To be fair to Dorman, they did re-engineer the terrible plastic Mopar Pentastar oil cooler + filter housing to a cast aluminum piece that won't warp....
Sometimes OE parts have a lead time which keeps extending and the only other option is Dorman. Sometimes Dorman have identified and fixed issues that OE parts have. Eruc of SMA has given us a few examples of this
Yup.I have a 98 Buick less bee beater I fixed up.that coolant elbow was plastic..it broke twice,replaed. found out the metal ones,sold 2 pack. That's one good thing. A local mechanic I know says Dorman is awesome stuff. When I had a 98 Corolla had too replace door huinges, Dorman were made different .they had to be factory Toyota only ,otherwise it won't fit.
Yes they did and they are great. I've owned GM 3800s since 1997 when I purchased a GTP. I'm on my 2nd GTP now. Both cars I've replaced the plastic with those aluminum coolant elbows. They just last forever. GM 3800s are one of the best GM engine made.
The infamous intake manifold coolant leak . Most people thought the engines were seized because they were hydrolocked and sometimes just gave them away . I got a 1998 park ave for free myself . My 1991 park Ave had an aluminum manifold . Wish they would have kept it like that ...
Yeah they saved like $8 or $2 (per 1.4t engine) using mediocre seals all aroind the turbo, inside the oil cooler, t-stat housing & a few other places. So that leaks like hot cakes right when its outta warranty🤬
yeah, instead of going with a 2.0 or 2.5 liter engine they go with these smaller and smaller displacement engines and then slap a turbo on it (which doubles the psi of the cheap engine and adding heat). Then they make them as cheap as possible with plastic parts and cheap belts instead of chains where it is guaranteed something will breakdown not long after the warranty. looking at 2024, the funny thing is that these things don't even get good has mileage for the unimpressive 1.2L turbo 138 hp 28/32. For a couple of grand more just get the mazda cx-30 (where everything is just better) with a 2.5L naturally aspirated 4 cyl engine (you know something that will last) that has 191hp and 24/31 mpg (slightly less).
As much as I like the professional formality of your videos compared to most other mechanics on TH-cam, i do enjoy the growing added humor here recently. Great video Wes! Keep them coming!
I quit GM crap in 2006 and went to Honda. The improvement in quality and reliability is astounding! Haven’t bought anything else from then and no regrets!
They're not free of problems, either ... there's a big recall right now because a whole bunch of V6 crankshafts were machined out of tolerance. Cars nowadays are complicated machines, there's always going to be something.
Hondas might but be perfect but they have 10% the problems of a lot of other brands. Toyotas are probably more reliable but I don't like their packaging or models very much.
@@nicholasvinen in my opinion right now Mazda has the best bang for your buck. Depends on the model and what you are looking for of course. Mazda3 is best in class for a compact sedan, though if you are going after a mid/full size sedan Camry is still king. For a CUV's the cx-30 is solid. For small Suv's it is a battle between what you value between cx-5 and rav4. For me too many Honda's have gone the way of small displacement engines with turbo's and cvt's.
@estuardo2985 The issue with the cx-30 is that it's not nearly as spacious as a Corolla Cross or H-RV is (It's primary competition) It's more like a raised hatchback then a proper crossover in those regards. More powerful and built better then a Hyundai venue which feels somewhat similar on the inside but still it's like ten grand more. Not as good of a utility but probably a bit more fun to drive, that being said if i wanted something fun to drive though i wouldn't get a crossover in the first place.
"Unplug the thermostat.....which is something I can't believe I have to say." Good one Wes, and I'm with you. You had me laughing out loud there - I almost missed it.
@@09corvettezr1 True, could have been worse - could have be mopar. This all reminds me of the times I've had to say "now I need to drain the cooling system before I take off this alternator" because I work on very stupid german cars.
Funny how it goes eh? "Unplugging a brake pad" and "replace the clutch fluid" were words I didn't think I would ever say. I think they're working us up to actual muffler bearings and blinker fluid.
@@kd7cwg When 90% of the prime mover system is to make the prime mover system not destroy the environment and kill our children, it's time to change the prime mover.
I know cafe standards are part of why so many parts are made of plastic but if car manufacturers really cared about making reliable cars, critical parts would not be plastic. As I watched you get that water pump out, I was thinking back to my 57' Chevy and how easy it was to change the water pump on that. You also didn't need to change them every couple of years. When I was much younger, I was a GM fan. That hasn't been true in a long time. Thanks for the heads up on Dorman parts. I don't think I have ever bought them but I will definitely steer clear now.
I bought all GM products until the car I bought last Wednesday. Last Wednesday I got a Subaru Forester. After all the 2.4 liter I4 failures between my family and friends I traded my 2013 GMC Terrain with 62,000 miles for the Subaru. I felt the money spent on the GMC's engine would be better spent on something new and hopefully more long term reliable.
I stopped buying GM. Not because I didn't like them. I just can't keep putting money into the GM money pit anymore. I bought a Toyota 26 years ago and it is still going strong with regular maintenance. The original brakes are still in good shape on that same car and it has 200k on the odometer, so *who wants GM, not me?* Edit: The original bulbs are still in the Toyota car, including the headlights, and none have burned out yet.
GM needs plastic parts, take the ounces saved, over hundreds of vehicles, add up to hundreds of pounds reduced, all of which benefits the peculiar calculus of the CAFE rules. Dorman answers the spare parts needs, and maximizes profits by "optimizing" QC inspections & standards. Max is right, the whole thin is a rat-trap.
They all do it. It all adds up. My 87 Accord had hideaway headlights. Over time the wiring to each stress broke like a paper clip. I spliced in about 6 inches of wire each side. I "THINK" Positive + Negative each side. So, 2 feet of wire. That model lasted 4 years. About 400,000 of them a year. 1,600,000 cars X 2 feet of wire. 3,200,000 feet of wire. 60.06 miles of wire and if it was a problem, let the customer deal with it. I imagine the person that cut it close and saved 60 miles of wire got a bonus.
I was learning the trade at a GM dealership when these things came out. They sold like hot cakes in the beginning, but you rarely see them around anymore. Between the Equinox, Trax, and the AFM 5.3 in the trucks, GM lost an entire generation of consumers between 2011 and 2015.
Very sad honestly. These in particular had a lot of potential, good entry level price point. I kinda wish they just offered the NA 1.8 Ecotecs that they did in Europe. Those ones could last if you took care of them, there are lots of reports of the old Cruzes and Cobalts making it past 200k miles with those motors. And the Trax has good carrying capacity, I hauled a king-sized bed headboard in my old one for 60 miles. GM's mismanagement of their fleet is criminal.
Thank you, Wes, for continuing to make these videos. Your sardonic side comments give me hope that humanity has not gone to total idiocracy. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Why are you worshipping someone online; using their first name like you’re best friends and pretending to care about their family? Why do I see this in every video? Why do you people do this?
@@IsleOfFeldspar There is a wide gulf between expressing appreciation for someone's efforts and worshiping said individual. We use his first name because that's the name he has shared with us, his viewers/audience. Lastly, not everyone has to pretend to care about someone else's family. If you are seeing worship and pretending to care in the comments to every video, perhaps it has something to do with the eye of the beholder.
@@IsleOfFeldspar "Why do you people do this?" Because they're not sane. Such is the world we live in. These creatures live in a "virtual" world. It is not even real. Everyone playing make-believe, like children. It's very sad.
Is that it? I was wondering if they were trying to make money in some way; perhaps a type of income stream on YT that I didn’t know about. Or maybe they’re hoping the content creator will send them money or some other kind of perk? It’s so bizarre, yet I see dozens of such people on all the popular videos. It’s alot more than just a nod to good content; they use their first names, gush about how awesome their videos are and how awesome they are and comment about their lives and family. It’s creepy.
Awesome video, I have a 2014 Chevy Cruze and it has the same Ecotec engine and its a nightmare to work on. All the parts look identical including the water pump. I wish I never bought this vehicle. Thanks for calling out dorman and bringing gmc to the red carpet.
On the one hand the Trax is sorta bottom of the barrel model for Chevy...on the other hand, Chevy's higher end models are built by the same designers and engineers out of the same parts.
I work at a Chevy dealer in service… I’m here to tell ya, the newer all of the models get, the worse and more ridiculous of problems they come in with, mostly electronic issues… for things that don’t need to be electronic. The new tahoes have an awesome new feature where the shifter is now electronic and for multiple reasons, they just will lock themselves into park and not come out of park no matter what you do. Whether the gauge cluster just malfunctions and blacks out or whether the “fuel pump module” (extremely unnecessary module) (that’s on national backorder because it basically has a 100% failure rate) decides it doesn’t want to module anymore quits and makes it so not only will it not start but then they won’t even come out of park so you can push it :) sorry to burst anyone’s bubble, but none of the other new Chevy models are any better unfortunately
I think doorman is still in business partially due to market saturation (there's not a parts store out there that doesn't have their stuff on the shelf) and they make absolutely everything. Cv shafts, intake manifolds, oil filter housings, assorted hardware and every automotive widget imaginable. It's all predominantly junk, but if it's what's on the shelf to get you back on the road today, what you gonna do?
@buntnik I honestly wouldn't be surprised if one factory in China sells to every aftermarket manufacturer for niche components like this. Back when I worked at parts stores we would occasionally see that if we had two brands of the same thing on the shelf if you popped them out of the box and compared the stampings on the part. I would have thought AC Delco would have been a genuine, but it's hard to say.
Genuine parts are generlly outsourced for manufacture after a period. So genuine GM parts are made in Korea or China the same as the aftermarket parts but with a genuine price!
The best catch pan that I've found are those little blue kiddy pools at walnart.. it's low enough to fit under most cars and it's wide and catches every last dripping mess on stuff like this: where you pop the water pump off and the coolant goes everywhere. Plus it's huge and can hold the four gallons of oil or 8 gallons of coolant on a 7.3L diesel service. I'd hate to call it a luxury, but it sure feels like it when you use it. ;)
Plastic crap everywhere. What junk. I'm surprised they don't make plastic pistons and cranks on cars. This keeps up, we will be back to horse and buggies. Doorman is the covid in the auto parts world. Great video Wes.
A good tip on the waterpump bolts is to take the cardboard box the pump came in and poke the bolts through the box in the similar shape to their local on the water pump, makes reassembly much easier
A comment from the home of Lego🇩🇰😅 GM is not worse than other brands. A lot of cars today has plastic parts in cooling systems. My Mercedes recently failed with approximately the same part as on the Trax. Inexpensive part, but crucial and nearly impossible to replace, though it did last nearly 600k kilometers, but was also coming apart…..Doesn’t answer any questions, but just confirm the frustration at mechanics and customers. Thanks for your videos and your always calm and rational demeanor!
I have been lucky, every Dorman part I have ever installed on my vehicles was decent quality and has never let me down. Thumbs up as usual Wes and thanks for showing us.
My 14 year old Toyota 4Runner with 210,000 miles is still on the original everything. EVERYTHING, including radiator, thermostat, and hoses. And Detroit wonders why Americans took their business elsewhere. Very sad. Love your videos! Thanks for including Max!
@GRANITEMONUMENT the profits go overseas back to Japan. They don't even come to investing in united States like the big 3 automakers. Plus they pay their workers crap, and don't believe in a fair livable wage.
Oh man. During the COVID shutdown when we got extra in unemployment benefits, I raised enough to buy a 2011 Cruze with this engine, only difference being where the coolant reservoir was located. Many things I changed because I was warned they would fail, especially at the 135K mark where this car was when I bought it. New EVAP Purge Valve, Duralast Water Pump (which sounds okay even now), Coil Pack, Water Outlet, reservoir (known for cracking where hose connects to since its not reinforced like the Dorman ones are), turbocharger (it develops a huge internal crack by the wastegate which gets bad enough to drop boost pressure), an aftermarket PCV fix kit to bypass the crappy OEM design with the check valve, the corrugated PCV hose (the check valves on both sides would fail and stick open), I mean the list goes on and on. Plastic junk on an engine that regularly reaches 220F degrees before the thermostat even thinks of opening. I got the Trifecta tune on my engine and what it does is adds a cool "sport" mode making it peppier and drops the thermostat-opening temp to 200f. The highest mine goes now is 205f then drops to about 190f. They're cheap for a reason, and I always offer my friends and fam to fix theirs for cheaper than a shop because for most of them, these 1.4t engine cars are their only rides.
I bought genuine GM also for a 2017 Chevy Trax and all these parts are not cheap! They have 12 month/12,000 which of course they just barely last past. Thats what you get with a Daewoo Trax!
I remember starting out in the early 90’s and seeing engines running 220f. I was amazed and thought there is no reason for it. The utter stupidity and junk that they have continually produced over the years is why I still drive a 72 Monte Carlo.
The plastic outlet bit went about 85,000 miles on my wifes car, it warped to the point it wouldnt seal to the engine anymore. The front suspension ball joints went as well, the replacements have only lasted 16,000 and just gone again. I think gm designed the thing for people who only drive a couple of miles from the burbs to town and back
Lol no. GM's sales model is just "once it's off the lot, not our problem". Their whole lineup is like this pretty much besides maybe the corvette and some of trucks they sell.
Hey Wes... You will find Volkswagens even worse. A customer's 2014 Touareg came to the shop for a coolant leak. By the time I got to the cracked fitting on the plastic thermostat housing (about $50), we ended up with a $600 train wreck of other plastic crap that disintegrated getting to the thermostat. Plastic parts that must endure extreme heat cycles doesn't seem like "Good German engineering".
I think it's just a symptom of how all manufacturers have cut back on build quality in the past 15 years. I have volkswagon/Audi plastic parts that are 20+ years old on my 2002 daily, and they are still rock solid. Back then the parts were actually made in Germany, where as now they are all made in China.
@@commietube_censorship_sucks Yeah I think the north American ones were made in Mexico, whereas the ones here in England and Europe were made in Germany. Most of the parts have it stamped on them.
Really enjoy these videos. I also can't fathom how these companies still sell cars, when they have crappy engineered parts like that. Nice to see the little bit of the convention there at the end (I'm danish and I work at the LEGO-Group 😉)
Conscientious work my friend. All manufacturers are at it: planned obsolescence. Just replaced thermostat in a mini at 72k as the thermostat heater control had failed and the thing was overccoling.
Not necessarily the same but the amount plastic coolant lines on modern dd13/dd15 semi engines is insane can’t tell you how many air compressor coolant lines and failed electronic variable water pumps I did on them in 2 years I stuck with trucks.
I kind of liked the Detroit 60 series, but the DD series I really don't care for. Of course these days seems everything as far as big trucks go, are pretty much junk. Just my opinion.
I love working on them. Those air compressor coolant lines are gravey work. The only ones that really suck are the ones going from the back of the head to the def pump.
Dorman is in business because we all keep buying from them. I needed an overflow bottle for our motorhome. The factory one was $150. I bought an identical one from Dorman for $50. It appeared to be just as good if not better. The reason for your other questions? Well, it all boils down to money. Folks want cheap. So, they don't mind having to pay to either fix them or replace them. It all started with the Bic pen. When it ran out of ink, toss it. I always thought the Papermate was far better.
Ahh the GM Eco-Wreck.. had one of these in a car I owned almost from new in the early 2000s.. was burning so much oil at 16,000 miles that it would leave blue smoke everywhere it went Genuinely one of the worst engines around until Ford said "hold my beer" and came up with the Eco-Boom
OE: Perpetually out of stock. Dorman: Next day delivery. What's a guy to do? I'd rather fix it twice and keep the car rolling than parking it for months waiting for an OE part to finally show up.
Meanwhile my '97 Corolla has a bent radiator that somehow doesn't leak and had absolutely no temperature problems all summer long in hot Albuquerque weather.
I've lost count of how many times I had to replace the stupid plastic Y they put on the back of the Chrysler minivans that always fails. I finally got wise at some point though and searched for a metal alternative, and found that someone on eBay had fabricated one and was selling it. That finally solved the problem, but man it got old changing that damn thing every 2 years or so.
I've had that exact same experience, didn't know anybody was making metal replacement parts though, I was making my own out of copper plumbing pieces and soldering them together.
We had a coolant leak in a 2008 Town and country that I couldn't find. Not in the oil, no puddle under. It was always low when I changed the oil. Checked the usual suspects, everything seemed ok. Finally one day I had the hood open with the engine running and it was dripping a drop every two to three seconds from one of those y fittings directly on the exhaust manifold, and it would instantly vaporize, but wasn't leaking fast enough to cause a bunch of steam.
@@ronaldwhite9954 I've got a 2008 T&C with the 3.8 that my grandparents bought brand new. It's still got the original plastic Y; I think I'll replace that for the metal Y when I change the coolant in it next spring after hearing that one.
Why use PLASTIC parts?? Theyre CHEAPER and EASIER to manufacture! Then PLANNED Obsolescence kicks in so mechanics have jobs and make Videos!! Always a Joy to Watch Wes Work!!
Reminds me of the plastic thermostat housing on my Ranger. Went through the stock one and two plastic replacements until I finally put an aluminum one on there. Hasn't been a problem since. Some things should never be made out of such cheap materials.
As a GM owner myself, their vehicles certainly weren't meant to last and that's the way they were designed (personally speaking) and why I will never own another one or a Ford, same issues with their Explorer, very sub-standard parts (again, personally speaking). Great job WWW, thanks for the share. :)
I like the way you move forward not putting the humdrum of removing every single nut or bolt. Makes it so nice to watch progress. I'm subscribing. Thanks for the good content.
Can't wait to see all the problems that the new 1.2 liter 3 cylinder engine in the 2023 trax has. Going to truely be a 60k disposal engine in my opinion
I sell Dorman replacement parts and I can relate Wes. Some of the parts they sell I cringe because it's made overseas. Even though most of the parts come with a lifetime warranty, replacing the part several times does not give you a warm and fuzzy feeling. When I first starting auto parts 35 yrs ago Dorman was the highest quality because it was made in the USA. If OE quality isn't there, there's a good chance it won't be in the aftermarket.
Made in USA is trash that’s why this trax is having everything already break. All the parts needed to be replace when other cars it’s a non issue. Made in America mean junk crap
who cares about water pump /// the guy in the ad says I can HEAT MY HOME IN 90 SECONDS ! SAVE THOUSANDS! Wow and only using one Simple Trick! Wish I knew that all these years.
Oh, I see they updated the water pump. It used to be a real pain in the butt. Back side of the engine, driven by the balance shaft chain. Lord help you if you let that chain slip. Also, RE: the worm clamps, I like to put the thinnest smear of black RTV/RTV analogue on the outside of the barb. Seals the little tensionless bump created by the clamp, and it makes installing and removing the hose itself a breeze.
Plastic everywhere. Changed a cracked thermostat housing on Ranger. OEM Ford replacement is also plastic. Right, that hose connection there broke because someone used a worm clamp on it instead of the oem type that expand along with the coolant temp. Worm clamp will work as long as it's NOT overtightened, which most people do.
I would be more inclined to blame the the effing bean counters before accusing the engineers of malfeasance. Remember engineers simply our lives and accountants… don’t.
The shame of Dorman is , 35 years ago they made great hard to find parts and I’m sure somewhere along the way they were bought up and thrown in the globalization tumbler and we are dealing with what’s left of a once good company.
The worst thing about working on crap is even when you close your shop to general repair, you always have to revisit the same crap you worked on before.
It's all part of the great 'subscription' scandal. You wear down the populations to a point where an apparently (i.e. not real) smaller commitment monthly for a fully leased car just seems a great option. My Merc ML just let go its engine at 100K miles..so I'm sold on a lease (I don't have the capital now!). Don't take my word for it though but at an industry event on automation a couple of years back, BMW, Mercedes and JLR stated they did not see a future beyond 2030 where it would be in any way economic for people to own cars. Thankfully my old Porsche keeps soldiering on :). PS. didn't Mercedes make a significant investment in Uber?...wonder why?
@@PeterDenHartogEngAn ungainly, doorky looking vehicle. Folks on either coasts wouldnt be caught 💀in one of these. Im not gonna bash gm ceo but her demeanor p!sses me off in general!
At a guess, I'd say the loose tensioner probably caused the death of the water pump. It couldn't have been good for the pump pully/bearing to keep getting yanked kinda sideways everytime you accelerated by the loose tensioner. As for all the plastic, it's a lot cheaper to injection mould all those crappy plastic parts than it would be to cast and machine them. The injection moulding setup/mould costs are high but they're offset by the fact that you can churn them out in their thousands, rather than hundreds per shift, with far fewer personnel, or waste.
Plastic engine parts don't last here in Las Vegas. Sitting in traffic, temperature 115 degrees plus the heat rising from the 160 degree pavement, makes the plastic really weak and brittle. Fortunately, most vehicles sold in Vegas automatically come with optional heavy duty cooling systems.
@@MikeyMack303 true, but I think most manufacturers just use plastic as it will degrade, get damaged and break, meaning more parts sales for them. I think they view plastic parts as consumables, a bit like printer ink.
The VVT seals need replacing...they are like 6 bucks and the thermostat and the plastic mix pipe are now available in aluminum, changed over in the summer no issues.That mixer plastic broke because of the worm clamps overtightened ,it will break again because it cannot expand with heat...your fault
I recently replaced one of these water outlets with an aluminum upgrade part I got through Amazon for not significantly more than the crappy plastic part that cracked. I bet that should hold up much better.
Fantastic videos for exposing some of the company errors in manufacturing. Great respect for your integrity and I also have had issues with the screw type clamps on materials that expand a lot. Thanx for sharing.😃
Brings back memories of my wifes old cruze. Same engine, same failure, except she didn't catch it in time and the head gasket went. Every head bolt stripped even with the correct e-torx socket. The engine was cooked, so it got a used engine. I did not enjoy pulling and replacing it, but oh well. Then it got totaled in an accident, lmao. The non turbo 1.8 in her Equinox was a much better engine. The car was still junk, though.
2003 Mustang GT, I had a coolant leak. Traced it down to the plastic intake manifold at the passage from the heads to the intake thermostat. Pulled it apart and the plastic Doorman intake was broken out. Ordered a Ford Motor Sport OEM intake to replace the Doorman. Still plastic, however a much beefier and better flowing design. More horsepower and no leaks. Next time it’s getting an Aluminum Edelbrock intake.
Great video per usual Wes! Can’t believe the crap manufactures get away with. I’m a gse technician in Boston (everything but the planes for United) all airport equipment is assembled with bargain bin clearance components that are out of date or unavailable in just a few short years. And that’s about all it lasts 😂
I went to school with a Steve Pellegrini from Newtonville MA back in the early 2000’s. Not sure if you’re related to him or not (probably not as there seems to be a lot of Pellegrini’s in MA) but I know that was a big name in Nonantum, MA (the Italian part of Newton, or at least it was)
@@WatchWesWork I use Wurth clamps. The zig zags or whater you wanna call them don't perforate the clamp metal - but they NEVER slip or come loose. They're made (or WERE made, last I checked) in Germany. I love them but I understand the logic behind constant tension clamps.
@@silasmarner7586 if I have to use a worm clamp, it's either going to be Breeze (US made) or Tridon (Australian made). Never had problems with either, and I live in the frozen north.
I never had issues with worm drive clamps. Mainly because everything I installed them on were out of my life in under a year. Until I fixed my sisters car with them. It got REALLY cold a winter or two ago. Every worm drive clamp I put on that car was leaking. Snugged them all off. A year later it did the same thing.
The calibre of the material in the area where the hose clamp resided is the same calibre as area where the O ring material and housing broke away - so I have my doubts. Retired mechanic/machinist in Land Down Under.
I replaced that water outlet with an aftermarket all aluminum one 2 months ago. Didn’t cost any more than the plastic one. No problems with it yet so it’s been a good alternative replacement part in my opinion. As for the other problems with the 1.4l you have to take the good with the bad and for me it’s been a fairly reliable and problem free engine so far after 12 years of daily driving.
2015 chevy sonic with a 1.8 in it had the same plastic deteriation in the plastic thermostat housing. The damn thing literally ate itself. You are so spot on about plastic in the cooling system components.
As for waterpumps… try using SKF pumps If you can. They have never failed me on Saabs, Volvos, VAGs, Renaults and Bader-Meinhof Wagens. The later Saab 9-3s have the EcoTech engines as well, partyliv modified by Saab with less plastic but the same water pumps. I bet they use different OEM manufacturers in Europe than in the US. Here it is usually SKF, Valeo, Hella, Bosch, FAG etc. The Saab’s water pumps usually last at least 100-150 thousand km.
This is why I want to stick with old, Got a 92 Silverado Im restoring, daily a 99 GMC Suburban that im about to retire for an engine rebuild, and just bought a 94 Chevy Suburban that Im probably going to daily.
I remember back in the early 80's there started to be a shift in engine designs with an emphasis on light weight, easy to manufacture parts. It was all good still, as those long, heavy crankshafts and heavy pistons, water pumps were done with. Cars designs also changed with the compacts like the 'K cars from the US, and nice flashy cars from Japan. Korea had not yet come on strong, Hyundai 'Pony" and Ssanyyong Jeep were just trickling onto the market, powered by lighter and efficient Japanese engines. Then in the late 80's and 90's computer management systems came about. And towards 2000 onwards there seems to more plastic engine parts and aluminum alloys in the engine, transmission and other parts. For manufactures, plastic parts are very easy to make, are lighter and require less energy the process is way faster too than than for metal parts.
That plastic housing split where the hose clamp was over tightened. The other end looks like the result of someone jamming a screwdriver in there to pry it off. The water pump bearing probably gave in due to the belt misalignment from the tensioner being loose.
the big issue is that the engine is running hot, like very hot, 103 C for thermostat to open, rad fan only blows at 108 C, the cooling outlet can be replaced with a metal one, the thermostat needs to be tinkered with to open at a 80C either by electronically circuit or by replacing the inner guts(capsule from chevy volt), it's a problem with all car manufacturers, plastic is cheaper to produce, lasts long enough for warranty to expire but not enough to call any car reliable anymore and when you will have to replace the plastic it will cost you more than actually having to replace a metal one because corporate greed
i tell my customers to avoid these cars like the plague. they are absolute dog shit. btw there is a feller that makes a PCV-fix-kit for these that is honestly pretty good. ive installed 4-5 of them.
@@GainingDespair all rubber and plastic degrades with heat cycles. All metal parts corrode. Nothing lasts forever. The Japanese have been running rubber belts to drive balancing shafts and oil pumps for like 40+ years.
@@wconstructionco yep, and Jeep builds their transmission filters into the plastic oil pans. Thing is I live in a subtropic climate which hasn't seen snow on decades, rust does not exist here, yet dry rot does.
I think the biggest thing keeping Dorman in business right now is OEM parts availability. That and the people who are absolutely convinced the dealership is ripping them off, even when the cost of OEM parts is actually usually fairly competetive now on the whole. To give credit where credit is due I just put a lower oil pan on a '15 Silverado with a 5.3 and the Dorman pan actually puts the drain plug in a normal position as opposed to the GM idea of draining out the side :/
What I've always done is pull the new water pump out of the box put it next to you. Then every bolt you pull out put the bolt in the hole in the new water pump. Then pull the old w/p off the engine then transfer the bolts to the old w/p in the same holes. Put the new w/p on the engine. Then bolt it back on. One by one bolt.
Mechanics everywhere curse Dorman, yet secretly know it keeps them in business. If you're into buying and selling, they're great. The Lego Rubix Cube solver is wild. Far different world of Legos from the one I had back in the late 80s-early 90s.
I shunned off Dorman parts due to all the negative reviews I heard. BUT I started using the stuff again just as an experiment to see how much of it fails. Amazon keeps tract of my Dorman purchases. 95 items in the past 14 years with 3 parts failures I am aware of. Add on the other Dorman parts I purchased from other places with prob about the same failure rate. And nice on reusing the coolant running it through the paint strainer. I do the same. Keeps from having to dispose of coolant that is perfectly fine to reuse.
Wes, believe it or not, there was a day that Dorman was a reputable replacement parts supplier. That was years ago and now I run from anything that produce.
I’m trying figure that out myself. The rack of orange drawers at auto parts store were a godsend for weird stuff a dealer would never stock but us poor idiots had to get to work the next day with the vehicle we were working on.
Hi Wes, I worked at GM doing fuel economy, emissions and drivability at their proving ground Milford Michigan campus, for 36yrs. Whenever something came thru that I thought wasn't worthy of the name like I'd complain but the management was inert to criticism. Even fellow GM employees would make fun of me for bringing up issues. If something was cobbled together and it broke when I went to use it they'd comment that it wasn't "ben tested tough." The term "smug" came to mind often. GM builds for the new vehicle buyer only. I am actually quite surprised that they offer a repair procedure because they really don't care about the "next guy" who owns their "stuff." I thought when Toyota and Honda came along our stuff would get better to compete, but it got worse to make it cheaper to produce. We live in a throwaway age I guess. My Dad loved GM and even he said "if GM could make a cardboard car that fell apart in 2yrs they'd do it." Dad rolled over in his grave on June 1, 2009 when GM committed bankruptcy. It was easier for them to dump on all of their loyal followers; like stock holders; proud owners vendors etc. and give their mismanagement failures to the general public to the tune of $52 Billion (with a B). I lost a lot of $$$ in stock options that I couldn't convert they gave me in leu of raises when they pulled that one. But, look at the state of the union today with Brandon running things: 3 wars, [Ukraine, Gaza, and right here with the Biological war of Wuhan Novel Coronavirus, Chemical war of Fentanyl and the invasion of 10 million at the southern border,] 100's of % inflation, *(remember they don't count energy and food) draining of our strategic oil reserves, ramming electric cars down our throats, ruined stock market, high interest rates which ruined the real estate market, and even bonds. Who ever heard of the bond market taking a "hair cut" of 50%? There is not much to be thankful for this turkey day. ben/ michigan
100% right. Should have gone though a legitimate bankruptcy and assets sold to highest bidder to pay bond holders. 10c on the dollar is better than 0. Plus the fact that now I am leary of commercial paper. Criminal what the government has done to the middle class.
Dude, your post went to sht thinking Biden had anything to do with ukraine, gaza, or even covid. And petrol and natural gas are at low price levels vs last year.
Dorman is still in business because there is no shortage of people that would rather spend $80 five times than $200 once.
Well said 😂
I cant or wont disagree but Dorman or any other aftermarket brand has the part when OE is no longer available. What’s a guy to do?
To be fair to Dorman, they did re-engineer the terrible plastic Mopar Pentastar oil cooler + filter housing to a cast aluminum piece that won't warp....
Sometimes OE parts have a lead time which keeps extending and the only other option is Dorman. Sometimes Dorman have identified and fixed issues that OE parts have. Eruc of SMA has given us a few examples of this
I Bought An Aluminum One For A Cruze... Problem Fixed Permanently...$80. 😶🧂
To their credit, Dorman created an improvement to the coolant elbows for the GM 3800 engines over the OEM plastic parts.
Yup.I have a 98 Buick less bee beater I fixed up.that coolant elbow was plastic..it broke twice,replaed. found out the metal ones,sold 2 pack. That's one good thing. A local mechanic I know says Dorman is awesome stuff. When I had a 98 Corolla had too replace door huinges, Dorman were made different .they had to be factory Toyota only ,otherwise it won't fit.
Yes they did and they are great. I've owned GM 3800s since 1997 when I purchased a GTP. I'm on my 2nd GTP now. Both cars I've replaced the plastic with those aluminum coolant elbows. They just last forever. GM 3800s are one of the best GM engine made.
and in nissans metal insrtead of plastic
The infamous intake manifold coolant leak . Most people thought the engines were seized because they were hydrolocked and sometimes just gave them away . I got a 1998 park ave for free myself . My 1991 park Ave had an aluminum manifold . Wish they would have kept it like that ...
I'm always impressed with the way these 1.4's don't just show up with one pattern failure in a system, it's all the pattern failures all at once.
That's how you know they've cut the most efficient number of corners possible.
Yeah they saved like $8 or $2 (per 1.4t engine) using mediocre seals all aroind the turbo, inside the oil cooler, t-stat housing & a few other places. So that leaks like hot cakes right when its outta warranty🤬
yeah, instead of going with a 2.0 or 2.5 liter engine they go with these smaller and smaller displacement engines and then slap a turbo on it (which doubles the psi of the cheap engine and adding heat). Then they make them as cheap as possible with plastic parts and cheap belts instead of chains where it is guaranteed something will breakdown not long after the warranty. looking at 2024, the funny thing is that these things don't even get good has mileage for the unimpressive 1.2L turbo 138 hp 28/32. For a couple of grand more just get the mazda cx-30 (where everything is just better) with a 2.5L naturally aspirated 4 cyl engine (you know something that will last) that has 191hp and 24/31 mpg (slightly less).
As much as I like the professional formality of your videos compared to most other mechanics on TH-cam, i do enjoy the growing added humor here recently. Great video Wes! Keep them coming!
I quit GM crap in 2006 and went to Honda. The improvement in quality and reliability is astounding! Haven’t bought anything else from then and no regrets!
They're not free of problems, either ... there's a big recall right now because a whole bunch of V6 crankshafts were machined out of tolerance. Cars nowadays are complicated machines, there's always going to be something.
@@bikeaddictbpthis was the excuse from the British for their cars, right before foreign cars destroyed what was left of the domestic industry
Hondas might but be perfect but they have 10% the problems of a lot of other brands. Toyotas are probably more reliable but I don't like their packaging or models very much.
@@nicholasvinen in my opinion right now Mazda has the best bang for your buck. Depends on the model and what you are looking for of course. Mazda3 is best in class for a compact sedan, though if you are going after a mid/full size sedan Camry is still king. For a CUV's the cx-30 is solid. For small Suv's it is a battle between what you value between cx-5 and rav4. For me too many Honda's have gone the way of small displacement engines with turbo's and cvt's.
@estuardo2985
The issue with the cx-30 is that it's not nearly as spacious as a Corolla Cross or H-RV is (It's primary competition)
It's more like a raised hatchback then a proper crossover in those regards.
More powerful and built better then a Hyundai venue which feels somewhat similar on the inside but still it's like ten grand more.
Not as good of a utility but probably a bit more fun to drive, that being said if i wanted something fun to drive though i wouldn't get a crossover in the first place.
being a tech at a GM dealership, all i can say is that this what keeps us techs fed lol
@KMVS8686 If you think the Chinese company that replaces GM is going to be better you're in for a rude awakening.
@KMVS8686they have filed once
Not a tech
Caviar?
@@Dysturbed-00the already existing Japanese and Korean ones will likely take those customers, if they don't go to Ford out of patriotism that is.
Every part of this piece of crap is so obviously a thrown together parts bin cashgrab.
What a joke domestic cars are now.
"Unplug the thermostat.....which is something I can't believe I have to say." Good one Wes, and I'm with you. You had me laughing out loud there - I almost missed it.
Undo the red locking tab so that I can unplug the plastic thermostat.
@@09corvettezr1 True, could have been worse - could have be mopar. This all reminds me of the times I've had to say "now I need to drain the cooling system before I take off this alternator" because I work on very stupid german cars.
Funny how it goes eh? "Unplugging a brake pad" and "replace the clutch fluid" were words I didn't think I would ever say. I think they're working us up to actual muffler bearings and blinker fluid.
GPF’s (gas particulate filter) are on the way for gas vehicles. 😵💫
@@kd7cwg When 90% of the prime mover system is to make the prime mover system not destroy the environment and kill our children, it's time to change the prime mover.
I know cafe standards are part of why so many parts are made of plastic but if car manufacturers really cared about making reliable cars, critical parts would not be plastic. As I watched you get that water pump out, I was thinking back to my 57' Chevy and how easy it was to change the water pump on that. You also didn't need to change them every couple of years. When I was much younger, I was a GM fan. That hasn't been true in a long time. Thanks for the heads up on Dorman parts. I don't think I have ever bought them but I will definitely steer clear now.
I bought all GM products until the car I bought last Wednesday. Last Wednesday I got a Subaru Forester. After all the 2.4 liter I4 failures between my family and friends I traded my 2013 GMC Terrain with 62,000 miles for the Subaru. I felt the money spent on the GMC's engine would be better spent on something new and hopefully more long term reliable.
I stopped buying GM. Not because I didn't like them. I just can't keep putting money into the GM money pit anymore. I bought a Toyota 26 years ago and it is still going strong with regular maintenance. The original brakes are still in good shape on that same car and it has 200k on the odometer, so *who wants GM, not me?*
Edit: The original bulbs are still in the Toyota car, including the headlights, and none have burned out yet.
GM needs plastic parts, take the ounces saved, over hundreds of vehicles, add up to hundreds of pounds reduced, all of which benefits the peculiar calculus of the CAFE rules.
Dorman answers the spare parts needs, and maximizes profits by "optimizing" QC inspections & standards.
Max is right, the whole thin is a rat-trap.
And they pass the savings on to the customer...
@@WatchWesWork How else can the CEO afford to do phone calls from Cancun otherwise? Why is nobody thinking about the poor investors and big wigs?
@@aserta Cancun? More like St. Barts & St. Moritz. Peasants.
every vehicle brand has a multitude of plastic parts, in stupid and not so stupid places i dont understand.
They all do it. It all adds up. My 87 Accord had hideaway headlights. Over time the wiring to each stress broke like a paper clip. I spliced in about 6 inches of wire each side. I "THINK" Positive + Negative each side. So, 2 feet of wire. That model lasted 4 years. About 400,000 of them a year. 1,600,000 cars X 2 feet of wire. 3,200,000 feet of wire. 60.06 miles of wire and if it was a problem, let the customer deal with it. I imagine the person that cut it close and saved 60 miles of wire got a bonus.
I was learning the trade at a GM dealership when these things came out. They sold like hot cakes in the beginning, but you rarely see them around anymore. Between the Equinox, Trax, and the AFM 5.3 in the trucks, GM lost an entire generation of consumers between 2011 and 2015.
Very sad honestly. These in particular had a lot of potential, good entry level price point. I kinda wish they just offered the NA 1.8 Ecotecs that they did in Europe. Those ones could last if you took care of them, there are lots of reports of the old Cruzes and Cobalts making it past 200k miles with those motors. And the Trax has good carrying capacity, I hauled a king-sized bed headboard in my old one for 60 miles. GM's mismanagement of their fleet is criminal.
Depends where you live I guess. In Michigan these are everywhere
@@joseeduardo4327 Yea, there's a bunch of them around here too in Canada. Buick Encores too (same car basically).
Sounds like u guys live in bad neighborhoods - jk 🙂
Gotta make em last past the warranty period then sell them a new one. Gotta keep the UAW employed.
I can remember when some parts were made of crappy pot metal. Now those seem like the good ole days.
As I'm fond of saying, made from the tooth fillings of Chinese dissidents.
Thank you, Wes, for continuing to make these videos. Your sardonic side comments give me hope that humanity has not gone to total idiocracy. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Why are you worshipping someone online; using their first name like you’re best friends and pretending to care about their family? Why do I see this in every video? Why do you people do this?
@@IsleOfFeldspar There is a wide gulf between expressing appreciation for someone's efforts and worshiping said individual. We use his first name because that's the name he has shared with us, his viewers/audience. Lastly, not everyone has to pretend to care about someone else's family. If you are seeing worship and pretending to care in the comments to every video, perhaps it has something to do with the eye of the beholder.
@@IsleOfFeldspar "Why do you people do this?" Because they're not sane. Such is the world we live in. These creatures live in a "virtual" world. It is not even real. Everyone playing make-believe, like children. It's very sad.
Is that it? I was wondering if they were trying to make money in some way; perhaps a type of income stream on YT that I didn’t know about. Or maybe they’re hoping the content creator will send them money or some other kind of perk? It’s so bizarre, yet I see dozens of such people on all the popular videos. It’s alot more than just a nod to good content; they use their first names, gush about how awesome their videos are and how awesome they are and comment about their lives and family. It’s creepy.
Awesome video, I have a 2014 Chevy Cruze and it has the same Ecotec engine and its a nightmare to work on. All the parts look identical including the water pump. I wish I never bought this vehicle. Thanks for calling out dorman and bringing gmc to the red carpet.
Thank you Wes for, once again, scaring me away from buying a modern vehicle
On the one hand the Trax is sorta bottom of the barrel model for Chevy...on the other hand, Chevy's higher end models are built by the same designers and engineers out of the same parts.
@@hedge685 The low end model of the low end manufacturer. I'd rather have a Kia than a Chevy anymore, at least their warrantee is 100K.
lol there are good modern-ish vehicles, then there's the trax.
@@headcas620 very true, I just like not having a car pmt too much right now 😂
I work at a Chevy dealer in service… I’m here to tell ya, the newer all of the models get, the worse and more ridiculous of problems they come in with, mostly electronic issues… for things that don’t need to be electronic. The new tahoes have an awesome new feature where the shifter is now electronic and for multiple reasons, they just will lock themselves into park and not come out of park no matter what you do. Whether the gauge cluster just malfunctions and blacks out or whether the “fuel pump module” (extremely unnecessary module) (that’s on national backorder because it basically has a 100% failure rate) decides it doesn’t want to module anymore quits and makes it so not only will it not start but then they won’t even come out of park so you can push it :) sorry to burst anyone’s bubble, but none of the other new Chevy models are any better unfortunately
I think doorman is still in business partially due to market saturation (there's not a parts store out there that doesn't have their stuff on the shelf) and they make absolutely everything. Cv shafts, intake manifolds, oil filter housings, assorted hardware and every automotive widget imaginable. It's all predominantly junk, but if it's what's on the shelf to get you back on the road today, what you gonna do?
You spelled it wrong, or maybe not, cuz when I see Dorman, I go oh oh too! If you get my meaning! 🤣
He said he tried Gates and ACDelco too.
American sources.
@@DarkFlamageYeah, I'll post a comment without spelling or grammatical errors one of these days.
@buntnik I honestly wouldn't be surprised if one factory in China sells to every aftermarket manufacturer for niche components like this. Back when I worked at parts stores we would occasionally see that if we had two brands of the same thing on the shelf if you popped them out of the box and compared the stampings on the part. I would have thought AC Delco would have been a genuine, but it's hard to say.
Genuine parts are generlly outsourced for manufacture after a period. So genuine GM parts are made in Korea or China the same as the aftermarket parts but with a genuine price!
They really need to make recycle bins large enough to fit modern cars.
Not every modern car is a Chevy, Chrysler, or Ford. Some manufacturers put effort into making good vehicles
The best catch pan that I've found are those little blue kiddy pools at walnart.. it's low enough to fit under most cars and it's wide and catches every last dripping mess on stuff like this: where you pop the water pump off and the coolant goes everywhere. Plus it's huge and can hold the four gallons of oil or 8 gallons of coolant on a 7.3L diesel service. I'd hate to call it a luxury, but it sure feels like it when you use it. ;)
Plastic crap everywhere. What junk. I'm surprised they don't make plastic pistons and cranks on cars. This keeps up, we will be back to horse and buggies. Doorman is the covid in the auto parts world. Great video Wes.
don't give them any ideas or we may get plastic crankshaft and plastic exhaust pipes.
That's actually pretty good by today's standards if you compare it to cars that have all plastic waterpumps, plastic valve cover, and plastic oil pans
A good tip on the waterpump bolts is to take the cardboard box the pump came in and poke the bolts through the box in the similar shape to their local on the water pump, makes reassembly much easier
I think I saw Ivan do that.
Yes, or just put them in the new pump. Thats how i used to do🙂
A comment from the home of Lego🇩🇰😅 GM is not worse than other brands. A lot of cars today has plastic parts in cooling systems. My Mercedes recently failed with approximately the same part as on the Trax. Inexpensive part, but crucial and nearly impossible to replace, though it did last nearly 600k kilometers, but was also coming apart…..Doesn’t answer any questions, but just confirm the frustration at mechanics and customers. Thanks for your videos and your always calm and rational demeanor!
I have been lucky, every Dorman part I have ever installed on my vehicles was decent quality and has never let me down. Thumbs up as usual Wes and thanks for showing us.
My 14 year old Toyota 4Runner with 210,000 miles is still on the original everything. EVERYTHING, including radiator, thermostat, and hoses. And Detroit wonders why Americans took their business elsewhere. Very sad. Love your videos! Thanks for including Max!
Excellent.This should be the only answer here.
That things a ticking time bomb lol you better give it some maintenance
You mean your AMERICAN MADE, Toyota??
My 2009 gmc sierra have 275,000 miles no problems what is your point??
@GRANITEMONUMENT the profits go overseas back to Japan. They don't even come to investing in united States like the big 3 automakers. Plus they pay their workers crap, and don't believe in a fair livable wage.
Oh man. During the COVID shutdown when we got extra in unemployment benefits, I raised enough to buy a 2011 Cruze with this engine, only difference being where the coolant reservoir was located. Many things I changed because I was warned they would fail, especially at the 135K mark where this car was when I bought it. New EVAP Purge Valve, Duralast Water Pump (which sounds okay even now), Coil Pack, Water Outlet, reservoir (known for cracking where hose connects to since its not reinforced like the Dorman ones are), turbocharger (it develops a huge internal crack by the wastegate which gets bad enough to drop boost pressure), an aftermarket PCV fix kit to bypass the crappy OEM design with the check valve, the corrugated PCV hose (the check valves on both sides would fail and stick open), I mean the list goes on and on. Plastic junk on an engine that regularly reaches 220F degrees before the thermostat even thinks of opening. I got the Trifecta tune on my engine and what it does is adds a cool "sport" mode making it peppier and drops the thermostat-opening temp to 200f. The highest mine goes now is 205f then drops to about 190f. They're cheap for a reason, and I always offer my friends and fam to fix theirs for cheaper than a shop because for most of them, these 1.4t engine cars are their only rides.
Bunch of junk
I bought genuine GM also for a 2017 Chevy Trax and all these parts are not cheap! They have 12 month/12,000 which of course they just barely last past. Thats what you get with a Daewoo Trax!
I remember starting out in the early 90’s and seeing engines running 220f. I was amazed and thought there is no reason for it. The utter stupidity and junk that they have continually produced over the years is why I still drive a 72 Monte Carlo.
The plastic outlet bit went about 85,000 miles on my wifes car, it warped to the point it wouldnt seal to the engine anymore. The front suspension ball joints went as well, the replacements have only lasted 16,000 and just gone again. I think gm designed the thing for people who only drive a couple of miles from the burbs to town and back
Lol no.
GM's sales model is just "once it's off the lot, not our problem".
Their whole lineup is like this pretty much besides maybe the corvette and some of trucks they sell.
Great job. GM bean counters interfere with the engineering department. Dorman takes advantage of GM bean counters.
Hey Wes... You will find Volkswagens even worse. A customer's 2014 Touareg came to the shop for a coolant leak. By the time I got to the cracked fitting on the plastic thermostat housing (about $50), we ended up with a $600 train wreck of other plastic crap that disintegrated getting to the thermostat. Plastic parts that must endure extreme heat cycles doesn't seem like "Good German engineering".
I think it's just a symptom of how all manufacturers have cut back on build quality in the past 15 years. I have volkswagon/Audi plastic parts that are 20+ years old on my 2002 daily, and they are still rock solid. Back then the parts were actually made in Germany, where as now they are all made in China.
Yeah idk fam, don't pin this wholly on the Germans. It's infected them all by now.
@@commietube_censorship_sucks Yeah I think the north American ones were made in Mexico, whereas the ones here in England and Europe were made in Germany. Most of the parts have it stamped on them.
I never had anything good to say about German rubber either.
German thriftiness?
Really enjoy these videos. I also can't fathom how these companies still sell cars, when they have crappy engineered parts like that. Nice to see the little bit of the convention there at the end (I'm danish and I work at the LEGO-Group 😉)
We are fans!
Lego can produce better plastic parts than GM. They're missing a market opportunity!
They still sell cars because 99% customers buy more on price than anything else
Conscientious work my friend.
All manufacturers are at it: planned obsolescence.
Just replaced thermostat in a mini at 72k as the thermostat heater control had failed and the thing was overccoling.
Not necessarily the same but the amount plastic coolant lines on modern dd13/dd15 semi engines is insane can’t tell you how many air compressor coolant lines and failed electronic variable water pumps I did on them in 2 years I stuck with trucks.
I kind of liked the Detroit 60 series, but the DD series I really don't care for. Of course these days seems everything as far as big trucks go, are pretty much junk. Just my opinion.
I love working on them. Those air compressor coolant lines are gravey work. The only ones that really suck are the ones going from the back of the head to the def pump.
@@HondaRedneck16 I did enjoy working on them ngl except snubnose casciadias, very easy engine to work on and ddl8 is such a nice software to use
if you delete the def system the other coolant lines aint gonna be an issue
Dorman is in business because we all keep buying from them. I needed an overflow bottle for our motorhome. The factory one was $150. I bought an identical one from Dorman for $50. It appeared to be just as good if not better. The reason for your other questions? Well, it all boils down to money. Folks want cheap. So, they don't mind having to pay to either fix them or replace them. It all started with the Bic pen. When it ran out of ink, toss it. I always thought the Papermate was far better.
Ahh the GM Eco-Wreck.. had one of these in a car I owned almost from new in the early 2000s.. was burning so much oil at 16,000 miles that it would leave blue smoke everywhere it went
Genuinely one of the worst engines around until Ford said "hold my beer" and came up with the Eco-Boom
What's wrong with the 2L Ecoboost? Besides having the power of a V6 and the fuel consumption of a V6 while not being a V6 that is...
OE: Perpetually out of stock. Dorman: Next day delivery. What's a guy to do? I'd rather fix it twice and keep the car rolling than parking it for months waiting for an OE part to finally show up.
Meanwhile my '97 Corolla has a bent radiator that somehow doesn't leak and had absolutely no temperature problems all summer long in hot Albuquerque weather.
I've lost count of how many times I had to replace the stupid plastic Y they put on the back of the Chrysler minivans that always fails. I finally got wise at some point though and searched for a metal alternative, and found that someone on eBay had fabricated one and was selling it. That finally solved the problem, but man it got old changing that damn thing every 2 years or so.
I've had that exact same experience, didn't know anybody was making metal replacement parts though, I was making my own out of copper plumbing pieces and soldering them together.
Dorman sells an aluminum Y for those, 47238HP...LOL
We had a coolant leak in a 2008 Town and country that I couldn't find. Not in the oil, no puddle under. It was always low when I changed the oil. Checked the usual suspects, everything seemed ok. Finally one day I had the hood open with the engine running and it was dripping a drop every two to three seconds from one of those y fittings directly on the exhaust manifold, and it would instantly vaporize, but wasn't leaking fast enough to cause a bunch of steam.
@@ronaldwhite9954 I've got a 2008 T&C with the 3.8 that my grandparents bought brand new. It's still got the original plastic Y; I think I'll replace that for the metal Y when I change the coolant in it next spring after hearing that one.
Me too, just need to find a way to barb copper tubing.@@Kowyn
Lego Rubik's Cube, For The Win.
Wish I had some of my cars from the 70's and 80's back.
Why use PLASTIC parts?? Theyre CHEAPER and EASIER to manufacture! Then PLANNED Obsolescence kicks in so mechanics have jobs and make Videos!!
Always a Joy to Watch Wes Work!!
Love your dry sense of humor. You give your opinion and it’s generally right on! Keep up the great work! 👍👍
Reminds me of the plastic thermostat housing on my Ranger. Went through the stock one and two plastic replacements until I finally put an aluminum one on there. Hasn't been a problem since. Some things should never be made out of such cheap materials.
Wes how is your shop floor fix working out?
As a GM owner myself, their vehicles certainly weren't meant to last and that's the way they were designed (personally speaking) and why I will never own another one or a Ford, same issues with their Explorer, very sub-standard parts (again, personally speaking). Great job WWW, thanks for the share. :)
German car brands are the same: overpriced plastic junk parts everywhere.
Your in for a big disappointment, all manufacturers use plastic parts, and cost saving techniques!! Welcome to 2023
@@troy3052 Agree, and why I'll never buy an over priced piece of plastic, I'm happy with what I have now, thanks. :)
And they get their parts from the cheapest suppliers. China
Why plastic? Because they couldn't find anything cheaper.
I like the way you move forward not putting the humdrum of removing every single nut or bolt. Makes it so nice to watch progress. I'm subscribing. Thanks for the good content.
This is why you can buy these with 59k miles for $8k lol
Also whoever put that upper hose on way overtightened the hose clamp
Can't wait to see all the problems that the new 1.2 liter 3 cylinder engine in the 2023 trax has. Going to truely be a 60k disposal engine in my opinion
Watch that engine be a good one. Coz once in a while "even a blind Squirrel gets a nut" I've looked at it, less plastic, smooth.........
I sell Dorman replacement parts and I can relate Wes. Some of the parts they sell I cringe because it's made overseas. Even though most of the parts come with a lifetime warranty, replacing the part several times does not give you a warm and fuzzy feeling. When I first starting auto parts 35 yrs ago Dorman was the highest quality because it was made in the USA. If OE quality isn't there, there's a good chance it won't be in the aftermarket.
Made in USA is trash that’s why this trax is having everything already break. All the parts needed to be replace when other cars it’s a non issue. Made in America mean junk crap
who cares about water pump /// the guy in the ad says I can HEAT MY HOME IN 90 SECONDS ! SAVE THOUSANDS! Wow and only using one Simple Trick! Wish I knew that all these years.
Started my 7th equinox 3.4 headgasket job yesterday. It’s my hobby. I know every nut/bolt
Oh, I see they updated the water pump. It used to be a real pain in the butt.
Back side of the engine, driven by the balance shaft chain.
Lord help you if you let that chain slip.
Also, RE: the worm clamps, I like to put the thinnest smear of black RTV/RTV analogue on the outside of the barb. Seals the little tensionless bump created by the clamp, and it makes installing and removing the hose itself a breeze.
The Colorado had that design.
Camera audio : Very good and well balanced
GM Door Dinger : Allow me to introduce myself
GM purge valve: Wait for me!
@@WatchWesWork That purge clamp racket was AWFUL!
Unfortunately I haven’t had any better luck with the OEM GM water outlet - it’s failure rate is about equal to Dorman… maybe Dorman makes it for GM?
Maybe Lego should make the parts. The plastic they use seems indestructible..
Plastic everywhere. Changed a cracked thermostat housing on Ranger. OEM Ford replacement is also plastic. Right, that hose connection there broke because someone used a worm clamp on it instead of the oem type that expand along with the coolant temp. Worm clamp will work as long as it's NOT overtightened, which most people do.
GM designers are like doctors or weather forecasters: no matter how many times they're wrong, they don't lose their jobs :P
I would be more inclined to blame the the effing bean counters before accusing the engineers of malfeasance. Remember engineers simply our lives and accountants… don’t.
My cousin is a mechanic he drives Fords but loves GM as they pay his bills.
Engineering is hired out to the cheapest bidder. e.g. China?
@@craigsmith8217 I still say engineers should stick to driving the train!😉
Yuppers..just like the gynecologist. They poke their finger in it and tell you it's ok. 😅😅😅
The shame of Dorman is , 35 years ago they made great hard to find parts and I’m sure somewhere along the way they were bought up and thrown in the globalization tumbler and we are dealing with what’s left of a once good company.
The worst thing about working on crap is even when you close your shop to general repair, you always have to revisit the same crap you worked on before.
I love your channel! It reminds me why I got away from wrenching and took up welding 20years ago!!
It's all part of the great 'subscription' scandal. You wear down the populations to a point where an apparently (i.e. not real) smaller commitment monthly for a fully leased car just seems a great option. My Merc ML just let go its engine at 100K miles..so I'm sold on a lease (I don't have the capital now!). Don't take my word for it though but at an industry event on automation a couple of years back, BMW, Mercedes and JLR stated they did not see a future beyond 2030 where it would be in any way economic for people to own cars. Thankfully my old Porsche keeps soldiering on :). PS. didn't Mercedes make a significant investment in Uber?...wonder why?
I’ve got one simple answer for all your questions at the end Wes. $$$$$
Those ecotec piles have a nasty pcv click problem, i throw an updated valve cover on most of the ones i see
I'm surprised they sold these to the general public. I'd always assumed they were rental fleet only 😂
I would be embarrassed to plunk down my hard earned $ to buy a new one of those. Buying them used for a nickel is not out of my wheel house though. 😆
The Buick Encore is fancier looking but is the same thing underneath (and has the same problems ...)
Midwesterners absolutely loved buying these things for some reason. I saw them all over in Wisconsin, barely see them at all on the West Coast.
@@PeterDenHartogEng I wonder if they might just hit a real low price point out the door. Like a disposable glove.
@@PeterDenHartogEngAn ungainly, doorky looking vehicle. Folks on either coasts wouldnt be caught 💀in one of these.
Im not gonna bash gm ceo but her demeanor p!sses me off in general!
At a guess, I'd say the loose tensioner probably caused the death of the water pump. It couldn't have been good for the pump pully/bearing to keep getting yanked kinda sideways everytime you accelerated by the loose tensioner. As for all the plastic, it's a lot cheaper to injection mould all those crappy plastic parts than it would be to cast and machine them. The injection moulding setup/mould costs are high but they're offset by the fact that you can churn them out in their thousands, rather than hundreds per shift, with far fewer personnel, or waste.
I'm curious to know what you might suggest for me? 'Cuz I got yanked sideways quite a few times in my life! J/K Great comment General D!
@@DarkFlamage 🤣🤣 thanks
Plastic engine parts don't last here in Las Vegas. Sitting in traffic, temperature 115 degrees plus the heat rising from the 160 degree pavement, makes the plastic really weak and brittle. Fortunately, most vehicles sold in Vegas automatically come with optional heavy duty cooling systems.
And weight reduction.
@@MikeyMack303 true, but I think most manufacturers just use plastic as it will degrade, get damaged and break, meaning more parts sales for them.
I think they view plastic parts as consumables, a bit like printer ink.
The VVT seals need replacing...they are like 6 bucks and the thermostat and the plastic mix pipe are now available in aluminum, changed over in the summer no issues.That mixer plastic broke because of the worm clamps overtightened ,it will break again because it cannot expand with heat...your fault
Great video wes as usual. I was a chevy dealer mechanic for a while and we did soooooo many of those water pumps, what a terrible design.
Maybe Space X is hanging Dorman Parts on their rockets lately.
Pretty sad when routine maintenance is replacing most of the cooling system.
BMW owners have known that pain for at least the past 30 years. American automakers are just starting to catch up with “German engineering”
@ouch1011 Maybe Lego could duplicate a better cooling system ar this point.
@@BlownL67auto manufacturers would never contract with Lego. They know Lego makes stuff to last. Lol
@@BlownL67 They do use better plastic quality...
My friend said years ago, in like 2000, for Ford, the motors are spare parts. So I hear ya..
I recently replaced one of these water outlets with an aluminum upgrade part I got through Amazon for not significantly more than the crappy plastic part that cracked. I bet that should hold up much better.
Fantastic videos for exposing some of the company errors in manufacturing. Great respect for your integrity and I also have had issues with the screw type clamps on materials that expand a lot. Thanx for sharing.😃
The meticulous editing and no-nonsense narration makes this one of the best first-person auto mechanic videos I have seen. Keep them coming.
Brings back memories of my wifes old cruze.
Same engine, same failure, except she didn't catch it in time and the head gasket went. Every head bolt stripped even with the correct e-torx socket. The engine was cooked, so it got a used engine. I did not enjoy pulling and replacing it, but oh well.
Then it got totaled in an accident, lmao. The non turbo 1.8 in her Equinox was a much better engine. The car was still junk, though.
2003 Mustang GT, I had a coolant leak. Traced it down to the plastic intake manifold at the passage from the heads to the intake thermostat. Pulled it apart and the plastic Doorman intake was broken out. Ordered a Ford Motor Sport OEM intake to replace the Doorman. Still plastic, however a much beefier and better flowing design. More horsepower and no leaks. Next time it’s getting an Aluminum Edelbrock intake.
I had a cruze with this motor. Was very educational, I learned a lot about how to wrench from owning that car because it broke down so much
Great video. You have incredible patience. This video makes me grateful to have an '07 Silverado with a 4.3 v-6. Far, far easier to work on
Year's ago the wife needed a new car, was looking at buying a Trax until I did my research, ended up buying a first gen Vibe instead, glad I did.
I quit buying GMC junk 15 years ago, and I'm glad I did.
Did you go to the Lego convention in search of car parts primarily for the cooling system? 😂😂😂 love the videos and your SOH - Michael Uk 🇬🇧
I bet they could make them!
@@WatchWesWork and better
Great video per usual Wes! Can’t believe the crap manufactures get away with. I’m a gse technician in Boston (everything but the planes for United) all airport equipment is assembled with bargain bin clearance components that are out of date or unavailable in just a few short years. And that’s about all it lasts 😂
Pretty sure I have flow out of Logan with the help of equipment you have helped maintain, thanks.
I went to school with a Steve Pellegrini from Newtonville MA back in the early 2000’s. Not sure if you’re related to him or not (probably not as there seems to be a lot of Pellegrini’s in MA) but I know that was a big name in Nonantum, MA (the Italian part of Newton, or at least it was)
Maybe the worm clamp was overtightened? Nice job as always Wes!
Could be…
@@WatchWesWork I use Wurth clamps. The zig zags or whater you wanna call them don't perforate the clamp metal - but they NEVER slip or come loose. They're made (or WERE made, last I checked) in Germany. I love them but I understand the logic behind constant tension clamps.
@@silasmarner7586 if I have to use a worm clamp, it's either going to be Breeze (US made) or Tridon (Australian made). Never had problems with either, and I live in the frozen north.
I never had issues with worm drive clamps. Mainly because everything I installed them on were out of my life in under a year. Until I fixed my sisters car with them. It got REALLY cold a winter or two ago. Every worm drive clamp I put on that car was leaking. Snugged them all off. A year later it did the same thing.
The calibre of the material in the area where the hose clamp resided is the same calibre as area where the O ring material and housing broke away - so I have my doubts. Retired mechanic/machinist in Land Down Under.
Hate to say it, but she needs to fix this car and sell it. Immediately! Before something else breaks. Get a used Toyota, or new!😊
I replaced that water outlet with an aftermarket all aluminum one 2 months ago. Didn’t cost any more than the plastic one. No problems with it yet so it’s been a good alternative replacement part in my opinion. As for the other problems with the 1.4l you have to take the good with the bad and for me it’s been a fairly reliable and problem free engine so far after 12 years of daily driving.
We live in desposable plastic world .
Maybe all the plastic engine parts will end up in the bottom of the ocean along with all the plastic bottles...
2015 chevy sonic with a 1.8 in it had the same plastic deteriation in the plastic thermostat housing. The damn thing literally ate itself. You are so spot on about plastic in the cooling system components.
As for waterpumps… try using SKF pumps If you can. They have never failed me on Saabs, Volvos, VAGs, Renaults and Bader-Meinhof Wagens. The later Saab 9-3s have the EcoTech engines as well, partyliv modified by Saab with less plastic but the same water pumps. I bet they use different OEM manufacturers in Europe than in the US. Here it is usually SKF, Valeo, Hella, Bosch, FAG etc. The Saab’s water pumps usually last at least 100-150 thousand km.
This is why I want to stick with old, Got a 92 Silverado Im restoring, daily a 99 GMC Suburban that im about to retire for an engine rebuild, and just bought a 94 Chevy Suburban that Im probably going to daily.
Sometimes, you can only get a replacement part for an older vehicle from Dorman...
I remember back in the early 80's there started to be a shift in engine designs with an emphasis on light weight, easy to manufacture parts. It was all good still, as those long, heavy crankshafts and heavy pistons, water pumps were done with. Cars designs also changed with the compacts like the 'K cars from the US, and nice flashy cars from Japan. Korea had not yet come on strong, Hyundai 'Pony" and Ssanyyong Jeep were just trickling onto the market, powered by lighter and efficient Japanese engines. Then in the late 80's and 90's computer management systems came about. And towards 2000 onwards there seems to more plastic engine parts and aluminum alloys in the engine, transmission and other parts.
For manufactures, plastic parts are very easy to make, are lighter and require less energy the process is way faster too than than for metal parts.
That plastic housing split where the hose clamp was over tightened. The other end looks like the result of someone jamming a screwdriver in there to pry it off. The water pump bearing probably gave in due to the belt misalignment from the tensioner being loose.
the big issue is that the engine is running hot, like very hot, 103 C for thermostat to open, rad fan only blows at 108 C, the cooling outlet can be replaced with a metal one, the thermostat needs to be tinkered with to open at a 80C either by electronically circuit or by replacing the inner guts(capsule from chevy volt), it's a problem with all car manufacturers, plastic is cheaper to produce, lasts long enough for warranty to expire but not enough to call any car reliable anymore and when you will have to replace the plastic it will cost you more than actually having to replace a metal one because corporate greed
i tell my customers to avoid these cars like the plague. they are absolute dog shit.
btw there is a feller that makes a PCV-fix-kit for these that is honestly pretty good.
ive installed 4-5 of them.
Could be a modern Ford pickup with a plastic oil pan, or a rubber belt for the oil pump.
At least the plastic pans don't rust through.
@@wconstructionco Yep, they just dry rot
@@GainingDespair all rubber and plastic degrades with heat cycles. All metal parts corrode. Nothing lasts forever. The Japanese have been running rubber belts to drive balancing shafts and oil pumps for like 40+ years.
@@wconstructionco yep, and Jeep builds their transmission filters into the plastic oil pans.
Thing is I live in a subtropic climate which hasn't seen snow on decades, rust does not exist here, yet dry rot does.
I think the biggest thing keeping Dorman in business right now is OEM parts availability. That and the people who are absolutely convinced the dealership is ripping them off, even when the cost of OEM parts is actually usually fairly competetive now on the whole. To give credit where credit is due I just put a lower oil pan on a '15 Silverado with a 5.3 and the Dorman pan actually puts the drain plug in a normal position as opposed to the GM idea of draining out the side :/
What I've always done is pull the new water pump out of the box put it next to you. Then every bolt you pull out put the bolt in the hole in the new water pump. Then pull the old w/p off the engine then transfer the bolts to the old w/p in the same holes. Put the new w/p on the engine. Then bolt it back on. One by one bolt.
Great suggestion, I’ll do this when the time comes!
Mechanics everywhere curse Dorman, yet secretly know it keeps them in business. If you're into buying and selling, they're great. The Lego Rubix Cube solver is wild. Far different world of Legos from the one I had back in the late 80s-early 90s.
I shunned off Dorman parts due to all the negative reviews I heard. BUT I started using the stuff again just as an experiment to see how much of it fails. Amazon keeps tract of my Dorman purchases. 95 items in the past 14 years with 3 parts failures I am aware of. Add on the other Dorman parts I purchased from other places with prob about the same failure rate.
And nice on reusing the coolant running it through the paint strainer. I do the same. Keeps from having to dispose of coolant that is perfectly fine to reuse.
Wes, believe it or not, there was a day that Dorman was a reputable replacement parts supplier. That was years ago and now I run from anything that produce.
I’m trying figure that out myself.
The rack of orange drawers at auto parts store were a godsend for weird stuff a dealer would never stock but us poor idiots had to get to work the next day with the vehicle we were working on.
@@richardluce775 Yes, I absolutely loved those. They saved my butt many times with an oddball fastener that I needed with no notice.
Hi Wes,
I worked at GM doing fuel economy, emissions and drivability at their proving ground Milford Michigan campus, for 36yrs. Whenever something came thru that I thought wasn't worthy of the name like I'd complain but the management was inert to criticism. Even fellow GM employees would make fun of me for bringing up issues. If something was cobbled together and it broke when I went to use it they'd comment that it wasn't "ben tested tough." The term "smug" came to mind often. GM builds for the new vehicle buyer only. I am actually quite surprised that they offer a repair procedure because they really don't care about the "next guy" who owns their "stuff." I thought when Toyota and Honda came along our stuff would get better to compete, but it got worse to make it cheaper to produce. We live in a throwaway age I guess. My Dad loved GM and even he said "if GM could make a cardboard car that fell apart in 2yrs they'd do it." Dad rolled over in his grave on June 1, 2009 when GM committed bankruptcy. It was easier for them to dump on all of their loyal followers; like stock holders; proud owners vendors etc. and give their mismanagement failures to the general public to the tune of $52 Billion (with a B). I lost a lot of $$$ in stock options that I couldn't convert they gave me in leu of raises when they pulled that one. But, look at the state of the union today with Brandon running things: 3 wars, [Ukraine, Gaza, and right here with the Biological war of Wuhan Novel Coronavirus, Chemical war of Fentanyl and the invasion of 10 million at the southern border,] 100's of % inflation, *(remember they don't count energy and food) draining of our strategic oil reserves, ramming electric cars down our throats, ruined stock market, high interest rates which ruined the real estate market, and even bonds. Who ever heard of the bond market taking a "hair cut" of 50%? There is not much to be thankful for this turkey day. ben/ michigan
100% right. Should have gone though a legitimate bankruptcy and assets sold to highest bidder to pay bond holders. 10c on the dollar is better than 0. Plus the fact that now I am leary of commercial paper. Criminal what the government has done to the middle class.
You almost sounded smart until you referred to our president as "Brandon" lol
Dude, your post went to sht thinking Biden had anything to do with ukraine, gaza, or even covid. And petrol and natural gas are at low price levels vs last year.