Customer Ready to JUNK This Malibu? (Intermittent REDUCED POWER)

Customer had his 2011 Chevy Malibu towed to PHAD from 4 hours away because his Parts Cannon is OUT OF AMMO!
This Chevy INTERMITTENTLY goes into REDUCED ENGINE POWER limp mode...but I CANNOT recreate the customer complaint...It runs great!
The P0641 - 5V1 Reference Circuit DTC is a big clue...
My gut tells me a harness is rubbed through, but locating the damaged harness is easier said than done!
How do we attack this INTERMITTENT problem in the shop?
THINKTOOL PROS: ***$170 OFF!!***
www.amazon.com/dp/B08XXWHQVJ?...
REFRIGERANT L:EAK DETECTOR:
www.amazon.com/dp/B095S6S6GY?...
Enjoy!
Ivan

[@thejoneseys]

Really admire your patience having to repair the car before you could even start 🤦🏻‍♀️ At least it had fuel in the tank 😂 Awesome work as usual 👌🏻

[@vernowen2083]

Ivan, I have a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Sahara. It was suffering from stalling under heavy loading yet triggered no codes. I took it to my mechanic and all he could see was the fuel pressure was on the low side and recommended a new fuel pump. I was watching Eric O working on a same year and model Jeep and his problem was a bad ground. This led me to go looking for the ground on my fuel pump. As Eric O would put it, it was a green puss sack. Repaired the ground and now there is full fuel pressure, and it no longer stalls under heavy loading.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

No Parts Required!

[@wendwllhickey6426]

Some people should not try to work on there car cause they have no idea what the hell there doing 😂

[@chrisstoddard1144]

@@wendwllhickey6426 their---they're

[@pingpong9656]

Ivan - you deserve a 2 post lift. Still amazes me how much get done without it, and it actually makes you very relatable for people working on their own cars.

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

I definitely hope he has a larger shop in the future plans. I don't think he would be able to fit a two post in his garage.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

I very rarely need a lift for diagnostics... But yes a slightly bigger building would be nice 😉

[@lvsqcsl]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics I am always amazed at how much you get done. I think shops are nice, however, you seem to get along just fine.

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

@@lvsqcsl remember where he came from.

[@davidnull5590]

@@dans_Learning_Curve " remember where he came from." Cornell University in Ithaca New York. Where were you thinking?

[@kennethhetrick5458]

Did anyone else notice the green crusties on that front ground wire in the engine bay?

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

That's normal for salty states haha

[@jerryking2418]

Another brilliant diagnostic. You are becoming the Guru when it comes to fixing cars.

[@Law_Abiding_Citizen_ok]

Wow, what is going on with that ABS unit😳

[@mikefoehr235]

That fuel leak should be addressed. That is a fire hazard and expensive to have fuel leaking away. Great video to watch.

[@northernpatriot9078]

Thats. Why i watch you ivan i want to be the tech people will tow there car from four hours away becuase they know or heard of your skill level good job

[@shawningler]

Good Job, I have had a hand full of those FTP sensors over the years at GM bringing the 5v down also and that A pillar connector having water intrusion causing APP issues especially caddy's! Visual inspection is always the best tool in the box for finding wiring issues. Now wait for the rotten pump retainer to kick a P0455 ! "Ever since you fixed my car I have a CEL and evap codes!!! "

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Oh it smelled like gas and P0455 popped up right away :)

[@shawningler]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics time for a lift my friend for those jobs, you will regret it when your my age! Hopefully the tangs that hold the lock ring aren't little rusty useless nubs lol. I don't miss the rust belt. I escaped to the south west for an down hill ride of a technician.

[@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT]

Great diagnostic, Ivan! Intermittent shorts can be frustrating and very time consuming, while the repairs are usually simple (after spending hours looking for the contact point). And the car was not even street legal, to make the necessary tests... Kudos to your patience and determination! Crazy problem with the AC system (who forgets refrigerant seals?), but the whole car seems to have been exposed to sloppy works all over. Great job solving that too!

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

Just think about where you started! Working with Keith for what was it, a week? We've seen lots of struggles. You have probably had a lot more than you've shown. *RESPECT!*

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Life would be boring without struggles... And without struggles there would be no rewards! 😉

[@drewv1785]

Yay! The Malibu lives to die another day! With air conditioning too! Nice job Ivan!

[@Sandmansa]

You have the patience of a saint and the determination of a hungry bear Ivan. Then again, you don't have to worry about the hustle and bustle of a busy shop environment either. No distractions. I also know the pain of having to chase an intermittent problem that doesn't show up for me on my test drives. But nice find though. That could have been very easily overlooked.

[@dereks.6783]

Being a car from Philadelphia, it's not surprising that the turn signals and headlights don't work. We have a Police force that's not allowed to pull people over for inspection issues anymore. You can have expired inspection and emission stickers and the Police can't pull you over because it is believed that it is racial profiling (it's actually called The Driving Equity Law). There are thousands of cars driving around Philly that haven't been inspected in years and are so unsafe. Ivan was so worried about taking that car on the road without turn signals and headlights but if you were in Philly you'd have no worries. It's insane! You can see that the Owner never even mentions the turn signals or lights. It's hilarious. Great work Ivan!

[@bjr2379]

They are probably uninsured as well. What a shame.

[@TonyRule]

3.6L... it's an LY7. Send it to the crusher! They're ticking timebombs anyway.

[@billsmith2212]

Great patience and detective work . Unfortunately , whenever the " wrong hands " touch anything , it only makes things more difficult . In addition to garbage parts , wrong parts , items not programmed , etc. Most wire harnesses are extremely tight . They can easily be disturbed by BIG HANDS and HACKS . Obviously , when mounts wear or items are " rerouted " by EXPERTS , the damage begins .

[@aciddiver1978]

I bought myself a 2013 1.6 115hp opel mokka, no turbo, no gdi, no electric handbrake, no led headlights. An oldschool car that is possible to repair without getting ruined. Im keeping it as long as i can. Dont want the newer money pits.

[@tomtom1541]

Funny enough those got exported as a Holden Trax, which is considered a lemon over here. You'll still need a GM tech2 scan tool if you actually need to diag anything on the car though.

[@rjedro]

A day without a PHD video is like a day without sunshine. You are the best, Ivan!

[@kerrylewis2581]

Another "Happy Last Resort Customer". I'm glad things worked out for Mr. Philly

[@austenj4539]

"Heat, vibration and ... partial rodent knawing." The triple whammy considerations to under the hood wire exposure.

[@DaveSender66]

GM has known that there are wiring harness issues in those cars for many years and they've done nothing about it. Nice find Ivan!!! Someone will be back in that engine bay fixing more wiring related issues before the customer is done with the vehicle.

[@daytonpyro]

ALL my wire loom stuff turned to dust lol. do all cars do this?

[@DaveSender66]

@@daytonpyro for some reason lots of issues with wiring and wire loom in Chevy Malibu model cars.

[@mattbrown5511]

I thought it was common sense to make sure the vehicle was road worth before sending it in for repairs, or to let the shop know it would need to be brought up to that point. Another great job by Ivan to save a problem vehicle from the junkyard.

[@topher8634]

It's common sense but a lot of the time someone will dump their car on you with either a dead battery or it will be out of fuel...or both. I had a customer drop a Toyota Avalon off for A/C repair. After replacing a defective compressor I took for a test drive and discovered the transmission would hardly pull the car. I called the customer to inform and was surprised when he said he was aware and is gonna address that issue next.

[@ronaldshank736]

​@@topher8634At least he was honest about it, some will try blame you, 😂

[@topher8634]

@@ronaldshank736 I was worried he might.

[@meanodustino9563]

Same goes for HAVE GAS IN IT. So many have it on E and I’m not getting stranded. Sorry.🤷‍♂️

[@Vincent_Sullivan]

@@topher8634 Fix the AC first and fix the transmission later???? Crazy!!

[@toshayonguard4253]

Now deal with the leaking brake lines at the ABS module and the leaking fuel tank…..They are both Safety issue’s. 😳🤘🏼🇺🇸

[@bcredeur97]

Someone needs to start something where there's a good resource for finding mechanics who are extremely thorough like you. It's really needed these days. So many shops just throwing parts at stuff, lol.

[@mph5896]

Customers do not want to pay for the time it takes to be thorough. Most aren’t willing to pay for an all day of diagnosis.

[@jeffco908]

@@mph5896 Agreed. Cant remember how many times i have had a vehicle in that has had thousands of dollars spent trying to solve an issue and wont approve more than 1 hour of time. Then really get mind blown when a couple of them say the other shops only charged 1 hour to diagnose 🤔🤔the issue. HUH?

[@tph318]

We had a 2010 Malibu. Gotta love pulling the bumper cover to change bulbs.

[@mph5896]

A lot more cars are doing that today👎

[@Micko350]

Yes when I change a Coolant Reservoir & Engine Mount it fixes my "Reduced Power" every single time! 😅

[@cullenmiller8170]

Nice video and diagnosis. Wiring problems can be very time consuming to find. The worst I had was a 180 ton Demag truck crane. I spent four days chasing wires and testing a no shift condition on a 16 Speed ZF electronic power shift set up.

[@christophermurphy943]

I can relate. Vibration and dirt are EVEN bigger problems on construction equipment. If split loom harnesses are used, the edges of the split loom, with the help of the dirt and vibration , act like teeth and wear into the wires. AND, the only way to find the damage is to remove clamps and remove the split loom.

[@markcollins457]

You do a stellar job with a hand full of very well chosen tools. The old expression "GO WITH WHAT YOU KNOW" ls living well in you humble shop. You have tweeked my knowledge on many things under the hood, and I always like to learn somthing new and your a good teacher!😊

[@edwardlawrence6250]

I had a very similar problem with my daughter’s 2011 Malibu with the 2.4 engine a few years ago. The local dealer tried the parts canon for 2 years but could never find the real issue causing the intermittent reduced power. After researching it online, I discovered the only people who seem to fix this issue replaced the faulty battery cables on this car with non-OEM cables and cleaned all 5 grounds. I did the same and it has now been over 2.5 years, the car has run flawlessly without a single reoccurrence. If one cannot find a bare wire or short, this would be another option to try since it has worked for a number of us.

[@michaelmclester5133]

Had intermittent proble.m with my 09 Yukon, 5.3ltr. some days fine, then start again and dash lites go crazy, abs, trac control, no tach no speedo, hunting idle. Changed cam and crank sensors, new battery. Fine for a few days then here we go again. Finally found that a sluggish starter was the problem all along. The computer wasn't seeing a good crank up and everything went nuts. Starter/alt shop rebuilt starter and problem solved. GMC dealer wanted to fire the parts cannon to the tune of $2500 when. All it needed was a starter.

[@russellhltn1396]

Well done! Intermittent problems are the worst kind to try and fix, but you showed how it's done.

[@craiggoodwin9704]

Ivan, I bet your customer really appreciated you getting him to the end of the tunnel. We all hope that care spends the next few years delivering the transportation in which the customer intended when he bought it. Thanks for Sharing!

[@GarnConstructionInc]

You diagnosed a problem and fixed it. Nice job! It was giving you a good run but wasn't able to hide. Bonus cool fix!

[@odorizedramblings4660]

It always amazes me that people know and don't care or are completely oblivious to multiple safety issues with their vehicle.

[@user-my7hv5ld7b]

inspiration and perspiration your persistence is unbelievable great job not just throwing more parts at it

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

When the customer brings a vehicle and says that this is the last resort before the crusher, then failure is not an option! 🙂

[@MichaelJordan-jv6ic]

I do appreciate your patient and methodical approach. In my time in the industry that was always one of my specialties, electrical intermittents. It takes a certain mindset to thrive at that.

[@roxanneabbott8424]

Thank you Ivan for putting the time in these videos for us! I learn so much from you!!!

[@jeffjankiewicz5100]

Your attention to detail is amazing Ivan. Well done Sir. Yes the 2.4 ecotec 4 bangers are junk. My ex has a 2013 Equinox she bought last October. I taught her how to check her oil at every gas purchase, but something just went very wrong. Both VVT solenoids were replaced with OEM ones 2 months ago by me due to a code. Ran fine until I believe the oil pump failed. Known issue ignored by GM. Engine makes a horrible noise, it is now at a stealership(Apple Chevrolet) waiting to see if her car shield policy will replace the engine even though the previous owner was very meticulous with the maintenance. I warned her about auctions, but she did not listen.

[@mph5896]

Timing chain primary tensioner is good to break on them and cause plenty of noise. I have saved plenty of those engines

[@dougdelzer6891]

No just the 2.4s that have direct injection. Yes you do have direct injection!

[@MrCaze28]

@@dougdelzer6891 I agree the non direct injection 2.4s with port injection were known to be pretty good/reliable

[@alward9901]

Enjoyable to watch Ivan . Communication with the customer and another car fit for the road . Good tip make sure your car has the basics to drive for road test 🔧⚒🛠💥👍

[@SinCitySinner]

On my 2011 Chevrolet. All the wiring loom turned to dust within 4 years living in the desert. I replaced it all before an eminent wiring failure. It's still good 8 years later. Harbor Freight loom quality is pretty good. No signs of drying out yet. I'm also impressed that the Malibu didn't have any heat door or air door actuators clicking away. They had to have been replaced before you got it into your shop.

[@Mr2004MCSS]

My daughter has a 2010 Chevy Cobalt and most of her wiring looms had disintegrated. I ended up re-wrapping them and putting more loom on them.

[@richard1835]

Some crooked shops just do not have any limits on greed. Such a waste of money and the customer is still suffering without a vehicle. Your a Godsend to any one needing an honest and fair diagnostic and repair. You should be proud of yourself. I know your customers are proud of you.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

I think it's more often a problem in not caring to perform Quality work vs greed...

[@dwindeyer]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics The reality is most shops do not have good auto diagnosticians, they don't do any real root cause analysis before replacing parts. They could be the nicest most honest shop but still not be able to fix it.

[@richard1835]

Well I am glad you are doing right by your customers. Take Care@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics

[@sspnugen]

Love watching Ivan repair these cars

[@nissanzamyadtech.4856]

You are great Sir. I cant stand these types of problems. Because my coustomers dont pay the fair price and if i do some work and it comes back then they want to kill me. So when ever i see these types of car i just say the coustomer that i am not qualified of this specific model of car plz go some where else. Botom line is as a technician I know how much you need to throttle your brain for these type of work and some time it gets Really frustrating and annoying. You are doing very well sir. I really Respect your knowledge and hard work. ❤❤❤

[@mikechiodetti4482]

The common denominator is the bare wire. Sometimes the codes can lead you right to the problem.....just have to locate the wire in this case where it was bare. I was thinking a corroded or partially corroded wire, but this was better cause it was bare. Good one Ivan.

[@richardmelville5973]

Great diagnostic. That said, I would never test drive a car with defective seat belts. You should tell customers up front that any safety violations must be corrected before the diagnostic proceeds. Protect yourself my friend.

[@davidgrisco1939]

Gee, I view it as safe as riding a motorcycle with an airbag.

[@mph5896]

He doesn’t wear a seat belt anyways so there is that😉

[@JustAnAverageBrad]

"set parking brake"...all Canadian techs winced

[@baxrok2.]

Another one saved from the crusher by PHAD. Thanks Ivan!

[@glenharper3136]

Great Job as always Ivan. Thanks for sharing.

[@xanderlander8989]

Thanks for showing us the tests that didn't work. The power of visual inspection!

[@senanfoutchedjev2401]

Visual inspection would not immediately reveal it. Its under and had to use a mirror, but you knew where to look. It took a while but no one else found it, just replacing parts, after parts, after parts with no solution. Excellent work. The Computer did say 5v Reference issue, it did point you on the right direction, some what. Thanks.

[@rickybobby7326]

Great job again bro.. you are one of my favorite chanels on youtube i learn something new in every video ty 🤝

[@mattjayclay]

I have no idea most of the stuff you're talking about but love listening to your readily understandable commentary in your laid back style....love it

[@dharley189]

Two things. 1. Rust belt. You all should have totally different cars than the ones we work on in Kentucky. 2. I thought GM can’t be that poorly designed. But I see most was due to very sloppy repairs. That’s a shame. I hope that wasn’t done by a professional shop. And your patience and persistence is greatly admired. This pushing 70 body doesn’t have that any more. Del

[@tomtom1541]

There's plenty of bad GM designs, like the Holden Astra or Captiva / Cruise

[@jimkillen1065]

Nice work appreciate how you determined how to solve the problems.. i bought some mgi speed ware braided wire loom in a few different sizes to replace and make repairs on my projects. That materal is pretty tough .. i remember working on some cat dozers there wiring harness are pretty heavy duty . I was told points of contact where harness can give problems . Thanks for sharing your knowledge

[@fredautos]

Beautiful Diagnotics ivan, intermittent faults needs Attention! So.. thanks for awesome process u showed us!

[@PhillipBailey]

Fantastic diagnosis Ivan! Ive been down this road many times. Glad you found it. I chased an almost identical condition on a Ram V6. In my case it was the oil pressure sensor shorting out the 5volt ref to one of the TPS and APP sensor.

[@Gfthce3426]

An incredible mechanic. Give me an old carburetor any day . I've got one these nightmares sitting my driveway too .

[@PhillyRoadtech]

I like watching your diagnostic process. I work on electric forklifts , I enjoy performing diagnostics on the electrical issues

[@Nicole-dj3jf]

I have the same car? Changed alternator twice changed the starter changed battery! Drop off with ao called at shop broke down on the road for 5 hours today walked with my child the jerk wouldn't answer his phone 😭 where are the grounds i have a bad ground its the only thing possible i spent a tune of money 4 different shops any advice what can i do or start? Had var for year only worked 5 months out of the year it keeps acting like the alternator is out 2 new alternators something else is wrong please help where are the grounds on this car 2011 chevy Malibu 3.6 ltz

[@Nicole-dj3jf]

5500 amd over 2 grand in and still noting and they recalled the battery cables i see his was changed only on negative post but since he did that the cover can not be put on to keep battery cool??

[@JoshthePizzaman]

Just gotta say.... I ❤ U man, Patience to perfection. Heat and vibration. Just helped me out with my intermittent dash light issue, 2010 Chevy Malibu LTZ driving me bonkers.

[@johnmitchell2741]

Really liked this video and learned a lot. Seems thats all i ever dealt with was intermittent issues But that was mostly before CAN when there was lots more wiring and connectors

[@jtktkdo8940]

Outstanding! Love the level of detail.

[@user-dk3nt6pd4s]

You are my top channel to watch I enjoy what you do. Thanks

[@robertlacob8831]

Ivan, great job keeping the customer informed along the way. This creates a bond of honesty and if he lived closer to you, a customer for life! All these repairs were pretty simple, even putting back the old correct ECM! There must be many ignorant mechanics, not TECHNICIANS out there working on computer-operated vehicles.

[@ThunderbirdRocket]

Nice 👍🏼 !! Slayer !! Also wanna say that I love the posters / banners on your wall at 3:38 ! 👊🏼🎯

[@lawrencekedgettjr2364]

I absolutely love these case studies ,, it gives me lots of things to look for I never even thought of ,,,,,, grate vid ,,,,,

[@raymondhorvatin1050]

Nice work the stubborn thorough approach works thanks for the trouble shooting lessons

[@robertoruiz7069]

Nice video IVAN.It's great that you were able to fix this guys car.Having to go out on a test drive with a iffy car is not good,it's bad enough that you may get stuck on the side of the road like it sometimes happens.But even worse to get pulled over by the police,for a fix it ticket only to find 20,000 FENTANYL tabs in the flat spare tire.haha When the cop says get out with your hands up,do you automatically charge 1 extra hour diag time?I wish all the wire diagrams were free. thanks for the video Ivan.

[@johnleinen7167]

There are several newer cars like this with TSBs for wire harness contact with engine compartment components, good job tracking it down!

[@bradfaught1695]

Fisher is who I mostly deal with too, I just find them to be the most consistent.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Their customer service and delivery times are top notch!

[@milesmahan]

Well done..tenacity and patience ~!

[@karleck1119]

Love the channel. Retired tech always loved the diag more than repair

[@brendoncobey6034]

I'm learning alot, thankyou for your videos.

[@zacharystewart1064]

Great diag and repair as always Ivan. Luckily working at a dealership most intermittent issues we deal with have tsb’s or someone in the shop has dealt with it before to offer some guidance. Most wiring issues I deal with are rodent caused or just poor workmanship.

[@falcon8553]

Awesome work!!!

[@rute1745]

27:30 you can see it took a bit of his soul! LoL dang, awesome work man!

[@Mixter81]

Great job.. thanks for the video. Much interesting!

[@arthuraucar3696]

Good job! Very knowledgeable!!!!👍❤️

[@CritterRacing]

Id say after watching thousands of videos on auto repair, you are in the top 2 of mechanics. I watch every minute of your videos its like mesmerizing.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

I appreciate that! 🙂

[@williamkelley7654]

That's the parts rocket launcher, no cannon could fire all that in one shot, lol.

[@sassasins031]

A Chevy Malibu was never designed to still be on the road 12 years after manufacture.

[@_RiseAgainst]

Chevy used to make good wire looms. I've never touched my old s-10 wires and they are still solid. I frequently work on a 08 buick lecerne for a family member and have had to replace every wire loom as I go.

[@ehsnils]

My thought was that it could be a similar issue with the wiring around the throttle pedal depending on the size of the shoes of the driver and how the driver pushes on the pedal.

[@richardcrouse9074]

My three favorite diagnostic technicians on KZbin is, South main auto, Pine Hollow and Diagnose Dan. Excellent mechanics.

[@remknock]

Thank you for the A/C section at the end. I have a similar problem where we detected a leak at the condensor with dye in the system. The shop says to replace the whole condenser but now after watching this video i wonder if it's just a bad seal on the pipes.

[@faisalal-thanawi4590]

Good job man keep it up

[@mrbigvanlife7130]

Great diagnostic - diagnose before parts is the main take-away for me - that and make a car legal before taking to a shop!

[@NoName-yr1jv]

Well done Ivan 👍

[@brucesheehe6305]

Meticulous work. 👍

[@greghanlon2235]

Good find and fix Ivan. Love to hear a followup. What's up with brake fluid on ABS?

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Not sure about the brake fluid... Didn't even notice that! You guys have sharp eyes!

[@greghanlon2235]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics also green crustys on rad support ground

[@curtgomes]

Great job Ivan.......

[@lvsqcsl]

That 3.6 liter LFA engine is notorious for issues. You had to pull the bumper cover off to replace the headlights? 154,000 miles on that car? I would take your Mystique over that car any day of the week. Great video!

[@Jazc-mp889]

A lot of vehicles, you have to pull the bumper off to change bulbs now. Seen it on Ford's too.

[@Autokey_Security_Services]

Customers please Make sure your cars have gas when dropped off to service , people always like bringing them when they are below empty...

[@nmmarajh]

great job as usual

[@agmc4me]

My birthday and a PHAD video what a day🎉

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Happy birthday!

[@vborg001]

Awesome job👍

[@7binus9]

Great video! Did the customer address the leaking fuel? I'm no mechanic, but to me that sounds like something that needs to be sorted as a priority, no?

[@borgsimpson935]

Awesome tutorial

[@danielkearns3600]

Customer replaced engine mount was my first go to for engine harness because of excessive movement and pulling and rubbing being amplified.

[@Resistolitin]

Great work as always!

[@mrbigvanlife7130]

Platinum quality diagnostics. Careful @diagnosedan this guy is on your heels 😊

[@garyhall8308]

Have also replaced many ignition switches on the impalas with switch in the dash like the one you were working on.