My dad's a Chrysler master tech, and hes made a lot of money doing heads and cams and oil coolers on these pentastars. Work for Chrysler and you won't ever be short of work! But hearing the stories day in and day out about working conditions at the dealerships made me choose to become an electrician as my career, and I drive a beat up chevy truck that i can fix myself in the driveway instead of something newer. Awesome video, Eric
The way they designed that oil cooler is absurd. This past winter we had 4 different styles of replacement coolers on the shelf. Some prefer metal some prefer factory and some really don't care. One week in January we did four.
@@Troy_Built thanks Troy - from what I’ve researched, the 3.5 has an oil cooler where rad coolant runs through oil filter housing. This causes blockages and causes intermittent heat loss. An easy fix but a pain nonetheless lol
As a former middle school teacher - one who had previous experience with all things Kiekhaefer Mercury, Homelite outboards and chainsaws, on and on….. I do agree with MarioCrayola71 You outta think about some disinterested youth who’d benefit mightily…
Definitely a great teacher and I don't tire of the similar videos (like he's (Eric) often concerned about 'just another brake video'). I think they're incredibly helpful and each vehicle, for the lay-person, has little subtle tricks and differences that when he imparts that knowledge a true god-send in helping others.
I was working on a 4-Runner, similar symptoms. With a 5-gas analyzer, I showed the customer 1600 ppm HC at the radiator cap and only 50 ppm at the exhaust. He said that his neighbor said it was a water pump and that I Was just trying to rip him off with head gaskets. On my way home I saw the vehicle in the side of the road. Oh well…
Good One, Eric. As a 65 yo shade tree mechanic, watching your videos teaches me different nuances to fixing cars. Interesting that one should rev the engine to get the pressure up to sense combustion gases. (Scotty didn't mention this!) Good teamwork with your brother and Mrs. O having your back. 👍
@@AndyMcBlane I have leather seats in my car and unless the sun is shining in directly, they are not too bad, but can be a tad cold during the winter for a few minutes though. I like leather seats however.
My current Caravan is the first vehicle I’ve owned that has leather seats. Much prefer fabric…leather is hot in summer, cold in winter, takes forever for the heated seat to warm up. Leather reminds me of the vinyl seats in the 80’s.
One of the things that I love about your videos is that you dont throw the ASE certified mechanic stuff under everyone's throat. We all KNOW your a master mechanic and there's NOTHING you can't fix. Your like Andy Taylor the sheriff without a gun! I always love your videos and can't wait till the next one.
I have had a few head gasket issues that would not present driving around town. Give it back to customer and tell ‘em its ok. The freeway trip is the touchstone. Great info on the heater core involvement. Very fine educational video on difficult to detect head gasket.
"16 psi cap, feels like 15.8 so that's good". It's handy having the right pressure testing tools at hand when you are doing this type of job. I love it when you do and say things like that Eric 🤣 You always put a smile on my face 😄
Yes. Was about to comment about the "handcrometer". Never heard of it before. Know of the "eyecrometer" instead of the micrometer, but handcrometer is next level. Retired mechanic/machinist in Land Down Under.
I've never seen him do one, it's pretty easy, just time consuming. Lots of vids from other guys on YT, That's how I learned how to do it. That tick is an easy fix, unfortunately it will probably fixed by some hack or just resold as-is. Just going to get worse.
The problem is electronic, not the battery. I got a Pacifica, does the same thing. Something in the system just decides its nap time. Usually 25 minutes , fires right off. Gave up on fixing after looking at replacement of engine control computer. Now it is growing moss and housing squirrels. First and last Chrysler i ever bought. Thank the gods it was REAL cheap used.
getting info from the customer can be a double edged sword.. sometimes they minimize things, thinking they will get a lower repair bill for some reason..
Awesome video! I really could have used it about 2 months ago. The customer "my son" brought his Equinox to 2 different GM dealers. The first put in a thermostat, the second wrote an estimate for pretty much everything. Water pump, intake manifold, spark plugs, serpentine belt and head gaskets at $3,500. It was the head gasket. You're still the best on the World Wide Web!
A friend of mine back from Vietnam told me while there the phrase was, “Cheer up, things could get worse.” “So we cheered up and sure enough, things got worse!”😵💫😎🤜🤛
Great video. As a heavy diesel mechanic. We see this often. I always find putting a clear line depending where you can tap it into the system. Never lets me down. You can see the air very clear in the line e.g combustion gas or if the water pump is pumping.
Great video. It's a gd shame that the customer has a car from a disreputable dealer. But I loved that you were doggedly determined, as usual to get that definitive cause, piece of mind for you and your customers.
I took auto mechanics my 11th and 12th grade year and i have still learned quite a bit from watching you and Ray. There a still something's that i don't feel comfortable doing but i can do most of the major repairs myself
I’ve never seen a flat bed like that. Freaking sweet. Mowers are mighty. I would make a rule to always have the jump box on highway burns. I feel like when I watch SMA, it’s like going to your fav class back in school. Always learn cool shit and almost always entertained ( not the break down part). Luv me sum SMA
Eric, your the best. Love your stories and when you question about being a mechanic. Great diag analysis. Learned a ton about head gasket leak effects on the system. Too funny about the buy here/pay here fix. They will probably dump in head gasket sealer to the cooling system and out she goes. Keep em coming. Always love when you mash it, especially up that hill past the cemetery, your waking every BODY up.
I think they may have already dumped sealer in it. the intermiitent circulation thru the heater core when u give it the beans may be a clue. I wonder if tightening down the head bolts a bit would stop the leak.
Picoscope with pressure pulse sensor or pressure trabnsducer in the cooling system (and any sync signal of the engine) would have been interesting. Not that it really matters which cylinder is leaking when an engine replacement is the solution, but being able to see one specific cylinder putting pressure in the cooling system really hammers the nail into the coffin.
"Better coffins always use screws, best use screws and glue, I routinely use screws and glue." My Cousin Vinny ( unused lines from Mona Lisa Vito's courtroom scene)
sometimes you can pull the spark plugs when cold not HOT , you could rip the threads in the head if the engine is hot ,, pull plugs hope they were not just changed and the plug that is clean or cleaner then the rest could be your bad cyl ..
Good job. Yes we have skunks all over, that sell things that should not be sold!!!! Great overview, to teach us what really goes along the trouble shooting on overheating issue. Thanks.
@@goclunker That goes back to the old saying "any car will last as long as you take care of it", which is 100% wrong. Some cars have built-in faults that no amount of maintenance can overcome.
@@johnhegarty1761 No way. If it wasn't for Iacocca, Chrysler wouldn't be here today---he saved them from bankruptcy. First the K car and then the minivans turned Chrysler around
Awsome diag Eric o!! U should advise the customer that he should have his next car checked out by you before paying the scam dealers. Dealers like those make people life miserable.
That block test is kind of like a flu test-If it's positive you have a problem but if it's negative you may still have a problem. Sucks on one bank, but airing up the cylinders and looking for bubbles/coolant level surge always tells the truth.
@@frankish5314 yes, one cylinder at a time with the piston at tdc. Seen another way by using a pressure transducer piped into an adapter that you can screw in place of a radiator cap. With a scope sync on one of the cylinders you can see which cylinder may be pumping gas into the cooling system via the waveform. Super Mario has a vid about it.
I believe what you say is true and watching you work makes me and should make you proud of the fact you’re not a parts changer and want to fix the problems correctly and not put a bandaid on the problem. I say Way To Go.
one of the guys I work with has a promaster that did exactly what this card just did when you hit the pedal to the plastic. It most certainly has a blown head gasket, the computer is detecting that it is getting low compression on one of the cylinders when you go full throttle, and it is cutting the throttle to prevent any more damage. This condition doesn't appear when you aren't hammering on it, because it's not actually looking or able to compare statistical data that it knows to the actual data it's receiving. That comparison only occurs at Full Throttle, and with a head gasket leak the compression in one of those back three cylinders is much lower, thus resulting in under-performance of what is expected.
My sister in law bought a Chrysler 200 brand new and did not ask anyone about her choice. Would have told her not to buy any Chrysler product if she asked. Did not say anything negative to her about her purchase….. but she is learning the hard way with every repair bill !
Being a Chrysler product it's odd the trans hasn't fried along with the head gasket but that may happen with the next unfortunate owner😂 good video Eric.
I apologize Eric. When you went pedal to the medal and she quit i fell a sleep lol. Keep up the good work and keep them videos coming. I've learned a lot by your experience.
I like how your hands work, always were they need to be. Been a mekanik since 1978 mightve learned a few things . Makes me feel good to see we pretty much have the same tools. You are better mech than me which is OK cuz I'm good you're the best.
Wow! Reminded me of my high school days and a blown head gasket. Same symptoms. You have the patience of Jobe. Thanks for the used car dealer education at the end. That 3.6 sounded like a diesel.
I had a 2019 Encore in last week. I had to drive it 40 miles to get it to overheat. It passed a block test before the test drive, but definitely failed after. Luckily it did not overheat to the point of leaving me stranded.
Do those have the little turbo engines that the block cracks? or is it just head gasket on those? You'd think after building ICE engines for over 100 years they wouldn't have head gasket issues anymore, at least not on a 2019 model.
@@kennygee2715 I leaned more toward a cracked head, since it took 40 miles of driving to get it to show up on a block test. A blown gasket would show up a lot sooner than that.
I feel your pain Eric. I owned a 1984 Chrysler Laser Turbo back in the day and I lost track of how many times that pig overheated on the highway, I remember doing the same thing waiting for a tow truck, Sitting there thinking about the choices I've made and vowing never to buy another Chrysler product again. Here it is almost 40 years later and that's a choice I've never regretted after buying Toyota products.
@@brianburns7211 Wow, you know my personal issues with that car ( brand new off the lot) Let me list them for you 1984 - Head gasket went twice ( towed twice), ECM stopped working ( replaced) , water pump seized up (towed and replaced) , passenger window power belt broke. 1985 - gas tank developed leak, replaced tank, Head gasket blown for 3rd time ( highway towed) , Alternator blew up on highway ( towed) ,1986 - Turbo blew on highway ( towed) right side CV joint failed ( replaced) , End cap blown off radiator ( towed) , Chrysler replaced radiator , new radiator lasted 7 minutes and end cap blew off again( towed back to shop) , 1987 - Driver window power belt broke ( replaced ) , Catalytic converter caught fire at a gas station ( thankfully it was raining) . Overheating issue warning from voice interface started, Thermostat changed , Radiator changed , core changed, heating issues continued , ECM changed again to rectify intermittent warnings, 1988- Engine finally failed at 107,000 Kilometers. 27K outside of warranty. Purchased a 1990 Toyota Tercel and drove it for 495,000 Kilometers and other than routine maintenance only had to replace gooseneck for gas tank, wonder why Scotty is right.
That’s user error. You had it fail so many times and you didn’t do anything about it. Funny, my dodge grand caravan almost overheated once, because the fan relay was dead. Replaced the relay, never got close to overheating again. This is why you got a toyota, its more resilient to zero maintenance, but it will still come and get you. Infact I think a Toyota Appliance is the perfect vehicle for you. Remember, inanimate objects didn’t jump infront or behind you, YOU drove into them.
@@goclunker I wouldn't call spending thousands of dollars ( in the 80's) in repairs and " maintenance" doing nothing about it, However listening to the last mechanic I took this POS to when it finally died he said the 2.2 L Mitsubishi engines were prone to overheat due to insufficient coolant flow to the engine from undersized hosing and radiators, especially with the Turbos, It's good that you had a relay issue , Mine however still had upper and lower fan speeds operating until it died, One of the few parts that were actually still working on it, But I must say the tranny was solid.
Another quick and dirty way to test for excessive pressure and possibly a week cap is connect your coolant pressure tester the vehicle and take it for a short drive.
Every day I watch You videos alone. Something new about walking on vehicles. That I never even I will talk about doing. Thanks to you, I know how to walk on vehicles. Even better than I ever have Avoca vehicles with my father's since I was like, 2 or 3 years old.and I am 33 new
Also if you want to confirm you didn't get antifreeze in your tester turning the fluid yellow, you can pump clean fresh air thru the fluid and it'll turn back blue again.
Thank you Mrs. O for giving him all of the hard times for breaking that car, that I would've given him! 🤣👍 (All that matters is that it's running at the end of the day) 🥳🙃
I bought my Avalon from one of those "questionable" small dealerships about 2 years ago when getting used cars was kind of difficult. I looked it over but it was my first Toyota so I wasn't all that knowledgeable about what to look for. The fluids were clean, car needed an alignment and the oil light kind of flickered at stop lights. Car ran pretty smooth otherwise. I drove it home and immediately changed the oil, everything looked "too clean" to me for some reason. The oil came out completely black and sludgy, not like the pure gold on the dipstick. I also saw some metallic flakes in it. After long drives, the next time i started it, a large cloud of smoke would come out the tailpipe. Turns out, they dropped the oil pan, cleaned out the sludge with a scraper, changed the valve cover gaskets and changed the oil to sell it. I pulled the valve covers and they were full of hard black solid carbon that used to be sludge. It was everywhere, in the heads, on the cams, in the oil valleys and in the block. Some parts of the head hadn't seen fresh oil for thousands of miles and when I removed the intake, liquid oil poured out of it. A few months ago the death rattle started and I heard the rod knock. While I was waiting for this dude to show up to his "dealership" so I could get the plates, another guy who was also waiting told me the Jeep he bought accelerated by itself at random inconvenient times. This guy buys cars at auction out of town, polishes them up and sells them at a reasonable price but at a cost of your sanity. Beware of problem years, always check the year of your car for common problems because certain years will be prone to problems they fixed in later years.
There are quite a few "fly by night" used car dealers in my area but, there is one that actually backs up what he sells. I once bought a Ford Bronco II there that kept spitting out the rear U-joint. After the 3rd time, the owner took it back and credited everything I'd paid towards an F-150 4×4. They then used it as a shop truck and had the same issue 2 more times. A few payments on the F-150 later, the Bronco II was back on the lot. It turned out that the rear yoke had a small crack right next to one of the bolt holes for the U-joint straps. The crack would open up under acceleration and allow the U-joint cap to "walk" slightly each time. They fixed it for me every time though and it took sending the driveshaft to a machine shop to be magna fluxed to actually find the problem. Other than that issue, it was a nice, clean little truck. A coworker of mine actually bought and drove it for several years with nothing more than regular maintenance. I never had any issues with the F-150 either so I was happy. Just thought I'd share this because, while there are definitely a lot of junk dealers out there, there are also a few good ones. I still buy vehicles from that dealer now.
That’s pretty common for small used car lots. Especially if there’s a body shop and,or mechanic shop attached to them. Even knowing what to look for it can be hard to really know the condition without taking stuff apart.
Toyota appliance drivers maintain them exactly like mopar owners. Zero maintenance. Toyotas are more resilient to it than mopars. They fail eventually too.
We have a 13 like that. The rear head cracked under warranty. The dealer told us then that the rear head cracking on the 200s was fairly common. Why who knows.
It's a shame that the customer is gonna have to do battle with the used car lot. Write down that VIN - You'll be seeing that one again when they sell it to the next suckah! Excellent troubleshooting and clearly the right diagnosis.
Yeah, I wonder how many times they've re-sold that same car after it has the same issues LOL. Lots of car lots where I live are shady like this...oh that's gonna be expensive to fix, here we will just swap cars with you and get rid of this one that isn't working....wash, wax, put it back on the lot for the next person to get ripped off with. They don't fix anything, they just resell the vehicle, eventually it ends up in one of several pick a part yards, or auctioned off, or both LOL.
I've always hated when they came in after multiple overheats. Was the head gasket the original problem, or did they warp the head by playing parts cannon?
I would guess that most of the time when a car burns a gasket, it's in the hands of a human. Many people who drive a car on a daily basis, don't give two shits about any tempture gauges
@@mercer982 I have recurring nightmares about driving cars that overheat. I've always taken any car I've owned with a nudging gauge straight to a shop. It's a pathological fear. No blown gaskets, though.
Hey great video as always! I've watched you for years. I had a Ford Explorer which gave me the same type of symptoms. Never got it fixed sold to the car junkyard. Parts cannon too.
So got to be best video you have published for years. Yup a "piece of junk", haha what I say everytime I work on a car. "16 psi cap, feels like 15.8 so that's good", just too good, I love it. I do that to my grandkids all the time, they think it is real. :)
'Life's savage' we all have them days Eric. And it's no point going away to evaluate your life choices because deep down, we love it. Great video again though.
i have a jeep sitting in my yard with the 3.8l, i havent seen any bubbles but there is always pressure in the cooling system, the thing can sit all winter and when you take the radiator cap off there will be some pressure in it. edit, just checked it and it was not under pressure this time.
My father in law runs around town in a 2004 Wrangler. Waiting in a long line of cars for something, he had two simultaneous failures that led to an exciting third. Bad coolant temp sensor caused it to fail to turn the fan on.... and a bad radiator cap failed to vent when the coolant overheated. Unfortunately, the weakest link pressure-wise turned out to be the top rail of the radiator, which blew apart with one hell of a bang.
Lol! A friend of mine has a Hemi Ram pickup that needs a few studs and the manifold gaskets replaced. The dealer quoted $800 per side so he asked what I'd charge. I said $1200 per side. He immediately understood that I didn't want to mess with it!
Been watching your videos for a long time. Used to be a diesel mechanic. A lot different from gas. You are a thinker. Very good at your job. Probably never going to happen but I would like to talk to you sometimes.
I had a thermostat stick open on a 2.8L chevy V6 during my university days while driving from Rochester, NY to Buffalo, NY in January when it was 10 degrees outside. My girlfriend and I almost froze to death on the Thruway. We used a ton of gas too. At least it was just the thermostat, which I replaced in the same 10 degree weather because I did not have access to a garage. That 2.8L motor was pretty good, only needing a water pump and MAF while I owned it. Sold it at 125k and it was still working great. I wanted an F-150.
I had the same thing.... Thermostat stuck open on a 16f day. Had to drive 2 hours to drop my girlfriend off at college and it was a frigid trip on the highway. It was a relief getting into traffic in town when heat came back. I was too young to think about putting cardboard over the radiator... But it was blocked anyways and impossible to get to.
Hey Eric, i enjoy your videos. Maybe when you test drive "the junk" take a battery jump start charger with you... Just a thought. Keep the videos coming.
So I'll ask: When you know the customer is gonna get screwed on the purchase or repair by the Lemon Lot, do you inform them of what needs to be done correctly and what the other shop will do? I can see both sides of this answer being correct.
Great job explaining the whole scenario. And showing how you reached the conclusion. I have a Chrysler PT Cruiser that has a lot of those symptoms. The crazy thing is that I had the head rebuilt and surfaced and checked the deck of the block to insure it was in within spec before installing it and it still has symptoms. Must have a crack in the block that I couldn’t see with my eyes. Or a crack in the head that the machinist couldn’t find. I’m certain that he pressurized the head before he did any surfacing or valve job.
Geo Stanley, those PT Cruisers have a two speed fan!….during front end body repair the mechanic incorrectly installed a single speed fan and cooked the motor!
@@RobertSmith-nm5vj there is no speed on the motor… the fan relay spins the fan at two speeds🥕. First speed is predominantly when the AC is on. Second speed is to cool the engine when it reaches the threshold in the pcm
@@goclunker I meant cooking the engine not motor on the fan?….a mechanic installed a single speed fan on my son-in-law’s PT Cruiser during front end repairs and cooked the turbo charged engine….had nothing to do with A/C……a new two speed fan properly connected to relays kept the engine temperature within proper range.
The rare video of him not chasing broken wires.
Don’t forget the “crustiest” too!
Could be exhausting.
Previous video he chased nothing at all… sorry Eric, damn euro cars 😂😂😂
It's a Chrysler, there is one. Just not relevant to the immediate problem.
I know right?
My dad's a Chrysler master tech, and hes made a lot of money doing heads and cams and oil coolers on these pentastars. Work for Chrysler and you won't ever be short of work! But hearing the stories day in and day out about working conditions at the dealerships made me choose to become an electrician as my career, and I drive a beat up chevy truck that i can fix myself in the driveway instead of something newer. Awesome video, Eric
The way they designed that oil cooler is absurd. This past winter we had 4 different styles of replacement coolers on the shelf. Some prefer metal some prefer factory and some really don't care. One week in January we did four.
@@Troy_Built I know the oil cooler issue is prevalent on the 3.5l but is it also an issue on the 3.6l?
@@Erated78 I've never seen it happen on a 3.5. The 3.6 is the one we see by far the most.
he's made
@@Troy_Built thanks Troy - from what I’ve researched, the 3.5 has an oil cooler where rad coolant runs through oil filter housing. This causes blockages and causes intermittent heat loss. An easy fix but a pain nonetheless lol
Any young man thinking of being a mechanic should watch your videos.
You are an excellent teacher
I did. Been watching from 2015 and have been wrenching since 2017.
As a former middle school teacher - one who had previous experience with all things Kiekhaefer Mercury, Homelite outboards and chainsaws, on and on…..
I do agree with MarioCrayola71
You outta think about some disinterested youth who’d benefit mightily…
Definitely a great teacher and I don't tire of the similar videos (like he's (Eric) often concerned about 'just another brake video'). I think they're incredibly helpful and each vehicle, for the lay-person, has little subtle tricks and differences that when he imparts that knowledge a true god-send in helping others.
Or young lady. I worked with a single mum mechanic, she loved her job, she was amazing mechanic.
I've always thought a auto tech teacher should show the students at least 1 of these a week about different topics. good way to relax and learn!
10:31 “16psi cap, (squeezes it) feels like 15.8 so that’s good” - Eric, gotta love moments like this
Yeah, like Rainman Ray with his "eyechrometer" :-)
I was working on a 4-Runner, similar symptoms. With a 5-gas analyzer, I showed the customer 1600 ppm HC at the radiator cap and only 50 ppm at the exhaust. He said that his neighbor said it was a water pump and that I Was just trying to rip him off with head gaskets. On my way home I saw the vehicle in the side of the road. Oh well…
So, did you rip him off at the end? 😅
Karma
Did hos neighbor by him a new engine ?
@CraigGrant-sh3in I bet his neighbor tried to swap the water pump and it still didn't fix the headgasket problem.
Car for sale. Very low exhaust emissions. Brand new water pump. Price firm. I know what I got. 😏
Good One, Eric.
As a 65 yo shade tree mechanic, watching your videos teaches me different nuances to fixing cars. Interesting that one should rev the engine to get the pressure up to sense combustion gases. (Scotty didn't mention this!)
Good teamwork with your brother and Mrs. O having your back. 👍
Kilmer? That man is useless and a fraud. Eric is the way.
The second you can't squeeze the radiator hose when the engine is running and bubbles in the overflow is a dead give away.
It's got leather and heated seats so you can be comfortable while waiting for the tow truck.
leather in cars is gross lol. too hot
@@AndyMcBlane I have leather seats in my car and unless the sun is shining in directly, they are not too bad, but can be a tad cold during the winter for a few minutes though. I like leather seats however.
If the battery is dead u can't use heated seats😂.
Gotta wait in cold.
Corinthian Leather
My current Caravan is the first vehicle I’ve owned that has leather seats. Much prefer fabric…leather is hot in summer, cold in winter, takes forever for the heated seat to warm up. Leather reminds me of the vinyl seats in the 80’s.
Cynical and realistic are brothers. Great diagnosis as always Eric. Be well.
20:10 " I'm just going to wait and think about my life choices of being a mechanic ".
Brother, I feel your pain.
One of the things that I love about your videos is that you dont throw the ASE certified mechanic stuff under everyone's throat. We all KNOW your a master mechanic and there's NOTHING you can't fix. Your like Andy Taylor the sheriff without a gun! I always love your videos and can't wait till the next one.
Your wrong he’s got a gun or many
Eric is not ASE certified, as it doesn't matter. I've seen ASE techs who can't open a bag of Cheetos 😔
If you go to Wilberts, take the radiator cap and see if they have a car that fits it!
Jack up the radiator cap and drive a new car underneath it.........
I have had a few head gasket issues that would not present driving around town. Give it back to customer and tell ‘em its ok. The freeway trip is the touchstone. Great info on the heater core involvement. Very fine educational video on difficult to detect head gasket.
"16 psi cap, feels like 15.8 so that's good".
It's handy having the right pressure testing tools at hand when you are doing this type of job.
I love it when you do and say things like that Eric 🤣 You always put a smile on my face 😄
Yes. Was about to comment about the "handcrometer". Never heard of it before. Know of the "eyecrometer" instead of the micrometer, but handcrometer is next level. Retired mechanic/machinist in Land Down Under.
That lifter tick is insane. I would love the see the cam shaft R&R and lifter replacement. Or and engine R&R
I've never seen him do one, it's pretty easy, just time consuming. Lots of vids from other guys on YT, That's how I learned how to do it. That tick is an easy fix, unfortunately it will probably fixed by some hack or just resold as-is. Just going to get worse.
Marvel Mystery Oil is my go to for sticky lifters. Does this one have hydraulic lifters?
@@SempreGumby DOHC engine, with VVT. Being a Pentastar, swap the lifters, and cams. Swap the VVT solenoids as they will go within another year.
I’d love to know the valve lash measurement!
@@SempreGumby MMO isn’t going to fix a wiped cam lobe.
Too bad the customer didn’t let you know about the stalling thing before you took it for a drive. You could have at least brought a jump box with.
Thinking the exact same thing… it’s like going to the doctor and not telling them ALL the issues, and expecting them to give you the right diagnosis
Always carry a Jump Box when test driving a Junk Box!
The problem is electronic, not the battery. I got a Pacifica, does the same thing. Something in the system just decides its nap time. Usually 25 minutes , fires right off. Gave up on fixing after looking at replacement of engine control computer. Now it is growing moss and housing squirrels.
First and last Chrysler i ever bought. Thank the gods it was REAL cheap used.
Customer doesn't have time to list all things wrong with a Chrysler 200. Lol.
getting info from the customer can be a double edged sword.. sometimes they minimize things, thinking they will get a lower repair bill for some reason..
Eric O is the Man, this brother can "lay it down" when it comes to figuring things out, awesome job my brother 😎👍🏾
2:36 Sounds like a vintage news room full of teletype machines!
"Click click click goes the Chrysler"
Awesome video! I really could have used it about 2 months ago. The customer "my son" brought his Equinox to 2 different GM dealers. The first put in a thermostat, the second wrote an estimate for pretty much everything. Water pump, intake manifold, spark plugs, serpentine belt and head gaskets at $3,500. It was the head gasket. You're still the best on the World Wide Web!
A friend of mine back from Vietnam told me while there the phrase was, “Cheer up, things could get worse.”
“So we cheered up and sure enough, things got worse!”😵💫😎🤜🤛
I've said that oh so many times ..........
Great video.
As a heavy diesel mechanic. We see this often. I always find putting a clear line depending where you can tap it into the system. Never lets me down. You can see the air very clear in the line e.g combustion gas or if the water pump is pumping.
Never a dull moment at SMA.
Great video. It's a gd shame that the customer has a car from a disreputable dealer. But I loved that you were doggedly determined, as usual to get that definitive cause, piece of mind for you and your customers.
Eric, I am sure you know the rule of last touch, anything that breaks is the fault of the one who touched it last😂
I took auto mechanics my 11th and 12th grade year and i have still learned quite a bit from watching you and Ray. There a still something's that i don't feel comfortable doing but i can do most of the major repairs myself
I’ve never seen a flat bed like that. Freaking sweet. Mowers are mighty. I would make a rule to always have the jump box on highway burns. I feel like when I watch SMA, it’s like going to your fav class back in school. Always learn cool shit and almost always entertained ( not the break down part).
Luv me sum SMA
27:48 I totally take you at face value!! It’s crazy how the Internet needs so much coddling.
From one mechanic to another, thank you for what you do!
Eric, your the best. Love your stories and when you question about being a mechanic. Great diag analysis. Learned a ton about head gasket leak effects on the system. Too funny about the buy here/pay here fix. They will probably dump in head gasket sealer to the cooling system and out she goes. Keep em coming. Always love when you mash it, especially up that hill past the cemetery, your waking every BODY up.
*You’re, not your.
@@jumpinjojo Indeed, no hate porkchop.
Your = something that belongs to you.
You're = you are... the best.
you're the best
I think they may have already dumped sealer in it. the intermiitent circulation thru the heater core when u give it the beans may be a clue. I wonder if tightening down the head bolts a bit would stop the leak.
Good analysis and commentary on the 'buy here-pay here' lots. They really have no scruples. Good video.
Four or five gas analyzers are great until the tech sticks the wand into the coolant😂. Thanks for the video Eric.
Picoscope with pressure pulse sensor or pressure trabnsducer in the cooling system (and any sync signal of the engine) would have been interesting. Not that it really matters which cylinder is leaking when an engine replacement is the solution, but being able to see one specific cylinder putting pressure in the cooling system really hammers the nail into the coffin.
Yeah I've made a couple videos doing that in the past. It's always very great test
"Better coffins always use screws, best use screws and glue, I routinely use screws and glue."
My Cousin Vinny
( unused lines from Mona Lisa Vito's courtroom scene)
sometimes you can pull the spark plugs when cold not HOT , you could rip the threads in the head if the engine is hot ,, pull plugs hope they were not just changed and the plug that is clean or cleaner then the rest could be your bad cyl ..
That's hilarious. This is almost the exact scenario I had with that Encore last week, except for the tow part. XD
I feel your pain brother.....it does get old working on the junk sometimes...but it does pay your bills (maybe?)
As the official bearing aficionado of this channel, we need more bearing videos!
@gormenfreeman499 ummm....ok
Good job. Yes we have skunks all over, that sell things that should not be sold!!!! Great overview, to teach us what really goes along the trouble shooting on overheating issue. Thanks.
I love it when customers dont tell u every thing. appreciate u on u tube !!!!!!!!!! GOD BLESS
It's always nice to know you can depend on your quality Chrysler product. The quality and engineering is overwhelming on this one
While chryslers are… well… an car, 90% of them fail from zero maintenance. How you care for it is what youll have
@@goclunker That goes back to the old saying "any car will last as long as you take care of it", which is 100% wrong. Some cars have built-in faults that no amount of maintenance can overcome.
The worst thing to ever happen to Chrysler? Lee Iacocca!
@@johnhegarty1761 No way. If it wasn't for Iacocca, Chrysler wouldn't be here today---he saved them from bankruptcy. First the K car and then the minivans turned Chrysler around
Awsome diag Eric o!! U should advise the customer that he should have his next car checked out by you before paying the scam dealers. Dealers like those make people life miserable.
you did a great job. ive gone thru the same thing .had a 88 jeep cherokee felt your pain be safe
Great mechanic shops thrive from bad ones....🎯
Great diagnosis Eric! You always know how to solve problems! I commend you on your expertise!
I like your version of walking better than my version. You're just better all around.
I felt that “gonna wait and think about my life choices of being a mechanic” - Eric O 😂😂😂 as I’m also having a hard day fixing peoples junk
That block test is kind of like a flu test-If it's positive you have a problem but if it's negative you may still have a problem. Sucks on one bank, but airing up the cylinders and looking for bubbles/coolant level surge always tells the truth.
I don't know, but ripping the intake to get to the rear bank isn't worth it if the customer has a car lot warranty.
@@Discretesignals Yeah, but the intake on that one covers the front bank and not the rear.
How do you do this?... One cylinder at time through the sparkplug hole? You can only do that when the valves are closed right?
@@frankish5314 yes, one cylinder at a time with the piston at tdc. Seen another way by using a pressure transducer piped into an adapter that you can screw in place of a radiator cap. With a scope sync on one of the cylinders you can see which cylinder may be pumping gas into the cooling system via the waveform. Super Mario has a vid about it.
@@Discretesignals Good to know.. Thankyou.
Great diagnosis and job well done!👍💯
Another good video. Yes, there are a good few unscrupulous people in the motor trade. Good job there’s people like us about!!
I believe what you say is true and watching you work makes me and should make you proud of the fact you’re not a parts changer and want to fix the problems correctly and not put a bandaid on the problem.
I say Way To Go.
one of the guys I work with has a promaster that did exactly what this card just did when you hit the pedal to the plastic. It most certainly has a blown head gasket, the computer is detecting that it is getting low compression on one of the cylinders when you go full throttle, and it is cutting the throttle to prevent any more damage. This condition doesn't appear when you aren't hammering on it, because it's not actually looking or able to compare statistical data that it knows to the actual data it's receiving. That comparison only occurs at Full Throttle, and with a head gasket leak the compression in one of those back three cylinders is much lower, thus resulting in under-performance of what is expected.
So the computer chose to cut off the engine entirely? If so, the computer saved the engine from complete destruction.
My sister in law bought a Chrysler 200 brand new and did not ask anyone about her choice. Would have told her not to buy any Chrysler product if she asked. Did not say anything negative to her about her purchase….. but she is learning the hard way with every repair bill !
Being a Chrysler product it's odd the trans hasn't fried along with the head gasket but that may happen with the next unfortunate owner😂 good video Eric.
the transmissions are stupid reliable, german built.
"If I can do it you can do it". The only fib I ever heard on this channel. Thank you for the excellent video.
At least the frame of the car looked solid. He has that going for him.
I apologize Eric. When you went pedal to the medal and she quit i fell a sleep lol. Keep up the good work and keep them videos coming. I've learned a lot by your experience.
This reminds me of the head gasket job I did on my moms Cadillac northstar what a nightmare that was.
I like how your hands work, always were they need to be. Been a mekanik since 1978 mightve learned a few things . Makes me feel good to see we pretty much have the same tools. You are better mech than me which is OK cuz I'm good you're the best.
Nice video Eric. Though most of us watching are not mechanics, most have had a number of days like that.
Wow! Reminded me of my high school days and a blown head gasket. Same symptoms. You have the patience of Jobe. Thanks for the used car dealer education at the end. That 3.6 sounded like a diesel.
I had a 2019 Encore in last week. I had to drive it 40 miles to get it to overheat. It passed a block test before the test drive, but definitely failed after. Luckily it did not overheat to the point of leaving me stranded.
Do those have the little turbo engines that the block cracks? or is it just head gasket on those? You'd think after building ICE engines for over 100 years they wouldn't have head gasket issues anymore, at least not on a 2019 model.
@@kennygee2715 I leaned more toward a cracked head, since it took 40 miles of driving to get it to show up on a block test. A blown gasket would show up a lot sooner than that.
I feel your pain Eric. I owned a 1984 Chrysler Laser Turbo back in the day and I lost track of how many times that pig overheated on the highway, I remember doing the same thing waiting for a tow truck, Sitting there thinking about the choices I've made and vowing never to buy another Chrysler product again. Here it is almost 40 years later and that's a choice I've never regretted after buying Toyota products.
My best friend in High School, back in 1986, had that same car!
@@brianburns7211 Wow, you know my personal issues with that car ( brand new off the lot) Let me list them for you 1984 - Head gasket went twice ( towed twice), ECM stopped working ( replaced) , water pump seized up (towed and replaced) , passenger window power belt broke. 1985 - gas tank developed leak, replaced tank, Head gasket blown for 3rd time ( highway towed) , Alternator blew up on highway ( towed) ,1986 - Turbo blew on highway ( towed) right side CV joint failed ( replaced) , End cap blown off radiator ( towed) , Chrysler replaced radiator , new radiator lasted 7 minutes and end cap blew off again( towed back to shop) , 1987 - Driver window power belt broke ( replaced ) , Catalytic converter caught fire at a gas station ( thankfully it was raining) . Overheating issue warning from voice interface started, Thermostat changed , Radiator changed , core changed, heating issues continued , ECM changed again to rectify intermittent warnings, 1988- Engine finally failed at 107,000 Kilometers. 27K outside of warranty. Purchased a 1990 Toyota Tercel and drove it for 495,000 Kilometers and other than routine maintenance only had to replace gooseneck for gas tank, wonder why Scotty is right.
That’s user error. You had it fail so many times and you didn’t do anything about it. Funny, my dodge grand caravan almost overheated once, because the fan relay was dead. Replaced the relay, never got close to overheating again. This is why you got a toyota, its more resilient to zero maintenance, but it will still come and get you.
Infact I think a Toyota Appliance is the perfect vehicle for you. Remember, inanimate objects didn’t jump infront or behind you, YOU drove into them.
@@goclunker I wouldn't call spending thousands of dollars ( in the 80's) in repairs and " maintenance" doing nothing about it, However listening to the last mechanic I took this POS to when it finally died he said the 2.2 L Mitsubishi engines were prone to overheat due to insufficient coolant flow to the engine from undersized hosing and radiators, especially with the Turbos, It's good that you had a relay issue , Mine however still had upper and lower fan speeds operating until it died, One of the few parts that were actually still working on it, But I must say the tranny was solid.
Can you charge for the diagnosis?
Great content, showing warts and all 👍 that’s why we love SMA
Nothing is free...his time is what you pay.
So glad to hear you say “ if it has electronics then you can’t really beat on it”.
Thank God you saved me. I was wasting my time on whistling Diesel’s General lee video
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
😂😂😂😂😂
Mr. O You handled Yourself very Masterly.
Another quick and dirty way to test for excessive pressure and possibly a week cap is connect your coolant pressure tester the vehicle and take it for a short drive.
Every day I watch You videos alone. Something new about walking on vehicles. That I never even I will talk about doing. Thanks to you, I know how to walk on vehicles. Even better than I ever have Avoca vehicles with my father's since I was like, 2 or 3 years old.and I am 33 new
Also if you want to confirm you didn't get antifreeze in your tester turning the fluid yellow, you can pump clean fresh air thru the fluid and it'll turn back blue again.
Thank you Mrs. O for giving him all of the hard times for breaking that car, that I would've given him!
🤣👍
(All that matters is that it's running at the end of the day)
🥳🙃
I bought my Avalon from one of those "questionable" small dealerships about 2 years ago when getting used cars was kind of difficult. I looked it over but it was my first Toyota so I wasn't all that knowledgeable about what to look for. The fluids were clean, car needed an alignment and the oil light kind of flickered at stop lights. Car ran pretty smooth otherwise. I drove it home and immediately changed the oil, everything looked "too clean" to me for some reason. The oil came out completely black and sludgy, not like the pure gold on the dipstick. I also saw some metallic flakes in it. After long drives, the next time i started it, a large cloud of smoke would come out the tailpipe. Turns out, they dropped the oil pan, cleaned out the sludge with a scraper, changed the valve cover gaskets and changed the oil to sell it. I pulled the valve covers and they were full of hard black solid carbon that used to be sludge. It was everywhere, in the heads, on the cams, in the oil valleys and in the block. Some parts of the head hadn't seen fresh oil for thousands of miles and when I removed the intake, liquid oil poured out of it. A few months ago the death rattle started and I heard the rod knock. While I was waiting for this dude to show up to his "dealership" so I could get the plates, another guy who was also waiting told me the Jeep he bought accelerated by itself at random inconvenient times. This guy buys cars at auction out of town, polishes them up and sells them at a reasonable price but at a cost of your sanity. Beware of problem years, always check the year of your car for common problems because certain years will be prone to problems they fixed in later years.
There are quite a few "fly by night" used car dealers in my area but, there is one that actually backs up what he sells. I once bought a Ford Bronco II there that kept spitting out the rear U-joint. After the 3rd time, the owner took it back and credited everything I'd paid towards an F-150 4×4. They then used it as a shop truck and had the same issue 2 more times. A few payments on the F-150 later, the Bronco II was back on the lot. It turned out that the rear yoke had a small crack right next to one of the bolt holes for the U-joint straps. The crack would open up under acceleration and allow the U-joint cap to "walk" slightly each time. They fixed it for me every time though and it took sending the driveshaft to a machine shop to be magna fluxed to actually find the problem. Other than that issue, it was a nice, clean little truck. A coworker of mine actually bought and drove it for several years with nothing more than regular maintenance. I never had any issues with the F-150 either so I was happy.
Just thought I'd share this because, while there are definitely a lot of junk dealers out there, there are also a few good ones. I still buy vehicles from that dealer now.
That’s pretty common for small used car lots. Especially if there’s a body shop and,or mechanic shop attached to them.
Even knowing what to look for it can be hard to really know the condition without taking stuff apart.
Toyota appliance drivers maintain them exactly like mopar owners. Zero maintenance. Toyotas are more resilient to it than mopars. They fail eventually too.
Eric that was a fancy tow truck you had love watching your Channel
I'm amazed how many vehicles we've had towed in broken down non starters that miraculously get "fixed" on the back of the recovery truck 😂😅😅
Classic fuel pump symptoms.
I had two Chryslers that did that an 08 and a 13 Town and Country, many thousands of dollars later,,,,,, we drive Toyotas now😅😊. TUNDRA TIME
Happened to me
It's like feeling real bad and going to the doctor and feeling better in the waiting room.
very useful video for the DIY guy..
We have a 13 like that. The rear head cracked under warranty. The dealer told us then that the rear head cracking on the 200s was fairly common. Why who knows.
A man with experience around car deals, and determination to find Proof in the Pudding.
my hat is off to you SIR. will listen to you any time any Day.
It's a shame that the customer is gonna have to do battle with the used car lot. Write down that VIN - You'll be seeing that one again when they sell it to the next suckah! Excellent troubleshooting and clearly the right diagnosis.
Yeah, I wonder how many times they've re-sold that same car after it has the same issues LOL. Lots of car lots where I live are shady like this...oh that's gonna be expensive to fix, here we will just swap cars with you and get rid of this one that isn't working....wash, wax, put it back on the lot for the next person to get ripped off with. They don't fix anything, they just resell the vehicle, eventually it ends up in one of several pick a part yards, or auctioned off, or both LOL.
One of the best SMA videos of all time...and that's saying something!!!
Eric truly seems like a guy you could sit down and drink a beer with
Or go hunting or wheeling with.
towed in? How in the world did that happen.. Thank goodness Ms O was there to get it back in the shop. ouch! Love the channel!
I've always hated when they came in after multiple overheats. Was the head gasket the original problem, or did they warp the head by playing parts cannon?
I would guess that most of the time when a car burns a gasket, it's in the hands of a human. Many people who drive a car on a daily basis, don't give two shits about any tempture gauges
@@mercer982 I have recurring nightmares about driving cars that overheat. I've always taken any car I've owned with a nudging gauge straight to a shop. It's a pathological fear. No blown gaskets, though.
Early 3.6L pentastar are notorious for cracked heads. Some were replaced in warranty.
Hey great video as always! I've watched you for years. I had a Ford Explorer which gave me the same type of symptoms. Never got it fixed sold to the car junkyard. Parts cannon too.
Sorry about that customers luck. Those car dealers make customers skeptical of all mechanics.
So got to be best video you have published for years. Yup a "piece of junk", haha what I say everytime I work on a car. "16 psi cap, feels like 15.8 so that's good", just too good, I love it. I do that to my grandkids all the time, they think it is real. :)
Let’s see how many times you get that car back with a different owner every time 😂😂
Hahaha
'Life's savage' we all have them days Eric. And it's no point going away to evaluate your life choices because deep down, we love it. Great video again though.
i have a jeep sitting in my yard with the 3.8l, i havent seen any bubbles but there is always pressure in the cooling system, the thing can sit all winter and when you take the radiator cap off there will be some pressure in it. edit, just checked it and it was not under pressure this time.
FIXED IT!!
My father in law runs around town in a 2004 Wrangler. Waiting in a long line of cars for something, he had two simultaneous failures that led to an exciting third. Bad coolant temp sensor caused it to fail to turn the fan on.... and a bad radiator cap failed to vent when the coolant overheated. Unfortunately, the weakest link pressure-wise turned out to be the top rail of the radiator, which blew apart with one hell of a bang.
Heck of a way to diagnose a bad battery 😮Do hope y'all have a great day but it already started wrong,I'm sorry 😐
Just recently discovered your UA-cam page and your video's are great and they make me laugh. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Contemplating life decisions as a mechanic man thats the truth as i was doing 5.4 exhaust manifolds/studs last night 😂
Lol! A friend of mine has a Hemi Ram pickup that needs a few studs and the manifold gaskets replaced. The dealer quoted $800 per side so he asked what I'd charge. I said $1200 per side. He immediately understood that I didn't want to mess with it!
Been watching your videos for a long time. Used to be a diesel mechanic. A lot different from gas. You are a thinker. Very good at your job. Probably never going to happen but I would like to talk to you sometimes.
I find it amazing that the Chrysler 200 even exists, and more amazing that some poor suckers actually bought them.
My man
Could be worse.. Could be a dart
Valve train sucks
In a Chrysler 200 everything sucks. It gets worse before it gets worse. The absolute definition of good money after bad
@@BravoSeven Not By Much
Thank you for the lesson of the day Eric O.
I had a thermostat stick open on a 2.8L chevy V6 during my university days while driving from Rochester, NY to Buffalo, NY in January when it was 10 degrees outside. My girlfriend and I almost froze to death on the Thruway. We used a ton of gas too. At least it was just the thermostat, which I replaced in the same 10 degree weather because I did not have access to a garage. That 2.8L motor was pretty good, only needing a water pump and MAF while I owned it. Sold it at 125k and it was still working great. I wanted an F-150.
I had the same thing.... Thermostat stuck open on a 16f day. Had to drive 2 hours to drop my girlfriend off at college and it was a frigid trip on the highway.
It was a relief getting into traffic in town when heat came back.
I was too young to think about putting cardboard over the radiator... But it was blocked anyways and impossible to get to.
My second car was a 1989 Beretta GT with the 2.8. I thought it was fast when I was 17😂
Thanks for that one, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. I did that exact same thing back before cell phones. Memories
Hey Eric, i enjoy your videos. Maybe when you test drive "the junk" take a battery jump start charger with you... Just a thought. Keep the videos coming.
The master at work. Very informative video but highlight for me was seeing the SMA tow truck in use 😂😂😂
So I'll ask: When you know the customer is gonna get screwed on the purchase or repair by the Lemon Lot, do you inform them of what needs to be done correctly and what the other shop will do? I can see both sides of this answer being correct.
Thanks for coming in today Fella 🤙
It's a jungle out there Eric, especially in the used car business. Money first, customer second. Buyer beware! How long will that stop-leak last?
😆you really went back out w/o a jump box. Very informative, superb diag!
Great job explaining the whole scenario. And showing how you reached the conclusion. I have a Chrysler PT Cruiser that has a lot of those symptoms. The crazy thing is that I had the head rebuilt and surfaced and checked the deck of the block to insure it was in within spec before installing it and it still has symptoms. Must have a crack in the block that I couldn’t see with my eyes. Or a crack in the head that the machinist couldn’t find. I’m certain that he pressurized the head before he did any surfacing or valve job.
The problem with pt cruiser is the fan motor slowly going bad rpm's of the cooling fan cut down tricky cuz fan still works but not fast enough
Geo Stanley, those PT Cruisers have a two speed fan!….during front end body repair the mechanic incorrectly installed a single speed fan and cooked the motor!
@@RobertSmith-nm5vj there is no speed on the motor… the fan relay spins the fan at two speeds🥕. First speed is predominantly when the AC is on. Second speed is to cool the engine when it reaches the threshold in the pcm
@@goclunker I meant cooking the engine not motor on the fan?….a mechanic installed a single speed fan on my son-in-law’s PT Cruiser during front end repairs and cooked the turbo charged engine….had nothing to do with A/C……a new two speed fan properly connected to relays kept the engine temperature within proper range.
@@RobertSmith-nm5vj the fan relay controls the speed on a pt.
Call Mrs. O. For a tow !! Love y'all, thank you for all the great videos and God bless the O. Family.