Thanks, he seems super happy. He was hoping to come here in the first place since they just moved up and several people told him about us. But when he first called we were about a week out with appointments.
Incredible.......a set of new spark plugs vs pulling the heads for a valve job. Is it any wonder why people don't trust dealerships? Good job nailing this one Tim.
Thank you! I got lucky again. It obviously has engine wear, loose valve guides and looks like probably an injector issue on bank 2 from the fuel trims but the customer is super happy to have it running smooth for now so they can get through this year hopefully and budget for a long block or replacement vehicle in the future.
Dealerships see it as a license to steal, the one up side is that a honest guy with a solid knowledge base and a good selection of tools, a place to work and a good scanner will never be out of work !
Hay tim. You have the best review for this tool and awesome instructions on repair. I bought this tool based on your review, but the topdon plus I have doesn't have a misfire monitor like yours. Any ideas
You are a very good mechanic, you were very clear to understand and I learned a lot.I had a random misfire while driving, I changed the spark plug wires, that was not it, changed the spark plugs, that was it. Now I have random misfire at idle. I'll do what you did in the video that gave me a lot of things to check. Thank you so much for your video, you are a top notch mechanic.
I purchased an 04 Silverado with 123,000 miles on it a few years back. It had misfire codes galore in it, all I used was a simple code reader no data stream-just codes. Removed the spark plugs, 4 were original the other 4 were of different makes including an Autolight??!! Replaced them with the correct AC Delcos, ran better still had a bit of a misfire. Chased it down with LP around the intake, yes sir intake gaskets leaked as well also found the knock sensor wells were full of water and corrosion in the connectors for the knock sensors. Got all of the parts at NAPA, including the knock sensors and connectors. Been running like a champ ever since.
Very nice. Yes we see intakes leaking and knock sensors and harness issues quite often around here as well. Glad you got yours running like a top. You take care!
No money for a dealer to just change spark plugs. And we used to think it was the small garages that would rip people off. My how things have changed. Good honest job Tim.
Excellent video, very informative....Experienced old school mechanic. Just goes to show you that you can't trust anyone today. Good mechanics are very hard to find, but this guy was freakin great!!! Like he said, stick to the basics, fuel, spark, vacuum, compression, etc.
One reason I'm trying to learn automotive repair is because I got ripped off at a dealer. We still have to pay they're crazy price for parts but we can take control of the labor and misdiagnosis costs. Funny you mentioned a vacuum leak causing a no start in cold weather. My 1998 5.7 Chevy is doing just that. Wow, that plug was toast! Basic visual check just saved him a lot of money.
Texted this customer yesterday for an update. Says he has put a ton of miles on it and running great. Its very rewarding saving them money and getting to be the hero! Take care sir!
Happened In my 2002 honda random misfire ,changed coil and plugs injectors compression test nothing happens.Changed the EGR valve and everything is now back to normal.Thank God.
Keep It Simple Student. The kiss rule prevails again. I am a rookie tech and these videos are valuable. Thank you very much for sharing. I can never find guys willing to help me so I have to learn everything on my own and I work in the industry. Hopefully one day I'll find a job where I can join a positive team and we can help people the right way. You have my subscription. Great job
Thank you. So this has been about a year now and the truck is running strong. Still using oil and he needs to put a motor in it but 10K miles and 12 months of driving for a set of plugs and a little labor has been worth it for him. Take care and thanks for the sub!
A really great video. And a great job at fixing the truck. Like the guy said below. The only thing sticky was the dealership's fingers. I wish I knew how to read those codes and figure them out. Tim you are an excellent mechanic. I sure wish I lived near you. I would bring all of car repairs to your garage. Thanks for sharing your video. Have a blessed new year.
Thanks, I think a tool like this would be a great help even for folks who aren't seasoned mechanics. I see it has tips on specific codes so ill look more into that feature to see if it gives good information on where to look for problems with specific codes. If that isn't enough there is always TH-cam and I tell you what, I have learned a lot here!
The Car Doctor Hi Tim, Thanks I appreciate your help. I very grateful that I found your channel. Your videos are always educational. I forwarded your videos on to several friends and relatives over the past few months. I hope you don't mind. Thank you for your help. I will appreciate it very much. Stay warm my friend.
Great video sick of garage bandits good to see an honest man I do it all myself now You can get a cheap monitor for around 30 bucks it will have easy instructions how to set it up then when you get the fault coad simply put car fault coad say po300 in your phone and your phone will tell you what the coad means simple like this (car fault coad PO30O) 💯🤔👍
I sure do enjoy these videos!! The thoroughness of your work makes us shade tree guys get a little more dangerous with each watch. Thanks for taking the time to do all of the work. I know it takes a lot to edit and upload, but more importantly, to finish your regular work too! Keep it up ;) I actually bought the Topdon “Elite” scanner for ABS codes and it actually worked. That things is really great for what it is
I can relate. I fixed a Prius that had been towed to a Toyota dealer. They couldn't get it running and told her she needed a new HV battery. I cleaned the 12v battery terminals and it fired right up. Just a little oxidized was all. It had drained and wouldn't hold a charge so I cycled it on the charger 5 or 6 times and now holds a charge.
Went in the drive through just fine.. .came out engine shaking.. rotten egg smell..but after first gear it wouldn't shake so bad...changed fuel filter..egr valve and spark plugs/wires...all needed to be changed but didnt fix the problem...took it to the man of reason...turns out bad spark plugs are hard on your $45 IGNITION COIL.... $70 labor...engine saved--priceless
Hey Tim, Brian from Idaho. Thanks for letting my kids take a photo of you and I. You have the best handyman channel I've seen and appreciate you sharing your knowledge with all of us! Again. Thanks for the upper/lower ball joint video for the 2500 Dodge diesel and all of the tool recommendations as I bought them all & they worked great as promised. Having a guy like you who is willing to teach us shade tree guys is a Godsend. Brian
@@ThecardoctorTV I understand that you are a busy man which says alot that you took the time to visit. You're a good man and I'll continue to be a strong supporter!
Great video Tim. Like you said stick to the basics. The dealership should be ashamed of themselves. Love the channel man, thanks for all the great videos!
That's possible or just shooting big fat estimates trying to make some money or a little of both. This didn't look like a candidate for head work anyway. I would just throw a long block in it over doing the top end and ending up having to do rings and lower end six months later. I don't get it.
Totally agree Tim, tightening up the lower end at the same time is the way to go. Anything less is a complete waste of time. That way you have a solid engine and anything you add after that is just maintenance, water pumps, poweer steering pumps or belts and hoses is just maintenance when you think about total cost, just saying.
Ya I'm trying to find the link or even model of that scanner. Couldnt find anything exactly like it on amazon or Ebay especially for $60. , but I imagine it's been modified and cost more now being this videos 6yrs old now. Be nice to have the live data for inexpensive,
Chevy Dealer told me the same thing about my cylinder 7 misfire, it was a ghost code. Cylinder 7 had a new plug, spark plug wire, and coil. According to the dealer it had "perfect" compression.
We're trying to track down this issue with my son's 01 Blazer with a 4.3 Vortec. Will recheck the gaps on the plugs. Thank you very much for the video!
I have a autel maxicheck pro and it only cost me 179.99 I love it. I'm a diy guy that also buys broke down vehicles and fixes them. Bought the tool to bleed abs and it worked great. I use it for mostly chevys
A relative compression test with a 10-15 second crank may reveal a valve issue…don’t know if you do in cylinder testing but that would bring your diagnostic skills up a notch !!
Great video. Thank you using a obd scan tool that is more available to a novice at home do it yourselfer, showing how easy it can be to diagnose a check engine light.
Did you do a review on one of these too? haha, ill have to go check that out. Seems like a very affordable scanner for its capabilities. Good of you to drop by my shop!
Never take ur vehicles to the dealer unless its under warranty still. They will 9 out of 10 times try to rip u off. My sister is the service manager of a competing dealer where I live. And she says when new techs are hired they are told in orientation to always upsale every job. I mean tell them they need work that's not even needed. Dealerships are a joke outside of warranty work
I would add one more thing. Hope you don't need a lot of warranty repairs because those don't pay well and likely go to the newbie techs. Then you might get free repairs but they sometimes damage your vehicle doing them Sad
this is sad and ugly part of the service industry. As a service technician, I was told to make a maximum bill when problems are confusing and gray to the customers.
Thanks for the video Tim. Been a mechanic since 1983 and this does not surprise me one bit. I never worked at a Stealership but I have heard of many horror stories such as this.
There are a lot fo really great techs at the dealerships. Also a few that probably should take up another career. Not a problem just for dealerships but for any shop. Bigger the shop the easier for things like this to happen I suppose. Thanks for dropping by!
I picked up one of those Topdon Elites as a backup to my Autel MS906. Seems like a good little tool so far. Nice job taking care of that vehicle for your customer.
Hey Tim how are you my friend thank you very much for your hard work to give accurate diagnosis... I know I ask a lot of questions lol but just a really quick one today ....What are fuel trims and what is the reading I should look for on it
Just found this video working on the wife's 05 Caddi. Good info here Tim. My OBD scanner is throwing me P0300 codes, Time to check plugs. I'm not to quick to blame the dealerships or the small shops. Its' more of "it's hard to find good help these days". There is a lot of incompetence out there, The more knowledge you have the better off you'll be . keep up the good work Tim. By the way, I'll trade ya an '05 Cadillac sts for that Solus even up, Ill deliver ........ Yeah I know, I wont hold my breath.... -Tom
@@jesse75 I did!! Well kinda, the motor was trashed. I sold the car and have not had a problem ever since. Oh, and from my caddi experiences, I'll never own another one.
Nice fix car doctor my thinking was going toward maybe a plugged up low flow or restricted flow on injector but yes I would have checked those plugs first I used to sit there and look at plugs and try and figure out what going on in cylinder but after being a scanner danner guy for a while I kinda moved away from it you showed me a little old school diagnostics does work but those plugs were pretty obvious they were too fouled causing a weird burn at certain points probably because all that carbon would heat up creating a little hot spot for pre ignition i was also thinking of how to check floating or sticking valve with scope that's so cool gotta do a clutch tommorow on my toyota that got stolen and they completely fried the clutch
Thank you for this video you are so honest old school mechanic very hard to see one like you you really nailed a coffin good job by the way I like the OBD scanner I might buy one
Same thing happened to my sister-in-law. Had 5 codes stored and dealer gave her a $1700 invoice. I had her order tune-up parts and I replaced them for about $300 cost. Van purred so good she called me to ask if I put a new engine in...😆
Great Great work and video! I was just watching some videos about misfires and ran across your video and I'm very glad I did. I have a autel 439 scanner and its OK for the price. Your topdon scanner is great, I follow your link and purchase it today and can wait to use it with mode 6 function. Thanks for the video.
Right on. I hope it works as well for you as it has for me. IM going to use it more to try and get an idea for what coverage and data PIDs it has for other makes.
You know what, im really not supprised that the dealership tryed to rip off that customer with fake bullshit :-(. It doesnt build trust in dealerships. :-( Hopefully he has learnt a lesson and has you do a regular scheduled maintainance checkover. Worth every penny :-D The topdon looks very handy for the diy man, much better than the very basic code readers. Not pro, but not paying pro money, a step up for the diy man :-).
I wouldn't argue with a recommendation from another shop to replace the engine. The customer complains it uses oil and with that many miles on it Its on its way out anyway but to recommend a top end overhaul is strange to me. Their estimate was north of $4500 and they would still have a tired out lower end. IM not sure what their end game was. Maybe they planned on pulling the heads and then telling him it looked like there was a lot of wear in the cylinders. Not sure but hes super happy now! You take care mate!
Mostly for viewers, Car Doctor obviously knows this: You can (sort of) estimate compression by looking at cranking voltage with graphing meter. Normally this is only done only in cases where spark plugs canm not be reached (transverse V6 minivans etc). No reason to skip physical compression on a Chevy. How the dealership has to "wait for compression test results" is beyond me.
I have a 2003 Suburban with a P0300 code. The rig runs great down the road, but has a rough idle, with the CEL coming on at idle as well. I watch your video and bought one of the Topdon scanners. I've been leaning toward this problem being a vacuum leak issue, as the short term and long term fuel trims totaled over +10% on both banks. I have found a split vacuum elbow on the manifold end of the fuel pressure regulator vacuum line and another bad line at the PVC valve. The fuel short term fuel trim is running near zero now and the long trim is dropping slowly the more I drive it. However, I'm still getting the 300 code after it idles for a while, so it looks like I have more problems than vacuum leaks. I noticed the the spark advance is bouncing quickly between 10 and 25 deg, on the data stream, at idle. The misfire data does not come up on this rig, so I don't know which cylinders are misfiring like you did in this video. I did notice that the ignition timing in the data steam on the truck in the vid is pretty steady. I don't know if my PCM is changing the timing to compensate for the misfiring, or the timing changes may be causing the misfire. It still runs a little rough at idle, but not like it has a dead cylinder or anything, just a slight vibration every 5 seconds or so. Have you ever seen this problem? I was thinking the crank sensor might be going, but I hate changing parts without more evidence that's the problem. UPDATE: The compression in #3 cylinder is 120 psi, which is about 25% lower than the highest CRAP!!. Others run around 155.
Alot of times at least with the older Chevy's the Vortech cap (especially) the 4.3L from my experience. The V6 has a plastic distributor and it can have issues. I kept getting the P0300 code I replaced the cap 3 times and it kept melting away and bringing terminals,once the rotor got warped. I replaced the distributor with an aftermarket aluminum one from Summit Racing and the problem was fixed. I also have a 5.7L vortech in my other truck. The cap melted through in that one once bridging the cyl 1 & 6. Replaced the cap & rotor & it's fixed now. Seems like alot of people have these issues from what I've been seeing on TH-cam. Also I've seen some chafed wiring harnesses on the Chevy Astro van.
Man you're awesome. I wish you could diagnose mine. 00 Silverado z71 5.3 with p0300 random misfire. Already replaced intake gasket, 02 sensor, plugs wires and coils and still isnt fixed. Any ideas? 263k miles and has always ran strong . Good oil pressure and no tapping. Also the check engine light doesnt flash at idle. Only driving at 2k rpms and above
P.O. 300 code is a parts replacement bonanza, I had that code on a 2003 6.0 Silverado, it ended up being the solenoid was shorting out to block which melted the crankshaft position sensor in block . It took me a while to figure that one out, I was afraid to take it anywhere because it could be so many things. Stayed awake at night trying to figure that one out, being a shade tree mechanic.
You said it. Don't get carried away with one or more trouble codes. Stick with the basics otherwise you may end up chasing your tail. I'd rather have your bill instead of the one from the Chevrolet dealer.
hey man, great videos on this problem. i was wondering, with your experience, do you think these misfires are happening because of low test gas being used? also do you think using 91 to 94 octane will prevent these problems right from the start. thanks and keep up the great videos!
Sticky valves? I have heard of sticking lifters. Dump a quart of ATF in the engine oil , run it for 100 miles and give it an oil change. It's more than likely not the remedy for a random misfire, but it does free up the lifters.
Just curious as to why the main issue of the oily plug was not addressed; most likely being a leaky valve stem seal in this case. Though the vehicle is running fine for the time being it's simply a temporary fix or band-aid. Also I'm curious as to why the Freeze Frame Data was overlooked. Other than that it was a good partial diagnosis and a great demonstrational video!! Thanks for the upload!! Just goes to show that you simply cannot trust even the dealerships ( as I've warned many of my customers over the years ). It always pays to see or at least get a second opinion from a solid, reputable Technician.
Its due for an engine O/H and yes, just a Band-Aid but he was happy to milk a year or two out of it before considering investing in an engine or replacement vehicle. Blessings to you!
The biggest cause of a P0300 is the battery. Every inspection should start with testing the battery, then go from there. To set a P0300 code it has to be something the computer directly controls, like the coils and injectors. It will not set a P0300 from carbon build up, sludge, worn or bent valves, worn rings or a hole in your piston.
I just did mines i change the ingiton coil pack the one that was misfired and the ingiton modulator that sit under the coil pack but it still had a lil misfired but when i change the the spark plugs wires the misfired was gone but i had brought some cheap wires last time and the only last 3 months
nissan dealer wanted to charge my aunt $480.00 to replace a bank sensor and 160 for the ac cabin air filter I did it for her bank sensor was 90.00 and filter 14.00 couple hours of work.
Had the P0300 code on my 2006 Ford Explorer the engine was running rough put in a bottle of Lucas Injector cleaner $3.99 after 20 miles the engine started running fine even cleared the P0300 code automatically
i have a 1996 sc1 saturn, 324,500 miles and it runs great, i just bought a 2004 impala ss, its a gas hog and has a misfire, and other problems, so i fixed everything besides the misfire and ill fix that too, but once i fix it, its going bye bye, I'm going to buy a 1993 saturn in a few days with 68k miles, its like my two door and ill drive both of them, i love the older saturns, there amazing on gas. i also did buy a mercedes c230 recently, good car but ill give that to my dad.
Great vid, straight to the point and explained in layman's terms You are a good man, do you think it could be the same case for my jaguar x-type misfiring? Thank you. From Ronnie in beautiful Scotland.
Thank you for the video Tim you just saved me $990.00 Can’t believe how dishonest some People are, I mean I understand business but not scamming business Horrible Blessings Tim
Hello i have a 03 silverado 1500 I get a p0300 and the check engine light flashes what can be the problem the engine shakes i replaced the spark plugs and wires but still same problem
My 2010 gmc sierra 1500 has p0300. Took it to dealership, said it needed a new engine. It only has 167300 miles on it. I call bs on that. Taking it to another place next week for a 2nd opinion. I already had spark plugs and wires changed few months ago.
Aloha's Tim -- That scan tool is a good handy DIY'r scan tool. Better stuff in that guy than you'd get with higher priced do-hickey type scan tools for sure. It's not a bad deal for $70. -- Great Diagnostic with that bad boy. -- Bet the customer was slap happy about you results. -- You sure showed up the "Stealership's Service Center Where Quality is Job 1" big time. $4500 Estimate to change the spark plugs is insulting and that should be made public news - IMHO anyhow. -- I just hope the owner took the truck back to the "Stealership" and went for the Head Cheese and give him some info to chew on. Bypass the Service Center for sure - Go for the throat and get the big wigs involved so they can slap the Service Manager around for making it a lower estimate .. oh lets say $1500 for $60 plugs. Btw, with almost 150K miles, did the customer refuse new wires or were they coil on plug? Even there at 150K I fork up for coils wires whatever it should have for a vehicle that is 10 years old and has been neglected to say the least.
I'm chasing P0300 on my 6.0 2500HD. plugs were wasted, but changing them and the wires didn't completely solve the issue. Just ordered the Topdon to see if I can get some more specific info before I throw parts at the thing. 230k miles on this bad Larry.
I pulled the PCV line out of the top of the intake manifold to plug my smoke generator in. I put a rubber glove over the throttle body. Well the glove never really inflated and I was getting smoke out the PCV line I had pulled out. Doesn't seem good...
Great video! I’ve changed the spark plugs & wires & still have the p0300 code. I even changed the catalic converters. & still have the same problem. Any ideas of what I’m doing wrong? Do I need to clear the code. Any help would be useful.
You wasted money on a new cat if that was an issue your car would have thrown a p0400 code for my car when my cat went bad my code for it in my dodge was a p0420 and 9 times outta ten if it's emission related the code it is in the 400 range and very rarely will it be that unless it throws that code along with a p0300 you should do a compression test if it has low compression then it's due to a valve and if it's a major difference in reading from other cylinders you know which one it is and to go after but if it's across most or all cylinders then your engine is wearing out and unless you want to pay to have your engine rebuilt you might as well but a new car especially if the rebuilt is gonna cost you more then what you paid for for the car to begin with also trying looking at your crankshaft sensor or cam sensor if those are bad or dirty it can cause a p0300 code if not sometimes not always low fuel pressure can do the same and also check your coil packs they could be bad too I suggest coil packs next then look at your crankshaft sensor and or cam shaft position sensor if you have both then move to a compression test afterwards and go from there if none of the previous helps or fixes the issue and you have low compression across the bored then your engine is wearing out and like I said it'll have to be rebuilt or buy a new car if the rebuilt is gonna cost more then the cars worth my opinion from what I have learned
YEa, my thought was that the dealerships have a difficult time keeping good mechanics happy so the ones that fill in the ranks probably don't care enough to take the small stuff and prefer, often times, to put it back on the customer. Not a reassuring thought for me.
A previous misdiagnosis handled professionally by the Car Doctor - you're a class act! Hopefully, you've got a customer for life.
Thanks, he seems super happy. He was hoping to come here in the first place since they just moved up and several people told him about us. But when he first called we were about a week out with appointments.
Incredible.......a set of new spark plugs vs pulling the heads for a valve job. Is it any wonder why people don't trust dealerships? Good job nailing this one Tim.
Thank you! I got lucky again. It obviously has engine wear, loose valve guides and looks like probably an injector issue on bank 2 from the fuel trims but the customer is super happy to have it running smooth for now so they can get through this year hopefully and budget for a long block or replacement vehicle in the future.
You mean the Stealership!
Dealerships see it as a license to steal, the one up side is that a honest guy with a solid knowledge base and a good selection of tools, a place to work and a good scanner will never be out of work !
those are the reason I service my own car from suspension ,driveline to engine!!I don't deal with dealership!!I saved a ton of money
Plus you get the satisfaction of doing it yourself! Blessings.
So smart I do the same
Hay tim. You have the best review for this tool and awesome instructions on repair. I bought this tool based on your review, but the topdon plus I have doesn't have a misfire monitor like yours. Any ideas
You mean stealership!
Also helps you diagnose things faster in the future the more familiar you get with your particular vehicle.
Another WIN for the independent shop.Good find!
You are a very good mechanic, you were very clear to understand and I learned a lot.I had a random misfire while driving, I changed the spark plug wires, that was not it, changed the spark plugs, that was it. Now I have random misfire at idle. I'll do what you did in the video that gave me a lot of things to check. Thank you so much for your video, you are a top notch mechanic.
Ever get it fixed ?
I purchased an 04 Silverado with 123,000 miles on it a few years back. It had misfire codes galore in it, all I used was a simple code reader no data stream-just codes. Removed the spark plugs, 4 were original the other 4 were of different makes including an Autolight??!! Replaced them with the correct AC Delcos, ran better still had a bit of a misfire. Chased it down with LP around the intake, yes sir intake gaskets leaked as well also found the knock sensor wells were full of water and corrosion in the connectors for the knock sensors. Got all of the parts at NAPA, including the knock sensors and connectors. Been running like a champ ever since.
Very nice. Yes we see intakes leaking and knock sensors and harness issues quite often around here as well. Glad you got yours running like a top. You take care!
Ed Spencer so it was an intake gasket?
Did you get any knock sensor codes?
You're a good guy Tim. And it goes without saying, a credit and a blessing to your profession. As well as your customers.
Thank you. I appreciate the kind words. Take care.
No money for a dealer to just change spark plugs. And we used to think it was the small garages that would rip people off. My how things have changed. Good honest job Tim.
Change spark plugs and oil change end result car started losing power and was told that I need to replace the transmission
Haven't been to a Stealership in years and this video is exactly why.
Excellent video, very informative....Experienced old school mechanic.
Just goes to show you that you can't trust anyone today.
Good mechanics are very hard to find, but this guy was freakin great!!!
Like he said, stick to the basics, fuel, spark, vacuum, compression, etc.
Thank you.
People just take advantage of good honest mechanics.
"Ghost misfire?" Spooky!!!! Must be a dealer technical term........lol
This is why I don't go to dealers. Thanks for this great video!
Come on tim you haven't seen those hoseless compression testers yet lol, great video i like how fast and efficient you execute your repairs
I would buy one of those for sure since im all about saving time! Must be one of those really expensive tools that only the dealer has access to. darn
One reason I'm trying to learn automotive repair is because I got ripped off at a dealer. We still have to pay they're crazy price for parts but we can take control of the labor and misdiagnosis costs. Funny you mentioned a vacuum leak causing a no start in cold weather. My 1998 5.7 Chevy is doing just that. Wow, that plug was toast! Basic visual check just saved him a lot of money.
Texted this customer yesterday for an update. Says he has put a ton of miles on it and running great. Its very rewarding saving them money and getting to be the hero! Take care sir!
Happened In my 2002 honda random misfire ,changed coil and plugs injectors compression test nothing happens.Changed the EGR valve and everything is now back to normal.Thank God.
Keep It Simple Student. The kiss rule prevails again. I am a rookie tech and these videos are valuable. Thank you very much for sharing. I can never find guys willing to help me so I have to learn everything on my own and I work in the industry. Hopefully one day I'll find a job where I can join a positive team and we can help people the right way. You have my subscription. Great job
Thank you. So this has been about a year now and the truck is running strong. Still using oil and he needs to put a motor in it but 10K miles and 12 months of driving for a set of plugs and a little labor has been worth it for him. Take care and thanks for the sub!
A really great video. And a great job at fixing the truck. Like the guy said below. The only thing sticky was the dealership's fingers. I wish I knew how to read those codes and figure them out. Tim you are an excellent mechanic. I sure wish I lived near you. I would bring all of car repairs to your garage. Thanks for sharing your video. Have a blessed new year.
Thanks, I think a tool like this would be a great help even for folks who aren't seasoned mechanics. I see it has tips on specific codes so ill look more into that feature to see if it gives good information on where to look for problems with specific codes. If that isn't enough there is always TH-cam and I tell you what, I have learned a lot here!
The Car Doctor Hi Tim, Thanks I appreciate your help. I very grateful that I found your channel. Your videos are always educational. I forwarded your videos on to several friends and relatives over the past few months. I hope you don't mind. Thank you for your help. I will appreciate it very much. Stay warm my friend.
Great video sick of garage bandits good to see an honest man I do it all myself now You can get a cheap monitor for around 30 bucks it will have easy instructions how to set it up then when you get the fault coad simply put car fault coad say po300 in your phone and your phone will tell you what the coad means simple like this (car fault coad PO30O) 💯🤔👍
I sure do enjoy these videos!! The thoroughness of your work makes us shade tree guys get a little more dangerous with each watch. Thanks for taking the time to do all of the work. I know it takes a lot to edit and upload, but more importantly, to finish your regular work too! Keep it up ;)
I actually bought the Topdon “Elite” scanner for ABS codes and it actually worked. That things is really great for what it is
I can relate. I fixed a Prius that had been towed to a Toyota dealer. They couldn't get it running and told her she needed a new HV battery. I cleaned the 12v battery terminals and it fired right up. Just a little oxidized was all. It had drained and wouldn't hold a charge so I cycled it on the charger 5 or 6 times and now holds a charge.
Went in the drive through just fine..
.came out engine shaking.. rotten egg smell..but after first gear it wouldn't shake so bad...changed fuel filter..egr valve and spark plugs/wires...all needed to be changed but didnt fix the problem...took it to the man of reason...turns out bad spark plugs are hard on your $45 IGNITION COIL.... $70 labor...engine saved--priceless
Hey Tim, Brian from Idaho. Thanks for letting my kids take a photo of you and I. You have the best handyman channel I've seen and appreciate you sharing your knowledge with all of us! Again. Thanks for the upper/lower ball joint video for the 2500 Dodge diesel and all of the tool recommendations as I bought them all & they worked great as promised. Having a guy like you who is willing to teach us shade tree guys is a Godsend.
Brian
Brian, I’m so glad you stopped in. I’m sorry I was short handed and busy. So glad to meet you. I hope your time up here is a blast.
@@ThecardoctorTV I understand that you are a busy man which says alot that you took the time to visit. You're a good man and I'll continue to be a strong supporter!
Great video Tim. Like you said stick to the basics. The dealership should be ashamed of themselves. Love the channel man, thanks for all the great videos!
Handy little scanner to keep in the glove box!
Great video Tim. Nice to see an honest hard working shop owner that knows his stuff.
Thank you for the encouragement. I agree with the honest part but the hard working and knowledgeable part might be a stretch. hehe
Frickin laziness there partner! the world needs great mechanics like yourself! Good Job...
That's possible or just shooting big fat estimates trying to make some money or a little of both. This didn't look like a candidate for head work anyway. I would just throw a long block in it over doing the top end and ending up having to do rings and lower end six months later. I don't get it.
Totally agree Tim, tightening up the lower end at the same time is the way to go. Anything less is a complete waste of time. That way you have a solid engine and anything you add after that is just maintenance, water pumps, poweer steering pumps or belts and hoses is just maintenance when you think about total cost, just saying.
more like scam asses
Stealership says a lot of b.s.
Nice diagnosis & thanks for the demo of the inexpensive scan tool.
I wanna get that Scan tool.... You are very easy to understand when it comes to diagnostics and explain in problems and codes with the vehicles....
Ya I'm trying to find the link or even model of that scanner. Couldnt find anything exactly like it on amazon or Ebay especially for $60. , but I imagine it's been modified and cost more now being this videos 6yrs old now. Be nice to have the live data for inexpensive,
They would have charged that guy over 2k for that job they said it needed ...thanks for the great job explaining...
Encouraged when youtubers don't cuss and are intelligent! I was encouraged!
Thank you! Glad you liked it. Blessings
@@ThecardoctorTV I knew you were a Christian! I could just tell!!!
Chevy Dealer told me the same thing about my cylinder 7 misfire, it was a ghost code. Cylinder 7 had a new plug, spark plug wire, and coil. According to the dealer it had "perfect" compression.
We're trying to track down this issue with my son's 01 Blazer with a 4.3 Vortec. Will recheck the gaps on the plugs. Thank you very much for the video!
Good plan to start with Plugs, wires cap and rotor with AC Delco parts.
I have a autel maxicheck pro and it only cost me 179.99 I love it. I'm a diy guy that also buys broke down vehicles and fixes them. Bought the tool to bleed abs and it worked great. I use it for mostly chevys
A relative compression test with a 10-15 second crank may reveal a valve issue…don’t know if you do in cylinder testing but that would bring your diagnostic skills up a notch !!
Nice to see an honest mechanic, that dealership should be shutdown.
Great video. Thank you using a obd scan tool that is more available to a novice at home do it yourselfer, showing how easy it can be to diagnose a check engine light.
Thank you. I look forward to using it for more diagnosis in the future.
Thanks Tim, you’re awesome good guy God bless you
Once again I couldn't have done a better review on the tool myself. Man those plugs are toast! A very good diagnoses and fix. Good job Tim.
Did you do a review on one of these too? haha, ill have to go check that out. Seems like a very affordable scanner for its capabilities. Good of you to drop by my shop!
+The Car Doctor I agree seems to have many functions
Never take ur vehicles to the dealer unless its under warranty still. They will 9 out of 10 times try to rip u off. My sister is the service manager of a competing dealer where I live. And she says when new techs are hired they are told in orientation to always upsale every job. I mean tell them they need work that's not even needed. Dealerships are a joke outside of warranty work
I would add one more thing. Hope you don't need a lot of warranty repairs because those don't pay well and likely go to the newbie techs. Then you might get free repairs but they sometimes damage your vehicle doing them Sad
this is sad and ugly part of the service industry. As a service technician, I was told to make a maximum bill when problems are confusing and gray to the customers.
Simple repair for a simple problem!!!! Good solid diag ! Keep them coming.
Thanks for the video Tim. Been a mechanic since 1983 and this does not surprise me one bit. I never worked at a Stealership but I have heard of many horror stories such as this.
There are a lot fo really great techs at the dealerships. Also a few that probably should take up another career. Not a problem just for dealerships but for any shop. Bigger the shop the easier for things like this to happen I suppose. Thanks for dropping by!
Imagine a garage with you sir and Brian from Fordtechmakuloco....what a kick ass combination.!!
wow, im flattered just to be mentioned along with Brian. Hes a top notch guy. Thanks for dropping in!
I picked up one of those Topdon Elites as a backup to my Autel MS906. Seems like a good little tool so far. Nice job taking care of that vehicle for your customer.
Thanks. This little unit seems like a decent tool. It would be easy for me to take on the road when im out of town just in case.
Hey Tim how are you my friend thank you very much for your hard work to give accurate diagnosis... I know I ask a lot of questions lol but just a really quick one today ....What are fuel trims and what is the reading I should look for on it
My friend you are a great mechanic! I wish you lived in Connecticut cuz I need help with my 04 Jeep Liberty that has a po300 code.
Just found this video working on the wife's 05 Caddi. Good info here Tim. My OBD scanner is throwing me P0300 codes, Time to check plugs. I'm not to quick to blame the dealerships or the small shops. Its' more of "it's hard to find good help these days". There is a lot of incompetence out there, The more knowledge you have the better off you'll be . keep up the good work Tim.
By the way, I'll trade ya an '05 Cadillac sts for that Solus even up, Ill deliver ........ Yeah I know, I wont hold my breath....
-Tom
hehehe. Can you look at misfire monitors to pinpoint which cylinder is missing? That would help save some time. Good luck
Ever fix the problem ?
@@jesse75 I did!! Well kinda, the motor was trashed. I sold the car and have not had a problem ever since. Oh, and from my caddi experiences, I'll never own another one.
Nice fix car doctor my thinking was going toward maybe a plugged up low flow or restricted flow on injector but yes I would have checked those plugs first I used to sit there and look at plugs and try and figure out what going on in cylinder but after being a scanner danner guy for a while I kinda moved away from it you showed me a little old school diagnostics does work but those plugs were pretty obvious they were too fouled causing a weird burn at certain points probably because all that carbon would heat up creating a little hot spot for pre ignition i was also thinking of how to check floating or sticking valve with scope that's so cool gotta do a clutch tommorow on my toyota that got stolen and they completely fried the clutch
Thank you for this video you are so honest old school mechanic very hard to see one like you you really nailed a coffin good job by the way I like the OBD scanner I might buy one
Nailed it! Its amazing what fake problems the dealers come up with and tell the customer in order to take advantage of them.
Not sure if they faked it or just guessed. Anyway the customer is super happy we were able to save them a few bucks...Like $4500 (dealer estimate)
Stealership. White collar theft.
i’m sure it was said already, but the word: “Stealership” is fitting
Clitch in The Matrix at 18:57 😆 Nice job. Old guys rule!
Same thing happened to my sister-in-law. Had 5 codes stored and dealer gave her a $1700 invoice. I had her order tune-up parts and I replaced them for about $300 cost. Van purred so good she called me to ask if I put a new engine in...😆
Good job! Sad that many young people wouldn't know how to change spark plugs or even know if they are getting hosed.
Great Great work and video! I was just watching some videos about misfires and ran across your video and I'm very glad I did. I have a autel 439 scanner and its OK for the price. Your topdon scanner is great, I follow your link and purchase it today and can wait to use it with mode 6 function. Thanks for the video.
They tried to rip them people off, Tim ! Those are the type of rotten rats that give the profession and other mechanics a bad rap. Total RATS !
they need ass kicking
Every bady are rats
Never take it to the stealership!!
Rats or right thing
just ordered that scan tool. displays a lot more info than my current obd11 thanx for the tip ! ^-^
Right on. I hope it works as well for you as it has for me. IM going to use it more to try and get an idea for what coverage and data PIDs it has for other makes.
You know what, im really not supprised that the dealership tryed to rip off that customer with fake bullshit :-(.
It doesnt build trust in dealerships. :-(
Hopefully he has learnt a lesson and has you do a regular scheduled maintainance checkover.
Worth every penny :-D
The topdon looks very handy for the diy man, much better than the very basic code readers.
Not pro, but not paying pro money, a step up for the diy man :-).
I wouldn't argue with a recommendation from another shop to replace the engine. The customer complains it uses oil and with that many miles on it Its on its way out anyway but to recommend a top end overhaul is strange to me. Their estimate was north of $4500 and they would still have a tired out lower end. IM not sure what their end game was. Maybe they planned on pulling the heads and then telling him it looked like there was a lot of wear in the cylinders. Not sure but hes super happy now! You take care mate!
I replaced all my spark plugs and ignition coils that's what helped me fix mine.
Mostly for viewers, Car Doctor obviously knows this: You can (sort of) estimate compression by looking at cranking voltage with graphing meter. Normally this is only done only in cases where spark plugs canm not be reached (transverse V6 minivans etc). No reason to skip physical compression on a Chevy. How the dealership has to "wait for compression test results" is beyond me.
Thanks Tim u the man helped me fix wife’s car major brownie point
I have a 2003 Suburban with a P0300 code. The rig runs great down the road, but has a rough idle, with the CEL coming on at idle as well. I watch your video and bought one of the Topdon scanners. I've been leaning toward this problem being a vacuum leak issue, as the short term and long term fuel trims totaled over +10% on both banks. I have found a split vacuum elbow on the manifold end of the fuel pressure regulator vacuum line and another bad line at the PVC valve. The fuel short term fuel trim is running near zero now and the long trim is dropping slowly the more I drive it. However, I'm still getting the 300 code after it idles for a while, so it looks like I have more problems than vacuum leaks.
I noticed the the spark advance is bouncing quickly between 10 and 25 deg, on the data stream, at idle.
The misfire data does not come up on this rig, so I don't know which cylinders are misfiring like you did in this video. I did notice that the ignition timing in the data steam on the truck in the vid is pretty steady. I don't know if my PCM is changing the timing to compensate for the misfiring, or the timing changes may be causing the misfire. It still runs a little rough at idle, but not like it has a dead cylinder or anything, just a slight vibration every 5 seconds or so.
Have you ever seen this problem? I was thinking the crank sensor might be going, but I hate changing parts without more evidence that's the problem.
UPDATE: The compression in #3 cylinder is 120 psi, which is about 25% lower than the highest CRAP!!. Others run around 155.
DLWoregon oh man that sucks, bad cylinder.......sorry.
How did you fix it ?
On board monitoring test did not show misfire data on my nisssn frontier 07. Why is not getting it?
Looks like a neat tool for the price. Might add one to the trucks box as a travelling tool.
I like it. Ill be keeping this one in the glove box just in case.
you new all along , they were going to be railroaded , your a good man
Alot of times at least with the older Chevy's the Vortech cap (especially) the 4.3L from my experience. The V6 has a plastic distributor and it can have issues. I kept getting the P0300 code I replaced the cap 3 times and it kept melting away and bringing terminals,once the rotor got warped. I replaced the distributor with an aftermarket aluminum one from Summit Racing and the problem was fixed. I also have a 5.7L vortech in my other truck. The cap melted through in that one once bridging the cyl 1 & 6. Replaced the cap & rotor & it's fixed now. Seems like alot of people have these issues from what I've been seeing on TH-cam. Also I've seen some chafed wiring harnesses on the Chevy Astro van.
Bought a scanner today. Will pay for itself, I'm sure.
Man you're awesome. I wish you could diagnose mine. 00 Silverado z71 5.3 with p0300 random misfire. Already replaced intake gasket, 02 sensor, plugs wires and coils and still isnt fixed. Any ideas? 263k miles and has always ran strong . Good oil pressure and no tapping. Also the check engine light doesnt flash at idle. Only driving at 2k rpms and above
Braves Fan92 did you ever find out the problem I’m having the same problems
P.O. 300 code is a parts replacement bonanza, I had that code on a 2003 6.0 Silverado, it ended up being the solenoid was shorting out to block which melted the crankshaft position sensor in block . It took me a while to figure that one out, I was afraid to take it anywhere because it could be so many things. Stayed awake at night trying to figure that one out, being a shade tree mechanic.
You said it. Don't get carried away with one or more trouble codes. Stick with the basics otherwise you may end up chasing your tail. I'd rather have your bill instead of the one from the Chevrolet dealer.
Thanks for this. 'Old school' wins hands down.
hey man, great videos on this problem. i was wondering, with your experience, do you think these misfires are happening because of low test gas being used? also do you think using 91 to 94 octane will prevent these problems right from the start. thanks and keep up the great videos!
Thank you Tim. I just subscribed to your channel on the other videos. You are da'man!!!!
Good guy, here. Nice job brother.
Thank you DR .....helps a lot on my 04 envoy po302 code
I got one for u went to change motor mount jacked up one side now I have misfires mainly on drivers side and can not figure it out ran great before
Sticky valves? I have heard of sticking lifters. Dump a quart of ATF in the engine oil , run it for 100 miles and give it an oil change. It's more than likely not the remedy for a random misfire, but it does free up the lifters.
Just curious as to why the main issue of the oily plug was not addressed; most likely being a leaky valve stem seal in this case. Though the vehicle is running fine for the time being it's simply a temporary fix or band-aid. Also I'm curious as to why the Freeze Frame Data was overlooked. Other than that it was a good partial diagnosis and a great demonstrational video!! Thanks for the upload!! Just goes to show that you simply cannot trust even the dealerships ( as I've warned many of my customers over the years ). It always pays to see or at least get a second opinion from a solid, reputable Technician.
Its due for an engine O/H and yes, just a Band-Aid but he was happy to milk a year or two out of it before considering investing in an engine or replacement vehicle. Blessings to you!
The biggest cause of a P0300 is the battery. Every inspection should start with testing the battery, then go from there. To set a P0300 code it has to be something the computer directly controls, like the coils and injectors. It will not set a P0300 from carbon build up, sludge, worn or bent valves, worn rings or a hole in your piston.
Really?
@@TheGjergj79 That is what they say about motorcycles, as well.
Is there another newer scanner that shows the misfire count history? The one on this video isn't available anymore
I am not aware of one that has that PID and is an affordable option. Let us know if you find one. Thanks!
I just did mines i change the ingiton coil pack the one that was misfired and the ingiton modulator that sit under the coil pack but it still had a lil misfired but when i change the the spark plugs wires the misfired was gone but i had brought some cheap wires last time and the only last 3 months
Thank you for letting us know a 2nd opinion or dieicnouse is worthwhile sometime.
nissan dealer wanted to charge my aunt $480.00 to replace a bank sensor and 160 for the ac cabin air filter I did it for her bank sensor was 90.00 and filter 14.00 couple hours of work.
jimbola77 that's why I do it myself or don't go to dealers
wowzers. Probably dealer parts costing so much. Bet your aunt is super happy for the assist!
jimbola77 Would that bank sensor relate to federal, state, or local?😆
The Car Doctor hey how can I contact you
I have a 2004 Chevrolet Express Cutaway 3500 van with the 6L engine and 106,000 miles. I have those codes showing. I sure hope my fix is that easy.
Yeah Anchorage!! Hello from Nikiski
Greetings Nikiski! Thanks for the love.
Had the P0300 code on my 2006 Ford Explorer the engine was running rough put in a bottle of Lucas Injector cleaner $3.99 after 20 miles the engine started running fine even cleared the P0300 code automatically
Great video, thank you for sharing this!!!!!
i have a 1996 sc1 saturn, 324,500 miles and it runs great, i just bought a 2004 impala ss, its a gas hog and has a misfire, and other problems, so i fixed everything besides the misfire and ill fix that too, but once i fix it, its going bye bye, I'm going to buy a 1993 saturn in a few days with 68k miles, its like my two door and ill drive both of them, i love the older saturns, there amazing on gas. i also did buy a mercedes c230 recently, good car but ill give that to my dad.
Great vid, straight to the point and explained in layman's terms
You are a good man, do you think it could be the same case for my jaguar x-type misfiring? Thank you. From Ronnie in beautiful Scotland.
Thanks for the update!
Great Video. I have #5 Misfire on a 4.3 L six cylinder. I will try the spark plugs first. Then I thought about replacing the #5 injector. Opinion?
Did u get it fixed sir?
Thank you for the video Tim you just saved me $990.00
Can’t believe how dishonest some
People are, I mean I understand business but not scamming business
Horrible
Blessings Tim
Hello i have a 03 silverado 1500 I get a p0300 and the check engine light flashes what can be the problem the engine shakes i replaced the spark plugs and wires but still same problem
Did you get it fixed sir ?
My 2010 gmc sierra 1500 has p0300. Took it to dealership, said it needed a new engine. It only has 167300 miles on it. I call bs on that. Taking it to another place next week for a 2nd opinion. I already had spark plugs and wires changed few months ago.
Aloha's Tim -- That scan tool is a good handy DIY'r scan tool. Better stuff in that guy than you'd get with higher priced do-hickey type scan tools for sure. It's not a bad deal for $70.
-- Great Diagnostic with that bad boy. -- Bet the customer was slap happy about you results.
-- You sure showed up the "Stealership's Service Center Where Quality is Job 1" big time. $4500 Estimate to change the spark plugs is insulting and that should be made public news - IMHO anyhow.
-- I just hope the owner took the truck back to the "Stealership" and went for the Head Cheese and give him some info to chew on. Bypass the Service Center for sure - Go for the throat and get the big wigs involved so they can slap the Service Manager around for making it a lower estimate .. oh lets say $1500 for $60 plugs.
Btw, with almost 150K miles, did the customer refuse new wires or were they coil on plug? Even there at 150K I fork up for coils wires whatever it should have for a vehicle that is 10 years old and has been neglected to say the least.
Great Video! 🌟👌🏼🙏🏼👍🏼
I'm chasing P0300 on my 6.0 2500HD. plugs were wasted, but changing them and the wires didn't completely solve the issue. Just ordered the Topdon to see if I can get some more specific info before I throw parts at the thing. 230k miles on this bad Larry.
Intake gaskets?
I pulled the PCV line out of the top of the intake manifold to plug my smoke generator in. I put a rubber glove over the throttle body. Well the glove never really inflated and I was getting smoke out the PCV line I had pulled out. Doesn't seem good...
Great video! I’ve changed the spark plugs & wires & still have the p0300 code. I even changed the catalic converters. & still have the same problem. Any ideas of what I’m doing wrong? Do I need to clear the code. Any help would be useful.
I'm experiencing the same issue. Changed plugs, wires, coils are fine, mass air flow. unbolting cats tomorrow to see if that makes a difference.
of course you need to clear the code jackass
You wasted money on a new cat if that was an issue your car would have thrown a p0400 code for my car when my cat went bad my code for it in my dodge was a p0420 and 9 times outta ten if it's emission related the code it is in the 400 range and very rarely will it be that unless it throws that code along with a p0300 you should do a compression test if it has low compression then it's due to a valve and if it's a major difference in reading from other cylinders you know which one it is and to go after but if it's across most or all cylinders then your engine is wearing out and unless you want to pay to have your engine rebuilt you might as well but a new car especially if the rebuilt is gonna cost you more then what you paid for for the car to begin with also trying looking at your crankshaft sensor or cam sensor if those are bad or dirty it can cause a p0300 code if not sometimes not always low fuel pressure can do the same and also check your coil packs they could be bad too I suggest coil packs next then look at your crankshaft sensor and or cam shaft position sensor if you have both then move to a compression test afterwards and go from there if none of the previous helps or fixes the issue and you have low compression across the bored then your engine is wearing out and like I said it'll have to be rebuilt or buy a new car if the rebuilt is gonna cost more then the cars worth my opinion from what I have learned
The USB is to update it. A Actron CP9680 has code-connect to diagnose codes. EBAY has it.
YEa, my thought was that the dealerships have a difficult time keeping good mechanics happy so the ones that fill in the ranks probably don't care enough to take the small stuff and prefer, often times, to put it back on the customer. Not a reassuring thought for me.
Nice job Doc as always!
Thank you! You take care
I had the same code pulled my plugs and that was it thanks (160000 miles on my silverado original plugs thanks)
Ron Austin I went 170,000 on the original plugs on my 2007 Nissan Murano
Excellent video that is a nice scanner. I like that you can see see fuel trim what year does it go up to?
I think the coverage is up to current year model and also is updateable. Thanks for visiting!