Chevy Impala no Start, no Spark, no Codes
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- This 2008 Chevy Impala 3.5L was towed in. It cranks but will not start and has no spark. Lets fix it!
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This is the Launch tool I am using: www.amazon.com/dp/B098DF7BLL
There is a discount code SXJ62Z2B but I don't know if it works anymore.
Still too rich for my blood. But, I'm just a home gamer with 2 vehicles :)
gonna order one thanks Wes
Nice execution of the "Keith Tug-Test" that Ivan speaks of ...lol
Your idea of "cheap" and mine vary considerably.
You used a blue crimp eye - that's for AWG13 or 2,5mm² - for the two thin wires that look like AWG18 to AWG20. Next time try a red one (AWG15 or 1,5mm²), it will do better.
And please do not solder crimps, that's for non-professionals only 🤣
Awesome video. Just straight no BS diagnostic work. No parts cannon. The mark of a professional mechanic. Keep up the great content Wes.
@John Verne I'm thinking $50 for the sensor (plus labor) the poor guy got ripped for.
Love to watch his diagnostics videos. He is great.
That's why I like Wes!
Why do mechanics in a dealerstore can not do the simple things you do ?
@@tomjoad1363 They are trained to read a diagnostic code reader. Not how to trouble shoot. Case in point: I have a 2002 Harley Davidson Road King. A few years ago, I had an on again, off again plug fouling problem. I took it to three different Harley dealers who could not fix it because it threw no code. I considered selling it but as a last ditch effort, went online and studied the fuel injection theory of operation, checked every single wire connection that had anything to do with the ECU control of the FI system and found a simple wire connection problem that cost me 14$ to fix. Sad thing is the general public does not know what's going on with dealership mechanics. Not all of them, but most of them. Sad, sad, sad.
I love the constant jabs you take with the di-electric grease bit.
Pretty quick diagnosis, and yea you should have soldered it , lol
You and the misses should do more live episodes!
Ez fix nice. These where my fav kind of fixes cause customers love you after pulling hair out trying to fix it. Had a VW jetta went thru 3 shops no start no spark. Fixed it in few hrs guy was amazed
It is nice. Plus it's fun to big an hour labor and $2.54 for parts...
Wes that wiring job was fast you are way ahead of the rest david
Good job, Wes! Quick and efficient repair. Anytime a vehicle is towed in, and can the bay under its power is always great!
I'm glad that the diagnosis went the direction I would have gone.
GOOD T-SHOOTING! IF YOUR 2 WIRES SEEM A BIT LOOSE, YOU CAN ADD AN EXTRA PIECE TO FILL UP THE AREA BEFORE CRIMPING. (AN OLD ELECTRICIAN'S TRICK.)
Good job Wes. I think I need a better crimper. I know a good crimp is technically the better method but I end up soldering on my personal projects because I know I can make stuff stick that way.
You are the man, love every video
Its not the lack of soldering, I can live with that .. but dammit Wes, you should NEVER twist them clockwise!!!
Nice diagnosis and fix!
Thanks for sharing 🇨🇦
Famous last words. "all we need to do is . . ."
It’s always something with a ground, wether it’s at the battery or a body mount! Nice fix, now about those other parts someone else threw at it!😬😬
that's your next t-shirt... "I've got a tool for that"
I look at you poking that screen with all that computer gizmotronic stuff and all I can think of is how nice if we all still used Model T's.
Have you ever driven a model T? I haven't, but the videos I've seen make it look pretty miserable.
@@WatchWesWork I haven't driven but I've seen it and yes it's very convoluted to us now as we're used to our way of driving. From a mechanical standpoint the car is dead simple.
The parts cannon strikes again.
I used to get jobs like this, that had taken multiple hits from the parts cannon. A little look at a wiring diagram, and a bit of methodology, is usually all it took. No wonder the trade has such a bad reputation. Well done Wes.
@BreatheScotland very extremly true
When other shops can´t fix it and screw up Wes comes in to play, again it was a joy to watch you work Wes🛠.
Yes 👍 always a joy to watch him work
I love that he thinks out loud.
I think whoever owns that car is lucky to have an honest mechanic who's focus is on troubleshooting! Thanks for the video
I sometimes start to believe, everything at least one other mechanic gave up on before lands on his floor.
@@alexanderkupke920 Some just like rely on scan tool which don't always help you when there wire problem or ground issue.
@@rrcoster you mean they simply don't do what a mechanic should do and use their knowledge (which some of them obviously lack of they have to rely on what a tool tells them) to actually troubleshoot an issue by applying knowledge on how a system works, some logic and some simple structured approach?
Yeah, you are absolutely right. And for some shops, especially the ones that seem to cost less (although sometimes or even quite oftwn at dealerships it is the same) who then just look up codes and fire the parts cannon, in hope to hit the right one as well seems to be the official procedure to repairing parts and mechanics are discouraged to actually spend time analysing and troubleshoting
@@alexanderkupke920 Yes...id rather pay someone actually spend time analyzing and diagnosing the problem then fire part canon hope that fix it. Guess glad i have some decent mechanic local like Wes when i can't figure out the problem myself.
I wish he could work on my car, finding a good mechanic in my area is not easy!
Wes, thanks for taking the time to clearly explain what you are doing and for getting a shot where the viewer can see what’s going on.
Learn something new from Wes every post !
That was a great diagnosis. I'm not a mechanic, but I'm a security system technician. It amazes me how people don't start at the basics. Even at my company, they like to just throw parts at the problem, regardless of cost. Then throw in the technician who can't possibly be wrong, "he's been doing this for years". I always start on the basics. Does it have power and a good ground and move on from there.
As a 76 year old retired Marine Electrician, I often asked "knowit all" customers to explain to me electron flow. First response says it all as to how I proceeded lol
@@mauricekeithjohnson2598 I know it has something to do with magic smoke! 😂😂😂
@@steelfist65 Lord Lucas philosophy lol.
@@mauricekeithjohnson2598 M.E.S. !!!
I’m a commercial hvac tech and I absolutely agree with you. Everyone is so quick to throw parts at it instead of troubleshooting the issue.
Crimps (without solder) stand up much better in a high-vibration environment, which is why you don't see soldered wires in automotive applications.
Also I believe soldering is banned in aerospace applications
If I did not live so far from you Wes, you would be my mechanic. Keep up the good work.
I hear “ comments are going say I should be soldering this”, then I hear and see “going to use a little liquid tape” then I hear and see the “ going to use a little dielectric grease on this connection”, and I find myself setting here grinning like a dog eating cork, because I can just hear all keys on the key boards being smashed at the same time and the send being assailed at the same time. You gotta love it, stay the course, love your vids, thanks for the ride along.
I just found this channel. This guy is extremely talented and you can see the true passion he has for repairing vehicles. I’m yet to see something he can’t fix. Between watch Wes work and diesel creek these two are amazing to watch . I know there are many other great channels I just haven’t found them yet.
I remember in a previous video Wes said the same thing about his old man, "nothing he couldn't fix". Thinking Wes jr be saying the same thing in years to come.
I try. Sometimes I get stumped, but we struggle through.
@@WatchWesWork keep up the great work Wes.
Wes is great, watch South Main Auto. Another great car Doctor.
@@WatchWesWork The struggle is why we watch. That, and the biting sarcasm.
Once again, your patience and knowledge and focus in troubleshooting problems is impressive. I like to think of myself as above average at troubleshooting, but you are second to none my man. Thanks for the upload!
Amazing diagnostic work there, 2nd to none. I would have never found that, great video, thanks
Thank You Germany viewer, there are great people in this world. You just made Wes’s job easier.
A deal at 3 times the labor time. Great video as usual. No silliness just repairs and information.
You are quite methodical in your diagnosis; always a pleasure to watch an expert. You remind me of my Dad - now 92 - who was a wizard like yourself at solving electrical problems.
Cheap incandescent test light for the win! Gotta load that circuit down more than the pcm or a multimeter would
You are a master diagnostician and mechanic Wes. I love watching your content, I always learn something
First view! Greetings from the Canadian Border in VT. It’s about -3 here today.
It's a balmy 6F here.
-4 here in Northern Michigan 🥶
A comfortable 36°C (96.8°F) in Woomera, Outback South Australia. 👍👍🇭🇲
Greetings from England 14°C in London, that's 57.2°F
My favorite mechanic on UA-cam. Great content Wes keep it up!
Another excellent episode of Watch Columbo Work. I especially enjoy the tension between you and the computer scanner thank you.
Maybe wes will fix an old columbo car someday..if any still exist
Excellent analogy! In the middle of Season 2 of Columbo right now. Man, what a great show that was.
As Eric O would say "there's your problem lady."
You don’t go straight to the scan tool... it is nice to see you are going old school... the mechanics I know always start with scan tool if no faults then change something until it works again... you saved the costumer money by being “old school “ great work...
You the man. Wes the Automotive Detective. Hunting
down that pesky BAD GROUND - - - - - - Bad Bad Ground. Great video Wes!!!
Excellent video again on how to diagnose and fix a problem which could have been just left and forgotten about in a corner of a yard somewhere. Didn’t think you could get away with splicing both grounds together if the come from different components without it causing future problems.
On another note, Are you going to do any future updates on the machines in that wooded place again, like the Insley dragline crane, the International 3850 End Loader or any of the other things there?
I also am curious
New subscriber here… love the channel. Thanks for taking the time to do all the work to record, process, and share. I imagine it’s a lot of extra work on top of all the work you already have to do to keep your shop running.
Max always looks like “you caught me” like he was doing something wrong.
I got the same impression..
LOL, maybe Max is asking if anybody knows where to look for a mouse?
@@larrywalker7759 Or maybe, "Can I go back inside where it's warm?"
Absolutely love how you explain and show trouble shooting in a calm manner. Its too easy to freak out and throw the parts cannon to it. Keep up the good work.
Somebody gotta fix the old junk. I can say that, b/c it's 10 years newer than my (rust belt SE WI) car!
I find that using a wiring schematic to be the must enjoyable way to track down a problem. It's more of a challenge than to hope for the correct answer from a computer. Awesome as always.
Always a couple of "jabs" at the dunderheads (I had to google a "polite word for idiot" to get that one) who think dielectric grease is actually intended to block electrical circuits...
Best way to make sure the wire doesn’t pull out of a crimp is to strip it twice as long as needed. Twist the wire, Fold the stripped section in half and place it in an eyelet of proper size to fit the now doubled up wire. Using this method the wire will break before it comes out or if it does come out something has hit it hard enough it wouldn’t have held no matter what
Same here you couldn’t pull it back out if you try
YOU SHOULD BE SOLDERING THIS! See, happy now? You asked for it ;)
Wes, Like the diagnosis, and the fix!
Customer invoice:
Parts : Buck 298
Labor: Shop rate + 70%
Diagnostics: PRICELESS
Never solder when the application experiences vibration. That's NASA's engineering rules, so that's good enough for me! I use uninsulated butt connectors (seamless) finished off with glue-lined heat shrink.
No job to big, no job too small we love www fix em all, from diagnosis to the mad dog max, hufflepuff wife, littleman we all have a laugh, along the way we all enjoy no matter the job no matter toy 👍 always a joy thanks
That was a good one Wes, keep it up. I like the teaching how to diagnose instead of just showing the solution.
Good video Wes you solve that problem really easy holy mackerel get the wiring diagram out and follow it all right keep on making good fis
Vids I'll keep watching💯💯💯💯💰💰💰💰💰👍👍👍👍
That was short work of a perplexing problem. Well done Wes, always enjoy your electrical diagnostics and repairs. Cheers!
Fun fact regarding people telling you to use solder: I’m in aircraft maintenance school at the moment. Aircraft no longer use soldered splices or connections because solder makes wire brittle at the point where the wicking stops. Crimps are also more easily repeatable with less margin for error.
Soldered connections have been a NO/NO from ABYC for many years. Too much vibration in boats.
NASA says the same thing.
As a retired USAF crew chief, we had to replace any broken wires. No repairs/splices allowed.
@@robertheinkel6225 I have no real life experience yet so that's entirely possible as well. They told us one splice is allowed on a wire except for some where you're not allowed to splice at all like coaxial cable and such.
In aircraft maintenance you use the proper tools to make a high quality crimp, then it is superior.
The trouble starts when people just squeeze those cheap colored crimp connectors together with whichever pliers are on hand. That's not a gas tight crimp and won't last. But hey, those people probably couldn't solder worth a damn either.
Shops across the entire country wishing they had 2 or 3 mechanics like you.....
For those advocating soldering, a cold solder joint is pretty much the same thing as a lose crimp. Both are easy mistakes to make.
And in the salt/rust world of Canada, I've seen fluxcore solder rot wires within a year.
Yep !
@@paulcooper2897 if you use the sealing hest shrink you should be safe. Any unsealed wire will rot if exposed to salty water.
I hope i can sneak this in and wes wont see it..i wanted wes to strip more insulation, more bare wire exposed. I learned wire splicing years ago. Pigtail, western union and tap style splices. The advantage of mechanical strength comes from a mininum of 4 twists, then what he did afterwards was fine.
Being the lazy guy I am, I would have made up a new eyelet with a stub of wire on it then just spliced the existing wires to that using a shrink&solder splice. Always easier when you can see & reach what you're working on.
You make it look so easy but I know most of the time it really isn’t! Great job!
It's touching viewers really interact. And to send you a tool from Germany how cool is that there are good people out there:-)
A perfect example of KISS working. Great job. Thanks for posting
I love the preemptive snarky comments, heading off the UA-cam heroes.
I swear I saw an electron flowing...
Shut your mouth!
@@WatchWesWork LoL
SPOILER: Nice find. I would have been chasing my tail after finding - at the eyelet and would have moved on.
The wire stripper pliers you received from Germany were almost identical to what I used during my apprenticeship in 1972-4.
I've always wondered why he didn't have a real wire stripper. A pretty good one by Ideal is less than 50 bucks. Smaller than that one the viewer sent, too.
Been using mine for 20+ years !
@@Mishn0 real wire stripper = those which leave dints/damaged/cut copper strands ?
That german one can be controlled rather closely = not nicked/damaged copper strands here.
@@TheStefanskoglund1 Why? Because it's "German"? Are you saying US made tools can't have tightly controlled tolerances? I used Ideal wire strippers to make literally thousands of wire harnesses for military aircraft and the work was closely inspected. Give me a break.
I love how honest you are!! Very Good Man!
Whatever you are charging for that hour it was too cheap. The previous mechanics were replacing expensive parts based on guess work and probably charged collectively 3 or 4 times what you did. The customer paid them and you and you gave him a real bargain for your brain work. Love to watch your analysis. Keep up the good work. Thanks.
Love your work Wes!
From Illinois to New York both you and Eric'O Chase faulty grounds.
Not something that occurs to a chap down here in Southwest Florida....
You're missing all the fun.
Wes I really enjoy your logical approach to any repairs. I wish I had your knowledge of electronics and wiring repairs. But your acerbic wit and wisdom along with your wife, son and dog is what makes you videos truly enjoyable. -28 Celsius in Dorchester Ontario. You are north of me so suspect cold there to. Take care
We are starting to warm up a tiny bit. -16C
The northern Illinois border is further south than Dorchester Ontario, so Wes is south (west) of you
Rennsteig is a brand from Knipex. Basicly the same tools with the same quality but a little bit cheaper because the Knipex brand isn’t on there. Personally i like the Stripax wire strippers from Weidmuller even better then the Knipex ones. Stripax was also the first automatic wire stripper of its kind. Nice you got that as a gift from a viewer. They are in the €100,- plus range, still expensive although it is a Rennsteig.
I have a Knipex version that works even better.
I wish I had your skills, Wes.
A good solder joint has the best electrical connection, but in a high vibration environment, the wire is very likely to break just past the joint where solder has wicked in between the strands and has made the wire solid. This is why most connections are crimped in an automotive setting. A good quality crimp terminal with a connection made by the correct crimping tool is very reliable, but if you use cheap terminals, some of them, the metal is too soft and thin to hold a solid connection over time, so spend the money on good terminals. That said, I have really come to dislike those ratchet tools for insulated terminals as while they make a neat looking crimp, they often do not squeeze hard enough through the plastic insulation collar to really make a good connection. This is especially true if you buy a different brand of replacement terminals where the plastic may be thicker/thinner than the tool was designed for.. I prefer a simple pair of plier style crimpers for insulated terminals as you can use the calibrated hand to determine whether the crimp actually took vs the ratchet bottoming out but the terminal not actually getting enough pressure. I don't put much stock in a simple pull test as a marginal crimp can still hold the wire enough to pass a couple of tugs, but still let go after a few weeks or months of service..
I generally agree, but most crimpers I have found will often tear the heat shrink insulation before making a good crimp. I don't know what we can really do beyond a tug test. I'm not going to send the connection out for calibration.
@@WatchWesWork This is why I like the simple pliers style crimpers as you can feel while squeezing through your "calibrated hand" (TM) that you actually got the crimp onto the wires vs the ratchet where it just bottoms out and if the terminal doesn't immediately pull out, you have to just assume that the crimp is OK..
I use a Klein Tools stripper/crimp tool as it doesn't just do the usual oval crimp but has a middle anvil on one side that squishes everything from both the outside as well as the center, so you know the connection is good. The only issue with it is that the crimp function is located below the hinge, just above the handles, so you would have a hard time doing crimps way down in an engine compartment with it.. It does make a very nice crimp even on insulated terminals as it just leaves the central indent on one side instead of destroying the insulation..
Good job Wes - well explained and illustrated as always!
love how 96% of social media followers are poor or poorer than the ppl they watch and donating, shipping expensive presents too and just blindly following.
You're making a lot of assumptions.
Wes perfect timing for a vid👌
wow.. That sure is a dinky little wire in a remote place for it to be a total failure point. Terrible design IMO. I hate how these engineers will do things like this just to save another 3 pennies, rather than making something a little over built. I hate it. lol
Awesome video Wes. Nice work.
What the hell? It's much more fun to guess at things and spend money buying sh*t you don't need rather than fixing a couple wires.LOL. They DID start firing the parts cannon...they just stopped prematurely before they replaced the ECM, head gaskets, battery, starter and ultimately the engine. Just a reminder: if it stops running, just take it to a mechanic if you aren't one. You can either spend money or waste money.
Thanks for the content Mr. Wes, too bad when you decided to be a UA-cam content provider you opened up your life to the World Wide Web now everyone thinks they have to tell you how to be a mechanic instead of enjoying the content.
Better call Duff and Mortsky it looks like
great video wes good job keep them coming
I wonder how common of a problem that is… seems like it would’ve been prevented by heat shrink ring terminals like you used.
Yeah I have always wondered why they use those open crimp terminals on the grounds. They cause so many issues.
RPO codes are on the sticker on the glove box door...
There is a reason you don't find solder joints in factory wiring: they determined long ago that the hardened wire section becomes a stress riser and often results in a broken wire (from fatigue) right next to the solder.
It's nice when what could be quite complicated, turns out to be straight forward!
Doesn't happen often enough.
Oh how I long for the old days when you didn’t have to be half a scientist and a computer tech to make an engine run! 😬
Great work. Thank you for sharing
I dunno. This is pretty simple. Grounds have been going bad as long as they've been around.
@@WatchWesWork Having access to wiring diagrams is kind of cheating. LOL
@@erik_dk842 I am not sure I consider having wiring diagrams or schematics cheating. There are likely multiple main ground points on most vehicles. Would be expensive and time consuming to physically trace a faulty ground wire to it's attachment point. Diagrams used properly conserve time and technician energy. My opinion at least.
@@brianworley7705 Without subscribing to a service, getting correct wiring diagrams is quite hard. The redrawn version Wes has access to is also easier to follow than Volkswagen's originals, which I'm familiar with, because they split them out across several pages, so you have to go back and forth.
That looks like a car my deceased mother had at one time.
Great work as always Wes. Just had a bad earth problem on my landrover. Salt air had destroyed the ground for the rear lights. Not the best build quality. Have used dialectic grease on the repair despite the 'experts' on you tube! Best wishes from the UK 🇬🇧
I would blame them, all the makes have ground issues.
@@WatchWesWork Yes even Mercedes start to have those ground issues when tey turn 25 years old, And I know, my daily drive is S124 300e 4-matic -90 year model. No too many computers in it, and vould need those spesial MB "tools" to diagnose, or that " flashinglamp" wire to count, those basic things, ABS and 4-matic system. I think also KE-jet also, no needed yet that, coming next spring, when I start with my other merc, also same age 300e but saloon, AMG copy, by some finnish people, dont know, but in registration papers, it is made in Finland. So quite unexpected for mercedes tha old.
Yes I really love your way to do things, you go to basics, by thinking first, then you take that codereader for help, and also yours way to handle those not so roadworthy vehicles also, and rust can`t stop you making good job.
Wes, if it did cost a fortune to buy and ship the tool to you, that guy enjoys your work as much as we do. To him it was worth it.
Nice fix here. Keep M coming man, I'm almost 72 years old and enjoy the hell out of you and your channel. Thank you.
You gotta hold your tongue to the left! 🤪🤪🤪🤪
Well, that was a good little video . Wes. It's always great to see a video pop up from you. Thanks, and have a great weekend 👍 👋
Wes, don't worry about when you try to film in a tight spot. Those of us that watch alot of mechanics videos are used to the occasion when you have a to do that to get the job done. So you make sure the job is done right and everything else will all work out.
10:10 I do favour soldering, but that's for personal use. The new crimp on fittings with hot glue heat shrink, seal out the crud well too.
Iam entertained. Thank you! 10/10 would recommend
Solder
Heat shrink
Split loom
Sorry , Blizzard outside stuck inside w/Mother in law and wife
Nice job Wes....Just found those wire strippers online and they're sure proud of those things
Even if you soldered it there would be people saying to replace the whole harness. Can’t win even if you try.
After declaring the Impala mouse free, Max was no longer interested.
I love these videos. It’s like playing the game Clue. Trying to find out who did it or in your case what’s wrong and how to fix it. Thank you Wes sincerely for making these videos and sharing your life.
That ground is the worst possible place for a solder joint, lots of heat cycles and vibration, everything that is bad for them.
You should have soldered the connections, fail. Also dielectric grease inhibits the flow of electrons. Another fail. Go back to mechanic's school and then come and try again. Have a great day. Love the videos.
It'll be tough considering I never went in the first place.
@@WatchWesWork There's your problem.