Come along with Eric O. and Ivan T. from "Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics" as we have a look at this 2002 Buick LeSabre 3.8 Series II that was towed in from Buffalo, NY. The car is only running on two cylinders with a P0300 and we need to figure out why. We also make a phone call to a mutual friend Keith D. Owner of "New Level Auto" and we learn a lot along the way as Ivan shares some of his scope captures from a recent case study he did. Enjoy!
Ivan's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/motoYam82
Keith D. From New Level: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNZty_jKwN_LJ6oNBcDlWig
Interested in stuff seen in the videos or the tools and toys Eric O. likes and uses? Check out the S.M.A. "A-Store" and help support the channel! : http://astore.amazon.com/httpswwwy0837-20
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/user?u=5031451
THANKS A MILLION!!
--Eric O.
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--Eric & Vanessa O.
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South Main Auto Repair
47 S. Main St
PO Box 471
Avoca, NY 14809
OTC Evolve Provided By Bosh
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 in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not South Main Auto Repair.
Ivan's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/motoYam82
Keith D. From New Level: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNZty_jKwN_LJ6oNBcDlWig
Interested in stuff seen in the videos or the tools and toys Eric O. likes and uses? Check out the S.M.A. "A-Store" and help support the channel! : http://astore.amazon.com/httpswwwy0837-20
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/user?u=5031451
THANKS A MILLION!!
--Eric O.
WANT AN "SMA" STICKER OF YOUR OWN!?!
Simply send and E-mail to SMAstickers @outlook.com including: your shipping address and e-mail address in the text, I in turn will send you a paypal invoice for $5 each USA or $6 each international. Let me know how many you want and as soon as the paypal invoice is paid I will ship them out ASAP! Thanks for your support of our channel!!
--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
OTC Evolve Provided By Bosh
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 in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not South Main Auto Repair.
Young Ivan lookin’ like a hard-a** dude with the beard and black ski cap 😀
I love how they figured out what is wrong but didn't just stop there they stayed with it to figure out exactly what is wrong! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!
Can't believe I watched the whole thing ! I'm only 5 years late, lol, still an Awesome video ! I know enough to be dangerous. Just good to see that even the best mechanics have to scratch their heads now and then…You Rock !!! 👍
Having the same issues replaced the coil packs and modular still have misfire cylinder 2 but they’re new.. now the Buick dealer is saying it could be the rear valve case and build up smh when I got the car it had a the “service engine soon” light on and the dealer mechanics couldn’t tell why
1st coil pack fired strong pos to neg …..2nd pack lighter/weaker and arched left so that is why showing 2 cylinders strong..other 4 none
existent. recheck video
Learn him.
This Channel should be called the fixing a Buick Channel! Lol just by chance I got three recommended videos and all involved a Buick lol! Great stuff I appreciate the thoroughness👍
Staten islander here btw😎
Please don't call people's cars a piece of crap!!!
When faced with a problem like this – throw parts at the problem… best fix!
Do not get me wrong I do like company, but I'm to one tracked mind ,and in too much of a hurry to work with somebody. I would only be a Good mechanic.
It’s a BUICK, rough running means it’s working as the factory built it.
If that was my car, I'd have put a set of plugs & wires in along with the rest. Bring it all up to par. Probably get an oil change & the rest of a tune up done..if it was needed.
You can pull one plug wire at a time and you can tell from that
every time i have a problem with my car somehow you always have a video that pops up on YouTube for it 😅😅
This might be one of my favorite videos. Love the collaboration of all three of you. That was fun to watch. You would have eventually got there I'm sure.
bwd? we like to call that nfg
WHY are you guys pulling the bottom MM and jacking up the motor. If you pull off the dog bone you can push the engine far enough for the bolt to clear. Well, that's what I did on my 2005 Camry 4 cyl.. btw, never put the jack under a oil pan or transmission pan. You can locate a section of engine block for your jack IF you need to raise it.
I found that someone had put all the same oxygen sensors (4)in 4 locations when it calls for two different ones up stream. what would this do. the symptoms I have is everytime you crank it up it runs different. 2006 explorer,4.6
Big fan of the 3.1 & the 3.8 engines great engines! Great test video guys thanks again👌👍👍
Can a guy bench fire them dual coils, to rule out the coil. The coil swap method is way quicker ,hands down. I was just curious. In a case where you can not start the engine and your trying tu rule things out
so if the coils show one or more firing would you would think the input side was good.
So that's what Ivan looked like a couple years ago
BORING
The modulator
Every one should subscribe and give invn and Mr o the love and support they deserve check out pine hollow auto as well as South main auto respect to you both!!!!!
I loved this, so deep, but well explained.
Am curious what diagnostic equipment are you using or now recommend? Looks like a laptop with specialty software and a obd connection of course? I'm way in the south so won't be competition.
Love that i found this video. I think 1 of my coils went bad. It saying its misfiring cylinder 5 the middle coil pack I assume
Loving the wealth of information. Thanks guys.
God I wish you guys lived in Greenville SC. All we have here is idiots.
God I wish you guys lived in Greenville SC. All we have here is idiots.
What brand of test light is that you test the ignition module with?
Have a 2000 Buick Lesabre with some of the characteristics mentioned. The coils and icm have quite of bit of caked oil residue on them. Not terrible but not supposed to be there. Just now investigating it. Watched your entire video even though it was leaps and bounds over my abilities and on hand equipment. Still doing the out in the cold and open auto mechanics from time to time. Great video!
This video now has me questioning why my lesabre doesn't start fast
Thanks! 🙂
Oh ffs! How much does a new coil ohm out to? Smh.
I believe the white wire to the ignition module used to break off at the connector on those.
Lol you breathe on the key and it starts up 😩😆 I love mine ..🥰 it fires like a CHEVY OLD SCHOOL
I have learned so much through this video, thank you! Fantastic video!!
Great to see you guys working together
The man is very very strong
I know I'm late on this, but that was fascinating! I recently replaced the ICM on my MIL's 2004 3.8, and I see now that my ignorance could have really gotten me in trouble. I was lucky and didn't know it. The paperwork that came with the ICM suggested replacing all 3 coils, but I thought they were just after the money. One question, though – if the cam and crank sensors determine which coil to fire, is there a signal from the PCM somehow controlling timing advance?
Love you guys man your guys just made my day
Great video guys. So it seems we can run into problems using aftermarket parts. Do you guys use OEM all the time or a mixture of both.?
With two of you 1/2 the shame Keith laid on you.
Good video, showing how to properly diagnose using a multichannel scope to trace 3800 ignition woes without resorting to the shotgun replacement method. Nice to know there are some techs out here who still do it right! I worked on the 3800 series 1 equipped GM's which were new at the time, around 1986. That is when I was a young buck tech out of school working for Anderson Buick Oldsmobile Pontiac in Baltimore, fresh out of Lincoln Tech.
As I recall some of these GM port fuel cars will disable the coil pack(s) on the cylinders that detect the active misfire(s). This would kill both cylinders fired by that particular coil The unused waste spark fires simultaneously on the companion cylinder's exhaust stroke. In other words, both coil secondary terminals fire at the same time; the cylinder to be fired on TDC compression. The other cylinder opposing it in the firing order fires as well.
Sometimes to get the PCM to fire the coil on a misfiring cylinder with a code set for that cylinder, clearing the PCM and erase the engine codes is required. This allows the quad driver(s) in the PCM to ground that coil, enabling the PCM to control each of the 3 coils. For the 3 pairs of module terminals provided, one terminal provides 12vdc at all times, either in KOEO or KOER, the same scenario with the 12vdc fuel injectors.
Cam and crank sensors, along with MAP-Baro, MAF, ECM and IAT control timing and injector pulse. Engine cold, this runs the engine off the IAC-engine RPM, base ignition timing and injector pulse / fuel tables. Once at normal operating temperature, the PCM uses adaptive strategy which is then altered based on the sensor inputs.
A Quad Driver is a fancy name for transistors that control the ground to various 12vdc devices controlled by the PCM-ECM, whether a simple off-on state, or pulse width modulated.
Another popular stumbling point is making sure the right number cylinders are on the correct coil towers, since you can swap them among all 3 positions and mix up the numbers on top of the coil, or in the case of new coils, there are no numbers on the replacement coils. Once everything is running and codes are cleared you will also need to go in with the scan tool and set the RPM rev limiter.
Typically on these engines, unless the module was new-ish, at the dealer we would recommend replacing the coil module as well. Running bad coils, multiple misfires, or shorted ignition secondary would stress the module and cause it to fail shortly after a a coil was replaced. Better to err on the side of caution and prevent a possible come back than have the car die shortly after the customer picks it up thinking everything was good.
On the 1st generation 3800's the coils were all one. The coil brick as we called it came as a set of 3 coils in one, with 3 pairs of wired terminals that plug into the coil brick. These were even more notorious in failing for no real reason, and simply running with one plug wire accidentally disconnected could blow the coil and module.
was there a follow up video for this ' determined ' vehicle
Are these ignition systems not a waste spart setup? If the ignition module is that bad it could be firing the waste spark on the actual compression spark rotation.
Commodores with the Buick 3800 with perished rubber harmonic balancer will warp the pulley enough for the air gap to touch the sensor creating same symptoms exactly. I've come across this a dozen times
Surprised that Cover is being used, GM had a recall to delete those and put a small tube around oil fill tube due to some engine fires. I got mailings for years about it on my 2001 Grand Prix's 3.8.