In this video I bring you along the process of diagnosing a customer complaint of surging and poor running on a Buick 3.8. In our shop I always give the full hour of time set aside to duplicate the customers complaint but at the end of my time if I can't get the car to act up I move on. I am curious to know what you do in your shop. What's you go to method?
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South Main Auto Repair
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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
If an SMA Video has helped you out please consider giving using "Patreon" to help support us. The videos take real time to create and pull us away from real work that pays our bills. CLICK HERE: https://www.patreon.com/southmainauto
CHECK OUT OUR "SMA SWAG" STORE! Go on Teespring and get your very own SMA merch!
https://teespring.com/stores/the-sma-store
If you don't like Patreon feel free to use the "PayPal Me" link: https://www.paypal.me/SouthMainAuto
The South Main Auto Amazon Store:
https://www.amazon.com/shop/southmainautorepairavoca
AES Wave Automotive Diagnostic Tools: https://www.aeswave.com/cart.php?m=affiliate_go&affiliateID=2525b91fc8e906e8215984074c9d9e8f&go=https://www.aeswave.com/Miscellaneous-p9347.html
Thank you for all the continuing support!
--Eric & Vanessa O.
Feel like sending some swag to SMA because you love the videos but don't know where to send it?
Just ship it here:
South Main Auto Repair
47 S. Main St
PO Box 471
Avoca, NY 14809
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
Some jobs are best to walk from
I had a wonderful Hummer H2 where the exhaust was just hammered. Listed all the issue it had with the choice to fix all the issues before I even got into diag. If the customer isn't willing to fix obvious issues before chasing a ghost, most likely the car is in the condition it is for a reason. AKA I only fix shit when it breaks.
Thank you for the scenic drive I needed that. The concrete jungle does not deliver such beauty, though the question remains. Can it be fixed? Something working can't be fixed 😜
I usually tell the customer to stop by if it is ever acting up and I can go for a ride with them…rarely ever see it back for the problem, and I’ll always ask at their next visit and usually the answer you always get is that it hasn’t acted up, or “it really only did it once”, which they never tell you that initially lol!!
Peanut and corn infused wires…..yum.
"The classic 420" gotta love it😂
Fix it till it’s broke! Haha jk. I’ve found the one hour max is the most fair thing to do for tech an customer. I have had some customers leave the car with me and say spend time on it when you can and contact me when it’s fixed.
hose it down. If it misses when raining or wet, it's a bad coil pack or ICU. I think I remember all the 3.8's have paired coils. This is definitely a noticeable problem in individual coils on plugs setups where they can age and crack, only showing their ugly side when wet or really hot. My Taurus would miss under loads when humid or wet, but it took forever for it to miss enough to crack the percentage that flagged. Not sure if GM used the same setup on their comps.
Scanners are like 2 year olds. Why Daddy? Why? Bad gas?
You mentioned something that I say a lot of times with is I am dun… done, had to chuckle.
"I feel good inside, yeah, but I can't explain…'
Classic rock 😎 who exactly 👍can’t explain
Get the all muffler system on eBay pay someone too put it in cheapest way if u take it too a muffler shop $1200!
MrO how do get all this business in such a small town population under 3000?
It took a very real faith in Mr O's dedication to doing a damn good job for me to believe this wasn't a meme video. That first few minutes sounds like AvE doing an April Fool's video of pretending to be an Automotive Tech XD
You're a excellent person Eric on top of being a mechanic with excellent integrity, and I guarantee I will watch every one if your videos before too awful long.
I'm a computer tech. When I cannot duplicate a problem I explain to the customer that it could be something that is flaky (intermittent) but I cannot diagnose a problem I am not seeing. I often use car analogies with my clients. I explain that if you take your car to the shop for transmission issues and the tech doesn't experience the issue you are having, he cannot in good faith diagnose and replace parts. It would be doing a disservice to his customer.
a Buick? connecting rod bearings…just a guess before I watch – later edit – I was wrong
what i used to do is if an old lady drives it then drive like an old lady. if it's a younger person drive it like that. when you nailed it down the highway you might have blown the cob webs out of it and semi fixed it.
I had the same rule for the techs. Do not spend more than 1 hour duplicating a concern without the customer's consent that they approve additional diagnostic time. My main job as a service manager was to keep customers happy AND make sure the techs are getting paid!
Don't be a Jerry! Lol
Once a customer came in he just bought a VW van and he said it ran bad would died out. Mechanic took it for ride and it was find. Shop manager got in car and let the owner drive see if problem could be recreated and sure enough he did. Shop manager then ask him if he wanted to risk blowing up his engine he would remove the governor rotor and put in a regular one.
Pretty insensitive using terms like "retard" dontcha think? (Lol),, me and cretin boss have been watching your adventures for several years now. We've both done drivability in our careers. Really enjoy your detailed thoughts on everything from a hub grappler to troubleshooting
Cuttin' thru a parking lot? Still the best mechanic around!
Love the diagnostics
My wife's Buick had a similar issue, turned out to be a coil pack was starting to fail.
Why do you keep saying that NAPA is not a sponsor when you have a big NAPA sign hanging on your building
just curious …at the end of the vid you said you leave everything on as the customer had it but in the beginning you shut everything off that the customer had on …just curious did you turn it back on at same point ….not trying to sound mean ….no pun intended
i love how people always knock a bad weld as if they were always a great welder …guarantee you were shit once to …who cares what a weld looks like as long as its doing its job .
If its a PT Cruiser it's already too far gone, regardless of condition.
Recently found you on YouTube and have been watching your videos. When I watched this one with you driving so much and said NY state I thought it looked familiar. I grew up in Dalton NY over on Rattlesnake Hill and now live in Minnesota. I go and visit my parents from time to time.
It was nice to take a ride with you that area is some of my favorite terrain, and the trees all the way down to just how people live, it's so much more pure.
i will say i dont take the time like you do for sure,. dealership life is different but i like seeing the time you do spend trying to dulpicate the conern. always love to see you videos learn something new every time. would love to know info in on how the knock sensor (with more detail) on the reading could lead you to a clooked exhausted or somthing of that effect
I think you went above and beyond.Good thinking.
I've got a super annoying problem with my wife's car where it will occasionally throw a cam/crank position sensor code and not start til you let it sit for 15 minutes and then it cranks up fine and could maybe not do it again for weeks or months or maybe do it again later the same day.
freakin lil chevy trax sucks man. Since it's doing it only right when cranking i'm not sure what to look at. I haven't replaced anything yet but all the tests of the sensor's voltage range is fine. so i don't know what the heck. So i get how annoying that can be.
If that exhaust wasn't the problem then I'll be a monkeys uncle.
I thought you lived in New York. I had no idea New York had Country Farm Areas
If the suggested problem can't be unidentified then I normally give vehicle a full diagnosis on items that do require attention, sometimes explanations of problems are misinterpreted especially through the eyes of someone that has no mechanical knowledge,
Great channel, glad I've stumbled on it
You must love Punishing yourself. All those GMs.
Regarding engine lights. When there are ads on TV with Ice-T telling people "When that check engine light comes on, it's GAME OVER", no wonder people panic when it comes on. Meanwhile I drove my minivan around for 5 years with that light on because of a bad (and expensive to replace) sensor.
Can't believe you didn't check the Fetzer Valve 🤪
Intermittent problems can be a real 🤬
Is it just be or does the buick le' saber sound like its supercharged?
I woul do pull a plug or 2, check air and fuel filters (if equipped), and if warranted, suggest a tune up along with exhaust work. I have wasted more time chasing driveability issues. And squeaks and thuds often suck as well 😂 Unfortunately that's all part of our profession.
I just had this same problem. Took me two months to figure out that it had dirt under the coil packs. That was after spending 100$ on parts I didn't need.
Thanks
My brother bought one of those new and there was a mouse nest under the engine cover.
Give the guy a Mc Donalds straw and tell him to run up and down a hill! Ser how he likes it! Cheap bastard! Lol!
Why do you never work on Toyota's?
Wow, you drive too fast when you have music playing. The one thing I would do before taking a customers car out for a test drive, is check the oil level and condition. If the motor blows under your care, you’re screwed.
Pretty country.
On my 2008 Grand Prix 3800 I had a similar issue. On a load accelerating anywhere in 20-50 mph from cruising in overdrive it would buck and wouldn’t kick down. Eventually I got a misfire code. I changed plugs and wires and it’s been fine since. It took forever for the ecu to give a misfire code. It would be fine on cold starts and would progressively get worse with the bucking as it got hotter. I would do plugs and wires.
Also, if they’re going to replace the cat on these 3800s might as well replace the whole down pipe with a ZZP down pipe with the cat. Easy install and makes the exhaust have a deeper tone.