Service Data Doesn't Cost - It Pays

I bring you along in this video not just to show you a fix on a Nissan Versa with a P0705 but I show you the value of having a library of service data. In this case it was Identifix that gave me a silver bullet on a repair that likely would have taken some time to figure out.
-Enjoy!
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Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. South Main Auto Repair assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. South Main Auto Repair recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained.

[@SouthMainAuto]

*Where do I get my service info from you ask?* Click here : kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmKpqaKHfsR5rZY *Curious about Id-Fix?* Click here: try.identifix.com/dh-free-trial/

[@calholli]

Just like how you explained using Idenifix.. I've been using youtube, google and forums in that way for years. lol.. You have to weed through more trash to find your treasure, but it's usually out there. There's usually a concensus or common thread that points you in the right direction.

[@blairhofmann3961]

Common issue that tail light plug on the mighty versa. I feel the same way about identafix. Some techs can't survive without it. They usually don't last long employed by me. Your a sharp guy i enjoy listening to you suffer through turds while I'm doing the same.

[@davidnorman2391]

Great job we think alike but I have dementia love your KZbin’s. Dr told me do crossword I said no. I said give me car diagnose it will work my mind!!! Thanks for your channel! Wish I could work with you!!! Dave Norman professor of Automotive technology

[@av8tore71]

You could be having the worse day and you watch a couple of SMA videos and you will be good as new! Screw having to pay a Psychologist. The way he has fun with Mrs.O is hilarious at times

[@clintprice2123]

Mrs O is such a great partner. She’s always willing to help, cheerful and plays along with whatever banter is for the moment. You Eric are a blessed man! It’s another reason why this channel is so enjoyable to watch. If only my mrs was like that.

[@danielbutler578]

Well, I have to admit that she is the prettiest part of the South Main Auto channel. You've got a keeper there Eric.

[@johnnyblue4799]

Careful! Comparing your woman with another woman! That's a huuuuuge no-no. If she reads your comment you're a dead man! :D

[@eliminator1978]

I’d guess a lot of how Mrs O acts is due to how Eric treats her.

[@thewrightstuff6174]

@@johnnyblue4799 some how I doubt his wife sifts through all his comments. Besides Clint is telling the truth, Mrs O is great and I wish my wife were like her as well. If she does see the comment. Oh well, I’m sure Clint is a big boy.

[@clintprice2123]

@@eliminator1978 that goes without saying but she’s a really great sport and plays along. She absolutely has his back and we know he has hers.

[@rjb6327]

Always nice to see Mrs. O. Who would ever think, a loose pin in a tail light would affect a transmission.

[@nct9466]

Kinda makes sense seeing that the reverse lights have some power at the wrong time so TCM sees that voltage (low) etc it’s getting mixed signals via rear lights

[@throttlebottle5906]

anyone that knows and understand the idiocy level of needless electronics(junktronics) being implemented in a vehicle to help with safety and creature comforts.. I guess it kind of works, since when they're safer when not driving and stuck at home 🤡🥳 🤣🤣

[@InquisitiveSearcher]

Well... If we are talking about how lights in circuits can effect things.... Back in the day, I was an individual that worked on computers, a time when computers still had a considerable "mechanical" portion to them. I once went out to work on a big fancy line printer, way before laser printers were a gleam in an engineer eye. It had 132 little individual solenoids that fired "hammers" and each one of them had to be "timed" to physically strike at the exact moment that the desired character on a cylinder or chain of characters passed in front of it. If the timing wasn't correct you would get off-set half characters being printed and it made things difficult to read. These were big massive very heavy devices. Anyway, the customer claimed that the printer wouldn't come "on-line" and he therefore couldn't print to it. I got to the site and sure enough the printer wouldn't come on-line. I exchanged the module that had the applicable circuitry on it and still the printer would not come on-line. After some considerable frustration, I eventually got out the electrical prints/diagrams and chased the problem down to a burnt out light bulb. The on-line indicator light bulb was actually in the circuit in such a way that if it was blown the printer would never come on-line for printing. I couldn't believe it! I think it was the only time I ever found an indicator light that could effect a device in such a way.🙄😒

[@rmx2rmx]

Hi. Good material as always. Here in Poland, I have such everyday cases with a problem with the ground in the rear lights. These plugs come from French Renault group cars. Since Renault bought a Nissan, there are problems with the ground burning in the rear lights also in Nissan. A small hint on how to disassemble the plug without breaking the plastic: 1. Move the yellow plastic upwards 2. Gently stretch the plastic up and the t-pin on the side, pry the small latches first on one side then on the other. The ground-carrying pins are too small for the current they carry, which causes them to heat up and burn out. Here in Poland, we mainly deal with cars with a manual gearbox, so I have no problems with selector errors. Instead, it can be seen as a Christmas tree on the lights or the instrument panel controls. Greetings from Poland.

[@throttlebottle5906]

too much current for the pin size was my first though and assumption. but my next thought and question is, are the terminals over-rated that far? cheaper materials with higher resistance? or "failed bulbs" with partial shorted filaments cross connecting and causing higher current flows, yet too low to blow the fuse. or is it even worse, being engineered allowing the pin to be overloaded if the vehicle sits with tail, brake and reverse applied for long periods. them thinking ""oh nobody will sit there with reverse lights on for long periods"". I can totally see that happening on both fronts, engineering and consumer drivers.

[@hitech7772]

I hope you two never lose the love that you have for each other!!! Love your vids, Mr. & Mrs. O!

[@RainmanRaysRepairs]

I’m just here to be a jerk! Identi-guess is the greatest diagnostic solution in existence! I’m not so sure about this guy. I just don’t see how fixing a light bulb can make it shift better! 🤣🤣🤣 JK Eric you’re the best! Edit: awesome find!

[@SouthMainAuto]

Jr. Tech.... grab me the laptop, load Identifix, get me the code and load the cannon! Shits about to get real! 😠

[@steveo6631]

Don't want to break down, but if I did, it would be awesome if it happened near SMA or the Rainman..... LOL

[@DIYDaveOK]

The potential utility of Identifix is realized when it is put in the hands of someone like Eric with the *discernment* to know when and if to apply the solutions they offer, not merely as a ammo list for the parts cannon. Brilliant as always, Eric, and thanks.

[@djosbun]

If the two of you got together for a video it would be like a modern Abbott & Costello (just with a little more respect). We can only dream……..

[@imfrcd]

@@steveo6631 They are about 1,225 miles apart, so you just gotta choose which time of year you want to get stranded.

[@steveo6631]

The past couple of years I have considered SMA as part of my service data.... Anytime I have an issue with 1 of my vehicles or friends and family's, I search the SMA library by make and problem and alot of times there is a video..... I don't know how you can do all this and run your business, but I hope you still enjoy producing content, because I sure look forward to each new video ... Thanks, my guy....

[@brianburns7211]

Ivan too.

[@SOLOOJESUCRISTO]

Blessings my automotive technology teacher 🙏 I need his Videos to for help

[@The_Redkween]

@@brianburns7211 and Diag Dan, and Eric at Advanced Level Auto, and Wes at Watch Wes Work, and Schrodinger’s Box……I have a problem. I see that now.

[@feron450]

I have done the same. Wish he had done videos on a 7.3 powerstroke as I’m stumped and haven’t found a video for my particular problem and I don’t have much diesel experience

[@steveo6631]

@@feron450 I've been there... You think everything has to be on the internet somewhere, but sometimes you can't find what you're looking for...

[@poorboyman5565]

No parts required as Ivan would say.The customer will be very happy with that fix. Great job Eric.

[@vm9684]

Good video. I've been watching for a couple years now and it's nice to see Mrs. O as part of the repai process. No shade towards Eric and no ulterior motives towards Mrs. O. It's just nice to see her helping you out in the shop.

[@daviddawicki6730]

Been watching you for years not only for your brilliant diag skills but you and Mrs o s respect and love you have for each other, you guys make me laugh every time I watch. I pray I can have that relationship someday 🙏.

[@HoboJoeGarage]

So many SMA vidjeos this week!!! Thanks for getting us through the work week.

[@briantii]

Awesome job as always. Never would have guessed a minor pin fitment issue would cause that. Thank you!

[@donttasemebro479]

My uncle was a pipeline welder for 35 years. He would always tell me, "I can weld anything but a broken heart." 😂

[@jamesworsham2312]

Actually there are two things a welder cannot weld, the crack of dawn and a broken heart amen

[@Gummybear.1964]

I've gotta say… That this channel is quite simply one of my favourites of all time on KZbin. I live in Australia… born totally blind from birth. and have worked in the automotive trade for most of my life. Thanks largely to my late father from Germany for teaching me everything he knew, with regards to becoming 1 with the machine as it were. :) The thing that I'm particularly impressed with… Is that all these videos are so easy to follow even without the benefit of looking at the screen itself.

[@cmartin_ok]

For someone blind from birth (and you have my sympathies) your typing and spelling is first-class. Have a great day

[@Gummybear.1964]

@Christopher Martin thank you very much indeed. However if I may be so bold? The last thing I would ever ask for is sympathy. As a matter of fact… Having lived my life totally blind… I know no different than the state that I'm in. Given the choice… I would not trade my lack of eyesight for a mostly rewarding lifetime resulting in all that which I have learnt with insight. Personally… I do not refer to my blindness as a disability. Rather perhaps an inconvenience from time to time. Being able to dismantle a vehicle to its absolute last nutting bolt… And put it back together and never drive it. It's a little like having a piece of chocolate that I could never eat. So I definitely will be celebrating the day when I can be in command of a fully autonomous vehicle. This alone… Will give me the very same level of independence and freedom that I have longed for. If I have learnt one single lesson above all else? I would say without exception… That would be do my best not to let lost opportunity become a missed opportunity. Now never comes again.

[@clintprice2123]

Stevie Wonder was asked about being blind and he said he would not trade his talent to have his sight again.

[@Gummybear.1964]

@@clintprice2123 certainly that's the case as far as I'm concerned. However… It is quite a different story for someone who has had site for most of their life and lost it later. With me what I don't have I don't miss.

[@slatsgrobneck7515]

Mrs O did a great job doing the unbiased investigation - under intense pressure from Eric by-the-way. She never knows what (request) will walk thru that door! I was wondering if somebody was in there before (screws not tight and wire harness grommet not in place) and ended up stretching the ground pin. Another awesome fix Eric!! Thanks

[@amundsonjm]

Please don't ever change the format of your videos. The conversations you have with us and the chemistry you have with Mrs. O when she makes an appearance is what we love about you! God bless you and your family!

[@thomash1923]

Two nights in a row?!?! What did we do to deserve this?!?! Thanks Mr O!

[@DIYDaveOK]

The value of Identifix is realized when someone like Eric has the *discernment* to know if or when a proposed solution should actually be used. Brilliant as always, Eric, and thanks.

[@calholli]

It's not just identifix.. I use youtube, image search, forums, google searches, ect.. to find most everything I need also. Identifix, Alldata, Mitchel, ect.. are much better obviously-- but it's not worth it for a DIY guy like me to pay that kind of money. You'd be surprised at what is already on the internet for free, or just youtube alone.... I also watch my live PPV UFC fights for free, and any movie I want for free. Everything is free on the internet, if you just learn how to look for it. There's also a site that stocks free PDF's of all service manuals-- but if I type it, youtube deletes my comment. lol.. Info is a secret out here apparently.

[@Onewheelordeal]

The comment so nice ya make it twice

[@DIYDaveOK]

@@Onewheelordeal I thought the first one got eaten by YT...

[@Ikantspell4]

Eric's wife seems like a cool person. I feel like she puts up with a pretty big goofball and always seems to take his goofiness kindly. It's been my experience that some people are looking for reasons to be grumpy and this is a valuable trait. They seem to interact well. It's nice to see good diagnosis but also nice peoples.

[@tman1941]

They are perfect pair. Mrs. O gives to Mr. O just as much as he gives her.

[@kenmohler4081]

Tom is right, they are the perfect pair. And we love to see Mrs. O. Mostly, Eric is NOT a grump. He just calls ‘em like he sees ‘em. And I love the way he makes us feel like we are there.

[@twwtb]

I think his goofiness is always very kind. I would say that Mr. O is a man without guile...one of the good guys.

[@stevew9563]

Do you usually write up your findings on Identifix to help others? That is the key to getting the common fixes to the top of the results.

[@stevericketts810]

Seems to me anytime MRS O is in the shop, things get fixed!

[@vpimike2646]

Wow, you really care a lot about saving customers money. I wonder what percent of mechanics would have just fired the parts canon and charged for every part? Avoca is blessed to have a considerate and extremely competent mechanic like you! Bravo Eric O!

[@letsgogaming8700]

You are the most inspiring man, everything you put out makes me want to work on my family’s rust buckets. Keep doing you.👍

[@thickwristmcfist3399]

We love that you seem to be incorporating Mrs. O in your videos more often and for longer! lol

[@CCscott]

Isn’t she and Luna the stars of the show anyway? ⭐️ ⭐️

[@lvsqcsl]

It wasn't that long ago that she HATED the camera. She's quite comfortable now.....

[@92skaterboy]

Being that I’m fairly new to diagnostic we use identifix in our shop and I mostly use them to help me learn along the way. That being said I do agree a lot of people do use it as a parts cannon but I myself like to make sure I am diagnosing a car correctly every time. I enjoy watching your videos and learning along the way!

[@dayslife]

would of loved to see the customer's face expression when Mr O telling him , your transmission problem is fixed , i repaired the tail lights connector ... 🤣

[@DIYAutoHomeschool]

Another great video Eric. Personally, I have Identifix, but that's because I'm pretty familiar with it and I can really only afford 1 service info program and it seemed like my best option. I'm always watching myself to make sure I don't get caught in the trap and I'm still diagnosing.

[@Joe6packAmerican]

OMG, the fake zap never gets old. :D Great video as always Mr O.

[@Sejokintosol21]

Mr O as always a great video. Judging by the clues my best guess I think owner might have had a left light burnt took it to a parts store and or had a family member change it and struggled getting light housing assembly off/on and in the process the conector was the casualty. But it’s great to see that things are always not what they seem. Keep up the great work 👍👍👍👍

[@jeffreym755]

What

[@mjh123crh]

@@jeffreym755 somebody else had their grubby meat hooks in there and fucked it up...

[@WoodyinBright]

I love this channel, your diagnostic skills are sublime and it’s a pleasure to watch you work. I’m sure it’s frustrating working on vehicles so badly affected by corrosion, but I’m also sure this is how you’ve honed your craft. Easy fixes are difficult and difficult ones are next level challenging when everything is so badly affected (except this car, so far).

[@RobertJohnson-kv6dr]

Hi Eric 👋 great videos as always been following for a while and learnt many new things along the way. Thought I'd post as I've dealt with this issue in UK 🇬🇧. don't know what model would be the comparison but Nissan Primera over here suffered terribly with rear light cluster earths melting and gave unbelievably driver issues with reduced engine performance. Obviously Nissan identified the problem with new harness etc but when presented took ages to resolve the issue until it became known. Nissan micras the same. Any driveability issues now I always checked all rear lights on at the same time. Great 👍 work nice to see Mrs O 👍

[@tonychalmers9867]

Standard connector as used on Peugeot/Citroën, Fiat, Volvo and many more. All have problems with the rear lights and knackered earth pins.

[@IgnoramusAnonymous]

Just out of interest, we had an experience with our Nissan Micra, it wouldn’t lock with the keyless remote, we figured out after a few weeks that if we waited about 30-60 seconds it would lock. It was a so frustrating! I happened to notice the interior light wasn’t working, threw in a new bulb and all was good again!

[@canadatransistor]

I love the videos when you and Mrs. O interact in the videos. You are both so funny together. Keep it coming as a team effort - your audience loves it!

[@frankvucolo6249]

What a great channel for so many reasons. Keep rockin, Eric O!

[@paulstaf]

ARE YOU GOING to add your fix into that service database so that others will know the connector may need to be tightened? Otherwise the next guy may be changing bulbs instead of working on the connector. :)

[@chrishartley1210]

I don't think that's necessary in this case, it was a bad ground which can have lots of different causes. That was fairly obvious from the action with multiple power sources. I suspect a bulb has been changed recently which is why the bolts or nuts were only finger tight. Maybe the unit was allowed to hang from the cable and put strain on the connector.

[@russellhltn1396]

You never did show us how the backup lights are controlled. I think what you'll find is they're controlled off the same switch as the one used for the computer input. With the bad ground, a voltage was back feeding into the reverse input, confusing things. It's all simple - once you figure it out. ;)

[@conrailfan6277]

That was some very good info, that guy is definitely saving the next tech hours of diagnosis time, great video Eric, if I did that to my wife she would have thrown that nut driver at me LOL!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@shadetreemech290]

Ditto.

[@shadetreemech290]

A friend changed the left hand mirror and the transmission wouldn't shift right. Long story short, the mirror he put in didn't have a out side temperature sensor as required. Get the right part. It was a Dodge ram pick up.

[@jamesbockenstette4332]

Good job Eric. You got Mrs. O into the shop and on camera. Thank you.

[@ahmadghosheh3104]

For a DIY I can't afford identifix, but I can afford to learn from Eric 😂. I really really picked so many helpful tips and techniques that saved me time and money. Eric's Toyota RAV4 head bolt and gasket series saved me from buying a new engine, followed his steps and got the car running. Thank you.

[@bobc455]

Too bad they don't have a version of it for us DIYers & hobbyists

[@miceinoz1181]

I am bloody destroyed that you think I would not believe you! You are one that I would unresevedly believe, and if you tell me it is loose, then I am fully on board, especially after seeing everything resolved once you made pin contact.

[@leninmi7579]

What would you do with out Mrs. O.? Best helping hand yet.

[@robertmedina6875]

It’s pretty awesome you guys seem like you really love each other! Thanks for another great video Eric! And it makes me happy to see you and your family happy!

[@davescruton2829]

Pin fit in the tail light never seemed so important in transmission issues to me before this. lol.

[@jalsr.speak2379]

Crazy and insane how the loose taillight connection had an affect on transmission. Boy, how cars have changed. Great job!

[@mrmeval]

Electronics tend to be be more sensitive to bizarre issues even with the great engineering Nissan is quite good at. Whoever made that entry in the Identifix is quite brilliant. I've had similar issues with non-automotive systems. There are a variety of failures which, like this make no damn sense unless you have the luxury of some very expensive tools, full access to the wiring diagram, electronics schematics, bill of materials with datasheets for everything and the source code used in the electronics if there is any. I now work in a field where I get to do that. Example, bare metal under an electronic part where it worked just fine for several months till thermal stress caused the bare metal on the part to touch the bare metal on the board. This took about 6hrs with 1/4 million dollars of equipment to diagnose fully. The fix was use a plastic bodied part, an insulator and a change to the firmware. The plastic part is *cheaper*. They'd gone with the more expensive part as it had unneeded but slightly better specs from a vendor we trust and it was with-in their budget. Good intentions that would exceed most folks expectations yet it failed. For the fix they changed to the plastic part, went with the analysis techs recommendation (a coworker) did two more trivial fixes then after that *tested it carefully* (hulk smash) then recalled the ones shipped for the fix. Just the change of a $0.02 part and trivial fixes cost 80k due to mostly regulatory compliance as engineering time was low and the recall cost was a pittance, the black eye to our reputation was far more painful. A dealer ship may know this problem and have an engineering fix as they get all the bulletins. It would be nice if they have done a recall on it. I check for recalls when my car acts up, saved a bit of scratch doing that as one very expensive fix was free.

[@Blue89bird2]

We need a SMA/VGG collab. Please make this happen

[@codywichman213]

i also ran into this before with the same vehicle. The bulb filament was floating around inside. We use identifix for their repair info. I like that you can search fixes, find diag procedures, and read all the info you need in one program. It saved my butt too!

[@chrisfreemesser5707]

We have a new addendum to the official South Main Auto Drinking Game (tm): - Every time Eric says "my guy"...one drink. - Every time Eric says "my guy" to Mrs. O...THREE drinks. Seriously though, this is why I'm so leery about new cars...the amount of electronics and interconectivity in them is so great that there's no way an automaker can test for every kind of weird electrical issue a car might have. The idea that something innocuous like a bad bulb ground could cause something like an electronically controlled transmission or a brake by wire system to malfunction is pretty disconcerting...

[@jdgimpa]

Like I always told the guys I worked with, you got to be smarter than what you are working on! I remember a green pea I was working with who took my advice when he was working on a new car with a problem. The service manual said to do it one way but he figured out by reading theory of operation that it could be fixed in a lot less time by disconnecting it from power and plugging it back in.

[@Billybobaggins9]

I’m a Nissan tech, and have seen master techs get duped by the f1 or f0 code for the trans assuming it’s not pulling because of the common cvt failure. They replaced the trans, and still, the problem persisted. Tech eventually found the rear lamps to be kinda screwy, and in shame realized his error.

[@DDrew67]

What a nightmare....changing a cvt for nothing?....im not sure I could handle that

[@Billybobaggins9]

@@DDrew67 cvts are our gravy. I personally am able to knock one out in a day, many of the older techs, can easily have one ripped out before lunch and almost put back together and programmed before everyone is back from lunch. It’s very impressive to see. Although the aforementioned master tech made a mistake he’s a very good tech that just got to comfortable, and he obviously learned from the mistake because it cost the business money, and it’s just humiliating to know you made such a big mistake. I’m sure it happens to the most seasoned tech eventually, it’s how you handle it, and learn how to avoid mistakes like that in the future that makes a good tech.

[@DDrew67]

@@Billybobaggins9 ok I feel a little better about taking a whole day to swap a cvt....thanks

[@chrisbarker2573]

Great to see Eric's glamorous assistant getting involved in the repairs. Backfeeding voltage from the reversing light circuit to the control electronics could well be causing the processor to become confused by not seeing the expected voltage on one or more output pins of the IC. If the processor is expecting to see 0 volts on a pin and it sees 3 or 4 volts instead it might have difficulty determining if it is seeing a high or a low on that pin. That could be the reason for the slow or confused changes. Just a theory.......!

[@kirstenspencer3630]

98 Toyota Camry. Lost ground at trunk. Our scanner said it was the neutral safety switch. My husband took all the bulbs out of the back of the car. Problem gone no safety switch code. Car drove perfectly. Turns out the ground on the drivers side at the trunk had fatigued the copper wire and the bulbs found an alternate ground through the neutral safety switch. The big clue for him was the reverse indicator light would illuminate when in drive when the headlights ( also lights the tail lights ) was turned on. Stay safe.....

[@Sojourning_]

Eric, always nice to see your other half, Blessings to your family.

[@jameskeeler6321]

Ok the magic question. How do you charge for diagnostics like this. I mean you tell the customer it was a bad tail light connection, and they say why do you charge so much for fixing a tail light. This is an interesting topic all on it's own.

[@DDrew67]

I went from backyard to pro in the last year....you've been a big help...thanks much

[@andreww6439]

I once came upon a tip from a one "South Main Auto" on Identifix about using string to keep valves from dropping on a Chevy during repairs. I believe the tech signed it "-Eric"

[@edjeep]

i am sitting at the edge of my seat waiting for the outcome of your repair as I just got through working on the same problem on my wife's car and it is driving me crazy! back to the video and thank you for your videos

[@edjeep]

also read a bulletin from nissan stating that the light assembly needed to be replaced , cost per dealer, almost $300, luckily my parts cannon is not on. i will check the terminal tension, come morning. thanks again, Eric!!

[@RK-kn1ud]

Mrs O is onto something when she asked if your mini prybar video involved heat. I attempted to make multiple mini prybars after watching your video and every single screwdriver snapped before bending. Turns out most of these are hardened and need heat to bend them. I don't think you mentioned heat, and that's why I own 3 screwdriver handled punches now!

[@basshunter428]

Great vid, Eric and Mrs.O! Just a word on that mini pry bar. A couple of months ago I did a T-case rebuild (Jeep 231J) and I had a %$#@ of a time getting the snap/circle rings off even with LISLE ring pliers! I finally gave up using just the pliers and slid the Snap On mini pry bar under the ring and really leaned into it enough to clear the groove it sat in. Long story short: I used that pry bar to get both those %$#@ rings out and I can tell you that the steel used in the pry bar I have is tempered and not bendable. The bent screw driver might work fine on stuff that doesn't require a lot of pressure, but it aint matching the nuts my (bought 2 of them when I saw your "make your own vid") Snap On pry bar has. I really was amazed at how much pressure those little bars can take.

[@SuperBigdanno]

The little snap on must be tougher than the full size pry bars, in my younger days I would permanently bend those. Dealer was not impressed lol

[@GetReal3327]

Mr.O Nice job as always:) It's amazing how cars are today that a tail light ground wire can screw up the transmission. As always Mr.O I learn a lot from your wisdom. Thank you

[@floorpizza8074]

The banter between you and Mrs. O is just freaking hilarious! You guys are awesome. I have yet to watch a video on this channel where I didn't learn something. Really appreciate the tips on how to use identifix correctly! Maybe I'll get a smaller magazine for my parts cannon now.

[@sharedknowledge6640]

What a funky situation and what crappy engineering by Nissan or more likely the Renault this car is mostly based on. This is the kind of stuff you normally only see with stupid German engineering where a single pin failure on a tail light connector not only screws up nearly all the tail lights but even throws a check engine light with a code for a shifter failure! Only 4 years old. Junk!

[@rickw.9298]

Nicely done Mr & Mrs O! Over the years (decades) many mfgs have included a tell-tale to the operator that the tail/brake lights are out (safety issue) as the operator can’t tell otherwise. Usually something in the cab that the operator would notice as not right. Time to see the mechanic.

[@Robert-S-]

I have a coworker with this same car, and they'd had this issue, causing odd shifting. They took it to a shop that replaced the range switch, when that didn't fix it, they told her she needed a new transmission. I ended up searching around, and found another diagnostic video, where someone had gone through this same issue, but it was a dealership/reseller who had gone thru multiple range switches and even swapped out the transmission and still had same code/symptoms. THe diagnostic guy, had to go through a bunch of nissan wiring diagrams until he finally found one that showed the reverse light circuit is shared with the TCM module, and he ended up finding out that when the selector is in R one reverse bulb was very bright, and the other very dim. He ended up finding the circuit board on one side had gotten exposed to water and had a bunch of corrosion on it. I don't remember if he replaced the board assembly or just cleaned it, but as soon as he fixed the light circuit, everything worked normal again. A very interesting design choice by Nissan, especially for them to not clearly document the circuit with the associated trouble codes. So I ended up finding the reverse bulbs on my coworkers car were different brightnesses, didn't find any corrosion on the circuit board, but took some alcohol and cleaned all the contact surfaces off for the bulb sockets, then put a very light schmeare of dielectric grease on each bulb before reinstalling them....her problem was solved. No transmission required. If she has this problem again, I will definitely check the pin connections for looseness like you found.

[@keithwolstenholme4238]

This crap in addition to their CVT issues is enough to convince me NEVER to own a Nissan.

[@Robert-S-]

@@keithwolstenholme4238 For Sure. The only Nissan vehicle that I have been impressed with is their full size cargo/work vans. Had a fleet of them at previous job, and the field techs beat the crap out of them, loaded them with heavy parts or pulled trailers with them. They required regular maintenance, but what doesn't? Had multiple vans with over 100k on them just working their hearts out without any major issues. But their consumer market stuff?....HARD PASS.

[@jeffjankiewicz5100]

The fake zap gag never gets old.😀 Lucky for you Mrs. O can take a joke. But be wary, she may be looking for payback. Whoda thunk it, bad ground folks. Thanks for sharing this Eric.

[@djosbun]

Agreed……I think I’ll bring my Fluke 88V into the office tomorrow to try this with one of the ladies.

[@JeffreyStrader]

ERIC I learned a LONG TIME AGO that you ARE the automotive Electric Wiring Guru!

[@JohnSmith-ug5ci]

Hopefully you also shared your experience with the community on that scan tool. Good job.

[@av8tore71]

I still have that 1979 Dodge Omni today. It was my very first car when I was 16 in 1987. I e had offers for it as much as $10K because I had restored it

[@noelcastle3986]

Great video like always , the bad earth return connection must have put some voltage back into the reversing light via the globe filaments from other energised tailight circuits and somehow caused the ECM to misbehave . I wish there was a indentifix type site for my game (commercial kitchen diagnostics and repairs ) people tend to keep their knowledge to themselves especially techs who work for the equipment manufacturers . I've had their tech support people not give out much information and suggest they send out their own techs. Knowledge is money unfortunately. I also don't like playing around with connectors always worried I'm going to break the locking catches. Changed the tailight globe on my daughters hyundai had the same issue trying to remove the tailight assembly without breaking the alignment pin. Good to see you are honest with time though some extra time is probably OK in this situation that is not a usual problem.

[@twinsere3226]

yupp 100% this

[@accordingtoandy2810]

My current car I am always tinkering with it and loving the results. It was my first time ever doing valve cover gaskets on a 3.0 VTEC or and v6. That as qell came out great.

[@zachcypert4800]

Had one of these a few moths ago, i believe it was a sentra. Tail light housing was shorted internally in the led board and backfed the range switch causing the transmission to go into limp mode. Also used our identifix to point me that direction! Definately a good tool when used correctly. As keith always yells at us, "Read the service info!" 🤣

[@brettzambotti9291]

I'd bet that connection got looser from the combined current of all bulbs getting it hot and thus deforming the connector even more. Tightening the connection will transfer the amperage without as much resistance and thus not creating heat.

[@debndave4871]

Awesome find. Go figure the brake light fault throws a transmission code.

[@nct9466]

Not brake light fault, rear tail light earthing fault so power goes thru other things etc TCM is getting some back feed voltage so mixed signals

[@leftyo9589]

reverse light makes sense, but its not intuitive. gear selector has to trigger backup lights, so.... not something your brain tells you to look at for what appears as trans related issue.

[@richardthomas1743]

Probably the switch is buggered up from Coffee and Soda being dumped down it LOL

[@allstarnb1]

Keep watching lol

[@shaneanderson1036]

It’s cable link to the transmission selector . The selector switch is inside the transmission . So if it is the switch that’s faulty it requires the valve body opening up .

[@corykluthe355]

I do miss having identafix at the shop im at now. It really does give you some great direction sometimes for common issues that ur sometimes not familiar with. Or just weird stuff. It is nice but can be used in the cannon as well

[@beaverc2884]

Great job hunting that problem down. 👍

[@chrisburkhardt4902]

"Not getting paid to diagnose" and "what ammunition am I loading into my parts cannon."...Hit the nail on the head with these quotes. The industry may not seem fair but I also can't sacrifice my income so others can catch a break (even though I do genuinely want to help people). When a service writer/customer comes to me and says "I/this person come(s) here all the time, can you just pull the codes and tell me what's wrong" my immediate response after scanning is "Well it could be this, this, this, this, or even this. I won't know until I can dive into the diagnostics." I tend to shy away from Identifix but after watching this, I'll start checking it more often for those random, obscure problems. Thanks for the insight!

[@OakesProject]

"I'll be dipped!" I caught that Eric. You are a great source of information. I think you earned "a wobble pop to cool down your back neck!!

[@dave1135]

Imagine if Eric and Derrick did a colab, Eric would be explaining the problem and Derrick would be looking up and saying "I wonder what the oak ridge boys are doing these days?"

[@boblister665]

I just turned 70 and have been doing auto body for 48 years. I am glad to be semi retired and able to say no to anything technical these days. Cars are way to complicated and loaded with useless crap these daays. Love the channel and LMAO with you and Ms. O

[@klwthe3rd]

My whole state's mechanics are indentifix parts cannon lovers.

[@NatesHomeTours]

I work at Oreilly auto parts. Had a guy come in the other day with factory LED tail lights on is MKZ. Was pulled over for his brake light out on driver side. When he steps on brake it didn't work but the turn signal did and used the same LED lights as the brake light. To throw more of a curve all the other lights worked fine. And if his parking lights or headlights were on his driver side brake light works just fine. Not sure if he has gotten it fixed yet, but my only guess is it would be a bad LED driver module.

[@AM-sq5ut]

Another great lesson from SMA! Thanks Mrs. O also! I think I'm ready to start my own repair business.... 😉😉. Maybe someday... God bless SMA!

[@Yawwee]

Use anywhere or anyplace that can help you achieve your goal !!!! The internet is a god send to the world. Information at your finger tips !!! Service data, you tube, car web sites, are just a few of many places today to get help !!! If you yourself need help, pay a church a visit. Nicely done Eric, and Mrs. O. gets credit too for her expertise in unbiased opinion giving !!!! 🤩😛👍

[@freetolook3727]

As a warranty manager at an RV dealership, I was constantly after the mechanics to find the issue first before unloading the parts cannon. One time a trailer came back with the same plumbing problem three times. I said whoa what are you guys doing? They kept tightening this pipe connection and it would pop off after. I told them that there was a problem. Fix the problem and the customer won't have to come back. Apparently, at the factory, the plumbing was just a little short and they tried their plumbing stretcher to make it work. Told the mechanic to add a piece of pipe to relieve the tension on the fitting. Customer never had to come back.

[@twwtb]

What an odd problem. I think it points out a problem with design philosophy. Those systems shouldn't be interconnected to the point that a taillight ground issue would affect the transmission. What do I know, just a mechanical engineer here and decades of experience fixing my own stuff. I do understand "robust design" however. It's always a good day when Mrs. O. ventures into the workshop.

[@dtnel]

Problem is all the engineers with no hands on experience. Pair that with "theories" many designers, engineers have and their propensity to not listen to mechanics, customers and things get even worse!

[@fsfs555]

For something like this I probably would've assumed the range switch was weird, first checking to see if it was adjustable and fiddling with it for a while before getting into the wiring. I'm not sure how long it would've taken me to find the actual problem, unless I got fed up and moved on to the wonky tail lights only to be surprised when the transaxle code magically disappeared afterward. Judging by the loose fasteners and pushed out grommet on that tail light, I'd suspect either someone had already been messing around in there or it just speaks to modern Nissan build quality, neither of which are good.

[@thepeepsdotnet]

Another possibility is that the taillight assembly was replaced, as I see what look to be brush strokes under the paint where the car body is hidden by the taillight. Could this car have been hit in that corner, and the pin was bent when replacing the taillight assembly? Also, would hate to have to change any bulbs in that thing.

[@GTCGreg]

I haven't actually seen the wiring diagram for the Nissan Versa but what I suspect is happening is that the transmission module is what turns on the back-up lights. With the ground floating on the driver's side rear lighting assembly, when the brake pedal is pushed, the voltage to the rear brake light is backfeeding through the back-up lamp and sending voltage to the transmission module. The module doesn't expect to see voltage on the back-up light circuit and it confuses it into thinking that some of the shift position switches are closed when they aren't.

[@twinsere3226]

my thoughts exactly

[@porkchop4604]

Eric your investigation techniques are second to none. Its unfortunate you are one in a million. Doing right by the customer and not a profit grabber like the stealerships. You almost look like your having too much fun. Love the family dynamics as well. You are a blessed man.

[@jonandkelliejowilliams5338]

Thank you for your excellent diagnostic work and sharing with us. I had a similar experience with a 160h motor grader. Kept throwing a master alarm and transmission filter fault. Turned out the problem was a burned out bulb in the dash. A lot of wasted time and huge amounts of frustration over that one!

[@mosesperez5353]

Always great channel. I had identifix a while back but didn’t like the fact it had the first page of promising fixes. I would get lazy at times and spin my wheels instead of diagnosing it the proper way… All because i get curious and read the articles LOL. I never did get lucky but hey i learned a whole bunch of stuff going down rabbit trail’s.

[@marklatimer7333]

You have to wonder what Nissan Design Engineers were thinking allowing a bad earth in a stop light to completely screw up the operation of the car? - Come on guys admit it, you've made cars far too complicated .

[@crlaw75]

Or other manufacturers.

[@HOTROD43137]

great job you and wife are cool god bless hope to meet you someday big fan

[@bigcaputo09]

I deal with loose pins once a week lol. Great job!

[@keithwolstenholme4238]

This is insane. Taillight connection causes check engine light with transmission code. 🤯

[@dtandfam8100]

Most of the guys in the shop use the identafix. I always find it open on the desktop lol.. Much agreed to use it as a suggestion.. But most importantly do the work to verify the problem!! Thanks SMA for this one!! Wow.. These nissan products can be a real pita! Lol 😆

[@zakuraayame5091]

a one in a million failure rate on parts still means a new part is always failing somewhere in the world.

[@thisisausername1265]

I've encountered this, and seen the problem clear up as the condensation left the rear taillight assemblies. Looking at the wiring diagram it obviously makes sense, but it's not what one would initially expect or go towards. Kind of like they toyota corollas with the plugged evaporator drain with condensation leading to oxygen sensor codes.

[@leebornaman5508]

RainmanRay referred your channel..excellent topics. Thank you.

[@jamesworsham2312]

Go Rain Man!!!

[@gryffin2748]

Always great to see another video. So maybe kicking the left rear tire could fit this one?? Great job fixing this one.

[@Garth2011]

Likely that LR Taillamp assy had some bulbs replaced in the past which would explain the damaged pin and loose 10mm nuts. Good aim on this diagnosis Eric...few have the patience to be logical in their investigations.

[@derekfriday7931]

That would be my guess honestly. Make sense to me