I've never had a comeback with my mechanic since I first started using him 12 years ago. However, he would hammer me for the $600 fans plus his hourly rate is 35% more than yours. Would my mechanic make a trip to the junkyard to keep his customer's cost down? Never. Eric I'm really impressed by the service you give your customers.
yep...that always impresses me about Eric..how many business owners would take a trip to the junk yard to save customers money ?? Heck a lot of places up here wont even install parts unless you buy new ones from them ,, I did find a great motorcycle shop that does...for bikes not cars :)
And on the bright side..December in Up'State...Ya, He can lick on that ice cream for hours and never have to worry about it dripping! Lol But then again, a true fan of ice cream, it couldn't survive 2 minutes -(:
Seppa Eric is the mechanic everyone wishes they had. Where I live they charge almost double what Eric does. I would gladly pay it and more to have Eric do the work except thats not possible as he is all the way across the country.
I really like that Pico scope. Eric, you have published another great lesson on how to diagnose those difficult problems which never seem to be satisfactorily solved.
You are the definition of a professional. Your channel keeps getting better and better. When you share your thought process on diagnostics, it's truly a gift to those of us who are learning. Thanks so much for sharing!
As a back yard mechanic, I truly loathe troubleshooting automotive electrical problems. This is the best video I've seen on this topic, by far. A superior tutorial. Makes me kinda want to take a crack at my two minor electrical issues on the Wrangler.... Merry Christmas
You say " don't know the purpose of the video " are you kidding me. This was a very informative video and a simple test used.. can't get better than that. You also saved the owner a ton of money.. You gave the customer the best service you can and there won't be a come back...Your one of my favorite mechanic..anything you share with us is a plus for knowledge...thank you..
It's nice to see a mechanic that is honest and actually knows what the hell he's doing. You are too modest about your talent and abilities. I think you are one of the top mechanics on UA-cam. Top three are you ,Ivan,and Danner in my opinion.
Hey brother. I want you to know that your time and energy is very much appreciated in you videos. You have a very good came a presence and great way with words. You are by far one of the best automotive channels hands down .. have a great holiday and seasons greetings to you and mrs O and your charming kids. Oh. And awesome huskies. Peace ✌️
My grandfather instilled a saying, "There are mechanics and there are parts changers, mechanics always ask why something failed, parts changers just change the bad parts." This is a perfect situation of this, you asked "what blew the fuse?" and found the problem. Great video!
Not another mechanic around that i would consider driving 6 hours to have work on my truck. Your more than a mechanic, you are THE doctor. Merry Christmas to you, Mrs O and the little O's. Much success to you in the new year.
Great video Eric, fuses don’t blow for no reason is exactly correct, agree the best test bed for any component is in the car, controlled by the car. Steve.
Im just a parts changer and my scope mostly collects dust. Just good to watch folks like yourself using the equipment so I don't forget how to myself. Blessings friend!
In an earlier video you said you don't get any trollers on your channel meaning people trolling you saying rude stuff. I believe that is because I think you're an exceptional mechanic. I'm a small engine mechanic and I also maintain a fleet of trucks for a water restoration company I wish I had some of the diagnostic equipment that you have. we just don't have the budget for it that's why I have to rely on guys like you when I hit a dead end instead of poking around and making things harder. I enjoy watching your channel you are probably one of the best mechanics I've seen. Kudos.
Have a good story. My 2001 Avalon had intermittent rumbling/vibration under load generally on the interstate. Took it to a mechanic with a code. He said the motor mounts were bad 3 of them I believe. I let him replace them because I saw them and they were bad. But he didn’t fix the problem. He was convinced it was the motor mounts. I already replaced the tps and maf and some bad tubing going into the throttle body thanks to your content I got a lot of confidence with my own hands. After some more research I narrowed it down to the oil control Solenoid or vvt solenoid ( which ever name you like) and fixed it myself and I won’t go back to that mechanic.
Eric I've been on a roll rewatching and catching up on your videos, but I really loved this one, because you are teaching a very valuable lesson on finding out the "why"...excellent! Also, thanks for sharing the waveforms on the before and after...very valuable for learnin'!
I know this video is 6-years-old, but knowledge of just reasoning is always good to know, this is why I watch you. I am always learning something new to help me keep my 15-year-old car safely on the road. Thank you Eric O, Happy New Year to you and family
You said you were not sure why you made this video, well I could see right at the start that this was an issue that needed to be told!! Now I digress for a moment, you are such a humanitarian, I know of no shop that would go through what you do to save someone some cash. With that said, you id a great service showing people why you cannot just replace a fuse and walk away. In my mind as was yours, there would always be the question of why did the fuses blow??? There is always a reason.
Eric, your natural understanding of electrical circuit theory is phenomenal. IMHO, over 95% doesn't have a clue (nor will they ever) how electricity works (including most mechanics), nor can understand a schematic. Great work speaking my language.
Testing with the load in place ! Brilliant! Silly tools not necessary absolutely. Squeezing of relays . pffft. Awesome video again my friend . Keep up the great work
Yes sir I agree! There is a teacher out there that I have listened to a few of his lectures and he would scoff at this idea. He absolutely insists that you must remove the OE load and substitute with a silly tool. Then you must remove the relay, tear it apart and squeeze it haha! Seriously I can't make this up. Oeyyy talk about work from your head to your toes just to diagnose a circuit!
Quick! Better edit that video where you have a no-start on a lawn tractor, and talk how you could show us the voltage drop if you had his tool...we wouldn't want conflicting information on this schoolyard squabble... That being said, good video...just keep the BS out.
Your diagnostics are second to none. Too bad for customers who can't come to you. I am retired and have lots of free time.I live in CT and am planning to drive to Avoca to see you. I'll call first to make you will be around. You will like my Maserati!
I hope Santa brings me a new scope this year but I'll probably just get sticks and coal again. Nice job Eric getting it fixed right, happy holidays to you and your family. Enjoy
Nice find Eric O with the wave Forms them motors are definitely shot popping fuses always tell a story great diagnosis Eric O 👍 @SouthMainAutoRepairLLC
I find it amusing that on UA-cam, no matter how good a video is, there's always at least one jackwagon that gives it a thumbs down. Of course, they never bother to comment on WHY! A relay squeezer or 3, maybe? :D I think, personally, that you should upload any vid you shoot, even if you think there's no value, or maybe any purpose for it. The reason I say this is because on EVERY one of your videos, I have learned something valuable. I've worked for years without a scope, and after watching your and a couple other guy's vids, I can see that I definitely NEED one. Can't believe the things I've been missing! Now I've just learned what a good DC waveform should look like. Last week I learned about ignition waveforms - If I had ran out and bought a scope years ago, I wouldn't have had a clue as to how to use it. I owe you a PILE of beers!!! It's also good to see an honest tech out there. In my state, techs have the worst reputation - almost up there with lawyers, lol! I see why though - customers get screwed every single time they walk through the door. Lots of dishonest (and in some cases, incompetent) people in MA. I'm sure the same is true for any city these days. The whole reason people come to me in my run-down barn with a dirt floor, is because they're tired of getting screwed. I'm thankful they trust me, and always try to do my best to keep that trust. In this case (since I don't own a scope) I would've done an amp check with my 18 year old Blue Point meter, but I don't know what it would've told me in this instance, since it probably would've taken an average of those peaks and valleys shown on the scope. To be honest, I probably would've told the guy to install a pair of 30 amp fuses and sent him on his way - definitely NOT the way I prefer to conduct business, for sure ... but without a scope, I wouldn't have had much choice, other than to shotgun a pair of fans at it - maybe I would've got lucky .. or not! Definitely need to start saving my pennies for some type of scope. I like that Pico, but I absolutely HATE Windows PC's, and would rather not have to buy another one in my lifetime if I can help it.
I dunno why people thumbs down but must be something they do not like :) Oh well to each there own. If you can not afford a Pico google "hantek oscilloscope" It will be PC based but it may get you started in the right direction :D
Thanks man! I appreciate that! I've got quite a bit of research and decision-making to do. I was going to just set my Maxisys up as a scope until I either saw you mention, or read it in your comments, that it wasn't that great as a scope. That Pico sure seems like the way to go. Got to decide if I want to go cheap now and upgrade later, or just go for the gold right out of the gate (I have a bad habit of doing that, lol). Either way it's going to help me make money, so I should just make the investment ... and be sure not to let the smoke out of the thing on the first test run. LOL!! :D
South Main Auto Repair if I could do it over again. I would have gotten the pico over the verus any day. I haven't used one yet. But between you and Paul the pico looks way nicer
Great job Eric,you are a true problem solver and a 1 in a million good guy, here's a customer with an overheating vehicle in 9 degree temp outside, you hooked him up and made his day. Thanks so much Mr O. Peace
Eric I have to say, you have one of the two best diagnostic channels out there. The other one that is on par with you is Schrodinger's box. You and him have made the biggest difference to my understanding of automotive diagnostics, especially electrical diagnosis. So hats off to the both of you for making this community better, one video at a time.
"Do the best that you can" ..... absolutely the reason you're the most quality minded mechanic on UA-cam Eric.... keep on wrenching/teaching... I for one appreciate every minute you most kindly share.... Merry Christmas O's
Love the comment from Kieth. I'm glad you showed what a good DC motor looks like on the scope. I've read Paul's book and continue to watch his lessons and case studies but without some hands on practice I'm struggling. As you know my 1998 Chevy 5.7 will not start in cold weather. My Vantage indicates a test for the MAF but when I connected the leads the wave formation was unrecognizable. I'm not sure if that's an indication of a bad frequency (bad MAF) or if I'm using the wrong function of the Vantage. You may get a phone call! (ha ha) I have time to work on it tomorrow. (Dec 22nd)
Fuses do have a purpose. I've been guilty for years on my boat for not having circuit breakers on either of my two batteries. I already have them on my desk right now and will be installed before the boat hits the water next spring. A testament to the motivation of watching and learning (not much for me but nonetheless) on this channel. Truly a joy to watch and Merry Christmas to you and your family Eric !
Don't know how you guys do it over there. My brother's commute to Rochester Hospital is only 5 min and he says it's so cold that it's the worst part of his day. Anyway, glad to see another Suby get a little extension on life. Merry Christmas!
Applause, applause! One for troubleshooting and fixing the problem for real, and another for saving the customer some money. ...so when are you going to do the South Main Auto Christmas Special with all our favorite cast members, music, egg nog, out takes including fun with brake cleaner?
Integrity is pretty much a lost concept in this world! I've been watching your channel for sometime now, and all I can say is I'm jealous of the Avoca, NY area, that I can't find a mechanic as dedicated as yourself, in a city of 1.2 million, maybe someday. Merry Christmas to you, Mrs O and the family, thanks for your channel.
I was shopping around for a scan tool, taking my time and reading everything I could get my hands on. I've been watching a bunch of your PicoScope videos and I've decided to change my direction. Our shop has an Autel but nobody has a scope. In fact when I mentioned that I am looking for one, i got the ol "well i been turning wrenches 20 years and I never needed one of those....." Well sure, you can use decades of experience to give you a more accurate throwing arm as you play Parts Darts. But I want to be able to prove what I think may be the cause of a problem, plus the real experts use scopes. We may not need it every day but think of the TV show House MD. He was the guy who got cases handed to him after 5 other professionals could not figure out the problem. Anyway, now I'm shopping around for a used Pico on ebay. I already have a good hand-me-down win7 i5 8gb ddr3 laptop which, once I cleared off all the junk, runs very smooth.
The shaky parts of the 'new' fans should clean themselves up over time. The motors likely have a bit of gunk and build up from sitting in the yard for a while. That's the wild card about junk yard parts. Ya never know how long they have been sitting idle, or in most cases of P&P yards? How long they have been in service (many times the clusters are ripped out, and there's no way to tell how many miles is on it). Nicely done for the diagnosis!! Another car saved from the scrap heap...
im an entry level tech at a dealership and this is one of the things im always thinking about what is the root cause?? im glad this video showed me a process to follow. youre very knowledgeable! watching your videos is motivating me to keep learning and practicing these methods instead of replacing parts and crossing my fingers.
Super awesome video, Eric. I think I mentioned in the comments on a previous video that, after finding my radiator fan didn't run on high speed, I traced it to a blown 30A fuse to the radiator fan (driver side fan) on my 08 Odyssey Touring at 149K miles. What's intersting on that circuit is that both fans will run on low speed even if one fan (the radiator fan) has a blown fuse or bad relay. That threw me because instead of going first to the diagram I, mistakenly, followed Honda's troubleshooting instructions which, after a bunch of testing, led me to "Bad PCM." After deciding that probably wasn't the case and going to the wiring diagram I finally figured out how the circuit worked (it wasn't very intuitive) but finally figured out the circuit and traced it to the blown 30A fuse. Anyhow, I never did figure out what blew the fuse. I put my craftsman amp clamp meter on the fan motor and didn't see anything close to high current but after watching this I realize I probably need to put a scope on it to see the health of the motor. I have a good scope (a couple of old CRT Tektronics scopes) but don't have a current clamp for it. It would have been interesting to see what those fans read with a regular amp clamp meter. For what it's worth, the 30A radiator fuse on my Odyssey still hasn't blown again after another 13K miles.
As always you go the extra step. I work for an engineering company/racing company and root cause analysis is paramount. you can learn so much by taking the extra time to try to find what caused the inintal falure. It's more impressive in a shop such as yours that you take the extra step because alot of times I know your not getting paid for it, or at least not paid what you put into it. Love your videos keep up the great work and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Outstanding video, I'm glad I didn't miss this one! And, hurray for old style junk yards, it's nice to see you found one. My junk yards locally won't even let me walk through their yard, their insurance won't permit it. Mostly they trash anything they can't sell right away.
Always enjoy your electrical diagnosis videos, you help me learn a lot. Nice to see that you go the extra mile for your customers. 1st year apprentice at a Ryder truck shop up here in Ontario, I wait for your videos to come in every week and I usually use something I have learned from your channel everyday. Keep up the good work and quality videos! Thanks Eric.
Before scopes, all I had was the Digital Multi Meter, and of course, my old Sears Craftsman (analog) Meter with the current scale. It....worked......sorta. NOW with the Pico, its WOW! "THERE'S YOUR PROBLEM LADY!" Thanks for this info.
Can we please replace every bad mechanic in this world with a clone of Eric....the car world would be a better one in an instant. Great job man. Best wishes for XMas and the new year for you and your family.
Eric, I loved this video when it was new, just watched again. It is awesome to find how much you can discover about how it is working while it is working. I watched Scanner Danner do the same with a fuel pump motor, even calculating the pump's rpm by the time base on a pulse width modulated pump. You do great work building the integrity of your trade. Thank you.
Nice diagnosis and fuses blow for a reason. Gotta love the Pico. Watched your Pico videos yesterday and downloaded the Pico program. Loads of additional data & resources make the Pico heads above the competition...I'm sold. I'll be ordering mine in January just trying to figure out whether to order it from Pico or AutoNerdz. This setup gives me the Pico as primary and my Verus Edge as my backup. Between the Snap-on database & the Pico database and library diagnosing is going to get a whole lot sweeter! Nice video & another happy customer with a solid fix! Merry Christmas Eric to you & your family!!
Hayward's Automotive You can fix cars easier, have more time off and make tons of $$!! Wait that is not true, you will fix cars slower because you will be playing with your Pico the whole time, you will have less time off because you will be playing with your Pico and you will be broke because you be buying a WPS 500 to go with it and all the other goodies BUUUTTT... you will be really happy :D and that is what matters right!?
That's funny b/c that is exactly what will happen! The Pico will be my new toy that I'll have to use and keep trying different things and when you throw in pressure transducers it's almost unlimited. My wife will know where I'll be that's for sure and the Pico will be my new toy until the next diagnostic tool comes along & then that will be the new play toy. I just bought the Snap-on Diagnostic Thermal Imager and for now that is my new toy until the Pico arrives...men & their diagnostic toys!
Prior to scope testing, I had an older Sears Craftsman combination Voltage/Current (up to 100 Amps using a shunt), Dwell (for contact points and the old GM Mixture Control Solenoid) and RPM. The Current got the most use, and although it was an analog meter,.........IT WORKED!
This is a few years old and I am a bit late, but if you ever suspect an intermittent short to ground you can disconnect both side of the wire and put a megohmeter on it and see if the insulation is compromised. Putting 1000v on it will cause voltage to jump any short gaps and that shows up on the meter.
Not sure about these days, but back in the day we used to get motors rebuilt for a fraction of the cost of new. Motor repair shops were glad to get the work too. When outfits like Subaru try soaking you for items like this, it's time to get even.
Nice work Eric. My buddy's 05 F350 mason dump kept popping the left side trailer light fuse with his landscaping trailer hooked up, I checked it out for him and found the left side stop/turn wire pinched from when he installed LED tail lights on it.
I love your videos, I'm starting to understand electrical diagnosis more with your videos than in my actual college class 2 years ago. I hate diesels, but sometimes I wish you did more diesel stuff because that is what we see most of in the UK , diesel running/starting problems. Being in a garage my last 20 jobs in the last few days have been CR diesel running problems. But hey keep up the good work , I'm sure I'll have a petrol engine running issue again sometime soon lol. Keep it up. And yes I know most things like this video transfers to both fuel types please don't attack me keyboard warriors
actually no starts and driveability problems on diesels can be a lot different than on a gas engine. I don't see many small diesels in out area but if I do I will record them
South Main Auto Repair Actually I have a Grand Cherokee 3.0 turbo diesel. I bet you would have a ton if fun poking around it. This thing has a million sensors all over the place. And its a nightmare to diagnose even with the best scan tools! But Id be happy to drive upstate so you can experiment with it!
I don't seem to remember a OEM fuze blowing for no reason. My approach is like yours , why did it blow. Now does the customer want to pay for diognostics time is another issue. I bet there's lots of times it's not easy to find the reason a fuze blows but to put another one in and tell the customer to come back if it does.
That's what I am struggling with as a new tech, electrical diagnostics. I am a C level tech that just started with Firestone and I am still learning. But I hope to get better as time goes on.
Great video. Really enjoyed it. I work on school buses and we do this all the time. On passenger heater blower motors. It really helps to figure out if you have a short or just a bad motor. Thanks again.
I think you may have helped me pinpoint why my van's blower fan blows fuses on full speed :) If only I had some kinda cool oscilloscope like you do to prove it ... It draws 27 amps through a 30 amp fuse on full tilt, measuring with a cheap multimeter. I bet from what I saw that it's peaking well above 30 on occasion. That's nearly 300 watts just to turn a fan around, which I always suspected was a bit high ...
Coat sleeves can get caught in fans and belts! Use a test light to check shorts. Disconnect the part and see if it goes off. Check voltages to find no voltages with the test light.
When your mechanic does the job right the FIRST time, and cares about saving money for his customers. Nearly impossible to find, or at least not in my state. If it is, I haven't found one yet.
Nice thought process Eric and good ending of using your scope to confirm the motors were bad. I do the same thing when working with motor circuits. On the average current measurement, you can also use Pico's measurement tool and select 'DC Average' and let it tell you what the average current is. Have a good one!
Yeah the Pico software can't be beat. I looked at some competing scopes that seemed to have better specs, but when it came down to the software, the Pico is in a class of its own.
This is why small town mechanics need to be thorough. If you left it at fuses, the customer would be happy until they popped and they'd tell all their friends how you missed the problem. I've got to remember this and not let customers rush me or beat me up about replacing parts that a fuse "fixed". Best mechanic on UA-cam.
I went through a few of your Pico videos. I could have sworn you had links to the waveforms somewhere in the descriptions. I guess not a big deal, the videos are still great and watching the scope usage on there.
Most mechanics would have replaced the two fuses and "shipped" it. They would not have cared how the fuses were blown. Thank you for the video,good troubleshooting.
How did you 'bench test' the used cooling fans? powerprobe? what? Love the video. love it. perfect example of how a good technician digs and finds the main source of the problem.
Another good one! It's always important to do a complete job.... including finding out the reason for the failure... "the story behind the story"! Merry Christmas!
Another awesome video Eric, most shops/ mechanics would have just replaced the fuse and shipped, then throw a bunch of parts at it when it returned with the same fault. Your detailed diagnostics should be shown in training videos, if only i lived closer then you could work on my car but, the UK is a bit too far out of state :)
Good job,The reason why the fan did that is because the insulation around the wires on the armature over heated and there are nice and toasty.The more the fan runs the more the short ( less resistance more amperage ).That is called a thermal runaway and eventually the motor will stop working all together .I Love your Videos keep up the good work. :)
In this age of hi tech cars and too many shyster garages and stealerships, if youre blindly lucky and blessed enough to find such an honest and extremely competent mechanic like Eric, never diminish his worth and never feel bad about paying his bill. What ever you spend with him is almost certainly money well spent instead of more later on the same repair, and at least a third or more less than many others might charge and some would not really even fix the root problem. I would love to have someone like Eric in my area, the old school guys are all gone around here and replaced by far less reliable and competent shops that charge an arm and a leg and barely half know what theyre doing most of the time, especially on electrical problems. I used to have "a guy" like Eric, many years experience, I got excellent work and he never once told me anything but the truth and charges were always fair for good work, that people is worth its weight in gold. Congrats Eric on running a superb above board shop and thanks for showing us how to do things thoroughly and right the first time.
Thanks man! My partents always told me to treat people like I wanted to be treated. Seems pretty simple right? If I don't know the answer I just say it. Other wise I try my best to help out and get the job done. Plus I HATE comebacks so I will do everything in my power to prevent them.
Very well done, Eric. We usually leave it up to the customer as to weather they want us to check into it deeper for a blown fuse. Most will give us a dollar amount to stop at. Merry X-Mas to you and your Family.
I've never had a comeback with my mechanic since I first started using him 12 years ago. However, he would hammer me for the $600 fans plus his hourly rate is 35% more than yours. Would my mechanic make a trip to the junkyard to keep his customer's cost down? Never. Eric I'm really impressed by the service you give your customers.
yep...that always impresses me about Eric..how many business owners would take a trip to the junk yard to save customers money ??
Heck a lot of places up here wont even install parts unless you buy new ones from them ,, I did find a great motorcycle shop that does...for bikes not cars :)
(Ice cream Shop is on the way)
HUBBABUBBA DOOPYDOOP you are right..that is good motivation to head to the junk yard
And on the bright side..December in Up'State...Ya, He can lick on that ice cream for hours and never have to worry about it dripping! Lol But then again, a true fan of ice cream, it couldn't survive 2 minutes -(:
Seppa Eric is the mechanic everyone wishes they had. Where I live they charge almost double what Eric does. I would gladly pay it and more to have Eric do the work except thats not possible as he is all the way across the country.
From 0-100%, electrical diagnostics, testing, to a complete fix. You do everything for your customers,,,Thank you.
I really like that Pico scope. Eric, you have published another great lesson on how to diagnose those difficult problems which never seem to be satisfactorily solved.
You are the definition of a professional. Your channel keeps getting better and better. When you share your thought process on diagnostics, it's truly a gift to those of us who are learning. Thanks so much for sharing!
As a back yard mechanic, I truly loathe troubleshooting automotive electrical problems. This is the best video I've seen on this topic, by far. A superior tutorial. Makes me kinda want to take a crack at my two minor electrical issues on the Wrangler....
Merry Christmas
You say " don't know the purpose of the video " are you kidding me. This was a very informative video and a simple test used.. can't get better than that. You also saved the owner a ton of money.. You gave the customer the best service you can and there won't be a come back...Your one of my favorite mechanic..anything you share with us is a plus for knowledge...thank you..
For sure. This video is exactly what I like to watch. Bring on more just like it!
It's nice to see a mechanic that is honest and actually knows what the hell he's doing. You are too modest about your talent and abilities. I think you are one of the top mechanics on UA-cam. Top three are you ,Ivan,and Danner in my opinion.
This illustrates the difference between a mediocre mechanic and a great mechanic.Who would the customer prefer?
You must be a great mechanic.
Hey brother. I want you to know that your time and energy is very much appreciated in you videos. You have a very good came a presence and great way with words. You are by far one of the best automotive channels hands down .. have a great holiday and seasons greetings to you and mrs O and your charming kids. Oh. And awesome huskies. Peace ✌️
My grandfather instilled a saying, "There are mechanics and there are parts changers, mechanics always ask why something failed, parts changers just change the bad parts." This is a perfect situation of this, you asked "what blew the fuse?" and found the problem.
Great video!
Like Danner says "don't be a parts changer!"
Not another mechanic around that i would consider driving 6 hours to have work on my truck. Your more than a mechanic, you are THE doctor. Merry Christmas to you, Mrs O and the little O's. Much success to you in the new year.
If the youngsters are happy are they "Cheery O's"?
You are a true Pro Eric. I love the fact that you really care about your work and are sympathetic to your customers' financial means.
Did anyone catch the pun a 18:15? "I've got both amp clamps hooked up currently"! Ha Ha - amps are a unit of current. Great video as always.
yup
Great video Eric, fuses don’t blow for no reason is exactly correct, agree the best test bed for any component is in the car, controlled by the car. Steve.
Im just a parts changer and my scope mostly collects dust. Just good to watch folks like yourself using the equipment so I don't forget how to myself. Blessings friend!
Bust it out Tim and get freshened up on it! It is a great tool :)
In an earlier video you said you don't get any trollers on your channel meaning people trolling you saying rude stuff. I believe that is because I think you're an exceptional mechanic. I'm a small engine mechanic and I also maintain a fleet of trucks for a water restoration company I wish I had some of the diagnostic equipment that you have. we just don't have the budget for it that's why I have to rely on guys like you when I hit a dead end instead of poking around and making things harder. I enjoy watching your channel you are probably one of the best mechanics I've seen. Kudos.
When ur hands get too tired to keep wrenching u should 100% consider teaching
Dude yesss this guy is a mechanic wizard! Very smart and knowledgeable. I agree he should teach if he doesn’t mind!!!
Have a good story. My 2001 Avalon had intermittent rumbling/vibration under load generally on the interstate. Took it to a mechanic with a code. He said the motor mounts were bad 3 of them I believe. I let him replace them because I saw them and they were bad. But he didn’t fix the problem. He was convinced it was the motor mounts. I already replaced the tps and maf and some bad tubing going into the throttle body thanks to your content I got a lot of confidence with my own hands. After some more research I narrowed it down to the oil control Solenoid or vvt solenoid ( which ever name you like) and fixed it myself and I won’t go back to that mechanic.
Eric I've been on a roll rewatching and catching up on your videos, but I really loved this one, because you are teaching a very valuable lesson on finding out the "why"...excellent!
Also, thanks for sharing the waveforms on the before and after...very valuable for learnin'!
I know this video is 6-years-old, but knowledge of just reasoning is always good to know, this is why I watch you. I am always learning something new to help me keep my 15-year-old car safely on the road. Thank you Eric O, Happy New Year to you and family
You said you were not sure why you made this video, well I could see right at the start that this was an issue that needed to be told!! Now I digress for a moment, you are such a humanitarian, I know of no shop that would go through what you do to save someone some cash. With that said, you id a great service showing people why you cannot just replace a fuse and walk away. In my mind as was yours, there would always be the question of why did the fuses blow??? There is always a reason.
Eric, your natural understanding of electrical circuit theory is phenomenal.
IMHO, over 95% doesn't have a clue (nor will they ever) how electricity works (including most mechanics), nor can understand a schematic. Great work speaking my language.
Testing with the load in place ! Brilliant! Silly tools not necessary absolutely. Squeezing of relays . pffft. Awesome video again my friend . Keep up the great work
Yes sir I agree! There is a teacher out there that I have listened to a few of his lectures and he would scoff at this idea. He absolutely insists that you must remove the OE load and substitute with a silly tool. Then you must remove the relay, tear it apart and squeeze it haha! Seriously I can't make this up. Oeyyy talk about work from your head to your toes just to diagnose a circuit!
South Main Auto Repair is that the most miles you have seen out of one of those rascals?
Ouch, thats going to leave a mark !!
chad harmon I have a customer with one right now at about 330,000mi
Quick! Better edit that video where you have a no-start on a lawn tractor, and talk how you could show us the voltage drop if you had his tool...we wouldn't want conflicting information on this schoolyard squabble...
That being said, good video...just keep the BS out.
This is why I watch your videos, other mechanics would replace the fuse and send it down the road, thanks for being you!
I wish every mechanic had same mentality as you do. It would make it much easier for costumers. Thanks! Great stuff!
Your diagnostics are second to none. Too bad for customers who can't come to you.
I am retired and have lots of free time.I live in CT and am planning to drive to Avoca to see you. I'll call first to make you will be around.
You will like my Maserati!
IT IS refreshing to see another tech being thorough and putting the clients first a great quality to have
I hope Santa brings me a new scope this year but I'll probably just get sticks and coal again. Nice job Eric getting it fixed right, happy holidays to you and your family. Enjoy
I like that they have the green connectors to hook up and test relays, that is pretty smart
Impressive Eric with the fans! I deal with elevators and was always taught to chase down reason fuse blown!
Nice find Eric O with the wave Forms them motors are definitely shot popping fuses always tell a story great diagnosis Eric O 👍 @SouthMainAutoRepairLLC
I find it amusing that on UA-cam, no matter how good a video is, there's always at least one jackwagon that gives it a thumbs down. Of course, they never bother to comment on WHY! A relay squeezer or 3, maybe? :D
I think, personally, that you should upload any vid you shoot, even if you think there's no value, or maybe any purpose for it. The reason I say this is because on EVERY one of your videos, I have learned something valuable. I've worked for years without a scope, and after watching your and a couple other guy's vids, I can see that I definitely NEED one. Can't believe the things I've been missing! Now I've just learned what a good DC waveform should look like. Last week I learned about ignition waveforms - If I had ran out and bought a scope years ago, I wouldn't have had a clue as to how to use it. I owe you a PILE of beers!!!
It's also good to see an honest tech out there. In my state, techs have the worst reputation - almost up there with lawyers, lol! I see why though - customers get screwed every single time they walk through the door. Lots of dishonest (and in some cases, incompetent) people in MA. I'm sure the same is true for any city these days. The whole reason people come to me in my run-down barn with a dirt floor, is because they're tired of getting screwed. I'm thankful they trust me, and always try to do my best to keep that trust.
In this case (since I don't own a scope) I would've done an amp check with my 18 year old Blue Point meter, but I don't know what it would've told me in this instance, since it probably would've taken an average of those peaks and valleys shown on the scope. To be honest, I probably would've told the guy to install a pair of 30 amp fuses and sent him on his way - definitely NOT the way I prefer to conduct business, for sure ... but without a scope, I wouldn't have had much choice, other than to shotgun a pair of fans at it - maybe I would've got lucky .. or not!
Definitely need to start saving my pennies for some type of scope. I like that Pico, but I absolutely HATE Windows PC's, and would rather not have to buy another one in my lifetime if I can help it.
I dunno why people thumbs down but must be something they do not like :) Oh well to each there own. If you can not afford a Pico google "hantek oscilloscope" It will be PC based but it may get you started in the right direction :D
Thanks man! I appreciate that!
I've got quite a bit of research and decision-making to do. I was going to just set my Maxisys up as a scope until I either saw you mention, or read it in your comments, that it wasn't that great as a scope. That Pico sure seems like the way to go. Got to decide if I want to go cheap now and upgrade later, or just go for the gold right out of the gate (I have a bad habit of doing that, lol). Either way it's going to help me make money, so I should just make the investment ... and be sure not to let the smoke out of the thing on the first test run. LOL!! :D
Well the PICO is the best IMO and many others agree. If you can go big that is the cream of the crop!
Nice - thanks for the info! I sure am going to try!
I keep eyeballing late 60's Lincolns though ... I'll have to put the car shopping on hold. :D
South Main Auto Repair if I could do it over again. I would have gotten the pico over the verus any day. I haven't used one yet. But between you and Paul the pico looks way nicer
Great job Eric,you are a true problem solver and a 1 in a million good guy, here's a customer with an overheating vehicle in 9 degree temp outside, you hooked him up and made his day. Thanks so much Mr O. Peace
Eric I have to say, you have one of the two best diagnostic channels out there. The other one that is on par with you is Schrodinger's box. You and him have made the biggest difference to my understanding of automotive diagnostics, especially electrical diagnosis. So hats off to the both of you for making this community better, one video at a time.
"Do the best that you can" ..... absolutely the reason you're the most quality minded mechanic on UA-cam Eric.... keep on wrenching/teaching... I for one appreciate every minute you most kindly share.... Merry Christmas O's
Thanks man! Merry Christmas to you too!
Love the comment from Kieth. I'm glad you showed what a good DC motor looks like on the scope. I've read Paul's book and continue to watch his lessons and case studies but without some hands on practice I'm struggling. As you know my 1998 Chevy 5.7 will not start in cold weather. My Vantage indicates a test for the MAF but when I connected the leads the wave formation was unrecognizable. I'm not sure if that's an indication of a bad frequency (bad MAF) or if I'm using the wrong function of the Vantage. You may get a phone call! (ha ha) I have time to work on it tomorrow. (Dec 22nd)
wyattoneable 😘
Great video Eric. I alway think you’re saying, “SELF MADE AUTO CHANNEL”.
kontor15 I definitely agree with you.
Fuses do have a purpose. I've been guilty for years on my boat for not having circuit breakers on either of my two batteries. I already have them on my desk right now and will be installed before the boat hits the water next spring. A testament to the motivation of watching and learning (not much for me but nonetheless) on this channel. Truly a joy to watch and Merry Christmas to you and your family Eric !
Merry Christmas to you too!
Who would give a thumbs down on a video as educational as this? I just don't understand these sorts of people, or their expectations
Takes all kinds man!
Don't know how you guys do it over there. My brother's commute to Rochester Hospital is only 5 min and he says it's so cold that it's the worst part of his day. Anyway, glad to see another Suby get a little extension on life. Merry Christmas!
Applause, applause! One for troubleshooting and fixing the problem for real, and another for saving the customer some money.
...so when are you going to do the South Main Auto Christmas Special with all our favorite cast members, music, egg nog, out takes including fun with brake cleaner?
Integrity is pretty much a lost concept in this world!
I've been watching your channel for sometime now, and all I can say is I'm jealous of the Avoca, NY area, that I can't find a mechanic as dedicated as yourself, in a city of 1.2 million, maybe someday.
Merry Christmas to you, Mrs O and the family, thanks for your channel.
Merry Christmas to you too! You might be the only person in the world that jealous of Avoca hahah
I was shopping around for a scan tool, taking my time and reading everything I could get my hands on. I've been watching a bunch of your PicoScope videos and I've decided to change my direction. Our shop has an Autel but nobody has a scope. In fact when I mentioned that I am looking for one, i got the ol "well i been turning wrenches 20 years and I never needed one of those....." Well sure, you can use decades of experience to give you a more accurate throwing arm as you play Parts Darts. But I want to be able to prove what I think may be the cause of a problem, plus the real experts use scopes. We may not need it every day but think of the TV show House MD. He was the guy who got cases handed to him after 5 other professionals could not figure out the problem. Anyway, now I'm shopping around for a used Pico on ebay. I already have a good hand-me-down win7 i5 8gb ddr3 laptop which, once I cleared off all the junk, runs very smooth.
The shaky parts of the 'new' fans should clean themselves up over time. The motors likely have a bit of gunk and build up from sitting in the yard for a while. That's the wild card about junk yard parts. Ya never know how long they have been sitting idle, or in most cases of P&P yards? How long they have been in service (many times the clusters are ripped out, and there's no way to tell how many miles is on it).
Nicely done for the diagnosis!! Another car saved from the scrap heap...
Well done Eric, just another reason why you have so many satisfied customers. Fixed right the first time, Excellent video.
im an entry level tech at a dealership
and this is one of the things im always thinking about
what is the root cause?? im glad this video showed me a process to follow.
youre very knowledgeable! watching your videos is motivating me to keep learning and practicing these methods instead of replacing parts and crossing my fingers.
Super awesome video, Eric. I think I mentioned in the comments on a previous video that, after finding my radiator fan didn't run on high speed, I traced it to a blown 30A fuse to the radiator fan (driver side fan) on my 08 Odyssey Touring at 149K miles. What's intersting on that circuit is that both fans will run on low speed even if one fan (the radiator fan) has a blown fuse or bad relay. That threw me because instead of going first to the diagram I, mistakenly, followed Honda's troubleshooting instructions which, after a bunch of testing, led me to "Bad PCM." After deciding that probably wasn't the case and going to the wiring diagram I finally figured out how the circuit worked (it wasn't very intuitive) but finally figured out the circuit and traced it to the blown 30A fuse.
Anyhow, I never did figure out what blew the fuse. I put my craftsman amp clamp meter on the fan motor and didn't see anything close to high current but after watching this I realize I probably need to put a scope on it to see the health of the motor. I have a good scope (a couple of old CRT Tektronics scopes) but don't have a current clamp for it. It would have been interesting to see what those fans read with a regular amp clamp meter.
For what it's worth, the 30A radiator fuse on my Odyssey still hasn't blown again after another 13K miles.
As always you go the extra step. I work for an engineering company/racing company and root cause analysis is paramount. you can learn so much by taking the extra time to try to find what caused the inintal falure. It's more impressive in a shop such as yours that you take the extra step because alot of times I know your not getting paid for it, or at least not paid what you put into it. Love your videos keep up the great work and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Outstanding video, I'm glad I didn't miss this one! And, hurray for old style junk yards, it's nice to see you found one. My junk yards locally won't even let me walk through their yard, their insurance won't permit it. Mostly they trash anything they can't sell right away.
Always enjoy your electrical diagnosis videos, you help me learn a lot. Nice to see that you go the extra mile for your customers. 1st year apprentice at a Ryder truck shop up here in Ontario, I wait for your videos to come in every week and I usually use something I have learned from your channel everyday. Keep up the good work and quality videos! Thanks Eric.
That is great to hear, thanks Mike :)
Before scopes, all I had was the Digital Multi Meter, and of course, my old Sears Craftsman (analog) Meter with the current scale. It....worked......sorta. NOW with the Pico, its WOW! "THERE'S YOUR PROBLEM LADY!" Thanks for this info.
@South Main Auto Repair this is good example why is good idea always walk the extra mile. good job and merry christmas
Can we please replace every bad mechanic in this world with a clone of Eric....the car world would be a better one in an instant. Great job man. Best wishes for XMas and the new year for you and your family.
Merry Christmas to you too!
Eric, I loved this video when it was new, just watched again. It is awesome to find how much you can discover about how it is working while it is working. I watched Scanner Danner do the same with a fuel pump motor, even calculating the pump's rpm by the time base on a pulse width modulated pump. You do great work building the integrity of your trade. Thank you.
Nice diagnosis and fuses blow for a reason. Gotta love the Pico. Watched your Pico videos yesterday and downloaded the Pico program. Loads of additional data & resources make the Pico heads above the competition...I'm sold. I'll be ordering mine in January just trying to figure out whether to order it from Pico or AutoNerdz. This setup gives me the Pico as primary and my Verus Edge as my backup. Between the Snap-on database & the Pico database and library diagnosing is going to get a whole lot sweeter! Nice video & another happy customer with a solid fix! Merry Christmas Eric to you & your family!!
Well keep in mind I know people too so if you are looking for known goods or get hung up give me a shout! Merry Christmas to you too sir!
South Main Auto Repair I will thanks...you sold me on it.
Hayward's Automotive You can fix cars easier, have more time off and make tons of $$!! Wait that is not true, you will fix cars slower because you will be playing with your Pico the whole time, you will have less time off because you will be playing with your Pico and you will be broke because you be buying a WPS 500 to go with it and all the other goodies BUUUTTT... you will be really happy :D and that is what matters right!?
That's funny b/c that is exactly what will happen! The Pico will be my new toy that I'll have to use and keep trying different things and when you throw in pressure transducers it's almost unlimited. My wife will know where I'll be that's for sure and the Pico will be my new toy until the next diagnostic tool comes along & then that will be the new play toy. I just bought the Snap-on Diagnostic Thermal Imager and for now that is my new toy until the Pico arrives...men & their diagnostic toys!
Yea I plan on buying the WPS Kit and maybe the NVH Kit. If I buy the NVH kit then I'll be out joy riding playing :D
you can be one of the best instructors out there.
Prior to scope testing, I had an older Sears Craftsman combination Voltage/Current (up to 100 Amps using a shunt), Dwell (for contact points and the old GM Mixture Control Solenoid) and RPM. The Current got the most use, and although it was an analog meter,.........IT WORKED!
This is a few years old and I am a bit late, but if you ever suspect an intermittent short to ground you can disconnect both side of the wire and put a megohmeter on it and see if the insulation is compromised. Putting 1000v on it will cause voltage to jump any short gaps and that shows up on the meter.
Excellent video AND a great reason why you don't just change the fuse to a higher amperage fuse.
Thanks Eric for another tool in my diagnostic arsenal. Happy holidays to the O's
Not sure about these days, but back in the day we used to get motors rebuilt for a fraction of the cost of new. Motor repair shops were glad to get the work too. When outfits like Subaru try soaking you for items like this, it's time to get even.
Nice work Eric. My buddy's 05 F350 mason dump kept popping the left side trailer light fuse with his landscaping trailer hooked up, I checked it out for him and found the left side stop/turn wire pinched from when he installed LED tail lights on it.
I love your videos, I'm starting to understand electrical diagnosis more with your videos than in my actual college class 2 years ago. I hate diesels, but sometimes I wish you did more diesel stuff because that is what we see most of in the UK , diesel running/starting problems. Being in a garage my last 20 jobs in the last few days have been CR diesel running problems.
But hey keep up the good work , I'm sure I'll have a petrol engine running issue again sometime soon lol. Keep it up. And yes I know most things like this video transfers to both fuel types please don't attack me keyboard warriors
actually no starts and driveability problems on diesels can be a lot different than on a gas engine. I don't see many small diesels in out area but if I do I will record them
South Main Auto Repair Actually I have a Grand Cherokee 3.0 turbo diesel. I bet you would have a ton if fun poking around it. This thing has a million sensors all over the place. And its a nightmare to diagnose even with the best scan tools! But Id be happy to drive upstate so you can experiment with it!
I use a my amp clamp every day with appliances. It does tell a story for sure. Great job on the Subie.
I don't seem to remember a OEM fuze blowing for no reason. My approach is like yours , why did it blow. Now does the customer want to pay for diognostics time is another issue. I bet there's lots of times it's not easy to find the reason a fuze blows but to put another one in and tell the customer to come back if it does.
Dang, An honest man. Most excellent sir.
This is why I love my 2002 Honda Accord. Aftermarket main fan: $40.79. Aftermarket aux fan: $38.79.
That's what I am struggling with as a new tech, electrical diagnostics. I am a C level tech that just started with Firestone and I am still learning. But I hope to get better as time goes on.
Thanks for all the great videos this year Eric. Happy Christmas to you and your family.
well done sir. i wish there were more mechanics like you!
Great video. Fuses don't just spontaneously blow!
Great video. Really enjoyed it. I work on school buses and we do this all the time. On passenger heater blower motors. It really helps to figure out if you have a short or just a bad motor. Thanks again.
Joys of owning an older car and slightly different from the norm, the fun of hunting salvage yards looking for parts.
Wow, what a diagnosis and repair - Great stuff - wish you were in Denver
Another awesome vid. You're the man. Rule number 1 in electronics... a fuse never blows because it is bad. Something makes it blow.
I think you may have helped me pinpoint why my van's blower fan blows fuses on full speed :)
If only I had some kinda cool oscilloscope like you do to prove it ...
It draws 27 amps through a 30 amp fuse on full tilt, measuring with a cheap multimeter. I bet from what I saw that it's peaking well above 30 on occasion. That's nearly 300 watts just to turn a fan around, which I always suspected was a bit high ...
On a 30amp circuit I would imagine they should be around 16 to 17amps
Coat sleeves can get caught in fans and belts! Use a test light to check shorts. Disconnect the part and see if it goes off. Check voltages to find no voltages with the test light.
When your mechanic does the job right the FIRST time, and cares about saving money for his customers. Nearly impossible to find, or at least not in my state. If it is, I haven't found one yet.
***** Yeah, that's very true. With the economy being what it is, people are keeping cars longer these days.
Nice thought process Eric and good ending of using your scope to confirm the motors were bad. I do the same thing when working with motor circuits. On the average current measurement, you can also use Pico's measurement tool and select 'DC Average' and let it tell you what the average current is. Have a good one!
Yeah I ended up seeing that in the measurement section when I was done! Next time :D
Yeah the Pico software can't be beat. I looked at some competing scopes that seemed to have better specs, but when it came down to the software, the Pico is in a class of its own.
This is why small town mechanics need to be thorough. If you left it at fuses, the customer would be happy until they popped and they'd tell all their friends how you missed the problem. I've got to remember this and not let customers rush me or beat me up about replacing parts that a fuse "fixed". Best mechanic on UA-cam.
great job eric and yes we believe you did the bench testing
merry Christmas to you and yours
That wave form can ben evened out more with a capacitor. Its a very messy DC load and looks needs a correction cap from factory.
Great job👍
Great diagnostic. You are very nice to your customers, using used parts to save money :-)
You da man Mr. O Merry Christmas and happy new year to your entire family!
I went through a few of your Pico videos. I could have sworn you had links to the waveforms somewhere in the descriptions. I guess not a big deal, the videos are still great and watching the scope usage on there.
Most mechanics would have replaced the two fuses and "shipped" it. They would not have cared how the fuses were blown. Thank you for the video,good troubleshooting.
I would have lost sleep at night not knowing lol
Great Video. This is what they're asking for. End to End with the final Why.
Merry Christmas
How did you 'bench test' the used cooling fans? powerprobe? what?
Love the video. love it. perfect example of how a good technician digs and finds the main source of the problem.
Another great vid.Your now my "MAIN" man for auto info.Take care and Merry Christmas!
Another good one! It's always important to do a complete job.... including finding out the reason for the failure... "the story behind the story"! Merry Christmas!
Another awesome video Eric, most shops/ mechanics would have just replaced the fuse and shipped, then throw a bunch of parts at it when it returned with the same fault. Your detailed diagnostics should be shown in training videos, if only i lived closer then you could work on my car but, the UK is a bit too far out of state :)
Good job,The reason why the fan did that is because the insulation around the wires on the armature over heated and there are nice and toasty.The more the fan runs the more the short ( less resistance more amperage ).That is called a thermal runaway and eventually the motor will stop working all together .I Love your Videos keep up the good work. :)
great video again and a Merry Christmas to you and your family
Surely wish we had you down here in Louisiana! Keep up the great work!
In this age of hi tech cars and too many shyster garages and stealerships, if youre blindly lucky and blessed enough to find such an honest and extremely competent mechanic like Eric, never diminish his worth and never feel bad about paying his bill. What ever you spend with him is almost certainly money well spent instead of more later on the same repair, and at least a third or more less than many others might charge and some would not really even fix the root problem. I would love to have someone like Eric in my area, the old school guys are all gone around here and replaced by far less reliable and competent shops that charge an arm and a leg and barely half know what theyre doing most of the time, especially on electrical problems. I used to have "a guy" like Eric, many years experience, I got excellent work and he never once told me anything but the truth and charges were always fair for good work, that people is worth its weight in gold. Congrats Eric on running a superb above board shop and thanks for showing us how to do things thoroughly and right the first time.
Thanks man! My partents always told me to treat people like I wanted to be treated. Seems pretty simple right? If I don't know the answer I just say it. Other wise I try my best to help out and get the job done. Plus I HATE comebacks so I will do everything in my power to prevent them.
Now thats bloody amazing, Its fixed without the good stuff....I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it... Great vid...Cheers Eric
Thank you once again Eric for sharing your diagnostic experience. I really enjoy these videos, keep up the good work! California cliff
great you make my life easier if while fiddling on my toys I come across something great I will gladly buy you one and get it there
Very well done, Eric. We usually leave it up to the customer as to weather they want us to check into it deeper for a blown fuse. Most will give us a dollar amount to stop at.
Merry X-Mas to you and your Family.
Merry Christmas to you too!
Good video Mr. O!! Keep em coming and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!