You Won't BELIEVE Why This Buick Doesn't Start (3-MONTH PARTS CANNON!)

[@jeffbaldwin9842]

Its also a perfect example of a self inflicted wound and goes to show that you have to use your head and pay attention when doing repairs as to not screw something else up in the process. Good stuff Ivan.

[@Dytopjewa7631]

Yep! Helps having a service manual of some sort,too..

[@Runco990]

This is exactly why I don't let anyone touch my car! 22 years and zero problems, I do all my own maintenance.

[@Guillotines_For_Globalists]

@@Runco990 This guy did his own maintenance too and fcuked it up.,

[@Runco990]

@@Guillotines_For_Globalists Yeah.... never claimed everyone's good at it.... I've grown up working on my own cars. 40 years now.

[@robertsmith2956]

@@Dytopjewa7631 The Chilton for this car is one of the most disappointing ones I have for my cars.

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

I'm surprised he was able to even able to get it on in the first place. Self inflicted. Impressive diagnosis! Thanks Ivan!

[@helgew9008]

Is it possible the key was already sheared in half? Maybe that's why it stopped in the first place?

[@v12alpine]

@@helgew9008 good catch. I doubt he would have gotten it on 180 out with a fully intact key. At least without breaking his tools

[@peterlworth]

I agree the key must of been sheared in half already

[@topher8634]

Crank sensor is pretty common on these. So are ICMs. He said cranking cadence sounded normal until he replaced the parts. That's because no spark was occurring due to either a missing trigger or failed ICM. He probably sat the harmonic balancer on end of shaft and slid it up to the key then impacted the hell out of it. There was some pretty good scarring on the balancer. Woodruff keys are kinda soft so a good impact gun wouldn't have a hard time shaving one down if you didn't have things lined up correctly.

[@ausmartin1]

I completely fail how any normal person could install the keyed Harmonic balancer improperly. People never cease to amaze us all.

[@robertsmith2956]

Pull the plugs, probably have at least 3 cyl that are stripped also. 2-4-6 ☺ God I hate those back plugs.

[@0tt0z]

That is pretty bad. 😂 maybe he was liquored up.

[@Knight_of_NI]

A PHAD video always makes the day a great day

[@craftedchaos4340]

I couldn’t agree more

[@adotintheshark4848]

No fluff, no noise, no "glamour" or "hey look at me", just good old fashioned information. The way a repair video should be.

[@Knight_of_NI]

@@adotintheshark4848 ABSOLUTELY

[@marty0715yt]

An impact can cure any difficult or incorrectly installed item. "It is hard going on". "Well USE the IMPACT!" Good idea. Not enough room for the hammer! Great job again Ivan.

[@robertmeyer7664]

Knowledge is power

[@fredautos]

And power is Key!

[@brianw8963]

I have a shirt that says that, so it must be true.

[@lorayhinny8956]

Having a Pico scope and knowing how to use it is a game changer .❤

[@rodvan-zeller6360]

Great video. In the days before pressure transducers (I'm old) we used to put a thumb over the compression gauge hose and look at the spark on the spark tester while cranking.

[@dnlmachine4287]

Yessur, or hold open the compression gauge relief valve and watch the needle bounce. Even a balloon or rubber glove over the end of the compression gauge hose might work? There is always a way. Stay gold.

[@robertsmith2956]

We also had a timing mark for TDC. Flashing light gave us all that good info. One crank tells you timing is off.

[@billsimpson604]

That was a good example of why it isn't always a good idea to use an impact wrench to start tightening bolts, or to tighten the jaws on a lathe chuck.

[@CrimeVid]

Who ever used an impact driver on a lathe chuck ? if you know crazy people, show us !!

[@matte.hartman]

​@@CrimeVid If it's even Remotely possible, it's been done! 😝

[@Cheepchipsable]

Kind of, you can turn down the torque on an impact if you just want to run a fastener down without trying to send it to Jebus.

[@brianw8963]

The right man with the right tools. Nice work Ivan.

[@InlandSmog]

As a former diagnostic specialist, I enjoy watching your content!

[@crisprtalk6963]

THis was cool. And shows the importance for a DIY guy to research the job he is doing carefully and thoroughly, so he can be aware of Woodruff keys and their importance.

[@KendrasEdge757]

Some people shouldn’t be working on their own vehicles, or anyone else’s for that matter lol love your diag work Ivan. Extremely smart diagnostics mechanic right here!! God bless~

[@basshunter428]

That is a perfect example of why it is imperative that a mobile mechanic has the equipment and has the knowledge and experience to use it.

[@danielnyce5972]

Great job again, Ivan Dan from NJ 2005 gmc broken coil wire ground truck now lives in florida

[@Dono-eg6cg]

Sometimes we are our worst enemy !.....your one of the best in the bizz ivan !! ....work safe. God bless u

[@AP9311]

That was really neat diagnosis!! That was unreal to see the harmoni balancer being 180 out!! That is weird!! At least it's fixed and the tops you had was spot on! Awesome video! Well done Ivan!

[@JohnSmith-w1v]

I have never come across another person , that skilled in diagnostic as you Ivan. I want be like you when i grow up.😂

[@vgbr88]

Very impressive call, Ivan. Once again, data doesn't lie. I really miss those 3.8's.

[@farmermiyagi1338]

Called it! As soon as you cranked it I said the crank sensor is off for some reason. In my 37 years doing this, I have never seen a 3.8 jump time. I've done plenty of the harmonic balancers though. They like to degrade the rubber on the pulley and it hammers back and forth like a rod bearing gone bad. Tuned up a 5.4 this morning. Man, I hate those things.

[@marty0715yt]

Tuned- as in prepare for the carnage? Puke a plug or lose a chain.

[@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT]

Great diagnostic, Ivan! I didn't think one could smash a Woodruff key in the wrong position!! Hell of an impact driver 🙂 Thankfully, customer could smash it back in the right position.

[@robertsmith2956]

I'm trying to picture how he changed the seal with the key crushed on the crankshaft. Didn't realize '08 was it for this engine. I laughed when I saw they even sell replacement sleeves for it. Give it that new piston wall smell.......

[@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT]

@@robertsmith2956 Yeah 🙂

[@0tt0z]

Hulk smash!!

[@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT]

@@0tt0z LOL

[@pookatim]

I seriously doubt any other technician would have figured this out. I am an old man and when I used to work on cars there were no computerized anything. One of the most important trouble-shooting tasks was to find out if anyone worked on the car before it came to us. You would not believe how many times we found errors done by someone else. The most common was having the plug wires misplaced, distributor installed 180 degrees off and broken ignition parts that were mishandled during installation such as spark plugs or distributor components. If a car was running fine but just stopped working, the diagnosis was relatively easy but if someone worked on the car and now it doesn't work right, that is a whole different thing.

[@robertsmith2956]

Yea, I called a mechanic when I gave up. Turns out the manual was wrong on firing order. Had I pulled the distributor cap, and looked at the pistons it would have been obvious. Took him 5 minutes. Guess he saw a lot of them put on according to the repair manual.

[@mgherter]

Hats off to Ivan no doubt, but the signs of bad timing were all in the sound of the crank.

[@mph5896]

I put a used engine in a Ford escape 4 cylinder turbo last week. I reversed the injector connectors so it was firing at the wrong time with the direct injection. What a pain that was to figure out😢 car came in with the engine locked up, so I had no baseline. Then had communication codes so I was chasing that

[@HouseCallAutoRepair]

Good technicians, yes. Part changers.,.nope.

[@moi28642864]

I love this road trips, just imagine the appreciation you get from people, I do some mechanic myself and I feel pretty good every time I fix a vehicle 😅 great videos man.

[@evelynrodriguez8652]

I have watched you for years , and learned so much , thank you for always teaching us

[@adotintheshark4848]

Being out 180 degrees of timing is sure different toady. A friend and I were putting a distributor in a 1969 Dodge van with a 318. Unveknownst to us we put the thing in 180 off. While I'm looking at the engine from the top of the doghouse, my friend cranks it. A flame shot out through the top of the carburetor and singed off my eyebrows.

[@robertsmith2956]

My first FI engine, I was putting my hand over the throttle body to prime. Thought my arm was going to be sucked into the 5L engine.

[@baxrok2.]

No DTC's! Amazing. Thanks Ivan!

[@truracer20]

The PCM had all the correct inputs, I don't believe a cam/crank correlation code will set while cranking, it's been a while since I got that deep into this version of the 3800 so I don't remember if they have a cam sensor, but I believe they do.

[@suzylarry1]

A picture is worth ... getting it right ! nice diagnostics

[@lvsqcsl]

That 3800 V-6 is a good engine; it stands to reason it had an issue like this. A person really has to pay attention to what they are doing. Have a safe trip to Columbus, Ivan. GREAT VIDEO!

[@thx1138guy]

Was that engine supercharged? I noticed it had a metal intake manifold. Not all 3800 engines had them. My 99 Buick LeSabre had a plastic intake manifold which was poorly designed. To make a long story short, the manifold melted and allowed coolant to leak into the cylinders. Didn't hydro lock the engine fortunately and I was able to repair it.

[@lieutenantdan8170]

@@thx1138guy the series 3 04-08 went back to aluminum upper intake manifold

[@robertsmith2956]

@@thx1138guy You could replace the plastic with the aluminum intake. I had the 70K coil crack and blow my ECU. Started engine to warm up while I went to check the mail. Came back to car dead, crank no start. Can't believe what they charge for that little exhaust pipe that connects the two exhaust manifolds, and no gasket on it either.

[@lvsqcsl]

I have had 3 plastic intake manifolds on my Grand Marquis which led to a class-action lawsuit against Ford.

[@advancedleveldiagnostics]

That's the first 3.8L I've seen that has no leaks! Great diag, thanks for sharing!

[@robertsmith2956]

Only 40K. Give it another 40K, and water will find a way. Dealer no longer carries the water pump bolts.

[@mph5896]

Series 3 are quite refined. Series 2 is a dumpster fire with everything bolted to it

[@terryshull4477]

@@robertsmith2956 BS OH AND NEW WATER PUMP $ 28.00

[@joeholdahl8071]

That's incredible looking at that pic of harmonic balancer not even sure how he was able to install that completely 😮

[@onenikkione]

"If you aren't testing, you're guessing" or firing the parts cannon. Excellent skills and was done in 1 hour - wow.

[@mikechiodetti4482]

My wife had a 1986 Buick LeSabre Front Wheel Drive with the 3.8L V6 and I remember that sensor having an intermittent problem. One new GM sensor, one new GM connector assembly, some rerouting of the 3 wires and it was off and running. The original wiring harness and the connector were so tight and pulled on the crank sensor, that it caused intermittent stalling especially while driving. I put the new connector in, keeping the wiring away from the crank pulley and the serpentine belt. It all worked.

[@leeholt8442]

You are such a pro by not raking this guy over and saying really bad things about him for doing something that was so totally unprofessional.Good job

[@johnniezuniga6841]

Thank you sir sharing issues with all repairs. Knowledge you sharing with public beautiful. Love your videos

[@Blitterbug]

Classic demo of your mantra! Nicely done.

[@gregcromer8406]

Given the age of that vehicle, those parts replaced were all due to give up the ghost anyway, so no wasted efforts in firing the parts cannon. Great work diagnosing the strange symptoms Ivan!

[@denislinehan5581]

Well done. And despite the abuse, bet that engines run for another ten years. All the best.

[@dosgos]

3800 is the best engine ever made. We've owned a lot of them and wish they were still in production.

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

You were correct about the nearly 180 degree difference. Great diagnosis, happy owner once more. THANKS for the video!

[@derbydog02]

Ivan calls it again! Great video and nice diagnosis. The ole 97 Buick Century is still going! Its a great car and thank you for giving me the opportunity to buy it once again!

[@JamesAgans]

It's pretty clear that this owner had no business doing this repair. Of course, even the best of us can screw up if we work when we are tired. I recall the mini series where Eric O did not tighten the harmonic balancer, and the maniacal German Engineeres relied on torque only to keep the HB in place. NO KEY. Insane way to time a crankshaft to the cams. And Eric O. Is one of the very best I've ever seen.

[@phildion8010]

Your awesome Ivan I learn so much from you. Thank you for making these videos you help a lot of people

[@mikeoneill7360]

Brilliant, and yes, Logic is key.....

[@Bizija123]

"woodruff key" lol, I learn something new in every phad video. Grandmaster level diags here!

[@greggc8088]

Wow!. Took a lot of work to get that balancer on like that. Just wow.

[@TheOnespeedbiker]

You either pay tuition to go to training school, or you pay the price of making mistakes. I actually admire DIY mechanics in a day where many people literally have no idea how their car operates, let alone how to fix it. Knowledge has a price, and this guy now knows much more than he did before. Once again, great diagnostics by Ivan, who didn't even have to look at the improperly installed part, to know the problem and the fix.

[@2nickles647]

Going to school doesn't do anything for you. They teach only the basics. They don't have 100 vehicles for you to work on. I should know. I went to school. You can call me an un-educated technician. It looks me years and years of working on vehicles for me to be good at my job. Then the modern crap came along and threw in a monkey wrench. So, I bought programs for my PC to read codes. I still didn't know crap. I bought books for codes. I'm not a Technician by any means. Now comes along utube. People like Mr. O, Ivan here, and many others. I'm okay with what I know. But I still will never be a So Called Technician.

[@jgeorges3061]

IVAN, YOU ALWAYS ROCK IN MY BOOK WHAT AN AWESOME DIAGNOSTICS APPROACH THANKS FOR SHARING UR KNOWLEDGE ALWAYS LEARNING FROM THE BEST CHEEEEERS.

[@logicalguy488]

The history was important too. If the owner never told you he had it off to change the crank position sensor it would have been a longer diagnosis.

[@scottymoondogjakubin4766]

The 3.8 is one of the best v6's ever made ! My 2002 lasabre was good for 32 mpg highway all day long !

[@ThunderbirdRocket]

Splendid diagnostic ! Follow the data in Automotive repair ! 🎯

[@johnnychun59]

I could sense right away that it was owner error. But the harmonic balancer? Didn't even know it was possible to install it wrong. 😆 Great video.

[@bntrouble31]

A few videos back. I told you about GM 3800 3.8L on the older ones. They had a magnetic that would fall off the timing gear an cause timing problems. They would still run but in limp mode.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

I have a video on that...'91 Park Ave from 3 years ago :)

[@davidr8750]

Great episode as always. You sir are in the super hero status.

[@wazza33racer]

the ole "woodruff keys dont matter" LoL. The injector pump on the 1980's Mack 6 cylinder engine is dead set easy to reattach to an engine and have spot on timing, there is a dummy double tooth on it. I know of an apprentice mechanic at a Mack workshop who did not know, just put the pump and did up the bolts and smooshed the spline on. Engine would not run, and its timing was way off when spill timed out the No1 injector port. Great diagnosis Ian, your information display on the scope really nailed it. Remarkable that the pulley was put on exactly 180 degrees out.

[@alanclark639]

Quite besides your usual excellent diagnostics - the first thing you discussed was "cadence" of the starter - logic being, if the load remains constant - so should the crank sound. The data reminded me of the episode involving an old mate that would run up his Lotus Elite hillclimb prepared car while it was garagebound and up on blocks ( yes, blocks back then - jacks had screws) so, another mate arrived and the familiar scream pierce our ears - abruptly ended by muted WHOOPH! To me it was everything I predicted being true but the others rather regarded me as a prophet of doom that had brought out the gremlins. However: I saw the crank pulleys counterrotate before stopping! A quick hook up to your kit would've settled the issue in an hour but things dragged on for several weeks until the engine was out and dismantled - crankshaft neatly severed. Great work Ivan - I still say you sell your services cheap!

[@eugened41]

This is my fix for the day! Thank you for your professionally knowledge and your video.

[@mrkttrdr2919]

amazing diag. from a great technician, thanks for posting

[@frankd.brennan6520]

Ivan always makes mechanic stuff look easy. There are a lot of people who work on vehicles that are supposedly a certified mechanic, but the truth is that we pay for their true lack of being very good with electronics. I always like to watch him make it look easier than it is for 99+% of us

[@mikebaz7843]

I channelled Ivan the other week, a van at work came in with limp mode and egr flow codes - some aftermarket maf had been put on it and a genuine EGR actuator had been fitted. Turns out the air flow meter was the wrong type and output a square wave signal and not a sine wave like earlier vehicles.

[@craigsmyth9076]

Hellava Diag. Spot on with the right tools and knowledge. Without the owners testimony, you’d were correct either way 👍👍👍

[@gregorylaplante799]

Great Video, Great Mechanic !

[@saedchammaa1958]

Awesome diagnosis, straight to the point.

[@Matbug1812]

outstanding diagnostic path!

[@billziegmond4943]

I added a PHAD pressure transducer to my arsenal years ago. I bought the 1st gen if I remember correct. Works great with my scope. Once you learn how to use it and read the data. You diagnostic time is cut in half and spot on. Great video Ivan show the power of a scope and right attachments.

[@Andy22882]

One thing we know for sure, the guy has a really powerful impact wrench.

[@kerrylewis2581]

Science, not opinion. Great diag

[@marlu6373]

That was a smart move to look on rock auto how that specific harmonic balancer looks like for that model.

[@craiggoodwin9704]

Ivan, a very good diagnosis. Hope your enjoying your road trip as much as we're enjoying your work. Thanks for Sharing!🙃🙂

[@porky7753]

Great work Ivan, i guess i'm old school. Using normal tools you can tell if the resistance is off by feel as it tightens. This new generation loves that impact gun. (Send it) lol

[@dougkubash8673]

Great call!! Definitely a job for the Pico!

[@metoon3092]

Kinda like the flywheel on a Briggs and Stratton!

[@for2utube]

What I was thinking is: Start your DIY journey with lawnmower engines. It's cheaper that way.

[@wesleybrabant3595]

Thanks for the great video. I always walk away with a lil more knowledge, thanks to you

[@ProVest97]

You're the best Ivan! I think it would be wise for people, before they start part-swapping, is to purchase a decent scanner, and it would at least you would have an idea. Parts-swapping would pay for the scanner in time. Of course, you would have to spend some time learning how to use it and what the data means.

[@wk7060]

Nice clean older Buick!

[@rrmech11]

Excellent Ivan

[@franciscoxaviergonzalezrom4648]

Wow Ivan! Incredible video, I need to study again those "oldies" ignition systems! Thank you!

[@robertsmith2956]

Scanner Dan does great explaining the old systems.

[@scottjanoso4475]

Really nice work! That is why I watch.

[@pb3033]

Bravo ! Graphic speaks.

[@wk7060]

The 3800 V6 was notorious for balancer problems. Had one myself.

[@knowsnugget3321]

another wondefully done job

[@Val-mm5gd]

Ivan you’re the best! Love your videos and you’re knowledge, you are very intelligent person!

[@tonyedwards5782]

Hi Ivan nice work with the scope again it shows the problem so quickly and a little thinking about the previous work and you are bang on again. Just a side note if you disable the ignitor then crank it you would hear the change in cranking rithem or as i call it the heart beat.

[@truracer20]

@14:07 the old school method is a timing light. Find TDC cylinder 1, Mark the balancer with a line that goes from TDC to about 3/4" back before TDC, connect timing light, crank engine. If the light doesn't light somewhere near tdc then you know what you need to know to call a timing issue. Just because you don't need a timing light to set timing on this car doesn't mean it isn't a useful tool.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

That would work in a pinch! But so much easier just to pull one spark plug and let the scope draw some squiggles 😁

[@robertsmith2956]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics You have to pull a plug to find TDC to mark it anyways. So no savings. Can't wait till Ivan has to many transducers and sells one cheap. LOL

[@nothanks1673]

My off the cuff thought was crankshaft position sensor due to the same problem on my Ranger. I don't have the array of tools, and would have parts cannon CPK first/again. Hopefully I would notice a key slot putting it on, but who knows jammed down the side of a 3.8 shoved in a FWD platform. BTW the Ranger CPK changes with a single socket, not even needing to jack the vehicle up.

[@GeorgeKennedy-u4r]

Had a similar issue in my US Army days with a gas turbine electric generator. Combustion chamber had 9 fuel nozzles on a circular rail and a "start" nozzle. The start nozzle would spray fuel when ignition turned on and it would roll the turbine to fire the rest. The maintenance shift before me did a rebuild and nozzle replacement, then the turbine would roll but not start. I figured there was something wrong with the fuel system and when I opened the combustion chamber I found the start nozzle had an internal orifice missing. Took a whole shift to put it back together with a new part and it fired up. What was done in the past can tell you the future.

[@Z-Ack]

Yea the o scope was the deal but knowing how the ignition system works is the whole route to diag here, if you were under the thinking that it was controlled by coil pack ecm signal or whatever not knowing the cps was getting the timing from the balancer than youd been running circles..

[@johnz8210]

That was different. I guess we should never underestimate some people's ability to F things up. Way back Ford F350 dual rear wheel trucks had an alignment pin in the hub for the rear wheels - they'd only go on one way. Lots of those pins got mashed in when the wheel installer forgot they were there too.

[@TheVespap200e]

Ivan actually using his brain to figure out the problem. To bad most mechanics cant do the same thing. FeelsSadMan!

[@toddhazell925]

These 3.8 engines were in many GM Holden Commodores here in Australia. When you showed that the timing was 180 degrees out, straight away I knew it had to be the balancer because of where the crank sensor is located and cannot be installed 180 degrees out.

[@brucebratschi4300]

Common sense Ivan. You rock.

[@kylebryan4759]

Theses cars use to be bad about trigger wire to the CKP yellow wire pin F if I remember right on the ICM breaking right under the water pump I use to keep a roll of yellow wire in my tool box just for theses cars 😂

[@janpur1417]

IVAN, PLEASE DO A VIDEO OF YOUR ROAD TRIP.. PLACES YOU WENT, AND STOPPED FOR A BREAK!

[@dustcommander100]

Great diagnosis! I'd love to know what the owner spent on unnecessary parts. Based on my experience, he may have still broken even on the money, but I'm sure he learned a lesson.

[@robertoruiz7069]

This is a perfect example of your deep base of knowledge.Spark plug wires wrong was my guess,bur they at least should have backfired,so i was wrong.Your transducer setup did the job perfectly and the scanner also.But reading the signs i haven't got that part yet.ALTHOUGH how can you screw up peak to peak right,i mean top of cylinder pressure to the spark event,right? great job

[@robavis4906]

Good job as always Ivan

[@brucel76]

Great video Ivan can't wait till the next one

[@nickayivor8432]

👍 Brilliant video tutorial outstanding SHARP-WITTED, IVAN,Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics From Nick Ayivor from London England UK 🇬🇧 ⏰️ 12:29AM Good Morning 🙏 🌄

[@LesReeves]

I owned an Australian GM-H vehicle which had an inline 3.8 buick engine & the harmonic balancer ended up with the rubber inside going faulty,When I took it off it had the key way built into the crank so there was no way you could replace it the wrong way.All I can say is double check your work when replacing those type of parts (take photos). Cheers Ivan ,By the way that was one of the best GM engines ever made.

[@BillMalcolm-tn3kq]

"owned an Australian GM-H vehicle which had an inline 3.8 buick engine" No you didn't. Every Buick 3800 V-6 engine was, I kid you not, a Vee engine, not inline in any way whatsover. I'm sure you know that.

[@LesReeves]

@@BillMalcolm-tn3kq My apologies what I should have said that it was an inline V6 not a transverse engine or as some would say north/south placement.

[@BillMalcolm-tn3kq]

@@LesReeves Never ever heard longitudinal north south engine orientation called inline before. By that definition, Subies are inline engines, not boxers. Just saying.

[@LesReeves]

@@BillMalcolm-tn3kq It was what we called all engines here(as inline six )& four cylinders up until the early seventies when transverse engine vehicles started being imported from Japan.Until then the Morris Mini was what we called an east-west engines.

[@BillMalcolm-tn3kq]

@@LesReeves Yes, we called BLMC crud like MInis, 1100s and Land Crabs east west engines in Canada as well in the '60s. My father purchased to his undying regret, an early Land Crab. Nevertheless, once the term transverse came into use, which wasn't till the '80s (name me a front-wheel drive '70s Japanese car besides Subaru that was exported before the Toyota Tercel Terminal Rust bucket with a copy of the Triumph 1300 layout came along late in the decade), north south for engine orientation, plus longitudinal, has been the norm. So, if you're trying to convince me that Aussies walk around in a haze calling north south or longitudinal engine placement inline, please understand I do not believe you. At all. Begone with silly excuses.

[@Dirtyharry70585]

Everyone should take a picture before removing the parts in sequence. Best practices right there.

[@1primacron]

I have seen this before when I was working at Holden in Australia (older Commodores have this engine). Note, when jamming on the Harmonic balancer without lining up the keyway, it can crack the crank sprocket. In that case, the Crank sprocket with timing chain assembly needs to be replaced.

[@ahmadghosheh3104]

Although you're correct about using data, if I was in the owner's place and before throwing parts, I would go back and trace my steps and see what I have done and if it's correct. 😅