Chevrolet Cobalt - No Crank No Start Stalling - Bizarre Problems Part II

OK I think you have waited long enough. Here is part and the final fix for this Chevrolet CObalt that came in and seemed to be possessed ( • Chevrolet Cobalt - No ... ) . There was a lot of fine guessing in part one with the little information that was given so let's take a minute and see what in the thunder is really going on here!
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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 in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not South Main Auto Repair.

[@timothynichols1081]

I've subscribed to Your channel about 2 months ago. I've been watching Your Video's alot. I do work on my own cars and friends. I must say You are One persistent mechanic. You go over and over with the problem and find the solution. I think You are one of The Best Mechanics on KZbin and The Funniest. I Enjoy watching them all!!

[@williammason7092]

Been working on vehicles for about 50 + years and I learned a few things about this sensors with the emissions part of his videos

[@jeffjankiewicz5100]

You know your reputation is in great shape when other shops send you work they can`t fix!! or screw up. You dive in and find the problem and fix it. You ARE the man Eric O.

[@ApexHotShot]

I enjoyed this video very much. Thanks Eric. When you raised that wiper arm and the relay dropped out (engine stall) I laughed so loud my wife came to see what was up. She looked at me side eye when I explained it was just one of Eric O’s car repair videos. That is one reason we all come back … again & again.

[@floorpizza8074]

It's great that Mr. O has such an extensive library of older videos. That way if you're still wanting to watch SMA after watching the most recent releases, you can get your fix here in the past. And what a weird, bizarre, etc failure on this car!

[@CrazyPetez]

From an old telco guy who worked in a central office, Excellent, Excellent trouble shooting! Watching the video, going to the wiper cowl and wiper motor was was like a magnet to me. But you correctly went to the prints and traced it down the right way. Good work.

[@billsmith2212]

Eric : Way back I had a late 70's Pontiac Grand Prix with a parasitic drain . No accidents or wire abortions . My guess at the time was alternator diodes or the clock . Well .... it was the clock . However , it STILL had a drain WITH THE FUSE OUT ! I had to physically remove the clock from the dash to make the drain disappear ! It must have somehow backfed to drain power ! Electricity never ceases to amaze me . Keep the videos coming . Bill .

[@acarl-lo5tg]

I have a theory that explains this bizarre behavior with a ground through the windshield wiper motor. Through the 1970s and probably later, GM always grounded the wiper motor field coil to the metal case on the motor. A time probably came where that might have caused a reliability problem (poor ground) with rubber mounting grommets or for some other engineering requirement that the case housing ground was abandoned. Engineers isolated and grounded the motor through a separate wire. If you look at a wiring schematic for a 2007 Chevy Cobalt, the wiper motor housing is NOT grounded to the chassis. There is a separate ground wire that goes to the underhood fuse box and connects to many other grounded control side circuits. The control circuit to the RUN / CRANK relay is one of these common grounds. The ground connection at terminal F2 is poor and has excessive resistance. At time interval 12:30 Dr O has the engine running. He grabs the driver side windshield wiper arm and moves it slightly. The engine dies. The RUN / CRANK relay shares a common ground with the wiper motor. His movement of the arm got transmitted through the wiper arm linkage back to the crank arm on the wiper motor armature. I bet copper dust and shavings from the carbon impregnated brushes created a slight electrical trace to ground on the internal ground wire. Slight movement of the armature shaft interrupted this ground path, the RUN / CRANK relay lost its ground, de-energized and the engine was dead. Once the F2 connection in the fuse box was fixed, Dr. O engages the windshield wiper and the arms trace normally across the windshield. Since the wiper motor is power side switched, a slight leakage caused by metal shavings and/or carbon particles on the ground side do not create a problem.

[@scott8076]

Thanks I needed that

[@Ivansthename]

My dear Watson

[@dannylinc6247]

That was so great how you mapped out the correct path and didn't let the confusion and anomalies lead you to tear apart the cowl or access to the bodywork. The electrical problem was originally the A/C fuse and whatever you had now had to relate to the work that was just done before it came to you. That new GM wiring is a comedy of material saving and lightweight material in use and alot of plastic. It sucks. You can't just depend on anything like previous years were. So methodically, you had to arrive at the grip of the fitment as the cause. Under load a circuit has to carry the current and using less material reduces the surface areas of those multiple pins. Just the way they went about assembling could result in the cause. The way you repeated the operation resulted in the correction. It seems. The backfeed led to the wiggle test that helped you by the sounds. Bizarre was the right term.

[@jorgefernandez-mv8hu]

These are the kind of problems that keep all the distilleries in business. You did the right thing by concentrating on the one issue and seeing it through. The moving of the wiper arm was the clue that there was a common problem to all of this. Great find in the fuse box. You are the man! 👍👍👍

[@bgregg55]

GM fuse blocks of that era are notorious for developing cracks (& intermittent opens) in the 20ga copper wires. They can be fixed with soldering.

[@darrellasbury5781]

I really don't understand why this man gets any thumbs down on his videos,I can honestly say this is one of the best all-round mechanics around.keep up the good work sir I'm not ashamed to say you have helped me to approach certain things in different ways to diag problems..👍

[@SouthMainAuto]

Well thank you sir, no worries though... let the haters hate :D

[@icek9a]

It's Scotty kilmer trollin

[@user-hs9lx3jk8w]

I give you an Aplus on fixing it...

[@erickieffer8440]

@@icek9a I keep hearing this name ‘Scotty Kilmer’, but I don’t know who he is, I’m guessing another KZbinr. Anyway, I do not like going online so I keep it short when I do, but I am willing to spend my time watching Eric O.

[@johnminor2496]

Eric, I am not a mechanic. I have learned a lot from you. I appreciate your skills, wit, and family. Thank you for the fine videos.

[@Graham_Wideman]

Nice diagnosis as usual. Explanation of the mystery of how the relay gets energized even when the big square connector with the relevant ground wire is disconnected, and how this has something to do with the cowl and wiper: Yes, like others have commented, clearly there's some other path to ground. But at first blush, how could this be? Sure, the ground side of the relay coil attaches to a local ground "rail" in the fuse box that is shared with a number of other relays and devices. With that big connector removed, all the devices remained connected to each other via the local ground rail, but no longer to chassis ground. So indeed, from the ground side of our relay of interest, there's a path along the ground rail to each of these other relay coils and devices, and through them... to where? Well, the other side of each of those devices must be their plus side, right? So the other side is either connected to B+, or it's switched off. In either case, it's not a path to ground, so it doesn't explain the mysterious behavior. Except... Turns out that the + side of the wiper motor is special. It has some complicated switching so it can run at different speeds, and so that when it's commanded off it continues to run until it gets to park position. When it _does_ get to park position, the control module doesn't _just_ disconnect the motor + side, it commands a relay to actually short the motor + side to ground. Why? Because shorting a motor causes it to brake, in this case to stop quickly at park position. In the video, the wiper motor apparently stopped just at the edge between parked and not parked. Jiggling the wiper moves the park switch (and related relay) between shorting motor + side to ground, and not. When motor + is shorted to ground, there's a path from the disconnected ground rail through the motor windings to ground. So, a path with some resistance, but low enough to activate the relay(s), and then enough of the engine to allow it to run.

[@mcgama88]

Graham's comment about wiper motor, park position, is also a critical issue in Ford. Case in point, used F 250 diesel. Intermittant stall. Multiple shop visits. Hundreds of dollars, no final fix. Excellent tech managed final repair, with replacement wiper motor, internal to \ground circit, *fuel specific. Intermittant problems, such as might be shown with "cowl" pressure, can be very difficult to reproduce at times. Which, can lead to EMC replacement, (un necessary cost)....shotgun style replacement at sensor....sensors (very common with high expense. Eric simply demonstrates.....with wiring diagram....progress can be found,.... at adequate direction. "So well done...." M.

[@arciefan]

"Remember if I can do it, you can do it." This was a joy to watch. Step by step, systematically , you went thru and solved the problem, with no wasted steps . Now us, on the other hand , have the benefit, of throwing comments, after the fact. Maybe what impressed me most, is as nasty as the ground connection looked under the washer fluid tank, it was still supply a good ground , and you determined that and no wasted time there. Next most impressive thing , to me was looking with the mirror and seeing the bent pin which caused the connection issues. and lastly although you noticed corrosion in the fusebox, you didn't, although I thought you were , say this thing needs another fuse/relay box. While I'm commenting, want you to know, that your video on importance of a thorough brake job , vs the pad replacement, which I've done several times myself, was excellent for those like me that didn't understand the importance of checking everything else, cleaning it up, and lubing the places that need lube. Hands down, the best automotive channel on here to me, and love watching yours and Ivan's channel, as I think he reminds me of a younger you in that he has your great reasoning skills and just less experience. Thanks Eric O !!!

[@gregsmart6002]

Excellent Job in fighting that "floating/rerouted ground path" ;due to, the customer's poor installation of the Fuse Box. You gotta love the weird ones. Thanks for sharing!!!

[@chief749]

You sir are by far one of the best diagnostic techs I've seen and I've worked with many

[@jonminer9891]

Hi, Mr. And Mrs. O. I hope you guys are happy and healthy. It is great to see two such charming people banter on their own KZbin channel. OK, Mrs. O is more charming than Mr. O, but that is to be expected. I know this is an old video, but I don't care. Thanks for sharing! Stay Healthy!

[@roscoesomeone9764]

I'm impressed (again) with the way you diagnose and fix things the right way. I can't tell you how much I've enjoy watching your videos and how impressed I am with the quality of your work and the videos. You've caught me up to date on a lot that's happened in the automotive repair world. A great big Thank You !

[@ShiversRSS]

I had a buddy with the notorious Chrysler Pacifica bad ground. I showed him your video to give him direction and that was the ultimate fix. The interesting thing was that the car was fine until he went to use the windshield wipers. The wipers would move an inch, the instrument panel and radio would reset and repeat. I looked up the diagram and when the wipers are at rest, the normal closed contact on the wiper relay was grounded for some reason. So, wiper relay would engage, wipers would start to move, interrupting the ground to the computer and the car would reset. To prove my concept, I had him add a ground wire to the normally closed pin of the wiper relay for a temp fix and everything worked normally. Great directional skills on your part. Love the videos. Keep them coming.

[@HansVledder]

My theory is that the crooked pin kept the entire connector from seating properly into the fuse box. Excellent work Eric!

[@SmittySmithsonite]

Wow what a cluster! Good job on that one. That would've had me melting down for sure. I've worked on motorcycles in years past that when a ground was either not connected properly, or broken, activating the turn signal on one side would cause a backfeed on the opposite side, making those lights flash dimly. Like you said - electricity takes the path of least resistance - it doesn't care if it's a power wire or a ground wire. A good example of this is a cheap piezo buzzer from Radio Shack that you can use as a headlight reminder warning on older cars that didn't have one. Power came from the instrument panel cluster lighting, and ground went through the wiper motor switch (all in the fuse box - power to power). The wiper motor has 12v to it when the key is on, which cancels out the ground (12v and 12v = no potential). Turn the key off, and there is now a path to ground through the wiper switch, sounding the buzzer if there is power at the instrument cluster lights (telling you your lights are on). Always found that strange and fascinating from the first time I installed one in the early 90's.

[@ironbow123]

With as many videos and vehicles you work on daily it must be hard to keep everything straight, I would have lost my mind a long time ago lol so no harm no foul, keep up the excellent work and great videos coming, thank you!!!!

[@FordTaurusSHO93]

Honestly this guy is awesome and deserves every single subscriber he has. And more!

[@jpol3808]

3yrs just watched it. That was a wild one. Is it possible that the rubber mounts on the wiper motor were dry rotted and when the motor was wiggled the mounting bolts actually grounded it out providing the path for current? We will never know. Cool video. This video has me scrutinizing the fuse boxes a little closer when the path leads to multiple relays and fuses that have lost power or ground. It also has me watching a lot more for proper pin fitment. Eric the next time any company wants to have a diagnostic challenge set up for teams of mechanics to fix problems they created in cars, I know just the man they need to call to set up the problems. Eric O. From South Main Auto. That's who. I love to hear you tell stories in your open mike videos of the ones that almost got away from you but didn't. The cool thing is that even though you've seen a ton of unusual things, newer and stranger things will happen on a regular basis, guaranteed. It's the thrill of the hunt you have that's similar to a coin collector, that keeps you going and you can rest assured that they haven't stopped making coins as of yet, so you got a lot more collecting ahead of you! Have fun and take care! Jpol.

[@johndickerson9328]

It's easy to say "Bad Ground". But it takes a good Technician to actually find the bad Ground and repair it. Great job bro.

[@bethjohnson8353]

This is the type of regular guy but so curious and persistent, would be good at anything he tried.

[@lesbender236]

Great video,as usual.Just a comment on the long-probe test light:Put a piece of tubing or heat shrink on the exposed part and just leave the tip bare.No more accidental shorting.

[@dashcamandy2242]

The "fun" part of troubleshooting electrical ghosts in cars is finding all the unusual ways current will find a path to ground. I wonder if, in this case, it was using the wiper park circuit? Awesome to hear the fire department siren test. Sounds like the old-school mechanical one, not too many FD's still have them. HUGE startup current on those suckers!

[@cassiuspuckett8789]

And this is why electrical problems can be such a nightmare. You fix the problem but there is no rhyme or reason why you had the problem in the first place... Good job, Erick...

[@Buzz65]

Incredible! I'm dealing with nearly the same issue right now on my 2009 Cobalt SS. No crank,no start. This is after I removed the fusebox to get to the shift cables for replacement. All back together, now all lights come on, but no start/crank. still working on it.

[@richardturk7162]

Great video Eric and I agree its best to track down one electrical problem and fix it and see what other issues get fixed in the process.

[@jacobusa4727]

good job Eric process of elimination enjoyed every min , there are few that can talk through their diagnostics you do very well in what you are checking and why? time saver for us all .

[@mikechiodetti6737]

Loose Pin at the underhood fuse box? You fixted it! Great Job! Ivan said, Ha! I knew it was a ground! That ground at G101 "may" come back to haunt you! Whenever I saw a questionable ground, I fixed it. That's just me and I don't like comebacks, especially "INTERMITTENT" ones!

[@annachrissy4874]

Those Cobalts are great cars. My in-laws have an 07, it’s been a fantastic car! Close to 200,000 miles, and no problems, whatsoever, and it’s still running strong.

[@bethjohnson8353]

They have a ton of electrical problems lady! They just got lucky with theirs

[@ironeagle2526]

that's why he's the man the other shop couldn't figure it out and the big O did nice work eric

[@edgaramontoya]

I just watched the entire video and was very much entertained and amazed at how well he handled that job. I am currently going thru some similar issues with my younger brothers car that is the exact same year and model. Car has power but will not crank. Already checked all the fuses and relays separately, checked most of the grounds that were visible and checked for the 5v reference. Everything checked out, battery is new. All I have left to do is what Eric just did and remove the fuse box and check the harnesses. Definitely subscribing to this channel. This man knows how to troubleshoot properly.

[@BurningRubberDC]

You're the only channel that I purposely watch the ads for. I know it must help. A 4 wheel drive, a rifle, and some land is all you need. Amen. Keep on keepin on.

[@Scurops]

I think I would have dismantled the cowl and stared at everything there, gotten frustrated, and quit. The lesson I'm taking away from this video (and a few of your others) is, when in doubt, pick a circuit and stick with it! It makes no sense to me that a loose connector in the fuse box could be affected by wiggling a windshield wiper. But by sticking to your regular routine, you fixed the problem. You, sir, are my guru.

[@Bekim8310]

Awesome job Eric! You handle these electrical problems like a boss. I think electrical issues are worse than mechanical because it takes a long time to hunt down the issue

[@w2dmw]

install appropriate size braided ground wire to fuse box to cowling of firewall...Good work, Rick, you did the trick ...!!!!!

[@bostedtap8399]

Wipe ON, Wipe Off. Mr O's Dojo. Thanks for sharing and best regards from the UK.

[@ChingoMandinguez]

Best troubleshooter on YT. I really respect your 'drive'.😂

[@NathanVogt]

Great video. It is funny how just a little poking around and common sense got this problem fixed. now I understand you may not be able to find a perfect "that's your problem right there lady" kind of thing but your knowledge of the basic concepts got this issue resolved. Here in MN we have a lot of the same issues you do with corrosion and I am always finding bad grounds or low grounds on things here. keep the videos coming.

[@erickieffer8440]

@12:30. Now things are starting to get interesting. Eric, thank you for publishing such interesting videos.

[@EduardoGarcia-qr8nn]

If watching with the captions on, Everytime a car passes the shop it says [applause], and sometimes at the most hilarious times of the video. Nonetheless, great video Eric! Thank you for posting, I know this video is older, but I watch your channel every chance I get.

[@riblets1968]

You know you're doing something right when you're the go-to guy for other shops.

[@davidwright1653]

The awesome part is Eric fixed the problem. The not so awesome part is the fuse box has a case of the krusties because it's a scrap yard part, so something else will eventually fail and Eric gets the blame. Hopefully Eric documented this fact on the paperwork because I can see the other shop saying "we didn't touch it". Fortunately there's video proof of this flaw.

[@spaceinvadertoo]

Adjusted pin fitment. Problem cured. It's fixed. Send it down the road. Good job. Love your videos.

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

Great troubleshooting! You're thinking out loud oh, don't apologize for the teachers they thought process. I used to train people in IT. I trained operational and troubleshooting on various equipment starting with mainframes. It's very important the thought process that is used to troubleshoot. Not to brag but I was probably as good at that as you are at being a mechanic. I know and one environment I was the best they had, and two other environments I built Continental and National tier 3's from scratch. Keep thinking out loud. Troubleshooting a surprise SS when you take out loud you go through that process teaching your viewers the correct way to troubleshoot. Not everything can be found in an engine analyzer learn OBD analyzer. Some things have to be like a loose thread you pull on it and see where it goes. Once again great job! I would have gone off on a wild goose chase on this one. I've been looking inside the cowling to see if something was shorted out or something.

[@guayaco-dm3vu]

And here i was itching to removed the wiper cowl and find some rub wipers into arms.... Another one good Eric...

[@Ermal193]

me too, lol

[@sinx2200]

I was on the edge of my seat, no idea how the problem occurred great video series

[@arashshahban7590]

Great honest detailed video . Been chasing an exact same problem in a 2009 Cobalt . Bad C5 connector ground in my case . Thanks again

[@wldmanjim]

Eric, I had a similar problem on a Saturn ION. The contact plate in the fuse block was all corroded causing ground issues. Ah, the good old days at the Saturn dealer !!

[@dadmezz4024]

You got me Eric. I thought it was just a missing body panel bolt. Great job!

[@davidgoldberg]

Nice work Eric! I thought some body shop rigged up a ground to the cowl.

[@darrylrosswalter2086]

1st video I've seen of yours & hitting the subscribe button. You stay focussed & determined & followed the circuit to the culprit & fixed multiple issues. Hellofa job sir

[@Aaronsmith467]

These videos are such a great learning experience. True professional.

[@ExtraFungus]

You talk about diagnosing and focusing on one problem at a time. I had a writing problem with an 06 Cobalt and I can confirm, considering all the problems as common and finding the cause based on that went nowhere. The solution was to focus on one at a time. There was some hackery in the fuse box I never figured out, but at least I got the car functioning and legal. I hate when someone else has already been into the wiring.

[@raywalker7683]

Brilliant, simple methodical approach Eric. I think your videos are top notch, thank you.

[@ccgrider1014]

I'm really curious about the original fuse box, and the blown fuse. Great vid, keep chasing those lightning bolts. Thanks

[@wysetech2000]

WoW! That was a good one. I would want to check out a pinout for the wiper motor for curiosity to see if anything is related. Worst part is not knowing for sure that you have a permanent fix but that's bout all you could do at that point. I have wood slivers in my fingers from scratching my head. Nice job, Eric.

[@philmerrifield1163]

People always say "bad ground" with electrical diags but what about a hot/positive wire touching something it shouldn't be, or maybe a wire is pinched somewhere. The car has had bodywork done, i know myself that sometimes wires get pinched/broken or disconnected unintentionally. Follow your instincts Eric and your gut as it is very rarely wrong 😊

[@nathanrspain]

She didn't take her car to your shop in the first place. And that lady... is your problem. Lol. Great video, I didn't see that coming at all.

[@Yawwee]

Can you call it genius, a lucky find, a stumbled upon cause or just happen-stance, or a culmination of all of the above ??? Whatever it is, we are glad it happened cause the problem is fixed !!!! This problem gave many of us a headache because we thought long and hard about the cause !!! Sure beats solving an internet math problem !!! Let's all pat ourselves on the back for a job well done and a happy customer, as well as being a part of the solving team work !!!!!! Bring on the next one !!!! 😅🥵👍

[@GeorgeMalonedj]

Why on earth would a manufacturer put the main ground under a plastic coolant reservoir? That's right, its a Chevy! Hope the ignition recall was done! Good Job as always Eric!

[@tom535]

Like I was saying in one of your other videos,, you are a Dr of mechanics!!

[@OOZ662]

Interesting note, being a youngin' with good ears, a very high-pitch whine starts at 30:30 when you jiggle the "culprit" relay and stops when you pull out the relay near the middle eight seconds later.

[@cjm1758]

That youngin is called a Cicada!lol...

[@angryfrigginliberalinpenns1314]

I heard the same noise but earlier at 14:58 and it wasn't like a cicada

[@OpSic66]

Interesting. You're absolutely right. It starts the moment he giggles the Run/CRNK relay, and stops the moment he removed the other relay.

[@TheShop10]

I should have know the other shop screwed up installing the fuse box. Good job Eric.

[@SSMan-jo6tf]

And these are the type of issues that make you pull your hair out and keep you up at night Great job and great persistence!

[@SirDeanosity]

Eric: just to confound things more when you removed all the connectors and then reattached then you effected wiping i.e. cleaning action on all connections twice. That was a sick stupid weird set of symptom Good job!

[@toroon]

Eric, your videos make me think....and smile. I know the agony of defeat. You fought the good fight and transient rerouting won. Keep them coming Eric You're the best on KZbin!!!!

[@SuperMaymaster]

i would have been chasing a short under the the wiper trim

[@Brandynr]

You and me both!

[@wolfmanrebel874]

@@Brandynr same here

[@chrisclark5204]

That's what I thought until Eric pulled up the wiring diagram.

[@mrbeanz5849]

Yea Same I was like "dude pull the cowel off the problem is under there" boy was I wrong

[@hidros1461]

@@mrbeanz5849 So was I ha! I would've had the whole front end tore apart looking for a short to ground

[@gregmonaghan]

Great, it's here! I was starting to get withdrawal symptoms. (Must get out more) Greg

[@62shalaka]

You're one smart cookie, Eric!

[@catmando4855]

Great video as always. Electrical issues can be troublesome.

[@paulspickernell6875]

Been watching loads of your content, that was one of the best. Wish you were in the uk, had to scrap a merc slk. convertible recently due to electrical issues, no one had a clue, They said moisture in fuse box, engine starts can’t turn off, every light on dash came one at once. Loved that car

[@baxrok2.]

Crazy stuff. Thanks for taking us along on this one Eric. I learned a lot about how to approach a challenging problem like this. Thanks!

[@jojoskunk]

why is engineering simpler that life. all about the sync

[@peej123]

Nice video Eric. I'd better stick to being a DIYer cause If I was working on something like this I probably would have concluded that the circuit board in the box was the problem and got (yet) another box from the junkyard. The interesting thing is that by swapping boxes you could easily fix the (real) fitment issue. Then off I'd go slapping myself on the back thinking man I'm really learning how to fix stuff!

[@john7613]

Great diagnosis on the cobalt Eric rocks at South Main Auto, My Verus Pro let me down on a 2011 Hyundai sport P0011 was the code and my scanner lead my to chase down a bad gas pedal when i found it to be a intake electric cam phaser

[@keithw372]

you can put heat shrink over the stem of your test light probe to keep it from arching out ever

[@jtee9548]

The second I saw that long tip I thought exactly the same thing.

[@MaddRamm]

keith w that’s a good idea. I need to do that with my probes on my higher voltage multimeter. I hate when working with 120-208-480 and accidentally run something and poof my test lead vaporizes. Lol

[@srmj71]

Yeah but then you'd never get that bright flash of stupid you feel when you do that ;-).. I think I average about once a decade.

[@jimrosson1987]

5566666666

[@stephenarling1667]

A length of THHN insulation from a suitable gauge wire works as well for making an insulated probe.

[@blanktank]

What a weird issue! I would have never guessed the issue was a wayward pin. Corrosion at that ground under the coolant jug was really suspect.

[@rodpalm6398]

Here is my comment from the other video. "It's acting like there is a ground wire stuffed in there not quite tight enough. I'm on the edge of my seat here Eric waiting for a proper diagnoses." I agree it was back feeding through the wiper motor.

[@perryhanson7878]

I'm new to this but I'm learning, that is crazy how that wiper would cause an issue but the explanation makes sense but who would think of that I love your videos been helping a lot keep up the good work

[@Caleb_FC]

my friend’s cobalt would go into power reduced mode and eventually stall, all i did was run a new ground from the TCM to the fender bolt and it seemed to have fixed the issue

[@AverageJoesracingteam]

I just finished with a similar issue with a cobalt that I bought for my daughter. There were 3 problems, hence why I got the car for$400 from a used car lot.the car lot gave up on it.... 1. The abs module was bad (wouldn't complete the can bus loop) so I bypassed it on the connector. 2. One of the can bus wire was broken about 3 inches from the ecu ( also not allowing the loop to communicate) 3. After fixing the 2 can bus issues , the obd2 dlc port would communicate with the computer but the key still wouldn't start the car. I was almost defeated. For the heck of it , I snapped on a jumper cable from the engine to the TCM, voila, the key will now start the car.... Whew!!! Her birthday is in a couple of weeks. I'm excited Btw, thanks for the great diagnosis video

[@cojones8518]

You can get a piece of plastic tubing to insulate and cover up most of the test light probe. A piece that stays on, but slips off fairly easy would be best. The milky white kind for water lines work well.

[@hoffman12100]

Hi, I'm going to say this. Some cars have positive ground. Meaning the car is hot all the time...I think that is why the wipers are hot. This is not a good thing for this car. I like you Vids. You know what you're doing.

[@bchrisl1491]

I like the process you use to find direction to the problem

[@pssst3]

Being lazy, I'd pull the fuses not essential to the engine running, one by one to see which systems wiring where involved, look at the wiring diagram before removing the cowl and disconnecting the wiper motors or looking at harnesses. That it seemed to be fixed after removing and reinstalling a replacement fuse box with corroded contacts suggest there was a path to ground in the fuse box, running through another relay (a higher resistance "sneak" path) better than the ground path to the harness through the run relay. The wiping action of removing and reseating the two inline connections could be the "cure", but likely not a permanent one. Corrosion within a circuit board area promotes corrosion of adjacent contacts. The best thing to do now would be to spend 5 minutes cleaning the fuse box, the contacts of all the relays and sockets with spray contact cleaner before calling the car done.

[@lorrinbarth1969]

As a kid I was working on a troubled binder pickup, one of the last made. On the firewall a flange with an insulated hole. In the hole a stud with a power wire on each side. A solid piece of metal that tested hot on one one side but not on the other. I never knew what was going on there, just cleaned it up and fixed. You can't trust electricity.

[@spikeshostagetv5935]

We have experienced around cars and working on them on the side with my business I run, never seen anything like it I find this funny with something new to find out for future reference as well

[@vossenconcave8571]

I was headed the right way with the malfunction of this car until it took that nasty turn with the pin being bent wow had me rolling! great video!! Ive bin promoting your videos at school! Just cause your awsome lol

[@guraliuck]

Your a freaking genius! with a hell of a lot of patience.

[@TheDaf95xf]

Another great fix from Eric O 👍🏻 🇬🇧

[@motorcyclesandridingfree2899]

Like them custom added wires there on the loom. Looks like christmas lol. Good find and very interesting.

[@Frank-pv1hp]

Nice diagnostic strategy Eric. Job well done!

[@twwtb]

Thanks for the info about your wiring diagrams. Mitchell also offers a DIY subscription for a single vehicle which seems pretty reasonable.

[@MRWALLEYZ]

Wonder if you ever saw that one again over the years...N1 Mr. O!

[@jerryc3050]

"If I can do it, you can do it" Not with a wiring subscription of $185 a month. Nope. But beyond that, great video. Yeah, I know this is 4 years old but for me, it's brand new.

[@WornGuy]

And now I know what to tell the shop when the wife's 07' Cobalt does this. Thanks!

[@Badgertronix]

Nicely done. Bet you're glad to send that one down the road fixed.