When I worked at the Chrysler dealer we had a data recorder. When the vehicle acted up the customer had a button to push. I fixed several intermittent problems that way. One that comes to mind was a vehicle that would seem to miss or buck at highway speed. It took some looking on the data recording but finally by advancing it frame by frame and looking at the values I discovered the vehicle speed sensor was glitching to 150MPH for one frame. So the computer thought the vehicle was over speeding and shutting the fuel off for like a second.
@@chrisclark6044 It was a device called a Co Pilot that came with the diagnostic system Chrysler had at the time, this was the mid 1990s. It plugged into the diagnostic connector and had a button that clipped on the sun visor. I have no idea if it would still work with newer cars. However some of the diagnostic equipment have a data recorder function that does the same thing. I doubt that you would want to sent your scan tool with a customer for however long it took for the vehicle to act up.
Shop I went to charged me for diagnostics, changed all the plugs and coils and charged me over $900. I drove out of their shop and had the same problem (misfires) 2 miles down the road. I ended up buying a few tools, watched your videos and Scanner Danner videos. I purchased an Alldata subscription and found low fuel pressure. My neighbor changed my fuel pump for me and now my car runs great! Some shops are not repair shops, they are parts changers and have no clue about diagnostics. The people in your area are lucky to have someone like you that really is a diagnostic technician. Thank you for your videos and being an honest repair shop.
So true, SMA is not a parts changer, neither is scanner Danner or Ivan w/ PHAD. These shops are following the correct procedures to fix what is causing the problem so they do not have come backs and having to work for free the second time or third. There is a process to do this, it takes skill, equipment, knowlege and some research to find the failure points. Sometimes all it turns out to be is a corroded electrical connection or a bad solder joint...no parts needed at all, just a fix to something that was manufactured with flaws or a poor design that needs corrected.
"people buy products because they see a sticker on a race car." I worked for some professional teams in a nationally known series. First: STP for the older viewers. Second: One team was getting a significant amount of money for prominently running the logo of a major oil company. We had a handful of their empty quart bottles in the transporter in case we needed to add oil in public view. Those bottles were filled with another oil that made a noticeable increase on the dyno. The sponsorship agreements never required actual usage, just logo display.
I think you handled it the best way you can by doing some basic checks, and maintenance. The important thing is that you let the customer in on the plan, so they know what to expect, and if they have the trouble again, they know that you have already eliminated the some simple items.
I love watching the logical methods you use. I wish I could be as detail oriented as you but it is enjoyable to watch you work. Common sense is in big supply on this channel.
Sounds like a solid plan and basic things you started with. Definitely keep the EGR in mind since the monitor wasn’t run. Should have given it a CAT scan since Luna was there and you found mouse turds. 😂😂
@@Beretta96Dan I'm an honest electrician though! My father is an honest retired mechanic, so I saw how he built his client base throughout his career and he taught me to treat every customer as if they were family. If this was my mother or father or uncle or aunt etc, how would I fix their problem. And I get repeat customers because of it.
Would hate for the intermittent problem to happen in the wrong envoironment such as high risk zones like RxR crossings, intersections, steep grades and so on. It depends on what it is.
@@YaksAttack Maybe your wife works, too. When it's time to pay all the bills, get groceries, try to go out and eat sometime, etc...You can't treat everyone like family!
As soon as you said new battery, I knew exactly what customer was talking about. Those subaru take a full month to relearn everything. The rpm goes way down and stays that way for a month of consistent driving, there's a bad hesitation when you step on the gas, and stalling and just poor driving. I hated changing my battery.
Ever since computer cars came out, I've used a small motorcycle battery with a cig lighter plug wired to it. Install it before changing battery then remove it after you connect the battery, and you won't disturbe the ecm. no relearn
They learn a lot quicker with a clean throttle body. When the memory is cleared it does a throttle body reset. So when throttle closes and hits a ridge then you end up with a low idle and stalling
There’s a relearn process you can do. TH-cam has it. Something like letting it idle for 10 min, then turn off, the letting it idle for 15 min. I forgot exactly but that’s helped me when it does the stumbling after a battery change
I've been using power foam for about 20 years and it is the best product I've found. I also worked at a NAPA jobber for 20 years, and out of all the products I've seen over time power foam works the best. I also do a brake clean douche too for a rinse. I feel you used the product correctly so I hope your viewers find this helpful.
"Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't" , gotta love it. My wife has a Subaru. Your customer does his own oil changes because you don't have to lift them up to do it. Very easy. Well done, you have to eliminate what it isn't in order to find out what it is.
One thing I can say since first watching you a long time ago is that your content has been on point, and you haven't changed a thing! Other channels have started well but went down fast as they forgot what got them there. Thanks!
Regardless of outcome, you certainly didn't hurt anything by cleaning the throttle body. Keep up the great diagnosis and I thoroughly enjoy your videos. I'm pretty much only viewing your and Watch Wes work videos, I always come away feeling like I learned something and thoroughly enjoy. All the best.
Aside from sharing your vast knowledge, your positive attitude while working these problems is simply amazing. Any videos I made would have to be muted, but I'm working on it, with you as my inspiration.
This seems like a pretty reasonable one to take on, especially when you can knock out a few potential issues in an hour’s work and have a good plan for eliminating other possible problems if this doesn’t fix it.
I think I would check for TSBs and also Identifix and or Suretrack first, to see if others have experienced the same problem. Depending on what, if anything, was found, I would use the information to direct further diagnosis. Next a visual inspection and check the related fluids, oil, coolant. Aside from that, what you have done makes perfect sense to me.
Please share a follow-up on this especially if the problem persists. I know you shared what your process will be... it would still be interesting & provide a little closure.
We will ask the customer if we can drive the car for a few days on our own time. Drive it home. Drive it over the weekend. We usually have the guy that lives the furthest distance from the shop. And we also will do the unplug method like you said. And have customers drive with engine light on.
When my grandparents 98 Ram was acting up we were pretty sure it was the transmission. I took it to some guys that specialize in Ram transmissions. They told me the couldn't get it to act up. I filled the tank and told them to drive it back and forth to work and for lunch. They had a scope hooked up to record when it finally did it four days later. The torque convertor lockup would slip sometimes. Some of them are just that hard to find.
Your customers are pretty chill because they know their vehicles are being worked on and repaired by one of the most competent technicians to ever work on automobiles 😏🙂✌️
I appreciate getting a chance to hear yr thoughts on how your shop handles intermittent problems. As a industrial electrician I try to resist using the parts cannon. But sometimes the boss wants something done. Bonus!!! Luna!!
I had a 2001 Toyota Corolla with a stubborn evap code that the mechanic actually gave up on. He kept my car for almost 2 months, charged me over a grand, and fixed nothing. I gave up on it, couldn't get it inspected even though we changed every single part of the evap system, smoked it several times, it kept throwing the code, and the registration expired... On a car that ran PERFECTLY and got 36 MPG. A year later, my Mom's Ford F-150 decided to DIE in the middle of her driveway, and she had no ride to work. I gave her one of my VW New Beetles, (I have 2) and we mailed the title to the Totota Florida, to my brother, who transferred the tag from her truck to the Toyota, when THAT came through, I gave her the Toyota, she drove it to work for 2 years in NY with the Fl. tag, then drove it, loaded heavy, to Fl, and stayed there. Then she drove it 3 more years, 65 miles each way to work. It won't start now. She parked it to drive her Honda Accord to work, and was switching them out each week. I believe the CPS went, then it sat and got rat chewed, as Toyotas are known for. When it finally stopped running, it had over 400,000 miles on it. When I gave it to her, it had 285,000 miles on it. NY and our STUPID rules cost me more than one good car. Not anymore. If it going to cost more that a grand to fix a STUPID CEL that doesn't effect it running condition, I register it in Florida. Screw NY. I'm done playing their expensive games.
I had an issue like that on a early 70s Toyota. It would run fine then the engine would die. After pulling over to the side of the road it would start back and run smooth as can be. Turns out that when a fuel additive was dumped in one time the cardboard liner in the cap stuck to the bottle and ended up on the bottom of the tank. It floated around on the bottom til it got sucked onto the fuel outlet. Once the suction was gone the disc floated away til the next time it got close to the outlet.
@@phillipfritz7014 We had eliminated everything in the fuel system so we dropped the tank to see if there was a blockage. This was an early 70s car, long before EFI on board computers and electric fuel pumps so there wasn't much in the fuel delivery system other than a pump, tank and fuel line.
Love your videos your just a genuine all around good guy and making your customers happy is always your goal ! You could just sweep the shop floor in a video and still have thousands of views it’s you and your personality that makes us watch keep up the great work !
My mama always said intermittent's are like irritable bowel syndrome, you never know when it's gonna.... Well you get the point. Good vid. Thanks Mr. O.
Another great video! The customer got what he paid for. Everything was needed and if that doesn’t fix the issue you can check that off the list. Good job.
The plan was discussed with the customer and they agreed you should try this. Excellent 100K service on the Outback air intake system. Hoping for an update. As an industrial maintenance mechanic - "There is something wrong with the machine." I would arrive at the machine in question. "How long is it going to take to fix it?" Well, I need to find out what is wrong then I can tell you. A certain customer was usually not happy with that answer.
I had a similar issue with my 2014 Impreza. It would sometimes do a weird idle and stall and did it quite often. First and foremost I NEVER use Fram filters. I use OEM or Wix. The issue was caused by the Variable Valve Timing Control system. When an engine oil gets low, dirty or sits, it can plug up the oil valve. This is a common problem with this system. I did an engine oil flush, replaced the filter and oil and it ran like new and the problem never came back.
Just FYI if you were using an OEM Subie filter on anything besides the 3.6R engine, it was MADE BY FRAM. (AFAIK only Subaru of America did this; Subaru of Canada and Subaru of Japan still used the fantastic Tokyo Roki filters, which Subaru of America still used on the 3.6R 6 cylinder engines.)
I really like your videos. I'm not a mechanic, but I try to do my own repairs . However, I know my limitations and will take it to a shop if I know I can't handle the repair. I've learned so much from you and want to thank you for all the videos. By the way, really miss your opening line " Hey There Viewers Welcome To The South Main Auto Channel" my eight year old daughter loves that.
Being a Subaru specialist for 5 years, the only two outcomes I can relate to this type of concern is: Dirty throttle plate with Subaru having such a picky throttle relearn process (new battery? recently jumped? just cleared DTC's? anything to reset or clear memory from the car.) Or the old outback's had a ton of torque converter issues, but mainly it would present with hard to moderate braking = engine stalling but some customers misunderstood and said it would run rough and stall out which is correct, a DTC will be set for Engine Stall History and will reset some adaptives causing a rough idle. Been watching for years, hopefully this makes sense! *after watching the entire video, I am confident that in what you did with cleaning the throttle body and reconnecting the battery and letting it idle, the customer will not return with the issue they came in with
Don't forget that the AR-15 can shoot 5000 rounds in half a second and the barrel shroud (shoulder thing that goes up), makes it the most powerful pistol shotgun in the world. 🤣
When it comes to intermittents, I generally just wait until the problem gets worse (read: more consistent) so it becomes easier to diagnose. Faults like these make it very tempting to start firing the parts cannon. On another note, I had a very similar problem with my old Mitsubishi Galant. It turned out to be a bad mass airflow sensor. The car never threw codes.
I had a stalling problem with a '65 Mustang - after starting it cold, driving about 10 mins, parking for 20-30, it would stall on startup. More precisely, driving from home to the ice cream store, and having an ice cream, and then it would stall when we started it up to leave. I couldn't figure it out. Mechanic said he couldn't reproduce it. He was located the same distance away, so I suggested he leave it cool overnight, and tomorrow, at the end of the day, drive it to the ice cream store and have an ice cream on me. He reproduced it and figured it out. 😎
@@danielmonsanto8286 Right. I thought the ice cream store was just a coincidence, just exactly the right distance where a 20-minute cool-down would recreate the problem, but no - it was the ice cream itself. Or lack thereof. I started shoving a strawberry sundae down the throat of the carburetor, problem solved! 😂
Thanks! Once again, my favorite professional auto mechanic and diagnostic genius shows us how it gets done. And, to be a simp for AMSOIL products, they’ve never let me down. Use AMSOIL in all my vehicles and lawn equipment. So, good choice, Mr. O! FINALLY a SMA video my wife didn’t spoil. Take care and HOWDY to the family from Texas!
We charge them the one hour reduced rate diag charge and explain to them we are unable to determine an issue at this time due to the issue not being present currently.
Stalls after battery replacement. No codes no skip. Disconnect battery for a minute. Reconnect. Turn ignition on engine off for ten seconds before starting. This resets minimum air rate. If it still stalls, replace air fuel ratio sensor and oxygen sensor. Both sensors!!!!! It will stop stalling and eating cats.
Personal experience is the best teacher. If a problem happens to one person it has happened to many others and typically the fix is the same but not always. That's why you need more than a parts cannon. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with a smattering of your tongue in cheek humor.
If it started acting up after the new battery install I would definitely suspect the dirty throttle body, but they seem to run consistently bad. The intermittent condition is confusing. Will be curious how it works out for the owner.
Intermittent stalling, ha! This video reminds me of the "good old days" when cars were carbureted, vacuum was king, the hood was opened at least once a week and everything ran like crap all the time! Today our expectations are too high, what do you mean it stalls occasionally? Suck it up, drive around it, be creative! :). Thanks for all the great content Eric O! Love your channel!
Great video Eric O. as always.The best thing here is you let your customer know what was going on unlike a lot of shops.This is why I watch your channel because you put your customers first and your honest.
Over my career as a mechanic, it has always been customer concern dependent. The concern in this video, I definitely would have looked at the throttle body first, as the old GM 3800's come to mind for their hot start/stumble issue. Other issues I just try to get as much info up front as I can, for example maybe a window motor or lock actuator acting up, is it weather dependent, doesn't work when rains etc. I always was upfront with folks about pricing, and never skipped the visual on anything. My career has actually taken me down a bit different path the last couple of years now that I am mobile and go to collision shops to do ADAS calibrations, but I still am the go to tech for our company for diagnostics. Just usually now it has more to do with crushed wiring, connectors, modules, green crusties etc. Keep up the great content, Dr. O! Just curious if you received the package I sent a few months ago?
When my 99 frontier 3.3 hit about 60,000 miles, it would fall on its face after warmer up at a red light, or stop sign. Finally figured out that the butterfly value on the throttle body was getting built up with dirt and carbon. Clean it out, and I was good for about another 6 to 7 months. Then I would have to do it again, and it didn't matter what type of air filter I used. So I made it a habit that every time I did my oil change, I would clean the throttle body, and never had a problem with it again.
That pesky pcv system coking up your intake. Lol oil was being sucked up in to your engine intake and collecting on the butterfly valve. Probably had excessive blowby other than a bottom end rebuild an oil catch can would have helped. Can make a cheap one plenty of instructions on the interwebs
My 2008 does this randomly at idle and I ordered a used throttle body for $40 and I'm going to give it a try. I've taught the current throttle body to idle 5 times. No effect. I think the vent for the fuel tank is clogged and it might be part of it. I haven't go that far. It's getting worse though. Once it warms up, now it will mostly stutter and sometimes stall at idle. I've cleaned the throttle body over and over. The wires are very tight for the drive by wire where it plugs in the throttle body. I hate stuff like this. There are no codes. I checked for vaccum leaks no vaccum leaks. I pulled the EGR valve and it looks great. I've changed the MAF sensor after cleaning the MAF sensor. If clearing the vent and pressure sensor and throttle body doesn't work, I'll try unplugging the EGR valve.
To paraphrase."People use expensive products whether it works or not. Because they saw it on a Racecar." To those not in the know. Race Teams are paid to have those decals on their cars. If those products work as desired. That's a different thing entirely. Did Richard Petty really use STP? STP observed a guy winning a lot of races. They wanted to be associated with a winner. As usual, Mr.O is educating the masses.
It's a good thing you video tape all your customers car repairs, so atleast you have proof you ran thru the car from top to bottom, some customers are kinda con artist to say something else is wrong and you did something to it kinda deal
For almost a year my car keeps sending a "Low Evap" . After 20 or 30 miles it clears itself. Bought myself a cheap code reader and sure enough. It tells me to replace the gas tank cap. I had already done that. THANKS!! ;) The Mechanic I do have is just like Eric! God Bless him!! Down to Earth and very honest! My advice to everyone here is...IF you find a good mechanic? Keep him! They are worth more than Gold!
When Eric started the car @24:52, you could tell from the sound, the big 2.5 was making 15 more bhp (although I think Eric's estimate regarding contributing factors was off; I estimate +5 hp from using the Power Foam on then EGR valve, +8 hp from using the Power Foam on the throttle body, and +2 hp from cleaning the mouse nest out of the air box)...🤣
Well, as a "home mechanic," a comeback means my wife says "it's still doing it." 😊. Tried a lot to fix an intermittent misfire on my son's Ranger before we found a cracked coil pack! Thanks as always, Eric!
Subaru has a TSB for this to have a Software update for hard start and bad idle. I think it was for years 2009- 2016 2.5l non turbo. Subaru charged me $185.00 for the update. Mine 2012 Forester X 2.5 l at 9 years old just started doing this. Update solved all problems.
I love your thought process, honesty, integrity and just your damn good knowledge and attitude. If every business approached the consumer and their problems as you do. We would have the absolute most efficient, logic based system in the world! Oops forgot many businesses are run by money grubbing yahoos. Great video as always. Keep them coming. Thank you
So for intermittent I use a 10 pound sledge. If properly done things become much more consistent. Logical guessing and reasonable costs. Nicely done. Learned how to clean a throttle body
Good vid man , I would have done the same things ! Throttle body was nasty so you may have gotten a good result from the foam ! Keep em coming folks I'll keep liking !
We just drive the heck out of them to try and get problem to show. We chase all our own parts so just use customers vehicle as a shop truck for a few days. If the problem doesn't show in that period ship it and tell them to try and come back while its acting up
Friends don't let friends use Fram! Intermittent problems are tough to deal with. Unless it happens to you, which as you say, it never happens at the Mechanic! More than half the time, I find them by accident. Have a great day, Sir! o7 PS, I love how you and your cat talk to each other! :)
Great video, truly the best mechanic on TH-cam. When Mr. O retires and no longer fixes cars, I can see him being like Kilmer and reviewing cars, reminiscing about past repair success stories and doing “bonus questions and answers”.
Or maybe he can take a trip south to Florida and help out Rainman Ray in his new shop, where they don’t see too many rust belt cars! Ring the bell. Mash the “subscribe” button, and leave a comment below. 😌
Im a tech actually at a western new york dealership. I treat them very similar to what you said. I will spend way more time on a safety type concern then say a radio concern. Also been working on same brand for 19 years so relay highly on experience from problems seen in the past. It can be hard to teach the newer guys to try on intermittent problems especially with the flat rate system. As you know this business is getting harder by the day and unfortunately their are more bad techs in the business that shot gun parts then guys like you and me who get more enjoyment in finding the exact problem.
Years ago, Scotty turned me on to running laqure thinner throughthe fuel tank to clean the fuel and cat system. I had a customer just like you that had a hard start problem also. We talked it over and ran thinner in the fuel. Around a week later the problem dissapeared. A few weeks later, his kid totaled the car... I belive carbon was the cause, but didn't get to see the results. LOL
Subaru tech here - Check tsbs. There should be a bulletin for an updated torque converter to help with stalling when coming to a stop. Have also seen the torque converter solenoid starting to go out cause the same issue. Resistance of solenoid will be slightly out of spec of on the edge of specification. You can monitor engine speed, torque converter speed and torque converter lockup duty and watch the converter stay locked up when coming to a stop. It should release lock up as you're coasting to a stop. I usually recommend both the valve body and the converter at the same time to prevent repeat failures, but I let them know why I want to do that and leave it up to the customer. Hope this helps!
A couple of shops I have worked in, we would try up to 3 times to recreate the issue. In this situation I would have let vehicle idle for a half hour or so, and then tried to recreate the issue. If I couldn't verify what is happening. I would ask the customer to drive it until the issue happens, and if at all possible, bring it back when it happens again without shutting the vehicle off. I know that's hard to do, but I don't want to waste customer money, and they want the car fixed. So you just do what you can...
I work on my old Navy Base so I do have an advantage. I am there every day. I can leave an intermittent problem and check it every so often and build up some info. Does it malfunction more when it is wet? When F18s are flying over and shaking the building? Are the SeaBees running something that pulls a lot of current? Mechanical parts and electrical connections are where I start first. I can temp repair it till I discover the actual problem.
DEAR SIR; THE BEST APPROACHED UNDER THE SUN; REQUIRED INTERVAL SERVICES, KEEP UP BASED ON MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE WITH EXCELLENT DOCUMENTATATIN FOR THE FACTS ON THE WORK ORDER. ERIC YOU ARE ON THE TOP OF YOUR WORK. PERIOD. THANKS.
I own a '95 Chevy S10 with the 4.3 and the EGR gets a small piece of carbon stuck under the valve every few years. Stalling, rough idle, etc. I remove the EGR, pick out the offending piece of grit, and presto. Good for another few years.
Back when I had to this I found being honest as you are here in the video's is the best way but also had to put the plan in the discretion on the recipe so that both the customer and shop could remember days, weeks, months down the road.. Fortunately in today's day and age I also like using the power of the internet and see if it's a common problem I just haven't seen yet. Thanks for sharing all this valuable info
Intermitant stalling is usually caused by a faulty ignition coil. No codes ever showing it but when I removed the engine coil and wires and the terminals were burnt to a crisp causing shorts. I replaced the coil itself and never had the issue of stalling again. Just my 2 cents.
I just had a Expedition same symptoms about 2 month ago and preformed throttle body and iac clean so far all good. I didn't do mass or egr just to see if it would go away but that would have been my next step. So saw this title and had to watch but I watch all your videos. Thanks for all your videos just like being in the shop with you all straight up.
If I had an intermediate issue I would not bother a mechanic but would search out TH-cam channels such as yours and do what you just did. That’s why I follow you. Like you said it may not fix but it’s good maintenance.
I've worked in IT my entire career, so similar troubleshooting paths, just different hardware/software. Intermittent issues are the bane of my existence. Since I don't have the luxury of being able tell people pound sand it's basically starting with the simple stuff and working up from there.
This was a very information-filled video. Good job. The one reason I watch your videos is when a customer brings a car into your shop. You do not nickel and dime the customer. I.E. the air filter.
Intermittent problems are difficult to diagnose. Fist I try to duplicate ,then develop a strategy. If that doesn't work I will check for any bulletins or just Google the problem. Anything that will point me in a similar direction without going down rhe rabbit hole. Thanks for the great videos
One thing about Subaru, never hurts to clean mass air and throttle body, at least on the older models. People love Subaru or hate them, doesn't seem to be much middle ground. Had a FM car years ago with intermittent not gonna start issues. Only after it was warmed up, then you get stuck, hoping it would restart. Found a tech who got lucky and had it repeat the problem while was diagnosing. Bad relay, couple hours to find the problem, $15 part, fixed. His claim that he never got beat by an electrical problem was proven a couple more times in different vehicles. He moved to another state, I'm still in mourning.
I always try to let logic dictate my direction, which is difficult at best with an intermittent problem. You must rely on your experience to rule out potential causes based on the customer input, which sometimes can be minimal not to mention unreliable as well. The time I had a lady come in saying her car sounded like a low flying helicopter with a wheeze comes to mind. If the car comes back with the same issue, then at least you will know what it is not, which will allow you to focus on other potential culprits. Great video, thanks for showing.
Used to have very similar symptoms on early 2000's Acura V6's(worked at a dealer). Found after about a 15 minute hot soak, the fuel in the rail would vaporize. Much cranking or a few seconds of rough running to give time to get liquid back in lines would clear it up. Noticed most between seasons when the fuel recipes were changed (winter to spring). More volatile recipe allowed the fuel to vaporize more readily. After 2003 model year, not a problem (perhaps running higher fuel pressures). I tried experimenting with heat resistant wrap...no success. Just had to get the 'winter' fuel out and warm weather recipe in. Just a thought.
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UPDATE: 9/7/23 car still runs like a champ. Symptoms never returned.
Power Foam ftw!
When I worked at the Chrysler dealer we had a data recorder. When the vehicle acted up the customer had a button to push. I fixed several intermittent problems that way. One that comes to mind was a vehicle that would seem to miss or buck at highway speed. It took some looking on the data recording but finally by advancing it frame by frame and looking at the values I discovered the vehicle speed sensor was glitching to 150MPH for one frame. So the computer thought the vehicle was over speeding and shutting the fuel off for like a second.
That sounds like a super useful tool. Was it hooked into the DLC?
yes it was hooked to the data link@@compu85
Isn't that how the STUXNET virus disabled Iran's uranium centrifuges?
What “button” do you speak of? How can I obtain said thing?
@@chrisclark6044 It was a device called a Co Pilot that came with the diagnostic system Chrysler had at the time, this was the mid 1990s. It plugged into the diagnostic connector and had a button that clipped on the sun visor. I have no idea if it would still work with newer cars. However some of the diagnostic equipment have a data recorder function that does the same thing. I doubt that you would want to sent your scan tool with a customer for however long it took for the vehicle to act up.
Shop I went to charged me for diagnostics, changed all the plugs and coils and charged me over $900. I drove out of their shop and had the same problem (misfires) 2 miles down the road. I ended up buying a few tools, watched your videos and Scanner Danner videos. I purchased an Alldata subscription and found low fuel pressure. My neighbor changed my fuel pump for me and now my car runs great! Some shops are not repair shops, they are parts changers and have no clue about diagnostics. The people in your area are lucky to have someone like you that really is a diagnostic technician. Thank you for your videos and being an honest repair shop.
Seems most shops are just parts slingers these days as you say. Faster and easier way to make money, why bother looking for the actual problem??
Flatski daddio: I find watching Eric O diag a problem helps me immensely since he does this day and night and probably asleep.
I'm just a schmuck that enjoys watching SMA videos but thought I could hear an extra 7.5 horsepower throbbing
in the exhaust noise.
Those shops have a phrase "The Money Ran Out,'' they use when they can't guess it. ben/ michigan
So true, SMA is not a parts changer, neither is scanner Danner or Ivan w/ PHAD. These shops are following the correct procedures to fix what is causing the problem so they do not have come backs and having to work for free the second time or third. There is a process to do this, it takes skill, equipment, knowlege and some research to find the failure points. Sometimes all it turns out to be is a corroded electrical connection or a bad solder joint...no parts needed at all, just a fix to something that was manufactured with flaws or a poor design that needs corrected.
"people buy products because they see a sticker on a race car." I worked for some professional teams in a nationally known series. First: STP for the older viewers. Second: One team was getting a significant amount of money for prominently running the logo of a major oil company. We had a handful of their empty quart bottles in the transporter in case we needed to add oil in public view. Those bottles were filled with another oil that made a noticeable increase on the dyno. The sponsorship agreements never required actual usage, just logo display.
What brand/type oil did you guys use?
"We didn't really fix anything, but we're having fun" Wise words from America's best car mechanic.
It's all fun and games til you work on something all day and find out you didn't fix anything, at least that's what my ex wife told me.
@@timwheeler1503 It's having the experience under your belt and trying to avoid it next time...that's gold.
Having fun with foam .
its all fun and games until someone gets hurt.
It's never a waste of time cleaning dirty bits.
I think you handled it the best way you can by doing some basic checks, and maintenance. The important thing is that you let the customer in on the plan, so they know what to expect, and if they have the trouble again, they know that you have already eliminated the some simple items.
Absolutely!!!
Such a honest human. Lets throw some no-parts needed maintenance/underskirt inspections at it before looking for random cannon ammo.
“We didn’t really fix anything but we’re having fun” is a way to describe many of my days in the shop
I love watching the logical methods you use. I wish I could be as detail oriented as you but it is enjoyable to watch you work. Common sense is in big supply on this channel.
Sounds like a solid plan and basic things you started with. Definitely keep the EGR in mind since the monitor wasn’t run.
Should have given it a CAT scan since Luna was there and you found mouse turds. 😂😂
On my personal vehicle (I'm an electrician not a mechanic), I ignore the intermittent problems until they become consistent problems 😂
We electricians know how the scam goes! Thieves have no honor!
@@Beretta96Dan I'm an honest electrician though! My father is an honest retired mechanic, so I saw how he built his client base throughout his career and he taught me to treat every customer as if they were family. If this was my mother or father or uncle or aunt etc, how would I fix their problem. And I get repeat customers because of it.
Would hate for the intermittent problem to happen in the wrong envoironment such as high risk zones like RxR crossings, intersections, steep grades and so on. It depends on what it is.
@@YaksAttack Maybe your wife works, too. When it's time to pay all the bills, get groceries, try to go out and eat sometime, etc...You can't treat everyone like family!
They only become real problems on rainy Friday nights at 9pm. 😂
As soon as you said new battery, I knew exactly what customer was talking about. Those subaru take a full month to relearn everything. The rpm goes way down and stays that way for a month of consistent driving, there's a bad hesitation when you step on the gas, and stalling and just poor driving. I hated changing my battery.
Ever since computer cars came out, I've used a small motorcycle battery with a cig lighter plug wired to it. Install it before changing battery then remove it after you connect the battery, and you won't disturbe the ecm. no relearn
Best to jump a 12v source to the vehicle before disconnecting battery cable to keep the system "alive" while swaping in a new battery.
They learn a lot quicker with a clean throttle body. When the memory is cleared it does a throttle body reset. So when throttle closes and hits a ridge then you end up with a low idle and stalling
There’s a relearn process you can do. TH-cam has it. Something like letting it idle for 10 min, then turn off, the letting it idle for 15 min. I forgot exactly but that’s helped me when it does the stumbling after a battery change
No. Kidding. But there's a procedure to reset the stochio- throttle body in an hour.
I've been using power foam for about 20 years and it is the best product I've found. I also worked at a NAPA jobber for 20 years, and out of all the products I've seen over time power foam works the best. I also do a brake clean douche too for a rinse. I feel you used the product correctly so I hope your viewers find this helpful.
"Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't" , gotta love it. My wife has a Subaru. Your customer does his own oil changes because you don't have to lift them up to do it. Very easy. Well done, you have to eliminate what it isn't in order to find out what it is.
One thing I can say since first watching you a long time ago is that your content has been on point, and you haven't changed a thing! Other channels have started well but went down fast as they forgot what got them there. Thanks!
Regardless of outcome, you certainly didn't hurt anything by cleaning the throttle body.
Keep up the great diagnosis and I thoroughly enjoy your videos. I'm pretty much only viewing your and Watch Wes work videos, I always come away feeling like I learned something and thoroughly enjoy. All the best.
Yes, you feel like these are the ones you can trust.👍🙏
Like going to auto shop in high school but better
Man i could hear the extra 15 HP when he fired it up.
Aside from sharing your vast knowledge, your positive attitude while working these problems is simply amazing. Any videos I made would have to be muted, but I'm working on it, with you as my inspiration.
This seems like a pretty reasonable one to take on, especially when you can knock out a few potential issues in an hour’s work and have a good plan for eliminating other possible problems if this doesn’t fix it.
I think I would check for TSBs and also Identifix and or Suretrack first, to see if others have experienced the same problem. Depending on what, if anything, was found, I would use the information to direct further diagnosis. Next a visual inspection and check the related fluids, oil, coolant. Aside from that, what you have done makes perfect sense to me.
You did the best you could, what more could a customer ask for!
Please share a follow-up on this especially if the problem persists. I know you shared what your process will be... it would still be interesting & provide a little closure.
It’s easy to be chill when you’re working with a rational, logical, and reasonable man. 😁👊
We will ask the customer if we can drive the car for a few days on our own time. Drive it home. Drive it over the weekend. We usually have the guy that lives the furthest distance from the shop. And we also will do the unplug method like you said. And have customers drive with engine light on.
When my grandparents 98 Ram was acting up we were pretty sure it was the transmission. I took it to some guys that specialize in Ram transmissions. They told me the couldn't get it to act up. I filled the tank and told them to drive it back and forth to work and for lunch. They had a scope hooked up to record when it finally did it four days later. The torque convertor lockup would slip sometimes. Some of them are just that hard to find.
Your customers are pretty chill because they know their vehicles are being worked on and repaired by one of the most competent technicians to ever work on automobiles 😏🙂✌️
I appreciate getting a chance to hear yr thoughts on how your shop handles intermittent problems. As a industrial electrician I try to resist using the parts cannon. But sometimes the boss wants something done. Bonus!!! Luna!!
I had a 2001 Toyota Corolla with a stubborn evap code that the mechanic actually gave up on. He kept my car for almost 2 months, charged me over a grand, and fixed nothing. I gave up on it, couldn't get it inspected even though we changed every single part of the evap system, smoked it several times, it kept throwing the code, and the registration expired... On a car that ran PERFECTLY and got 36 MPG. A year later, my Mom's Ford F-150 decided to DIE in the middle of her driveway, and she had no ride to work. I gave her one of my VW New Beetles, (I have 2) and we mailed the title to the Totota Florida, to my brother, who transferred the tag from her truck to the Toyota, when THAT came through, I gave her the Toyota, she drove it to work for 2 years in NY with the Fl. tag, then drove it, loaded heavy, to Fl, and stayed there. Then she drove it 3 more years, 65 miles each way to work. It won't start now. She parked it to drive her Honda Accord to work, and was switching them out each week. I believe the CPS went, then it sat and got rat chewed, as Toyotas are known for. When it finally stopped running, it had over 400,000 miles on it. When I gave it to her, it had 285,000 miles on it. NY and our STUPID rules cost me more than one good car. Not anymore. If it going to cost more that a grand to fix a STUPID CEL that doesn't effect it running condition, I register it in Florida. Screw NY. I'm done playing their expensive games.
I had an issue like that on a early 70s Toyota. It would run fine then the engine would die. After pulling over to the side of the road it would start back and run smooth as can be. Turns out that when a fuel additive was dumped in one time the cardboard liner in the cap stuck to the bottle and ended up on the bottom of the tank. It floated around on the bottom til it got sucked onto the fuel outlet. Once the suction was gone the disc floated away til the next time it got close to the outlet.
Win52D That's amazing. But how the blazes did you ever think to look for something like that?
@@phillipfritz7014 We had eliminated everything in the fuel system so we dropped the tank to see if there was a blockage. This was an early 70s car, long before EFI on board computers and electric fuel pumps so there wasn't much in the fuel delivery system other than a pump, tank and fuel line.
The troubleshooting process alone made this vid worth it.
Love your videos your just a genuine all around good guy and making your customers happy is always your goal !
You could just sweep the shop floor in a video and still have thousands of views it’s you and your personality that makes us watch keep up the great work !
My mama always said intermittent's are like irritable bowel syndrome, you never know when it's gonna.... Well you get the point. Good vid. Thanks Mr. O.
Another great video! The customer got what he paid for. Everything was needed and if that doesn’t fix the issue you can check that off the list. Good job.
The plan was discussed with the customer and they agreed you should try this. Excellent 100K service on the Outback air intake system. Hoping for an update. As an industrial maintenance mechanic - "There is something wrong with the machine." I would arrive at the machine in question. "How long is it going to take to fix it?" Well, I need to find out what is wrong then I can tell you. A certain customer was usually not happy with that answer.
I had a similar issue with my 2014 Impreza. It would sometimes do a weird idle and stall and did it quite often. First and foremost I NEVER use Fram filters. I use OEM or Wix. The issue was caused by the Variable Valve Timing Control system. When an engine oil gets low, dirty or sits, it can plug up the oil valve. This is a common problem with this system. I did an engine oil flush, replaced the filter and oil and it ran like new and the problem never came back.
Just FYI if you were using an OEM Subie filter on anything besides the 3.6R engine, it was MADE BY FRAM. (AFAIK only Subaru of America did this; Subaru of Canada and Subaru of Japan still used the fantastic Tokyo Roki filters, which Subaru of America still used on the 3.6R 6 cylinder engines.)
My dads used the amsoil power foam on gummed up carburetors and it’s cleaned that up quite well
I really like your videos. I'm not a mechanic, but I try to do my own repairs . However, I know my limitations and will take it to a shop if I know I can't handle the repair. I've learned so much from you and want to thank you for all the videos. By the way, really miss your opening line " Hey There Viewers Welcome To The South Main Auto Channel" my eight year old daughter loves that.
Being a Subaru specialist for 5 years, the only two outcomes I can relate to this type of concern is:
Dirty throttle plate with Subaru having such a picky throttle relearn process (new battery? recently jumped? just cleared DTC's? anything to reset or clear memory from the car.)
Or the old outback's had a ton of torque converter issues, but mainly it would present with hard to moderate braking = engine stalling but some customers misunderstood and said it would run rough and stall out which is correct, a DTC will be set for Engine Stall History and will reset some adaptives causing a rough idle.
Been watching for years, hopefully this makes sense!
*after watching the entire video, I am confident that in what you did with cleaning the throttle body and reconnecting the battery and letting it idle, the customer will not return with the issue they came in with
Just because you have the brushes doesn’t mean you have an AR-15, but it doesn’t mean you don’t have one either. 😄 Great video as always, Eric!
Don't forget that the AR-15 can shoot 5000 rounds in half a second and the barrel shroud (shoulder thing that goes up), makes it the most powerful pistol shotgun in the world. 🤣
@@CountryBoy4ever You're funny right there.😂
When it comes to intermittents, I generally just wait until the problem gets worse (read: more consistent) so it becomes easier to diagnose. Faults like these make it very tempting to start firing the parts cannon. On another note, I had a very similar problem with my old Mitsubishi Galant. It turned out to be a bad mass airflow sensor. The car never threw codes.
Correct. Correct a mundo.
Waiting for the update 👍👍
I had a stalling problem with a '65 Mustang - after starting it cold, driving about 10 mins, parking for 20-30, it would stall on startup. More precisely, driving from home to the ice cream store, and having an ice cream, and then it would stall when we started it up to leave. I couldn't figure it out. Mechanic said he couldn't reproduce it. He was located the same distance away, so I suggested he leave it cool overnight, and tomorrow, at the end of the day, drive it to the ice cream store and have an ice cream on me. He reproduced it and figured it out. 😎
Sir i think i know your issue. Your car is jealous whenever you get ice cream and is having a tantrum because it's not getting any. 😂
@@danielmonsanto8286 Right. I thought the ice cream store was just a coincidence, just exactly the right distance where a 20-minute cool-down would recreate the problem, but no - it was the ice cream itself. Or lack thereof. I started shoving a strawberry sundae down the throat of the carburetor, problem solved! 😂
Thanks! Once again, my favorite professional auto mechanic and diagnostic genius shows us how it gets done.
And, to be a simp for AMSOIL products, they’ve never let me down. Use AMSOIL in all my vehicles and lawn equipment. So, good choice, Mr. O!
FINALLY a SMA video my wife didn’t spoil. Take care and HOWDY to the family from Texas!
We charge them the one hour reduced rate diag charge and explain to them we are unable to determine an issue at this time due to the issue not being present currently.
Stalls after battery replacement. No codes no skip. Disconnect battery for a minute. Reconnect. Turn ignition on engine off for ten seconds before starting. This resets minimum air rate. If it still stalls, replace air fuel ratio sensor and oxygen sensor. Both sensors!!!!! It will stop stalling and eating cats.
Looking forward to the follow up.
Personal experience is the best teacher. If a problem happens to one person it has happened to many others and typically the fix is the same but not always. That's why you need more than a parts cannon. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with a smattering of your tongue in cheek humor.
If it started acting up after the new battery install I would definitely suspect the dirty throttle body, but they seem to run consistently bad. The intermittent condition is confusing. Will be curious how it works out for the owner.
Intermittent stalling, ha! This video reminds me of the "good old days" when cars were carbureted, vacuum was king, the hood was opened at least once a week and everything ran like crap all the time! Today our expectations are too high, what do you mean it stalls occasionally? Suck it up, drive around it, be creative! :). Thanks for all the great content Eric O! Love your channel!
Doing maintenance like you did is a pragmatic approach on this. A lot of 'techs' would probably start loading the parts cannon.
I can see that.
Even myself as a diy, thinking it must be broken or about to not knowing you can clean EGR. $$$🤯🤯🤯
Great video Eric O. as always.The best thing here is you let your customer know what was going on unlike a lot of shops.This is why I watch your channel because you put your customers first and your honest.
Over my career as a mechanic, it has always been customer concern dependent. The concern in this video, I definitely would have looked at the throttle body first, as the old GM 3800's come to mind for their hot start/stumble issue. Other issues I just try to get as much info up front as I can, for example maybe a window motor or lock actuator acting up, is it weather dependent, doesn't work when rains etc. I always was upfront with folks about pricing, and never skipped the visual on anything. My career has actually taken me down a bit different path the last couple of years now that I am mobile and go to collision shops to do ADAS calibrations, but I still am the go to tech for our company for diagnostics. Just usually now it has more to do with crushed wiring, connectors, modules, green crusties etc.
Keep up the great content, Dr. O! Just curious if you received the package I sent a few months ago?
When my 99 frontier 3.3 hit about 60,000 miles, it would fall on its face after warmer up at a red light, or stop sign. Finally figured out that the butterfly value on the throttle body was getting built up with dirt and carbon. Clean it out, and I was good for about another 6 to 7 months. Then I would have to do it again, and it didn't matter what type of air filter I used. So I made it a habit that every time I did my oil change, I would clean the throttle body, and never had a problem with it again.
That pesky pcv system coking up your intake. Lol oil was being sucked up in to your engine intake and collecting on the butterfly valve. Probably had excessive blowby other than a bottom end rebuild an oil catch can would have helped. Can make a cheap one plenty of instructions on the interwebs
you have to add the stickers to get the horsetorques, they have wifi tuning built into them. no stickers, no power :D
Simply unplug it. Great idea. I never thought of that as a diagnostic tool. Thanks again Eric O.
My 2008 does this randomly at idle and I ordered a used throttle body for $40 and I'm going to give it a try. I've taught the current throttle body to idle 5 times. No effect. I think the vent for the fuel tank is clogged and it might be part of it. I haven't go that far. It's getting worse though. Once it warms up, now it will mostly stutter and sometimes stall at idle. I've cleaned the throttle body over and over. The wires are very tight for the drive by wire where it plugs in the throttle body. I hate stuff like this. There are no codes. I checked for vaccum leaks no vaccum leaks. I pulled the EGR valve and it looks great. I've changed the MAF sensor after cleaning the MAF sensor. If clearing the vent and pressure sensor and throttle body doesn't work, I'll try unplugging the EGR valve.
To paraphrase."People use expensive products whether it works or not. Because they saw it on a Racecar."
To those not in the know. Race Teams are paid to have those decals on their cars. If those products work as desired. That's a different thing entirely. Did Richard Petty really use STP? STP observed a guy winning a lot of races. They wanted to be associated with a winner.
As usual, Mr.O is educating the masses.
I'm just a Shadetree Mechanic. But I would check a few of the obvious things like you did and see what happens. Never hurts to clean things up.
I too am a shadetree mechanic.
@@shadetreemech290 I need a better tree!
There was no point to years of Price is Right but it still popular. You showed more in this than you think. Tips, tricks and knowledge
Hi Eric, Those brushes are good as long as you don't use them to brush your teeth after a TB cleaning with Berkbile 2+2.😛 Great job Eric, fun stuff!
It's a good thing you video tape all your customers car repairs, so atleast you have proof you ran thru the car from top to bottom, some customers are kinda con artist to say something else is wrong and you did something to it kinda deal
I had a laugh at the brush and AR comment.
For almost a year my car keeps sending a "Low Evap" . After 20 or 30 miles it clears itself. Bought myself a cheap code reader and sure enough. It tells me to replace the gas tank cap. I had already done that. THANKS!! ;) The Mechanic I do have is just like Eric! God Bless him!! Down to Earth and very honest!
My advice to everyone here is...IF you find a good mechanic? Keep him! They are worth more than Gold!
When Eric started the car @24:52, you could tell from the sound, the big 2.5 was making 15 more bhp (although I think Eric's estimate regarding contributing factors was off; I estimate +5 hp from using the Power Foam on then EGR valve, +8 hp from using the Power Foam on the throttle body, and +2 hp from cleaning the mouse nest out of the air box)...🤣
Well, as a "home mechanic," a comeback means my wife says "it's still doing it." 😊. Tried a lot to fix an intermittent misfire on my son's Ranger before we found a cracked coil pack! Thanks as always, Eric!
They tell me "can't find a problem...fix it your self...here's my bill"
That’s not a sustainable business model.
Subaru has a TSB for this to have a Software update for hard start and bad idle. I think it was for years 2009- 2016 2.5l non turbo. Subaru charged me $185.00 for the update. Mine 2012 Forester X 2.5 l at 9 years old just started doing this. Update solved all problems.
I love your thought process, honesty, integrity and just your damn good knowledge and attitude. If every business approached the consumer and their problems as you do. We would have the absolute most efficient, logic based system in the world! Oops forgot many businesses are run by money grubbing yahoos. Great video as always. Keep them coming. Thank you
So for intermittent I use a 10 pound sledge. If properly done things become much more consistent. Logical guessing and reasonable costs. Nicely done. Learned how to clean a throttle body
Good vid man , I would have done the same things ! Throttle body was nasty so you may have gotten a good result from the foam ! Keep em coming folks I'll keep liking !
We just drive the heck out of them to try and get problem to show. We chase all our own parts so just use customers vehicle as a shop truck for a few days. If the problem doesn't show in that period ship it and tell them to try and come back while its acting up
Most shops would just ready, aim, fire the parts cannon. And reload and keep shooting. I appreciate your professionalism and procedures.
Friends don't let friends use Fram!
Intermittent problems are tough to deal with. Unless it happens to you, which as you say, it never happens at the Mechanic! More than half the time, I find them by accident.
Have a great day, Sir! o7 PS, I love how you and your cat talk to each other! :)
Great video, truly the best mechanic on TH-cam. When Mr. O retires and no longer fixes cars, I can see him being like Kilmer and reviewing cars, reminiscing about past repair success stories and doing “bonus questions and answers”.
Or maybe he can take a trip south to Florida and help out Rainman Ray in his new shop, where they don’t see too many rust belt cars! Ring the bell. Mash the “subscribe” button, and leave a comment below. 😌
@@williamsquires3070 And just remember viewers, if I can do it, you can do it. Thanks for watchin!
Ask google 😆
Now Ray, we all know they asked Google, Facebook, and several vehicle specific forums before finally relenting and bringing it to us. 😂
Hey Siri....
I think you approached this intermittent problem the right way Eric Have good day
Im a tech actually at a western new york dealership. I treat them very similar to what you said. I will spend way more time on a safety type concern then say a radio concern. Also been working on same brand for 19 years so relay highly on experience from problems seen in the past. It can be hard to teach the newer guys to try on intermittent problems especially with the flat rate system. As you know this business is getting harder by the day and unfortunately their are more bad techs in the business that shot gun parts then guys like you and me who get more enjoyment in finding the exact problem.
Years ago, Scotty turned me on to running laqure thinner throughthe fuel tank to clean the fuel and cat system. I had a customer just like you that had a hard start problem also. We talked it over and ran thinner in the fuel. Around a week later the problem dissapeared. A few weeks later, his kid totaled the car... I belive carbon was the cause, but didn't get to see the results. LOL
Subaru tech here - Check tsbs. There should be a bulletin for an updated torque converter to help with stalling when coming to a stop. Have also seen the torque converter solenoid starting to go out cause the same issue. Resistance of solenoid will be slightly out of spec of on the edge of specification. You can monitor engine speed, torque converter speed and torque converter lockup duty and watch the converter stay locked up when coming to a stop. It should release lock up as you're coasting to a stop. I usually recommend both the valve body and the converter at the same time to prevent repeat failures, but I let them know why I want to do that and leave it up to the customer. Hope this helps!
And, fun fact, bidirectional on any subaru pre 2015 is almost non-existent even with OEM scan tool.
I believe the amsoil was sent to you by a viewer and it was on a live stream a couple of years ago.
now here's a true fan of the channel... good memory
I miss the live streams...
@@MrHugawa Thank you.
I think we're overdue for another WuW!!
A couple of shops I have worked in, we would try up to 3 times to recreate the issue. In this situation I would have let vehicle idle for a half hour or so, and then tried to recreate the issue. If I couldn't verify what is happening. I would ask the customer to drive it until the issue happens, and if at all possible, bring it back when it happens again without shutting the vehicle off. I know that's hard to do, but I don't want to waste customer money, and they want the car fixed. So you just do what you can...
Eric, I like your approach. The service you performed was needed so nothing was wasted. Hopefully that will correct the issues.
I work on my old Navy Base so I do have an advantage. I am there every day. I can leave an intermittent problem and check it every so often and build up some info. Does it malfunction more when it is wet? When F18s are flying over and shaking the building? Are the SeaBees running something that pulls a lot of current? Mechanical parts and electrical connections are where I start first. I can temp repair it till I discover the actual problem.
DEAR SIR;
THE BEST APPROACHED UNDER THE SUN; REQUIRED INTERVAL SERVICES, KEEP UP BASED ON MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE WITH EXCELLENT DOCUMENTATATIN FOR THE FACTS ON THE WORK ORDER. ERIC
YOU ARE ON THE TOP OF YOUR WORK. PERIOD. THANKS.
I own a '95 Chevy S10 with the 4.3 and the EGR gets a small piece of carbon stuck under the valve every few years. Stalling, rough idle, etc. I remove the EGR, pick out the offending piece of grit, and presto. Good for another few years.
Great video Eric O. Great to see your honest with the customer and not diagnostic darting it.
Back when I had to this I found being honest as you are here in the video's is the best way but also had to put the plan in the discretion on the recipe so that both the customer and shop could remember days, weeks, months down the road..
Fortunately in today's day and age I also like using the power of the internet and see if it's a common problem I just haven't seen yet.
Thanks for sharing all this valuable info
Intermitant stalling is usually caused by a faulty ignition coil. No codes ever showing it but when I removed the engine coil and wires and the terminals were burnt to a crisp causing shorts. I replaced the coil itself and never had the issue of stalling again. Just my 2 cents.
I just had a Expedition same symptoms about 2 month ago and preformed throttle body and iac clean so far all good. I didn't do mass or egr just to see if it would go away but that would have been my next step. So saw this title and had to watch but I watch all your videos. Thanks for all your videos just like being in the shop with you all straight up.
If I had an intermediate issue I would not bother a mechanic but would search out TH-cam channels such as yours and do what you just did. That’s why I follow you. Like you said it may not fix but it’s good maintenance.
That's the difference between you and other shops Eric, you actually make an effort😎not just fixing the obvious.
Would love to hear if this did fix the problem. You did exactly what I would have done. Start with basics.
I've worked in IT my entire career, so similar troubleshooting paths, just different hardware/software. Intermittent issues are the bane of my existence. Since I don't have the luxury of being able tell people pound sand it's basically starting with the simple stuff and working up from there.
This was a very information-filled video. Good job. The one reason I watch your videos is when a customer brings a car into your shop. You do not nickel and dime the customer. I.E. the air filter.
Perfection, absolute perfection. I bet it's fixed and I guess I have to get me some amsoil.
Intermittent problems are difficult to diagnose. Fist I try to duplicate ,then develop a strategy. If that doesn't work I will check for any bulletins or just Google the problem. Anything that will point me in a similar direction without going down rhe rabbit hole. Thanks for the great videos
Mr O thank you for all the videos you put out. I fixed my car by cleaning the throttle body just from watching your videos saved me 500 dollars.
Absolutely The Best!! We all can wish to have our own Eric in our town! 😢 a true master mechanic knows when and when not to use new parts!
loved Shania Twain growing up at Keuka Lake!
One thing about Subaru, never hurts to clean mass air and throttle body, at least on the older models. People love Subaru or hate them, doesn't seem to be much middle ground. Had a FM car years ago with intermittent not gonna start issues. Only after it was warmed up, then you get stuck, hoping it would restart. Found a tech who got lucky and had it repeat the problem while was diagnosing. Bad relay, couple hours to find the problem, $15 part, fixed. His claim that he never got beat by an electrical problem was proven a couple more times in different vehicles. He moved to another state, I'm still in mourning.
I always try to let logic dictate my direction, which is difficult at best with an intermittent problem. You must rely on your experience to rule out potential causes based on the customer input, which sometimes can be minimal not to mention unreliable as well. The time I had a lady come in saying her car sounded like a low flying helicopter with a wheeze comes to mind. If the car comes back with the same issue, then at least you will know what it is not, which will allow you to focus on other potential culprits. Great video, thanks for showing.
Used to have very similar symptoms on early 2000's Acura V6's(worked at a dealer). Found after about a 15 minute hot soak, the fuel in the rail would vaporize. Much cranking or a few seconds of rough running to give time to get liquid back in lines would clear it up. Noticed most between seasons when the fuel recipes were changed (winter to spring). More volatile recipe allowed the fuel to vaporize more readily. After 2003 model year, not a problem (perhaps running higher fuel pressures). I tried experimenting with heat resistant wrap...no success. Just had to get the 'winter' fuel out and warm weather recipe in. Just a thought.