh and IF anyone else has one, it’s located on the drivers side underneath the airbox on top of the frame.
I'm old school Mechanic/Tech, I understand how things USED to Work, the hot + wire went to the resistor, resistor dropped the voltage and the motor ran at different speeds. I don't really get how the ground now drops the voltage and changes the speed, but I'm really not doing any more repairs at my age. Great video, i keep watching a master at his best, keep it up!!!
The wires from the speed switch go through a resister block.
Don’t forget about the exposed wire on the blower! Another good job done by the Don of mechanics.
There is nothing more useful for the DIY guy than service data. I use Mitchel DIY all the time on my own and friends' stuff. I've diagnosed, successfully, numerous things on my own vehicles since watching SMA. I thought I was pretty good at fixing stuff before. Service data is amazing.
Understanding how things work!
A test is worth a thousand guesses. Good job Eric.
Ford boss me just did a video on this issue, the pros having to fix the F’ups from hack mechanics and shady shops. Excellent video and advice!
I’m completely triggered😂. I have chopped out many of those connectors back in the day and repaired it the same way. I guess I’m a hack from way back! Thanks for the video Eric!
Mr. O. is spot on. In my 42 years of being a tech I always told the new techs and customers, you have to understand how something works to figure out why it does not work now.
Stick shift, Roly-Poly windows, push button locks = Simple, reliable, easy to fix, sometimes even whether parts available or not. Try that stunt with a 2024 Land Rover LOL. Great work again Mr. O.
Stay gold.
Wish I would have known about your shop when my daughter's 2012-ish Subaru suddenly started flashing dash lights and quit running. Dealer diagnosed the problem as a bad CVT tranny, but she eventually was able to drive it off and on for another couple of weeks before it started acting up again. I always suspected that it night have been fixable, but she needed a car for work and didn't have the quoted $7000 for a new transmission. I would have towed it the three hours to your shop just for the peace of mind that the problem was a part failure or not something simple as in this video. I really enjoy your troubleshooting comments and your taking the time to explain your methods in detail. I spent 30 years as a satellite TV dealer and the most enjoyment I got from the work was in troubleshooting problems. My reply when someone called and asked if I could fix it was that they would be watching TV that night or the service trip was free. I never had to payoff on my boast!