SATURN VUE FLASHING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CASE STUDY

[@DormantIdeasNIQ]

Moral: before launching into any troubleshooting nightmare of complexity send the computer back to school, to make sure its brains are in line with reality... then turn a 2 day waste into a 2 minute fix. ...but how frustrated you had to become!? you have the patience and perseverance of 100 people and then some... thank you for showing this sequence, a valuable education.

[@glenglene8473]

I'm a DIY mechanic and you earned my respect. Subscribed and a thumb up!

[@plead5th187]

@58:50 no this is your career.

[@gillgetter3004]

Live and Learn. In my career as a carpenter coworkers helped me many times. Best way to learn and you will help somebody else with that knowledge

[@CSM_Tank]

You just showed me how to do so many tests it is unbelievable! Thank you. Your frustration is my gain. You are are a fantastic mechanic.

[@plead5th187]

@56:26 doing here??? Lmao... 🤣

[@JS-ri2rx]

I totally agree. Brilliant mechanic

[@38911bytefree]

I love they way not only show but also teach at the same time. Im not a mechanic, I do a different job for living and I came several times to this sense of frustration because Ive exhausted every posibility and still not getting what is going. Man, this is the REAL world. Would be easy for you just to film the good ones or edit the vid to 10 minutes. But them I wouldnt have learned all the possible tests you carried on. Keep the good work.

[@IBenZik]

You are working on a Chevy. Frustration can blind you to the obvious. This will never happen to you again. Great video.

[@jaydee6072]

Should never be embarrassed to have a fresh set of eyes+ears to help out when you are ready to give up!

[@jamestobler8473]

Never quit never give up always reach out use all resources at your disposal. You are good at your job! Honest people needed.

[@cannbudo]

Been at this for many years and I have to admit this one would have stumped me as well. These type of things can be so frustrating. Thanks for this video. I appreciate your honesty and logical approach. It's impossible to know everything about all these different vehicles. Don't be too hard on yourself. You are a cut above the majority of techs out there for sure.

[@tracysmith6757]

This one was truely a difficult one to diagnose for sure, good job!

[@abdul-kabiralegbe5660]

Amazing! On a side note, now I know that that crank relearning function on scan tools actually does something.

[@piqua793]

I think we all felt the same frustration. Oz is the man

[@kostasnikonor3770]

Man don't think about another career , you are great technician. 👍

[@sandyande]

Bizarre but a brilliant video thanks Eric

[@mikeburdi3464]

I know this is an old one, but great case study! I think that any of us that have been in the field for any reasonable length of time has felt the same way as you a time or two. Keep up the great content! 👍🏻👌🏼

[@RotoRCol]

what I like about him is that he shows all the process and mistakes that he did and shows the reality of the thinks mechanics have to deal with, not like the typical mechanic youtuber video who just goes straight forward to the solution and how it was fixed but doesn´t show the mistakes even if some viewers think that he is dumb in doing diagnostic, I don´t know the first person in this world who is perfect, great channel

[@Max_Thunder]

Between this and the lexus that's a lot frustration. Good work very impressive.

[@chazdadazzle]

YOU NEED A VACATION!!! Keep these vids coming.

[@enjoyalpine4317]

There's no greater man than a man who admits his mistakes.And you my friend are such kind of MAN.You could just show us the fix of this vehicle and get yours cheers,but you are so honest.THANK YOU Eric for beeing you.

[@scottfirman]

You were doing everything right, you just didn't get the right thing. Never ever give up. Electronic vehicles can be a real hassle sometimes. I can imagine a GM garage would have told the owner it was junk. Thats how they deal with issues. Replace it.

[@ahmadghosheh3104]

First, don't apologize about it, some things are weird enough and you learn as you go. Second, i love this video because it follows a logical path of diagnostics. Yes, you think you are all over but really you did great job testing all options and not tossing parts or replacing the engine. Finally, I can do all of those tests with my cheap scanner, maybe not reset the crank/cam but at least I am not looking at $5000 equipment to do all of these tests, got the tools already. Awesome.

[@sjn7220]

I'm a chemist, not a mechanic, and I've had days where I question myself if I should be in this field. But, everytime (so far) I've been able to figure it out and it ends up being a good learning experience.

[@litahsr.8226]

wow that was fun to watch wish I had a friend like that to fix my car

[@ThEmEsSiAh187-CFGeorge]

I watched this video from beginning to end and I had the same problem with a few GM cars. They would only misfire at high RPM and that option also crossed my mind when I came across it on Iran. Sometimes the simple stuff gets passed us when we go to deep into rabbit hole and forget about other options our scanners have. Glad it worked out. That purge still would've messed up ur readings if I did the relearn first. So it was great you fixed that first.

[@hometownautomotive2110]

I feel your pain. After more than 40 years in this business I have many stories like yours. Anyone who has done this kind of work for any length of time has had those kinds of nightmare jobs. Sometimes you have to walk away or sleep on it. I have had mornings where I woke with a new idea to try, ran to the shop without as much as a coffee, dying to see if the idea worked. I applaud your thorough diagnosis. Step by step with no shortcuts. The waveforms looked good. Who would think you needed to sync? I can only warn you that there are more days ahead like this, but each one is a learning experience. No matter how you charge for diagnostic time your customer will never know how frustrated and heartsick we get. No one wants to let the car beat us. Luckily today there are many more tools at our disposal to help guide the way. Thanks for your honesty in sharing the hard times instead of just the easy magic fixes we all hope for.. I wish you success and happiness

[@thebaldmechanichardatheari1124]

One thing you will never forget this one. I would have followed it the same way. Good stuff. Stay safe.

[@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

Thank you

[@CubasAutomotive]

Well said Bald!! These problem child vehicle always stay fresh in our heads! Lol

[@plead5th187]

Missed this @ end lol

[@briankotze57]

Great job . Shows you are human. You did not give up. Struggling is part of life. Makes us stronger. Also the fact that you shared your struggle says alot. Thanks

[@jittychitty]

Great video. I love your common sense, great diag and honesty

[@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

Thanks for watching

[@eseybold1]

What an excellence and exhaustive and fully inclusive video. It should be used as a teaching video ! You are an awesome diagnostician and I truly enjoyed travelling with you through this video. I kept shouting at the screen of what I thought the problems was and I was wrong 100%. Remember, the definition of and "expert" is someone who has made more mistakes at something than the average person has. There was no mistakes made here. How in the heavens are you supposed to know that you had to do a cam/crank relearn !?! Well, this experience has added to your already "expert" level of skill. Thanks for making the video !!

[@billyyoder8171]

Thank you Eric and Oz. Totally understand the frustration. It's ok. It happens to us all. The challenges are the best teacher. It will help with future diagnostic cases. Times like this, it's ok to reach out to others. Helping one another is what makes life enjoyable. Have a blessed and safe week to you and your families.

[@bwest-yq3uc]

Many of these you tube so called mechanical channels would have told the owner to find another shop to see if they could find the problem and fix it. You hung in there and fixed it. Pat yourself on the back.... You are doing ok.

[@danh2134]

What channels would those be?

[@ufartface]

you dont fix a problem- you fix the cause- dont forget the difference

[@FinalStopMobileAutoTech]

I can totally identify with being so frustrated with a car i was second guessing my career choice. I have learned from one of my mentors to never give up. Keep fighting the good fight brother. Awesome video!

[@OzMechanics]

Hey I remember that vehicle. Thank god it’s fixed

[@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

Thanks bro!

[@johnwilliamson2393]

@@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO Teamwork, makes the dream work!

[@theilon8558]

@@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTOwhat series is that scanner?

[@juan139257]

Great job guys. Now I thought the crank relearn feature was only use when replacing timing components or crank and cam sensors. What could happened to make the pcm relearn the sensor readings??

[@benitovasquez4404]

Dude, don't sweat the smallest things. You did everything any good mechanic would have done and you didn't give up. Amazing video, great troubleshooting skills.

[@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

Thank you!

[@plead5th187]

And more

[@mag28]

We have all been there Eric! That’s why every tech you know is another tool in the box. Way to stay humble.

[@roxanneabbott8424]

It happens even to the best mechanics, I love you man because you are an honest mechanic:) And I do watch Oz also, glad you both brainstormed this one, but was also fun watching your ways of thinking! Keep up the good work and dont quit!

[@cullenmiller8170]

Wow what a great case study. In the beginning I was convinced of a sticking fuel injector and was totally stumped after all the other tests. I guess I never would have thought about that relearn procedure. Obviously, that could explain the cam solenoid code or it’s one of those chicken and egg moments. Trying to figure what caused what. Thanks for sharing

[@plead5th187]

He's great.

[@mechanicmatt871]

That cam crank relearn is something I would have never thought of, I'll have to remember that one. This is why I watch your channel. All the testing you carried out seemed a reasonable approach while you were doing it. I am glad you posted this video, I'm sure it will help out a lot of people in a similar situation.

[@DooMHaMMeR247]

Thanks for keeping it real, I am a 5yr tech self taught working at a European shop and I find myself getting kicked like that a lot , but true grit gets the job done and one more notch in the belt. Love your videos keep it going .

[@bbkmm1]

I feel your pain Bro. I once had a Honda Accord where the code is downstream O2 stuck rich. The scanner shows downstream O2 working but high most of the time. It turned out upstream Lambda sensor is working but shifted lean. So the ECM was dumping excessive fuel to compensate. Not till I unplugged the upstream lambda sensor did everything normalize. These are valuable life lessons.

[@ThEmEsSiAh187-CFGeorge]

Happened to me on a Toyota. Would say downstream stuck but it was the upstream AF that was the problem. Smh

[@1vaquita]

I have same experience like you...frustrated after many tests...( have 22 years experience)...but we love this profession a lot...so is part of this duty...love you channel..!!!!

[@thisisausername1265]

Thank you for posting this whole saga. I've chased my tail on similar issues. I'm not super familiar with that vehicle, being a GM I was initially curious if the flexfuel system was miss calibrated. Nice to see a fixed car after all that effort. Solid troubleshooting process.

[@gregreitan3634]

It's times like this that make you smarter in the long run. Age = experience. Hopefully the KZbin money will help with the time lost. Keep doing your thing man.

[@lovetolearn5253]

That's exactly it, you may lose a couple bucks but the knowledge you gain is priceless. I had a similar issue with a airflow sensors bad out the box. I learned more about airflow sensors then any class I could of took. It ended up being a bad sensor out the box ( actually it was 2 bad new sensors how crazy is that) I thought there's no way 2 densos could be bad I'm missing something but it was.

[@simondrake8909]

I feel your pain, over my years in the trade there have been several cars that have reduced me to a quivering wreck. It's always good to share thoughts about them with others, many times a fresh point of view resolves it... Excellent vids thanks Eric, keep it up!

[@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

I just hope this video saves someone from a lot of headache. Thanks for watching!

[@JohnattanRivera1984]

Hey man, this was a tough car to diagnose. You went through every avenue to narrow the problem. I’m glad you posted your trial and errors. This car kicked your butt. I’m glad you recorded it all and didn’t give up. Good job.

[@JohnattanRivera1984]

On a side note, this has happened to me where on replacing the intake or exhaust solenoids because of a fault, it throws off the crank and cam learning. I had this issue with a Chevy Spark. These solenoids go bad all the time.

[@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

I wonder if that’s why it needed the relearn. Thanks for the info!

[@crisprtalk6963]

Your determination in not giving up tells me you will be very successful in life! You have the right attitude, can't teach that.

[@engeneer_ru5827]

Bravo, Eric! All this video is better than reading a thick, thick textbook. There is a Russian proverb: "two eyes are good, and four are even better!" And this is the case :)

[@dennisrockwell7834]

fantastic video , you are quite a good mechanic i like your tenacity and you are also a good teacher keep up the good work very helpful .

[@jmurraysr443]

We all get one that makes us pull our hair out now and then, nice job hanging in to resolve it.

[@mikechiodetti4482]

I've run into similar problems like this, but it's been a component or wiring. But ya, "should I change career fields?" Especially when others in the shop, say try this, try that, and I've already tried them. Course some will say, "put a computer in it!" No! Test! Don't guess! Sometimes calling the OEM training center helped. They've sometimes got the info from engineering or dealership people. NEVER be ashamed to ask for help! YOU ARE STILL THE MAN! You stuck with it, OZ gave you some insight and BOOM! FIXED! Great feeling! You had a great "Diagnostic List" which I need to write down. Mine was by memory and that can lead you down the wrong path. This is why I subscribe to you. Sorry for the long comment.

[@davewagner5408]

I learn a lot about diagnosing watching you. You and Eric O and Ivan of P H A D are all very good. I enjoy watching you all.

[@TheShop10]

This one was getting me frustrated. Had no idea what it was either. Way to stay at it. Alot of great diagnostic tests in this one.

[@johnwilliamson2393]

That is just how it goes. I had a tower that showed power out to the light fixture, but no return to the cabinet. I ohmed it out, checked good, got a nice beep. These towers have 4 huge cables that are attached to the boom so that as it goes up, they stretch in unison. I rechecked voltage, still not right. 3 hours later, I look up, physically check cable attachment points, and a clamp failed and cut open cable just enough that it ohmed out, but would not carry the circuit load. It's usually the simple shit that's beats us down the worst. Keep your head up, keep doing what you do. Every successful person gets their ass handed to them at some point or another. Thank you for the great video, we all learned right along with you. Remember, don't quit, keep pushing. That is your key, even if you get lost in diag. Great job! See ya later!

[@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

I’m sure that was frustrating. Thanks for watching!

[@richarde.beatty838]

sometimes, one comes along that challenges the patience and education level. It's not your fault that the glitch gremlin got inside the ECM. I admire you, because you have always struck me as the wrench who tests, double and cross-checks before condemning, and you are not a parts artilleryman. This customer should have learned loyalty from this. Congrats to you and oz.

[@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

Thank you!

[@Elcapulove]

Good morning and good health to everyone. Thank you for your valuable time and valuable information 🙏👍👍🇵🇷

[@ErikTheVikingMechanic]

Great job Eric. Never doubt yourself you are superb technician. We are still leaning and will never stop learning. Keep up the good work

[@88jetster]

Your videos are great. I learn so much from them even though I currently do have any automotive issues.

[@benjaminruiz6931]

Thank you for a great video, it was great learning tool for me and my students. Loved your honesty , and diagnostic approach.

[@noeygarza64]

Eric, you’re to hard on yourself. It’s always good to brain storm with a buddy. Blood pressure start rising. In the end you come out winning. Don’t question yourself, you will start to have doubts. Pick up a wrench and continue. Great video, lots of informational procedures. Thank you.

[@marcwingfield1646]

we have all had days like this mate. Trust in yourself, someone to bounce ideas off is always good to have

[@AKJeeper]

I had this exact same scenario happen to me with a Trailblazer after doing what was supposed to be a 'simple' cam actuator replacement (that part was indeed faulty). The new part fixed the code, but the vehicle ran like crap and would misfire at higher RPMs. It was late, I was tired...so I bagged it for the night. It didn't even occur to me to do a cam/crank relearn until the following morning when I was drinking my coffee and contemplating my life choices. We all have days like that man...it's life. Learn from it, laugh about it, and move on. :)

[@anthonysova7117]

I told u once before ur through proof that u would come up with a fix Eric I did hvac service till the day I retired had a 80 ton unit for a clean room with intermittent problem That day I wondered should I walk away? Stay with the approach u use don’t doubt yourself CHEERS You bless me personally with KNOWLEDGE

[@jcmobilediagnostics8611]

Everyone gets cars that kick their ass. It’s when knowledge gets shared that it helps stop someone from chasing their tail. That’s what diagnostic seminars and training are for. To help avoid going down rabbit holes and to help us diagnose faster while still being accurate. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Hope things are getting better for you!

[@crisprtalk6963]

There is an epic amount of editing to produce this video. Well done!

[@bobmauzy7373]

I’m really impressed, w/ your skills.. you are defiantly in the right profession, sir!

[@ronodowd9760]

you must not change careers! I learned so much from this vid that you're frustration was my elation! lol! can't thank you enough for not giving up!

[@stealthg35infiniti94]

I've been there before...sometimes you have to walk away and come back with a fresh head and try a different approach...Still you succeeded in finding all the problems, Good Job!

[@swedesam]

Congrats Eric, the good vibes are ramping up in your direction man....keep at it.

[@billikonomou9474]

Keep going mate, you're a excellent person and mechanic! Cheers from Greece!!

[@DaveBaRuru]

One of the best vids you have ever made Bro. It is gold. It is genuine. Good job

[@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

Wow, thanks!

[@Joe.O_623]

Hey man this video was awesome. It was gritty and real... That's the formula for success! There are a ton of guys on you tube that turn the camera off when they're getting their asses kicked. I think this video should be a case study on how to present case studies!

[@rajushaikh9045]

Sir, you had checked every thing, thank you for sharing your knowledge & truth

[@davidlopez7209]

God I had a similar problem on a chevy malibu and I felt the same way about my job. Found it but not without taking some damage. Great to see you show faults, don't think about giving up. There's always a solution. Probably happened because someone was in there trying to fix something else and caused the issue. I would bet money on the owner or backyard hack that didn't know about the issues that come from disconnecting things they shouldn't have. I've fixed cars like that. Love seeing the look on a customers face when they pay for an hour diag that gets fixed in a couple minutes.

[@rafaeltorovip]

Persistency is important to be a successful person. You are doing an awesome job. Thanks for the video. 👍

[@gouveiaclassicos]

this is the type of problem all the other garages give up so to be ones I never think the cams since the cam and crank sensor ware giving the correct reading any way good case study and don't give up all the best

[@nv1493]

Good video, lots of patience. I'll never understand people who pay thousands and thousands for a vehicle and then do zero maintenance. That car was rough.

[@martinwebster271]

Hey man... great video, we all get are ass kicked by a car now and again, I’ve bin there many times and thought I’m in the wrong job, but there’s no better feeling when you stick at it and get a fix! Keep the videos coming there the only thing getting me through these bad times. Stay safe brother ✌🏻👍🏻

[@bwest-yq3uc]

Hey, we all hit a wall once in awhile. Step back and rethink the issue. Enjoyed the video....educational for us all. Hang in there. I will look at your friend channel, also.

[@isalmankhan1]

What a thrilling case study, each test made it even more interesting & believe me this happens when chasing a ghost problem, which often lead to a point where even common things get ignored But Oz & you did a great job👍 & Bro never give up, it happens to masters as well😉 We're still learning & improving👍 Stay safe Bro❤

[@scroberts9316]

Maybe the original intake CMP solenoid was indeed failing intermittently (as you stated) and that threw the ECU's correlation off? Resolving problems like this may test your skills and patience, but eventually winning is what separates average mechanics from the best. Great job Eric!

[@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

I think your on to something here. Thanks!

[@blackenigma1054]

Very very good realistic diagnostic video, you could’ve just said forget it after the first couple of test, or played some kind of trickery with the customer. You chose to stick with it. That’s what sets you apart from the shops that charge but won’t actually fix or honor their work, thanks again😅😀😀

[@rafaelcarvalho9818]

One of the best investigating I have seen, great job!

[@m.b.smoshitoa8325]

In this video we saw all of your tools. That was very nice video

[@int53185]

Nice find. Recently had the same problem after a BCM change on a GM product. All was fine after the relearn was done.

[@-DC-]

Congratulations on not giving up !

[@bwdz75]

That was awesome, I don't know why you question your skills as you were proceeding with all the checks that you should have been. Maybe there was a data PID somewhere in there that said "NO" on the cam crank sync but as I watched this and saw your scope readout I would not have guessed that either. Awesome fix and this is the reason people tune in to your channel, finding that frustrating needle in the hay stack.

[@charlesfiore7835]

No need to apologize, You don't have to take extra time to make these videos but you do. Remember, we're on your terms not the other way around. You're in business to make money first to provide for your family. Everyone has an off day. Still an awesome video as always. Sorry about you losing the shop, I hope everything is better now with less hassles. I cringed when you took on the basket case Corvette! Everyone has felt the way you did one time or another in this video. I question my abilities sometimes too with power equipment and computers.

[@beverlyroemer5161]

I just absolutely love your videos man….. that dash is doing crazy

[@brianfinn7644]

Hour long video why they don’t make Saturns anymore! Good work!

[@Databyter]

When I saw the misfire graphic and saw cylinder 3 and 2 m my first thought was that I believe those two are next to each other, and how much do you want to bet it is a blown head gasket, which of course would affect compression for firing, and vaccum for fueling. Continuing now to watch the video to see if I was right. My initial thought which could still be correct is that traction control has nothing to do with how the engine is running, so the CPU could be shorted out and just not properly reading and reacting. EDIT: You eliminated my guess with your next few tests, compression and high pressure leak off. I'm listening to the very last part now. What a mystery. And I can relate to the frustration. I remember times thinking Damn, I have spark compression and fuel mixture (or whatever it is) THIS should work. And then it ends up being some really minor thing. Love your videos. I learned so much just watching you look for the problem that I'm glad you didn't figure it out right away, because it taught me so much. END EDIT: Wow, see I was thinking bad CPU at this point, but it was just Data that somehow got corrupted, and fortunately has the option to be relearned. Interesting problem. Any data on any digital device can become corrupted. Nice that the controller software and the CPU actually works and you were able to re-sense the timing data to give the CPU the right information to make adjustments on. Databyter

[@JOHNPHUFNAGEL]

Dude I feel your pain, i pulled my hair out trying to fix the exact same problem on a honda after I changed a bad coil. I checked everything like you and couldnt find anything wrong, so I messaged my buddy Keith and he says do a crank relern and that solved the problem. The reason why it fixes the problem on our vehicles is the ecm gets wigged out from the origonal missfires from a lean condition or in my case a bad coil and it just needs a relearn done. This is just a thought and I have no proof. Anytime I get misfires I fix the main problem and always do a relearn. Fyi, on most GM vehicles anytime it goes into reduced power - Limp Mode, it shuts off traction control

[@wonerable]

No worries brother, good diagnosis procedures tho'! The point is you did not give up and you weren't afraid to ask for help.

[@Okie-Tom]

Boy, sometimes a vehicle can make you pull your hair out! Weird it changed its cam/crank correlation! Glad it's fixed! Very good that Oz suggested the relearn! He must have run into that before! Tom

[@W.Khairi]

I wonder why u didn't suspect a faulty electronic throttle control, my knowledge that they cause a lot of problems if they fail. Epic video and will live long in the memory, Thank you very much.

[@patelvivek4888]

Don't think of change your Job. U r a good mechanic 👍👍

[@brendajohnson5975]

Your impressions were spot on

[@DodgerthaRoger]

New drinking game: take a drink every time he says “I’m gonna go ahead and”

[@bilobicho5317]

Man very good info on how to tackle problems in all directions.. i gain knowledge from this video thank you very much

[@victoryfirst2878]

First of all do not kick yourself so hard fella. Just remember the acronym KISS KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID. This has and will happen to us all. You did everything right on except not blowing off the area where you removed the ignition coils. Sometimes that dirt will screw up the threads in the engine head. I know since I repaired threads because someone else did not do there job correctly. When you use anti-seize you are suppose to use the total liquid type. Not the metal pigment type. This is where most techies screw themselves and kurse the world. Your logic was right on fella. Nicely done work on the car. Now I fixed a Saturn that had four different wire connectors used on the wires in the car. The customer told me that he had four different people and places work on the vehicle. They all failed in one way. I was number five and the car is still running strong. That was five years ago. Guess what, the car has an extra one hundred thousand miles plus on the clock. The customer brings the machine over for oil changes every two to three thousand miles. Oil changes are the cheapest medicine for a car I know of. Good day and peace to you Sir. VF

[@somerandomguy3868]

You have some great content and I really appreciate that you take the time to explain what you are doing, having said that you tend to repeat yourself and and include things like having the key, of course you have the key, please keep making videos