Buick Encore - Blower Motor Replacement
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- In this video I bring you along as I have a look at a customers Buick Encore with the big 1.4. Customer complaint was intermittent blower (A/C - heater fan) motor operation. The diag was easy, only needed a test light. Changing the motor is another story.... Why Gm, why?
-Enjoy!
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You think this is a stupid design.... check out the other most common car sold by Ford. The 3rd Gen Ford Escape puts this one to shame haha
For reference, when Ford owned Land Rover for a bit, they used that same design on the Range Rover Evoque and the Discovery Sports, however, on the discovery sport they decided that there needs to be a screw that also holds the blower in on the same side that the release tab needs to be held down on. I had one come in from another shop that never put the screw back, told the customer to kick rocks when it came back with the blower inop. A bad day was had by me
04 Ford Taurus ready to be sold over how much is involved for AC
I remember early 2000 caravans dash out blower motor some kind of EUROTRASH design and Mazda and ford probes blower miter backwards once again everything out because put in back side of hvac box and so and so on
The Brembo clear coated rotors are even worse have to drive it twice as far as others
The Ford Escape is junk! Try replacing a simple alternator! I guess I won't stop in and say hello when I'm coming through since you Tubers take up your time. lol
It’s why I’ve called the 3rd Gen Escape the most maintenance unfriendly vehicle in ford’s ENTIRE portfolio. The engineer responsible for burying the battery halfway under the windshield cowl needs to be beaten with his own crappy design.
GM Engineer: "Let's permanently mount the blower-motor into the air-box so it'll be cheaper and easier to assemble."
Other GM Engineer: "Don't blower-motors have moving parts, and wear out over time?"
GM Accountant: "So? By the time it wears out, it'll be past the warranty period -- not our problem."
Guarantee you this conversation took place. 100%
Hell yes!
I wouldn't doubt one bit if this was actually a verbatim conversation.
I bet it never came up and was a streamlined design that nobody thought twice about. possibly done by the hvac assembly manufacture, if it's not gm directly.
That's what happens when accountants run companies instead of getting input from front line service guys at STEALERS.
Interm: Not if we use a brushless motor, and controller.
Clean out your desk, do you know how much that would cost....We are not wasting 3 cents.
When you’re 8 minutes into the video and Eric O is at the point of dog cussing a Chevy you know you’re in for a good ride.
followed up @9:45 "is this going to be done by a particular time?" oh boy, I'd effing at 5 fps!
And that's a simple explanation of why I never chose to become an auto mechanic.
😂
@@ozzierabbit58720+ years as a used car dealer once everything started going full electronic and enginess being mounted sideways. I knew shit was going to be stupid and went nope
Lmao!
My husband and I just replaced our blower motor using your video as our instructor. Thank you so much! AC is blowing perfectly!! (took us 3 hours and 2 trips to the hardware store but we did it!!)
Firstly, Love the content. As a GM dealer tech I have seen many of these issues on the encores and chevy trax. sometimes the fan fixes it but be mindful of the harness that plugs into the blower motor, it only runs about a foot and a half back towards the center console and then it plugs into another connector, and what I have seen is poor pin tension on the ground side of the connection further back, had a couple of them. keep up the good work! from a neighbor in PA!
Used to keep a golf club in my truck to whack the blower motor when I got in. You’d be surprised how long it will still work. Even trained my wife to kick it when we got in. Didn’t even have to remind her after a while. Made me proud every time 😢❤
My 02 Jeep Wrangler manages to eat leaves and then chew them up and then spit them out again . . .
Pretty much the same as my LeSabre. Had to kick it to get it going. Ordered a replacement but it cogged at low speed. So I removed the brush assembly in the original one, cleaned out the brush dust and put it back together. Worked great for another 6 years and would still be going strong if not for the NYS winters / salt eating the frame.
I keep a hammer in my 98 Wrangler for those impromptu blower motor repairs. 😂
My 86 Ford Ranger had the blower motor under the hood, didn't even have to bend down to change it, then again it worked till almost 2002 when I sold it.
But then Dr. O would have no dumb customers!
My Dad worked for GM metal fabrication 56 years. I worked there while in school. Both of us asked the same question. "What idiot thought this was a good idea."
An engineer who has never twisted a wrench.
I don't really hate the guy who suggested it. I hate the guy who approved it.
@@dchawk81 You'd be surprised how much blind signing off there is sometimes
@@Fullchaos40 - Virtually all legislation presented in the US has entered the chat....
The person who thought this was a great idea is probably related to the former VP of Bud Light.
Thank you for being a real mechanic and not covering up the bs that poor designs cause.😊
Back in the mid-1970’s, automotive writer Tom Cahill (look him up) wrote for Mechanix Illustrated. He once interviewed a Detroit engineer and asked about service issues like this. They answered that they designed cars to be built, not to be repaired.
I have a theory that the engineers who come up with these designs are usually promoted to management where they can make really bad decisions.
All they care about is time on the line and cost, they don't care anything beyond that.
Not just Engineers, all Management appears to have been Incompetent in their earlier jobs
@@pjimmbojimmbo1990 , My father worked in IBM. The moto was ,Fk Up,Move Up
@@CraigGrant-sh3inlol, I wonder if they taught Joe Biden that trick?
At GM she made it all the way to CEO.
This is the kind of thing that production engineers and accountants live for. Probably saved a dollar per car by making that POS nearly unserviceable!
and they will all burn
One dollar per car is a huge amount of money over the course of a production run.
It's not "unserviceable". A replacement was performed here.
more like .02 Cents per car. To save a dolla a car they'd delete a window.
It also comes down to time on the line, if they can shave off a min here and there with a design.
@@MrShobar found the GM engineer.
What a great video Eric. First and foremost, I have always wanted a bulldozer too. Crane my neck to look at them since I was a kid. The bigger, the better. I’ll probably never get one though.
So the reason I feel compelled to write is that I was a “Serviceability Engineer” at GM a long long time ago. Programs that I was most involved in were 95 Riviera/Aurora and 95 J car. GM had an entire group devoted to Service Readiness called STG (Service Technology Group). During engineering tradeoff discussions, we were generally last in line to get our desires for better serviceability. Piece cost, mass, buildability always had a much bigger voice. Watching this video transports me back. I can imagine being the Service guy in the engineering discussions about this blower motor. The Release Engineer probably had to be persuaded to even get the cutout molded into the case so that you could cut it out with a knife. Lots of negotiations would have happened around the costs involved and the serviceability guy would have to show how it could save warranty dollars just to get it to happen.
Back in 1991, we found that 95 J car was not towable with some tow trucks. The stinger of the tow truck would actually break through the oil pan and into the crank during testing. Spent an entire summer at Milford Proving Grounds working with the team to convince engineering management to put several dollars into the car so this would not happen.
I am a long time mechanic too (not professional). I appreciate the language conversion that you do in your head while working on stupid designs. I have trouble doing that conversion and rarely call things “Mother Lovers”.
I left GM in 2007 and am now long retired. My memories there are of some incredibly brilliant people who really wanted to create great cars but were throttled by bean counters and bureaucracy.
Thanks for all you do. Love your videos.
Best mechanic on the internet by far. I watch all your videos and love the humor and experience.
Don't stress it Eric, if those cable tabs weren't "optional" they wouldn't have been molded from crapolium
The fact that they gave you two extra holes shows that even GM knew the part was cheap.
@@shadowthesi let's not give those clowns credit where it isn't due - chances are that crappy blower module is used in multiple models which may have additional wiring harnesses that clip into the additional mounts. This was likely just GM failing their way into accidental success thanks to their cheap parts-bin approach.
@repentandbelieveinJesusChrist1 Reported as spam.
As someone that does about 95% of my own mechanic work, watching these videos lets me know which vehicles not to buy based off of repairability.
That's pretty much everything isnt it?
Audi is da best
Eventually you'll end up with a '93 1500 Chevy like me.
@@billchestnut6519 The older I get, the more I appreicate the older vehicles. No fancy software, easy to work on, less plastic. And things just work. You don't have to worry about your cruise control not working because a button on the touch screen stopped responding.
@@snoopy5736 a man who doesnt work on cars for a living lmao
The ultimate torture- under dash work of any kind. As always you handled it well. I would have been tempted to remove the front passenger seat.
Integrity is all about what a real mechanic is about. You fit the bill.
I've said it for years, engineers should be required to fix their stuff after the car is assembled
They should be required to work as a mechanic at their Dealers for at least 5 years.
Great video. We have guest with the same issue, and when my tech told me we had to literally cut the motor out I was astonished. After seeing what a hassle this job is, it may be better for my tech to let our guest take it elsewhere. The guest came in stating the ac blower motor wasn't working. He never said intermittent. I told him it was $21.99 to diagnose it, and if he went with our repair recommendation the $21.99 would be credited. My tech verified that we had power going to the motor, which pretty much let us know we had a bad motor. The tech explained we had to literally cut the motor out. The guest left and agreed to come back the next morning. We quoted him like $398 for the job. He goes back to his car, then comes back in the shop all upset saying his fan motor wasn't working???? You did a great job on this, but honestly what a crazy design. And I have a crazy guest on my hands.
I've never seen a design like this before, but now we know its out there. I stuck with you the entire time Eric. I even took the trip round town with you😂
Always stay for the toot round town, it is the highlight of my week!
@@aussiefirestorm yes I also enjoy the round town trips
I used to ride my bike in front of your shop many years ago and I'm so happy I found your channel
We use a 1/8 inch drill bit in a die grinder to cut the groove. Works like a mini router. Oh and charge extra for first time removal.
Thanks Eric! You've, been a lot of help, don't ever stop posting your very helpful videos!
Those footwell spaces are something special. Took me the best part of 4 hours to change a clutch master because of the unreachable stuff and cramp inducing contortions needed to do the job. Even my mother (who never ever turned a wrench) came by and told me "just take the seat out". I hate working on cars sometimes.
I was a Dodge tech for about 5 years. The Darts had a bluetooth/wireless module under the driver dash that was basically mounted right under the windshield. I used to pull the driver seat and lay down in the floor, then fight with stuff in the way until you could finally get the module out. It paid 0.3 hours under warranty.
Your Ma was right ... just take the seat out!
And you are supposed to use new bolts, to remount the seat. “Safety Requirement.” $$$$ from the dealer.,
@@gokblokthats how you work on all instruments and controls in single engine cessnas
Only Eric can curse a repair and never say a curse word. Love your videos and the information. Keep up the great work. Belated happy Fathers day
I love when Eric is all fired up and sassy!
If I am made King for a day I will declare that all engineers will be required to repair anything they design before it can go into production.
Its probably not the engineer but the bean counter. They care a lot about making it as cheap as possible.
Please make it so.
Although, nothing might be built because they’ll bleed out first.
Outstanding idea!
I’ve been using that socket-screw trick with a piece of paper towel for years on helicopters while in the Army. Learned it from one of my mentors. Showed some guys in Greece that same trick when I was teaching… they loved it. Just have to make sure you don’t lose any of your materials while working on aircraft.
I've done this in a 2015 encore 3 times now. My daughter kept saying the a/c would stop working so I grabbed the scope and multimeter and spent a couple hours troubleshooting this three different times. Never found any issues. The problem ended up being a bad connector elsewhere in the hvac system. I was always surprised that the rear screw for the cover always went in perfectly first try.
Went in perfectly to the garbage can. Nobodys gots time for dat...
Mega respect for your patience and ability! The more I watch you and other mechanics I know I made the right decision when I left the automotive repair profession. I still do almost all of my own maintenance and repairs, but never stop learning from your videos. I would bring my vehicle to you if I was in your neighborhood. I know you could diagnose my electrical problem with a BCM. No worries though I'm around 2,000 miles away!
Love your honesty and you sharing your frustration. That frustration is what I go through almost every time I work on my vehicles.
A great engineering idea , kinda like the wet timing belt design... Brilliant
Engineers are so wonderful drawing it up but they don't have to worry about working on it thanks Gary
It never ceases to amaze me that people, no matter how well intentioned, just want to disturb others that are working not realizing that you have a business to run and time is money. Nice repair Eric, hope the smoke from up hear in Canada has left you alone recently. First generation Mazda 3's also have a brutal design, blower motor, resistor and cabin filter are all a nightmare to access.
Don’t worry about those engineers, if they have any feelings left, it’s only one, and when your patience runs thin with their designs, it’s 100% OK to step on that last feeling and smush it really good.
Your suffering through this and complaining is helping me suffer through similar situations with *less* complaining because if YOU can do it, I can do it too.
Had a 65 Ford wagon in high school. Needed a new blower motor. My dad's mechanic said buy part and he could install it on Monday or Tuesday. It was Thursday and freezing. I got mad and did it myself. I was so excited I got it done. Told myself who needs a mechanic when I can do it myself. On Monday morning, the transmission crashed. I really got humbled after that.
Thank you for a real video in the life of a mechanic it's not glamorous and the people wonder why it cost so much.
Oh, yes, the old days when you took the blower motor out, from under the hood. Thanks for the overview on how to do it. And again, remember if you can do it, I can watch. lol, Love the videos Eric.
I have to say the engineering on today's vehicles is insane at the very least. I'm amazed everytime i get into a new one. Every now and then i run across something that actually makes sense and that just makes my day
Yes and very not worth the money they are asking for them. Sadly, the public buys them vs. keeping their old rides and fixing them in order to send a message
To replace the one on my 71 Camaro you have to remove the inner fender, and it ain’t one of the modern flexible kind. Solid steel, with many bolts. It’s a PITA. It’s not a new phenomenon.
I'm keeping my 2000 xj. In fact I spent 4 times what I paid for it to replace the engine lol. But it's a 4.7l stroker now. I went that route coz a used stock engine was expensive for what you get. A reman one was almost as much as the stroker and they ain't got forged internals
It is a matter of ease of assembly at an automated plant and lack of familiarity with repair procedures...
@@codo7 Mostly, this isn't a new idea, to design things and well as design methods to service them once put into operation. Looks like the "builders" got the authority in this idea vs. those who design for service or support once sold.
I once went through a whole winter using the "Kick" method on my old GM
My brother-in-law retired from Chrysler as a engineer and he told me that a lot of this kind of engineering happens because at certain points a lot of the vehicle has already been designed and now it gets to the point where other components have to be installed and they have to come up with solutions
You just verified my thinking, the hand doesn't know what the elbow is doing. This kind of crap did not happen back before cars were designed on computers by morons that never swung a wrench
Hey Eric, is it legal to have a cell phone stuck into your face going down the road in NY?
Stupid is as stupid does to para phrase a certain movie character.
You can tell your b-i-l that I can relate to what he is saying, but don't pass the buck, it still falls back on poor engineering. You can also tell him that I understand the pressures that engineers are under from higher ups in marketing and financial. Engineers have the best intentions to do things right, but marketing and financial often times handcuff them and they have to do a fast, half assed job. I used to have a service mgr that actually stood up for the techs. He wouldn't let marketing sell junk, only stuff that was engineered correctly. That's the whole trouble. Too many engineering mgrs don't have the balls to stand up to marketing and financial without losing their bonuses. So it all boils down to bad engineering. Good engineering would stand up to the pressures without folding.
@@scannerlanier471 If my B I would have stood up to and complained to his bosses they would have shown him out the door
Wow, you have some really historic homes around there. Very cool
Hey Eric! Upon recommendation from you I bought a Wera kit for myself, and two more for the kids! They're great!
Gulf hat! I wore one in the 70's as a teen when gas was 29 cents a gallon! U are great, Eric, @ improvising. Another job well done! 👍🇺🇸
...and ya drove around with that orange styrofoam gulf-ball or 76(same company) on your whip antenna 😂👍🏻😎
Chevy Sonic is the same way. I used an oscillating multi tool to cut through the darn plastic. Took about 15 minutes and was much better than using a utility knife like I started to use. After I slipped the first time with the knife, I moved on to power tools.
It was funny to watch Eric O calm himself down after freaking out a bit. Just one of those days.
You are one of my most favorite video's to watch. That having been said, I need to point out that because of your personality, and your nice family, a lot of us would love to meet you. Don't worry, I'm in Michigan and 80 years old, so I'm not coming to see you, but you get the drift. With stardom comes annoying attention from some fans that perhaps mean well, but don't have a clear handle on the fact that they are invading your privacy, and if enough of them showed, it would destroy your business. Try to remember that you are a fascinating personality, and it's been displayed many times on u tube. Keep the video's coming, and do what you gotta do to protect that privacy.
Thanks Jim. I get it but just some days it gets pretty frustrating when I'm trying to get some work done. 🤷♂️ I'll keep on keeping on 👍🏼
When you think that you have all of the screws, that means that there is one more.
Erik, you are the best!!! This one got you a little frustrated but enjoyable. I have learned a lot from you! Thank you so much!!!
Eric, please don't stop taking other people besides who live locally. I would love to bring my GMC pickup to you and have you fix it. I've had it to 2 different dealerships and a handful of local "mechanics" they can't figure it out. The engine or transmission cuts out for a second when driving.
Thanks, Eric for being honest about the work you do.
Hi Ray; "the Fonzarelli" made me smile. "Intermitants" are the most rewarding to identify.
Can't remember which, but another UA-cam mechanic follows this pretty good rule: If he breaks it taking it apart it's on the customer; if he breaks it putting it back together it's on him and his shop.
Bad idea.
@@Garth2011 If the mechanic breaks a part because they aren't using the right tools or procedures to remove something then it should be on the mechanic but if a part breaks because it's brittle, corroded, or otherwise can't withstand the disassembly process then that will be on the customer. There are many videos where Eric quotes extra replacement parts that he expects will break before even starting the job.
@@killer2600 All good if that is discussed ahead of time with the customer so they can decide if they want to take those risks. Not everyone is aware of their vehicle condition.
I remember I would have to change a taillight bulb on an old, brittle ,cracked, falling apart taillight. Those things would disintegrate as soon as you touched it. I would always take pictures and tell supervisor what would eventually happen to cover my ass. Such a dilemma for a small repair
Love those Wiha tools. I have 2 sets of the electronics screwdrivers and they are both about 6 years old and WOW! Talk about durable.
Sorry the UA-camrs are bugging you. I’m just glad you take us along for the adventure. And, I might be 70, but I learn a lot of great info from your channel.
Cheers and Happy Belated Father’s Day to you Mr. O! All the best to your family.
I love your hat. In the sixties, working in my dad's Gulf station, I remember him complaining that every time he crawls into a car, with his head up under the dash, the damn phone rings.
I feel your frustration and would have started cursing, just after seeing that mess. Thanks, Eric. Some days you're the windshield but today you were the bug.
i just use soldering iron to melt plastic together, melt in some coper wire strands for more strength. Fixed a lot of headlight mounts and bumpers and a lot more.
And use CA glue with charcoal powder!!
Everytime I see Eric working on new junk I hug my 90s Toyota T100 even tighter. Love how simple everything used to be.
I do the same for my 1988 S-10
I notice how little Toyotas are in his shop🤔 .
1995 T-100 with 125K for the win!
@@mod_incllc3235 95 with 262k here!
@@riceburner4747 That's true, they're all in the Pull-A-Part yard rusting away.
I hate those days where everything fights you and your feeling 😠 😡 thanks for the laughs and video.
I laughed when you finished and drove down the road. The radio had a Christian radio station. Your patience has served you well grasshopper. Lean on His understanding...maybe a swear jar?..love the videos and sense of humor..great mechanic.(GM)
Mr. O, Another great video. I worked dealership back in the 80s and my mentor worked dealerships in the late 40s we all had stories about engineers this and that, you do good honest repairs and I'm sure you inspire these young techs to do the same. Thank you for taking the time to make and share each one of these videos with us youtubers.
"Tool kit with a clip........for the mechanic with the on-the-go lifestyle." I laughed out loud at that. Entertaining video. As for the mini rant about folks popping in without a real problem just to see the place: I popped in in April on my way to a wedding in PA, I dropped off some baked goods cuz I'm a fan (even tho I don't work on cars), I was thrilled to see you and shake your hand, and I now know first hand that the lovely Mrs O is even lovelier in person. Best wishes to all from Alden, NY.
It sucks that "fans" are making BS appointments and wasting your time. I was driving from Buffalo back to PA this weekend and saw the Avoca exit. All I did was wave (you probably didn't see me). Never dreamed of going and bothering you while you worked - especially empty handed. Anyway, I hope your day got better. Nice simple diag followed by one of those crap-show repairs where things fight you the whole way. I always appreciate your "struggle" videos as much as the routine stuff. Tell Luna I said, "pspspspsps", too.
Brilliant design! Created to be annoying to service and always require parts, even if only cleaning. Good job fighting the Matrix, Eric :-)
Hey great design on GM's part. They saved 13 cents when they made it!
The Buick Encore is a badge-engineered Opel designed in Germany. This was a walk in the park compared to most German blower motor designs!
The worst blower motor design is in the Opel Vivaro /Renault Trafic in combination with AC. A French Vehicle assembled by the Brits with a Opel badge on the Grille! That's is the reason why it's called "Eurotrash" 😂 I named it Renopel Vivafic
If this is badge engineering the term engineer needs to be reddefined.
redefined.
Sreten recently had to replace the blower motor and resistor pack in his '08 E60 M5, and it basically amounted to gutting the entire center section of the dash...
@@JBOGermany Back in the day, I replaced a heater blower motor on a 1975 Mercedes 300D (not to be confused with the A.C.motor, which was ALSO a pain). Imagine a blower motor suspended in the middle of a room. Then imagine building an entire car around that motor. And the real kicker was every now and again, the connector would pull out during reinstallation, and the dang thing wouldn't work. Boy! I miss those days!
Eric, your test light is one of the best tools in your war chest
This isn't the only GM vehicle that requires cutting the original blower motor out. The Saturn Ion does too. Good point about debris falling into the impeller.
But then why make a blower motor that only last 5 years? I'll never understand how people keep buying these crappy cars.
@Jonathan They're both delta platform cars so it makes sense.
@Jonathan-mp7xg The "both" in my previous statement was obviously referring to the Cobalt and Ion. 🤦♂
had the blower motor fail in my 02 subaru impreza, went to find one and found out that you cant just change the blower motor its molded into the housing so the entire housing had to be changed as well. $200 from subaru, luckily found one in the junk yard for $75 since the car was old as wasn't worth putting a $200 blower in it. got to love engineers
A statement a mechanic hates to use...”that didn’t sound good!” LOL
Working at a Chevy dealer, I see plenty of their cost cutting ideas. From roughly 2003 to 2014 they deleted cabin filters on a number of their vehicles. My 2012 Silverado was lucky enough to have a kit available to add it back in.
I'm reminded of a quote from a movie.. "The price of fame, Don. Now you've got the glory. You've gotta take the little heartaches that go with it. Now look at me. I got no glory. I got no fame. I got no big mansions. I got no money, but I've got.. What have I got? - I dunno, what have you got? - I gotta get out of there." You're a good man Mr. O. Keep up the great work.
That was as exciting as cutting a 4x4 hole in housing to replace blower Module, nothing wrong with motor on Lincoln LS. Forgot to mention glueing hole back shut. Beats taking complete dash out!
Great Video, Thanks! As someone who recently had the privilege of changing a headlight on a 2007 Buick Lucerne, I feel your pain!
Is it worse or similar to a 2014 Chevy Traverse?
@@JT-lq4yd Never done a traverse, but the whole bumper has to come off!
@@advancedleveldiagnosticsSame with a Dodge Caravan, have to take apart the whole front of the van! Must be they teach that in vehicle design school….lol.
@@advancedleveldiagnostics It is much worse then, on the Traverse I done it through the wheel well.
@@JT-lq4yd Ye, you can't go through the wheel well on the Buick.
Your frustration is understandable ! Thanks for sharing!
That’s fine. If you wanna swear it won’t stop me from watching your channel. Say whatever you want.
Obviously in this one, the fan controller IS good - but twice now (over the course of several years) I've had the controller go out on my TrailBlazer. The 2nd time I said screw it, and just the replaced the mosfet in it for about 50 cents! Beats the $60-80 or whatever it was for a whole unit.
GM engineers: "we DARE you to try and service this ..." SMA Regular door rate $100.00...UA-camr door rate $425.00😂
I am seriously tempted. We pasted the stupid point....
Not gonna lie. I’m only 2ish hrs from sma… if my car was having an issue that was beyond me figuring out, I’d have no problem paying that and dropping the car off for a week or two for him to look at and fix it
Had the same issue on HHR where had to cut it out with an exacto knife. Had to make a perfect cut
The screw way in the back reminds me of the 99-present chevy trucks, the little 7mm stuffed up under the center console for the hush panel 😁
This one reminds me of a Ford F 350 Powerstroke maybe 8 years back or so on another channel that needed a water pump replacement and it was under warranty. Those trucks came new with one piece plastic fan shrouds that attached to the radiator. The warranty book time wouldn't pay the mechanics to remove the fan shroud as one piece so instead, the warranty procedure was telling the mechanics to cut the fan shroud in half, leaving the lower so they could remove the upper half to perform the task. At some point, there was a customer who had an issue with that idea and demanded Ford replace the shroud like it was before the the repair. Ford fought him...but the customer finally got one after much effort.
This is so very stupid...Ford wants to cut the labor times to save money but by mutilating the customers vehicle to do so. You really have to wonder if those manufacturers don't need to be policed with their methods to save money or perform legitimate support business.
Also required when replacing the serpentine belt 🤷♂️😏
All of the ones in your area may have rusted to dust by now, but the '88-98 GMC/Chevy trucks needed partial dash disassembly to get the blower motor out. I had to pull the motor out of my '94 recently because there was so much plant debris in there that the thing just blew mulch everywhere any time it was on. Plus it squealed on High so I cleaned out the motor (it blew mulch into the motor cooling tube, surprise) and oiled the bearings before throwing it back in.
How anyone can NOT curse, even when making a point at trying not to, is well beyond my level of discipline. I have to get that word... or words, out into the wild or I'll literally feel ill if I don't. Afterwards I'll think back and realize it was slightly classless, but at the time it feels SO darn good. Nice work, good sir!
Speaking of customers bringing in vehicles for a "problem" that isn't a problem. Once had a customer drop off their car because "it was getting up to operating temp too fast." It wasn't overheating. We looked at the car, told them there was nothing wrong with it. We recommended replacing the tires, like we had been for months. The customer declined getting new tires. I'm pretty sure we charged them diagnostic time and they drove off on their bald tires. 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
The more I watch SMA the more I love my Volvo 240.
Have you replaced the blower in a 240? I have. It took days. Apparently the assembly of 240s starts with the blower and the car is built around it. Step 1 in Chilton's is disconnect the battery. Step 2 is remove the instrument panel with a reference to that procedure. Remove instrument panel has 34 steps, the second one is lower the steering column. Step 2 of that is remove the driver's seat....you get the idea.
@@richsarchet9762 yes I have and it does take a while but I’ve found it easier to remove the whole dash. Now I have a spare complete unit to change out when the fan goes bad. I do the same with the fuel pump and filter bracket. Have new or refurbished ones ready to go in and it makes life much easier. I also want to check into the Vintage Air company to see if a similar HVAC system will fit the 240s. At best, the 240 AC is not good enough for me. I drive 04 S80 in the summer or on long trips. I like the S80 but I feel at home in a 240. Once I find an AC remedy for the 240 the S80 will be sold or donated.
@@richardcrouse9074 "Easier to remove whole dash"
The steps listed by richardsharchet9762 _are_ steps in removing the dash. I've done it, too.
Every other car I have ever worked on (All 1993 or older): only a few screws and out comes the motor.
Someday the wrench turners among us will get even with auto engineers. I hope I live to see it!
engineers need to push back against this crap. if not, that's how we end up with gas tank explosions in ordinary accidents, because Ford tried to save a buck.
Thanks for venting EO. You needed it. So did I 😅
loved your video today. almost true to life . worked all may life fitting a/c and refrigeration been there done that now , Now i get to watch you
I'm with you Eric! On the gm engineering on their hvac unit, location of the bolts that hold the covers...etc. I was hrs getting the cover back on a sierra. With a thumb ratchet🙂..
They left no room for the tools. I got lucky n didn't break anything but there is one screw that's not in it....yet.
I had a older mechanic to tell me back in the day that if you didn't mess up once or twice a day that you wasn't doing anything.🙂
I remember removing the entire dashboard out of my fairmont wagon just to replace the heater core . They could have made it accessible from the firewall , but no you had to remove the dash to remove it .
That's actually quite common with most vehicles now. You even get the luxury of discharging the A/C system as part of the deal.
Try doing one on a modern GM truck... Unreal how much crap is bolted to the dash. It's a 12 hour job. Those fords could be done in 3 hours.
Mr. O , I worked at GM as a mechanic, I have done many of blower motors, I would heat the blade prior to cutting, it makes cutting much easier.
That's a mess and Eric we all rough day keep videos coming I truly enjoy them
The HVAC doors can be a problem too, requiring the dash to be removed.
Way to go GM,another great design.
Your hilarious even in your pain ... thanx for being human and God bless... He knows we are just dust.
I have the Chevy version of this car (2019 Trax). I hasn't needed service so far, except for oil changes and new wipers. These South Main videos will be helpful as as it gets older.
Nice job Eric. Modern cars seem to be built to make repairs a challenge on purpose by the engineers. It like
They pay more attention to the building process.
That is exactly correct because the building process costs the manufacturer money not any future repairs.
Built to be assembled, not taken apart. Most repairs go faster when reassembling the mess, than taking apart.
Yes I agree, just did a brake job on a Volkswagen and in order to do it you have to use your scan tool for the electric calipers just freaking retarded
Profanity is always helpful. Especially under the dash. LOL
I know it not a funny situation but...your comments are so hilarious!!!!!
Another Great video. Came to see you last Friday thanks for the T shirt. Hope you and Mrs O had a great meal. Thanks again for your time and keep the video coming