Paul, thank you and your brother for this. As TH-camrs we need to share this sort of thing, not only to help each other in the industry, but to inform customers of just how important it is to understand that diagnostics involve work, which needs to be paid for. It is not simply hooking up a scan tool and the tool telling us the part that failed. Unfortunately, many people still think that is the case. I for one always wonder where this idea came from. At no time has it ever been that way. Good on you and Danner. You guys are a huge asset to this industry. God Bless. Oh, and I caught the fact that your son made you 5 feet tall in the mugshot lolol
I know where some people get their bad ideas about diagnostics from. I've met too many people who love to just make arrogant and ignorant assumptions based on second hand nuggets of information they barely paid any attention to. My personal favorite is all the ads for pocket code readers and phone apps where people can read their own codes and suddenly think they know more than they do. The ads are always the same. It's Suzie Homemaker secretly plugs her dongle in and opens the app and reads her O2 sensor code. And then she goes to a shop to have it diagnosed and, miraculously, she's just saved herself from getting ripped off for thousands of dollars because they said she needed catalytic converters but her app just said O2 sensors. The one that makes me cringe most is the kids at the auto parts stores who pull codes for their customers. I've personally heard it where a counter guy pulled codes and said, "Well there you go; you have cam and crank sensor codes, so you need new cam and crank sensors." Admit it, you needed one more thing to roll your eyes at today.
@@shauno3697 you've hit the nail on the head there! I've seen too many tacky adverts where they'll have someone plugging an overpriced generic Bluetooth OBD2 code reader in and then claim the mechanic is ripping them off. They're atrocious and I can only imagine it will lead to a whole lot of difficult customers. If I was on the receiving end of that I'd simply say I have every confidence in them doing the job themselves and saving even more. They'll either have a chance of getting lucky, return with tail between their legs or go somewhere else to avoid embarrassment (and hopefully with an attitude adjustment).
Caleb’s video editing is really bringing some fun into your videos. Really enjoying having your brother in the videos lately. You all are awesome. Thanks for what you do.
THANK YOU GUYS !!!!! Just fixed my daughter 06 Pontiac G6 by repairing that same terminal connection. Same issues, intermittent starting problems, TC light was on, hard shifting, mass air flow code……All is good now. I never would have found it.
I have been going nuts over this same issue!! We thought it was the ignition lock cylinder, as it would just pull out of the switch because it had been drilled out. I have checked alternator, starter, I’ve went down so many rabbit holes in forums trying to figure it out. I’m going to check that ground tonight to see if it is the whole problem. We had a mechanic over last night who said we were getting the mass air sensor and the air intake temp sensor were throwing codes. The traction control wasn’t working and we have codes for the transmission as well. It even went into limp mode last night after changing the ignition switch. I will definitely check back to let you know if this fixes it!!! There are so many people that have had these same issues with these cars.
I think I am having the same exact issue. I first noticed the TCM and door locks would act up then I turned off my car and went to start it and nothing. I don't know how easy the grounds are to replace though.
Thank you guys for this video. I have been chasing a no communication problem with my 2007 G6. I replaced the PCM and that didn't work either so I found this video and THIS WAS MY EXACT PROBLEM, car is now fixed and gone. FYI this happened after the Transmission was replaced.
The words you spoke early in the video I do not recall hearing in any other video from any diagnostician on TH-cam and are probably one of the most important statements that could be made. There are many DIYers that watch these videos when trying to resolve their own car problems. I would venture to guess that many end up bringing their car to a shop after being unable to fix their issue, so your statement on paying for diag work is one of the best teaching moments you have ever done. Caleb- your skin tone corrections in your edits are superb. Seriously. A+, brother.
@@calebldanner If you're not already using Davinci Resolve, you have the skills (and the eye) to master that software. You'll have people calling you to color their movie projects (and make GREAT money doing it).
@@djosbun I actually have davinci resolve. But havent had the time to learn a new software. Ive been using adobe to color grade since a lot of the grading tools are similar to Lightroom and camera raw. Thank you for the complement, that means a great deal to me.
OMG the sweat rag was hilarious!!! Wow it’s been a while since I dropped by but holy cow Caleb has a definite career qualification in video editing. It’s a blast seeing how he just gets better and better and better! I think I am going to have to bingewatch this thanksgiving weekend and catch up on the last couple years!! Happy Thanksgiving Danner Family!!
Camera man Caleb for the win! Caleb is killing it on these videos. This needs to be an actual tv show or Netflix series instead of the garbage that is on mainstream media. You guys are awesome. Great editing skills Caleb!
I'm glad that you showed the wiring diagram at the end showing how many things are affected bad the single ground connection. It showed exactly what I had found this afternoon. Mine started with a MAF sensor fault. Checked the sensor plug feed wire and had 12v. checked the plug ground wire and had a bad reading for the ground. While tracing the black/white wire and unwrapping the wires, I was hearing the door lock relay clicking in the fuse box as I squeezed the wire loom near the battery. I ended up figuring out that the exact same group of ground wires that you refer to were the cause of the door lock noise and just as yours did, the entire set of wires popped out of the eyelet without any effort. I only came across your video this evening after the fact. Sure wish I would have seen it first. Great catch and it's nice to know how many of these bad ground connections that you have come across. Keep up the good work.
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You I was having problems with erratic door locks and Trans not shifting on my 2006 G6 & this helped me fix the problem Thanks again keep up the good work
Mug shot...awesome. I love that you include us "customers". Even that I've been able to keep up on my own maintenance (with help from channels like yours) I like being an educated customer too.
Many years ago I did a head gasket job. A couple of months later customer (?) goes to another shop. Shop owner called me on how could I do all that work and not replace plug wires.( her new problem). I asked him if he would like to discuss it in person. I proceeded to bring a copy of her receipt showing her decline of new spark plug wires. discussion and apology over. I never bad mouth any other shop. 2 sides to every story.
I so happy to hear the opening monologue. So many customers don’t understand the importance of diagnosis. When a customer request to replace a specific part because someone said so I tell them that they need to pay in advance. When they ask why I politely tell them “ when it still doesn’t work I want to make sure I get paid”.
Thank you Paul Danner also a big thanks to James and Caleb. This is absolutely invaluable information for me as a DIYer and a Chevy owner. I will be inspecting all my grounds on my Silverado as a preventive maintenance routine. Thank you James for allowing your shop to be our educational classroom. Awesome work guys thank you again from the community!!!!!
Thank you so much for posting this! I've had the same problems. Fixed the same one you showed and the car started. Still won't start after it's at temp, but I think that's due to burnt wires in the fuse box connections. Fingers crossed I finally figured it out!
My Pontiac is having this same issue. I just changed the starter and still nothing. When I turn the car on everything works but won’t cut but after a couple hours it starts fine
Hey Paul I just came across one of these tonight, or a 06 Cobalt. Had a Crank No Start with a U0101 no com to transmission control module. It was Ground 105. I just put up a quick video on it. Same exact thing. All the wires broke inside, but still crimped on.
Paul, you are GOD to me. I have been watching your videos. I have gained so much knowledge just from ur videos that i have now set up my own institute and workshop as well. It has been possible bcoz of u paul. I did not get any training. Jus with the help of ur videos i have come this far. Thank u soooo much
Marine wiring does not recommend solder connections because of the type of failure you saw here. Since the soldered wires are very stiff, all the stress is taken on the individual strands where they leave the solder. A plain crimp is actually less prone to failure.
This video has to have had saved a lot of people i imagine! I fixed some parts and started getting a no com tcm code. I had the car sitting swearing i messed something up and needed a new starteror comp or tcm. Seen this video checked all grounds to the old g6 and the ground had plastic and corrosion covering the inside even though the outside looked not too bad
This ground issue emphasizes the importance of obtaining complete information from the operator, because a defective ground can cause seemingly unrelated problems, but as you well know, the problems are related to that bad ground. Another excellent video! Keep up the great work!
Thanks for solving my intermittent code problem! All car companies know about their engineering ( faux pas) but it works for the warranty period which is good to go out of the factory door!
Great video and specially having your brother there with all his experience too. The rag thing was pretty funny. I had the same problem on a 2000 Dodge Durango and I didn’t realize it was a bad ground. I just cut the wire to the exam and hooked it straight to ground. The car started in any gear since it bypassed the safety switch. I didn’t care, but now I would know how to fix it correctly. Thanks for the great tip.
Scanner, I had that same problem with my daughters 2008 g6. The car would idle up and down but run ok out on the road. I found a few real thin gauge ground wires that i had to fix in that wire harness going across with the coolant tubes by the dipstick. The ground clip that you showed was corroded so i cleaned up and soldered it all and that's what the problem was.
Ground again, and all by the book, Paul, it gets easier once you learn the basic things, like ground in this case, doesn't it? Good job, Danner's team. Can't stop watching you guys, it is so useful.
@@ScannerDanner I bet you get them a lot every day, you do a big job over there, Paul, filming and teaching new generation of mechanics. Don't stop, please. Looking forward to seeing newer vehicles too.
@@ScannerDanner You saved me testing the park/neutral and then trying to figure out where the ground was supposed to originate in the first place. If I encounter an expensive repair, the car is going to be donated. You've helped postpone that
They have a lot of fun with the brothers, they make the job more fun, the three of them make a good team, thanks for the teaching and the entertainment, make more videos together, thank you !!!
Paul I am sure you have heard 100 times that you two dont look like brothers... but you sure act like brothers :) You 2 keep up the great work ! Thanks to you and Ivan at Pine hallow and SMA .. I was able to fix as friends no crank problem caused by a low cost immobilizer... I had to bypass the bypass :) .. Bu it now works with a key on and press a starter button
Hey my friend :) Maaaan ..Danners beard is massive!!!Awesome :) And so is this video.Love these videos that shows how important the basics are....Check grounds and feeds...Always. Thank you once again ,and i also hope you all are doing great :) Greetings from the NorwegianWiringViking, Stefan :)
Thanks for the info... got similar issues and I replaced battery and looked and tested starter. This could be the culprit. I'll let you know later if it works.
So if it’s the ground how come it takes 8 hours to start again shouldn’t it just not start at all I’m having the same issue where it will start in the morning and I cut it off and I have to wait hours for it to start again
Thanks guys for sharing what you found. Good information to not only look at the grounds but take a voltage reading at the same time to make sure their is no voltage on the ground. Voltage on ground bad. Stay well and safe 😊🇺🇸
Loved it, Thanks for sharing SD👍 Indeed the basic thing that you always teach us to be mindful of "Check your Grounds" but this one was really difficult to diagnose if not measured properly😉 Stay Safe Brothers❤
Great video Danner!. But I need to add something important. On testing bad or weak grounds, it's much better to do the LOAD test than using resistance measurements or voltage drop. Case in point. I just had a 08 Chevy Silverado. Symptoms were intermittent engine shutoff. While driving, the truck wound run fine, but when they turned the A/C on (Loading the ground), the engine would die. I used an old incandescent 4.5 Amp headlight as test light to load the grounds one by one while the engine was on, and when I loaded one of the grounds going to one relay, the engine would would shut off. I found that the bolt holding the bad ground to the engine came loose. The customer said the engine was swapped recently. On a loose ground the resistance measurement and the voltage drop would show an OK ground, because the ground eyelet was barely touching, but when you loaded the ground with a high amp source, the barely touching ground would break. Old headlight lamps as test lights work much better in these situations. Keep up the good work!
Yup. At my shop we've got a seasoned tech that was getting 12v to an actuator but when he'd activate the circuit nothing would happen. I gave him my 35w work light off of a tractor with some leads on it and told him to plug it into the connector. When he'd activate it, it would give a very dim light. Told him he had a corroded joint somewhere. He got to digging and found a corroded fuse terminal. He immediately went and bought himself a light for cases like that.
@@chekelley6861 Yes. It gets loaded....somewhat, but it needs a HEAVY load, like a compressor magnet or a headlight to really stress the connection to test. When grounds are loaded with a high amperage, faulty or weak grounds become apparent more readily. And sometimes you need to test the grounds and other connections with the key off.
@@cyberslacker5150 Actually, the proper way to test a circuit is in the system with the components in place as it was designed by the engineers and measured with a scope or DVOM. Will a substitute load work in most cases? Yes. Is it commonly seen all over TH-cam by famous diagnostic technicians? Yes. But you can make any circuit look bad if you load it beyond what it’s designed to do. Watching how bright a headlight bulb gets is entirely subjective. Using the existing loads combined with an actual measurement never lies.
All good info. I am 96 now l have repaired many cars with ground issues, British cars in the 60s and 70s had many of these problems. I went to a local garage where they had an issue with an Austin mini Cooper 1966. They had changed the battery, dynamo starter motor and voltage control and cutout unit. The car wouldn't start, turning over very slowly,as if it had a nearly flat battery. I traced it to a bad ground in the engine ground to the chassis put a new ground cable in. All the parts they had replaced where ok, Looks like they change parts then have to get some one like me to fix it. That was 48 yrs ago, and k am still fixing faults people keep asking me to fix their cars as the garages tend to rip them off
You guys did a great discussion on the Pontiac as the ground was not fitted properly obviously. And who would have figured that out. Thank you for sharing.
I swear the last of the Pontiacs had some ungodly ridiculous choices for far too many things, see placement of the 2008 Grand Prix's Steering Fluid cap/area practically in the depths of Hell, the rear right window's assembly would always crap out because the toggle switch could get stuck on "UP" despite looking centered which of course would wear out the tension/motor, the state of the grounds as shown in this video could lead to a lot of random nonsense popping up when all else seemed ok, just a major pain.
great video, I have the same car my horn stopped working ended up being the relay after I took the time to install a new horn and still didn't work. lol. I'm going to check my grounds now thanks for the information.
I wish I had a dollar for every electrical problem I've encountered that turned out to be a bad ground! Usually after I exhausted every other possibility! With 60 years experience, I could probably write a book.
G6, gm in general, cheap crappy wires, run in really hot places. Bad. Nightmare for average diy people. Thanks for the very helpful video guys. Truly appreciate your work and sharing this very valuable information!!
With Chevy Cobalt's and Pontiac G5's that have those problems I simply run a 12 gauge wire from the ECM and TCM to the ground location that's on the jump ground point. Tends to fix many electrical issues.
You are welcome daner has a video on how he got started and its got some good information every one starts some where if you show interest and let the techs know u want to learn the should help you learn i spent 6 years doing a 4 year apprenticeship 30 year's ago and I still learn stuff every day .
This grounding issue reminds me of a problem with early model V6 Nissan Pathfinders, Frontiers, and Xterras. A bad ground terminal on the aluminum upper intake manifold can cause multiple trouble codes regarding O2 sensors. The service bulletin says that if the ground terminal is more than 25mV with a warm engine at idle, then a new ground wire should be installed. Fortunately, the terminal is easy to access.
I just came across your video about 2 months too late. I had an 09 Saturn Aura that I bought back in 2010. I drove it for 280K miles, always ran great but one day I got what felt like a hard shift, lost my speedometer and a few other funky electrical issues. Pulled the car over shut it off but when I went to restart it got it wouldn't even crank. I put my basic scan tool on it and it said it couldn't communicate with the TCM. I did check for bad grounds but now I'm not certain if I looked hard enough. Replacing the TCM (part was only about $200) was going to involve pulling the tranny and disassembling it so I ended up junking the car. I hope I didn't get rid of it because of a ground issue. Bums me out, that car would have easily gone another 100K miles.
Man i miss Saturn's! I had 4 different Saturn's every single one of them made it to 300,000 + miles on them when I sold them and always saw them back out on the road STILL GOING! I've not owned another car besides those that made it even to 150,000 before something major, usually transmission issues started up. I swear that's why they went out of business, they were just 2 Good!
Hi very good channel with interesting explanation. I like it so much. I have problem with my car Ford focus 2005 symptoms are when the engine reaches the temperature of 90 degrees, the esp light comes on and the tachometer pointer works once and does not work. After reading the fault codes, it shows ABS U2023 and OBD2 P1132 When the engine is turned off and on again, the light goes out and the engine runs normally What I noticed that after removing the plug from the temperature sensor when engine is working and cold on the dashboard the esp light comes on have same symptoms as after engine get 90 degrees. I replaced temperature sensor for new original didn't work still same problem. Please advise what I should start and check to find out what is happening.
I have a ponic g6 2008 last night I went to start it to leave my brother's house and it would Crank or start . My headlights are bright the dome lights inside come on the horn works the key fob works it locks and unlocks the doors... I am stumped to what can be wrong and I don't have thousands of dollars to put into it.. please help
thanks for telling me a while back signing up to the premium site would help me well wanted to say more than i could have ever expected thanks for your hard work
How can you test a fuse junction box that sits under the hood of a 97 Grand Prix GT 3.8. The repair shop said it was bad. I have the service engine soon light. I have already replaced both oxygen sensors and the other evap sensors. I didn’t want to keep dumping money. I get the bank 1 lean sensor code
Toyota Siennas have ground wires attached to each bank. One easily accessible on the right side when facing the engine and the other one not visible from the front but from the bottom. In my case I had heating circuits for the O2 sensors for both banks, these are shared, there are least 4 ground wires that are directly fed to the PCM that is used for grounding components, in this case the O2 sensors, the ground wires were toast and ripped off as soon as I touched it. I diagnosed this by watching the pulse width from the computer that was not present, I almost called the engine computer but I didn't realize the the computer had so many small ground wires. I guess Toyota doesnt have many shared ground internally as we are used to. This was a Toyota Sienna 2012.
I wonder for testing purposes about adding some heavy duty ground wires from battery negative to the engine , chassis and body . However , is a component is missing it's ground then you would still be SOL . I see Eric O has a pair of vice grips added to ground a test light . That's taking no chances that you bite into a ground and it stays put .
Ok I have a 2010 g6 its starts but after awhile it will randomly just die out and will only crank and crank and won't start. I had fuel pump replaced, still doing it, had relays replaced and still nothing. So u think it could be a ground wire. Its got the 3500v6
I just put a brand new alternator in my 2007 pontiac g6 but its still not charging the battery. 2days ago i put a new starter in and made the mistake of rushing and didnt unhook the hot on the battery. Socket knocked the ground wire off the old stater, and than sparked up on the engine directly behind the starter. The engine starts with a jump as the batterie is dead, but the alternator will not charge the batterie. Code 0010 came up. Any ideas?
you will need a good wiring diagram, maybe a blown fuse on that circuit? eautorepair.adtrk.biz/?a=10817&c=24&p=r&s1= If you need additional help, post this to my forum www.scannerdanner.com it is free to join Thanks!
What are your thoughts about having a redundant ground on the TCM heat sink? I was getting P1682 and U0101 - not very specific. I don't have access or can afford to purchase detailed information for this car. I eliminated virtually everything else and was about to investigate the park/neutral switch and came across your video. I did manage to get the car to start with a ground jump to the TCM heat sink so I knew there was ground issues but didn't know where the intended ground was. Bottom line is that I stripped, braided and soldered all those little wires together and put them in a welding lug and then crimped and soldered that.
@@ScannerDanner Yep! Fortunately I have experience working with some small wires. I miss the days that cars didn't have so many or small. I showed the guy at the parts store the original lug and he said that they're not supposed to be open to expose the wires like that. Shame he didn't work fir GM.
@@ScannerDanner I was chasing a intermittent stumble for a month. Random just acts like you shut the key off and back on. Then no maf sensor. G105 is ecu ground and maf ground.
Just fixed another one of these on a g6. It had been to 2 shops and one other mechanic said it need a new PCM. They called me to program replacement PCM. I knew what the problem was as soon as I arrived. Cleaned the wires, crimped on a new lug and hooked it back up and it was fixed. The customer didn't want to pay me my 85 for the diag and 50 for the labor. It told them that's fine. I can break it again, and grabbed my wire cutters, they were like no, no.. We will pay.
As always Great video. I have had customers bring their car to the shop I work at and say I need you to install this transmission, PCM, etc...when asked why they have said, I have brought this to 3 shops and they say I needed a new one. Get setup to change said part and start removing wire harnesses (I start with grounds now because of this) and start loosening a gound bolt and the ring terminal falls off the wires...replace the ring terminal with individual ring terminals (I also have found if you have the wire to do it if you have the wire coming off the 12 O'clock position and support the harness so strain is relieved they shed water instead of letting it pool)and the car is fixed...call customer and explain finding and they usually flip because they just want the part replaced. What would you do?
My thinking is they went to 3 other shops why did they not let them repair it . I see customers going to part stores doing free scans not knowing how to do repairs go to a shop more often lately . I see this as a bad customer tell them to watch this video or other ones on bad grounds and call you back . I try to avoid working on that type of personalitys cars in the first place hopefully that helps
@@kevinarmstrong864 great advice but I'm only the newest of the monkey's but it's not my zoo...the owner has been in business for 20+yrs in a 40k population town, so we get some of the interesting cases like you often find on this channel! Hence why I have been binge watching...someday soon I will be signing up for Scanner Danner's web learning. For now I'm the one in the shop that get's to change alot of oil and tires...and every so often get's handed a troubleshoot & note findings job, so the front office can send an estimate and get approval to fix...the more I learn the faster I get a diagnosis to these the more I will get...the faster I will get raises/bonuses. Eitherway thank you for commenting!
Bend the customer over as requested. Crazy stuff some people feel ripped off without being ripped off yet feel completely satisfied being ripped off ??
I have no sympathy for customers. When I hire stuff out, I look for the best in the business. If you want to be cheap and not pay a diagnostic charge, its on you. In the end, the best guy is usually actually very reasonably priced (if not cheaper) compared to the other clowns in town.
You guys are right. I grew up from 12 working on cars. My godfather had a shop and he took me in when my uncle died. Showed me how to no throw parts at cars or trucks. Find the real problem fix it. Do not ever put a part on car or that don’t need it.
G6 was a quality car, it had to been because it cost more than a Bentley in the 4 years I owned one. I had that ground problem too!! That was also fun to find, then a week later the water pump quit. AND after that the rad support rotted out..... replacing suspension parts every 7 months.... rust.... trans cooler lines.... bla bla, you get the idea
Paul, thank you and your brother for this. As TH-camrs we need to share this sort of thing, not only to help each other in the industry, but to inform customers of just how important it is to understand that diagnostics involve work, which needs to be paid for. It is not simply hooking up a scan tool and the tool telling us the part that failed. Unfortunately, many people still think that is the case. I for one always wonder where this idea came from. At no time has it ever been that way. Good on you and Danner. You guys are a huge asset to this industry. God Bless. Oh, and I caught the fact that your son made you 5 feet tall in the mugshot lolol
I know where some people get their bad ideas about diagnostics from. I've met too many people who love to just make arrogant and ignorant assumptions based on second hand nuggets of information they barely paid any attention to. My personal favorite is all the ads for pocket code readers and phone apps where people can read their own codes and suddenly think they know more than they do. The ads are always the same. It's Suzie Homemaker secretly plugs her dongle in and opens the app and reads her O2 sensor code. And then she goes to a shop to have it diagnosed and, miraculously, she's just saved herself from getting ripped off for thousands of dollars because they said she needed catalytic converters but her app just said O2 sensors. The one that makes me cringe most is the kids at the auto parts stores who pull codes for their customers. I've personally heard it where a counter guy pulled codes and said, "Well there you go; you have cam and crank sensor codes, so you need new cam and crank sensors." Admit it, you needed one more thing to roll your eyes at today.
@@shauno3697 you've hit the nail on the head there! I've seen too many tacky adverts where they'll have someone plugging an overpriced generic Bluetooth OBD2 code reader in and then claim the mechanic is ripping them off. They're atrocious and I can only imagine it will lead to a whole lot of difficult customers. If I was on the receiving end of that I'd simply say I have every confidence in them doing the job themselves and saving even more. They'll either have a chance of getting lucky, return with tail between their legs or go somewhere else to avoid embarrassment (and hopefully with an attitude adjustment).
From snap on dealers. I was just told on Friday " our new scanners select the pids and tell you what part to replace" lmao
@@challenger70rthat makes me want to buy an Autel more than ever.
Caleb’s video editing is really bringing some fun into your videos. Really enjoying having your brother in the videos lately. You all are awesome. Thanks for what you do.
Production level is top notch! It’s cool to see how Caleb has taken that side and really made it TV level quality!
Definitely a step up in the video quality -great job caleb.
THANK YOU GUYS !!!!! Just fixed my daughter 06 Pontiac G6 by repairing that same terminal connection. Same issues, intermittent starting problems, TC light was on, hard shifting, mass air flow code……All is good now. I never would have found it.
Glad it helped!
I have been going nuts over this same issue!! We thought it was the ignition lock cylinder, as it would just pull out of the switch because it had been drilled out. I have checked alternator, starter, I’ve went down so many rabbit holes in forums trying to figure it out. I’m going to check that ground tonight to see if it is the whole problem. We had a mechanic over last night who said we were getting the mass air sensor and the air intake temp sensor were throwing codes. The traction control wasn’t working and we have codes for the transmission as well. It even went into limp mode last night after changing the ignition switch. I will definitely check back to let you know if this fixes it!!! There are so many people that have had these same issues with these cars.
I think I am having the same exact issue. I first noticed the TCM and door locks would act up then I turned off my car and went to start it and nothing. I don't know how easy the grounds are to replace though.
Thank you guys for this video. I have been chasing a no communication problem with my 2007 G6. I replaced the PCM and that didn't work either so I found this video and THIS WAS MY EXACT PROBLEM, car is now fixed and gone. FYI this happened after the Transmission was replaced.
The words you spoke early in the video I do not recall hearing in any other video from any diagnostician on TH-cam and are probably one of the most important statements that could be made.
There are many DIYers that watch these videos when trying to resolve their own car problems. I would venture to guess that many end up bringing their car to a shop after being unable to fix their issue, so your statement on paying for diag work is one of the best teaching moments you have ever done.
Caleb- your skin tone corrections in your edits are superb. Seriously. A+, brother.
thank you! a small detail that goes usually unnoticed, but it means a lot that you noticed!
@@calebldanner If you're not already using Davinci Resolve, you have the skills (and the eye) to master that software. You'll have people calling you to color their movie projects (and make GREAT money doing it).
@@djosbun I actually have davinci resolve. But havent had the time to learn a new software. Ive been using adobe to color grade since a lot of the grading tools are similar to Lightroom and camera raw. Thank you for the complement, that means a great deal to me.
OMG the sweat rag was hilarious!!! Wow it’s been a while since I dropped by but holy cow Caleb has a definite career qualification in video editing. It’s a blast seeing how he just gets better and better and better! I think I am going to have to bingewatch this thanksgiving weekend and catch up on the last couple years!! Happy Thanksgiving Danner Family!!
My man! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks again for the phone call last night my friend. Happy Thanksgiving!
pro trick: you can watch series on KaldroStream. Been using them for watching all kinds of movies recently.
@Damian Melvin Yea, I've been watching on Kaldrostream for years myself :D
I’ve said for years that engineers should have to work as techs before they are allowed to design things on cars. Great video!
Camera man Caleb for the win! Caleb is killing it on these videos. This needs to be an actual tv show or Netflix series instead of the garbage that is on mainstream media. You guys are awesome. Great editing skills Caleb!
I'm glad that you showed the wiring diagram at the end showing how many things are affected bad the single ground connection. It showed exactly what I had found this afternoon. Mine started with a MAF sensor fault. Checked the sensor plug feed wire and had 12v. checked the plug ground wire and had a bad reading for the ground. While tracing the black/white wire and unwrapping the wires, I was hearing the door lock relay clicking in the fuse box as I squeezed the wire loom near the battery. I ended up figuring out that the exact same group of ground wires that you refer to were the cause of the door lock noise and just as yours did, the entire set of wires popped out of the eyelet without any effort. I only came across your video this evening after the fact. Sure wish I would have seen it first. Great catch and it's nice to know how many of these bad ground connections that you have come across. Keep up the good work.
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You I was having problems with erratic door locks and Trans not shifting on my 2006 G6 & this helped me fix the problem Thanks again keep up the good work
Mug shot...awesome. I love that you include us "customers". Even that I've been able to keep up on my own maintenance (with help from channels like yours) I like being an educated customer too.
Hi Wyatt 🤚🏼
@@theadventuresofjavier8698 Hello Javier!
Many years ago I did a head gasket job. A couple of months later customer (?) goes to another shop. Shop owner called me on how could I do all that work and not replace plug wires.( her new problem). I asked him if he would like to discuss it in person. I proceeded to bring a copy of her receipt showing her decline of new spark plug wires. discussion and apology over. I never bad mouth any other shop. 2 sides to every story.
I so happy to hear the opening monologue. So many customers don’t understand the importance of diagnosis. When a customer request to replace a specific part because someone said so I tell them that they need to pay in advance. When they ask why I politely tell them “ when it still doesn’t work I want to make sure I get paid”.
Thank you Paul Danner also a big thanks to James and Caleb.
This is absolutely invaluable information for me as a DIYer and a Chevy owner. I will be inspecting all my grounds on my Silverado as a preventive maintenance routine. Thank you James for allowing your shop to be our educational classroom. Awesome work guys thank you again from the community!!!!!
I have learned so much from this channel and South main auto. It has given me confidence to do more maintenance on my vehicle.
Y’all are awesome. God Bless you, and thank you. Your whole family working together is such a blessing to our repair community!!!
Thanks guys your great I've learned more watching you guys I'm checking in on your class I'm wondering if a pell grant will pay????
P
Automotive Engineers are like dispatchers that have never experienced commercial driving. Thanks for sharing your stuff. We really appreciate it.
Thank you so much for posting this! I've had the same problems. Fixed the same one you showed and the car started. Still won't start after it's at temp, but I think that's due to burnt wires in the fuse box connections. Fingers crossed I finally figured it out!
Great vid I Looooved the end “did you wipe your face with that ?” 🤣🤣🤣👍
My Pontiac is having this same issue. I just changed the starter and still nothing. When I turn the car on everything works but won’t cut but after a couple hours it starts fine
Mine too!! We are going to try this!
Thanks a lot team Danner, your videos are always fun, a big hug.
Hey Paul I just came across one of these tonight, or a 06 Cobalt. Had a Crank No Start with a U0101 no com to transmission control module. It was Ground 105. I just put up a quick video on it. Same exact thing. All the wires broke inside, but still crimped on.
Paul, you are GOD to me. I have been watching your videos. I have gained so much knowledge just from ur videos that i have now set up my own institute and workshop as well. It has been possible bcoz of u paul. I did not get any training. Jus with the help of ur videos i have come this far. Thank u soooo much
So awesome to hear. Thank you!
Great tip! Knowing common faults can save a lot of time. Loading that ground with 20-30A might be a good way to confirm it was bad. Thanks.
I started crying when your brother used your sweat rag... his reaction, priceless!
Marine wiring does not recommend solder connections because of the type of failure you saw here. Since the soldered wires are very stiff, all the stress is taken on the individual strands where they leave the solder. A plain crimp is actually less prone to failure.
Thanks guys. I walked out and 15 minutes later at no cost I fixed all my problems on a 05 cobalt
Glad it helped. Share with your friends 🙂
This video has to have had saved a lot of people i imagine! I fixed some parts and started getting a no com tcm code. I had the car sitting swearing i messed something up and needed a new starteror comp or tcm. Seen this video checked all grounds to the old g6 and the ground had plastic and corrosion covering the inside even though the outside looked not too bad
This ground issue emphasizes the importance of obtaining complete information from the operator, because a defective ground can cause seemingly unrelated problems, but as you well know, the problems are related to that bad ground. Another excellent video! Keep up the great work!
Thanks for solving my intermittent code problem! All car companies know about their engineering ( faux pas) but it works for the warranty period which is good to go out of the factory door!
Great video and specially having your brother there with all his experience too. The rag thing was pretty funny. I had the same problem on a 2000 Dodge Durango and I didn’t realize it was a bad ground. I just cut the wire to the exam and hooked it straight to ground. The car started in any gear since it bypassed the safety switch. I didn’t care, but now I would know how to fix it correctly. Thanks for the great tip.
😀😀😀😀😀great video Sanner Danner , and thanks for teaching🙏 saludos for big brother and camera man 📷 son Caleb
Scanner, I had that same problem with my daughters 2008 g6. The car would idle up and down but run ok out on the road. I found a few real thin gauge ground wires that i had to fix in that wire harness going across with the coolant tubes by the dipstick. The ground clip that you showed was corroded so i cleaned up and soldered it all and that's what the problem was.
Top danner, danner very good Video. Thanks for your Videos. All good for you and your danner, danner Family.
Ground again, and all by the book, Paul, it gets easier once you learn the basic things, like ground in this case, doesn't it? Good job, Danner's team. Can't stop watching you guys, it is so useful.
Thanks so much!
Watching now premium channel, won't go to bed soon, very good material to learn and to prepare for the Red seal exam, same as ASE I believe.
@@alexturov3612 thank you! I look forward to hearing from you. It's touch to keep up but I try to answer as many questions as I can for you guys.
@@ScannerDanner I bet you get them a lot every day, you do a big job over there, Paul, filming and teaching new generation of mechanics. Don't stop, please. Looking forward to seeing newer vehicles too.
Thanks!
This is completely unexpected but much appreciated! Thank you!
@@ScannerDanner You saved me testing the park/neutral and then trying to figure out where the ground was supposed to originate in the first place. If I encounter an expensive repair, the car is going to be donated. You've helped postpone that
They have a lot of fun with the brothers, they make the job more fun, the three of them make a good team, thanks for the teaching and the entertainment, make more videos together, thank you !!!
Excellent view, high quality camera
Paul I am sure you have heard 100 times that you two dont look like brothers... but you sure act like brothers :)
You 2 keep up the great work ! Thanks to you and Ivan at Pine hallow and SMA .. I was able to fix as friends no crank problem caused by a low cost immobilizer... I had to bypass the bypass :) .. Bu it now works with a key on and press a starter button
Hey my friend :) Maaaan ..Danners beard is massive!!!Awesome :) And so is this video.Love these videos that shows how important the basics are....Check grounds and feeds...Always. Thank you once again ,and i also hope you all are doing great :) Greetings from the NorwegianWiringViking, Stefan :)
Thanks for the info... got similar issues and I replaced battery and looked and tested starter. This could be the culprit. I'll let you know later if it works.
So if it’s the ground how come it takes 8 hours to start again shouldn’t it just not start at all I’m having the same issue where it will start in the morning and I cut it off and I have to wait hours for it to start again
Temperature expands and contracts metals.
Thanks guys for sharing what you found. Good information to not only look at the grounds but take a voltage reading at the same time to make sure their is no voltage on the ground. Voltage on ground bad. Stay well and safe 😊🇺🇸
My G6 experienced the same problem. The connection “looked” good, but meters don’t lie. Thanks for the help!
Thanks Paul and brother, Caleb. Good job...
When Danner said customer states: "Horn doesn't work but I don't care about that". 🤣
He said that it's unrelated (issue).
It is probably code for the lady to indicate to Danner that even though he's ugly, she still wants to cozy up to him.
Excellent video once again! Thanks for sharing. The shop towel ending is priceless.
Loved it, Thanks for sharing SD👍
Indeed the basic thing that you always teach us to be mindful of "Check your Grounds" but this one was really difficult to diagnose if not measured properly😉
Stay Safe Brothers❤
Great video Danner!. But I need to add something important. On testing bad or weak grounds, it's much better to do the LOAD test than using resistance measurements or voltage drop. Case in point. I just had a 08 Chevy Silverado. Symptoms were intermittent engine shutoff. While driving, the truck wound run fine, but when they turned the A/C on (Loading the ground), the engine would die. I used an old incandescent 4.5 Amp headlight as test light to load the grounds one by one while the engine was on, and when I loaded one of the grounds going to one relay, the engine would would shut off. I found that the bolt holding the bad ground to the engine came loose. The customer said the engine was swapped recently. On a loose ground the resistance measurement and the voltage drop would show an OK ground, because the ground eyelet was barely touching, but when you loaded the ground with a high amp source, the barely touching ground would break. Old headlight lamps as test lights work much better in these situations. Keep up the good work!
Yup. At my shop we've got a seasoned tech that was getting 12v to an actuator but when he'd activate the circuit nothing would happen. I gave him my 35w work light off of a tractor with some leads on it and told him to plug it into the connector. When he'd activate it, it would give a very dim light. Told him he had a corroded joint somewhere. He got to digging and found a corroded fuse terminal. He immediately went and bought himself a light for cases like that.
G105 is loaded as soon as the key is on lol
@@chekelley6861 Yes. It gets loaded....somewhat, but it needs a HEAVY load, like a compressor magnet or a headlight to really stress the connection to test. When grounds are loaded with a high amperage, faulty or weak grounds become apparent more readily. And sometimes you need to test the grounds and other connections with the key off.
@@cyberslacker5150 Actually, the proper way to test a circuit is in the system with the components in place as it was designed by the engineers and measured with a scope or DVOM. Will a substitute load work in most cases? Yes. Is it commonly seen all over TH-cam by famous diagnostic technicians? Yes. But you can make any circuit look bad if you load it beyond what it’s designed to do. Watching how bright a headlight bulb gets is entirely subjective. Using the existing loads combined with an actual measurement never lies.
All good info.
I am 96 now l have repaired many cars with ground issues,
British cars in the 60s and 70s had many of these problems. I went to a local garage where they had an issue with an Austin mini Cooper 1966.
They had changed the battery, dynamo starter motor and voltage control and cutout unit.
The car wouldn't start, turning over very slowly,as if it had a nearly flat battery.
I traced it to a bad ground in the engine ground to the chassis put a new ground cable in.
All the parts they had replaced where ok,
Looks like they change parts then have to get some one like me to fix it.
That was 48 yrs ago, and k am still fixing faults people keep asking me to fix their cars as the garages tend to rip them off
Thanks a lot!!! I had the same exact problem ground wire was broken didn’t look like it I pulled it fell right off
You guys did a great discussion on the Pontiac as the ground was not fitted properly obviously.
And who would have figured that out.
Thank you for sharing.
I swear the last of the Pontiacs had some ungodly ridiculous choices for far too many things, see placement of the 2008 Grand Prix's Steering Fluid cap/area practically in the depths of Hell, the rear right window's assembly would always crap out because the toggle switch could get stuck on "UP" despite looking centered which of course would wear out the tension/motor, the state of the grounds as shown in this video could lead to a lot of random nonsense popping up when all else seemed ok, just a major pain.
great video,
I have the same car my horn stopped working ended up being the relay after I took the time to install a new horn and still didn't work. lol.
I'm going to check my grounds now thanks for the information.
I wish I had a dollar for every electrical problem I've encountered that turned out to be a bad ground! Usually after I exhausted every other possibility! With 60 years experience, I could probably write a book.
G6, gm in general, cheap crappy wires, run in really hot places. Bad. Nightmare for average diy people. Thanks for the very helpful video guys. Truly appreciate your work and sharing this very valuable information!!
Проводка вечный геморрой в старых авто, особенно, когда в ней поковырялся клиент.
точно.
English?
@@dtnel Wiring in old cars is always pain in the ass, especially when client tried to "fix" it by himself. Privet comrade :)
@@VladGoro25 Privet comrade
With Chevy Cobalt's and Pontiac G5's that have those problems I simply run a 12 gauge wire from the ECM and TCM to the ground location that's on the jump ground point. Tends to fix many electrical issues.
You are welcome daner has a video on how he got started and its got some good information every one starts some where if you show interest and let the techs know u want to learn the should help you learn i spent 6 years doing a 4 year apprenticeship 30 year's ago and I still learn stuff every day .
This grounding issue reminds me of a problem with early model V6 Nissan Pathfinders, Frontiers, and Xterras. A bad ground terminal on the aluminum upper intake manifold can cause multiple trouble codes regarding O2 sensors. The service bulletin says that if the ground terminal is more than 25mV with a warm engine at idle, then a new ground wire should be installed. Fortunately, the terminal is easy to access.
I just came across your video about 2 months too late. I had an 09 Saturn Aura that I bought back in 2010. I drove it for 280K miles, always ran great but one day I got what felt like a hard shift, lost my speedometer and a few other funky electrical issues. Pulled the car over shut it off but when I went to restart it got it wouldn't even crank. I put my basic scan tool on it and it said it couldn't communicate with the TCM. I did check for bad grounds but now I'm not certain if I looked hard enough. Replacing the TCM (part was only about $200) was going to involve pulling the tranny and disassembling it so I ended up junking the car. I hope I didn't get rid of it because of a ground issue. Bums me out, that car would have easily gone another 100K miles.
Man i miss Saturn's! I had 4 different Saturn's every single one of them made it to 300,000 + miles on them when I sold them and always saw them back out on the road STILL GOING! I've not owned another car besides those that made it even to 150,000 before something major, usually transmission issues started up. I swear that's why they went out of business, they were just 2 Good!
Did you relocate the ground? What type of connector did you use to make the repair? Did you solder or crimp the connection ?
Got the same clock in my shop! Live to ride Ride to live! Great video Paul!
؟What device are you using
Hi very good channel with interesting explanation. I like it so much. I have problem with my car Ford focus 2005 symptoms are when the engine reaches the temperature of 90 degrees, the esp light comes on and the tachometer pointer works once and does not work. After reading the fault codes, it shows ABS U2023 and OBD2 P1132
When the engine is turned off and on again, the light goes out and the engine runs normally
What I noticed that after removing the plug from the temperature sensor when engine is working and cold on the dashboard the esp light comes on have same symptoms as after engine get 90 degrees.
I replaced temperature sensor for new original didn't work still same problem. Please advise what I should start and check to find out what is happening.
I have a ponic g6 2008 last night I went to start it to leave my brother's house and it would Crank or start . My headlights are bright the dome lights inside come on the horn works the key fob works it locks and unlocks the doors... I am stumped to what can be wrong and I don't have thousands of dollars to put into it.. please help
thanks for telling me a while back signing up to the premium site would help me well wanted to say more than i could have ever expected thanks for your hard work
Thank you so much!
Great information, thank you guys, excellent camera were Caleb
Is this for all years of g6? I've got a 05 that barely runs with no fault codes
I like the way these guys dont put other shops or people down
What would make Emmission readiness monitors not set for when you turn the key off they reset
It’s amazing how many engineering design flaws you see in aircraft also. That ending was hilarious!
This is a helpful video, thanks for sharing!
Thank you Danners' cubed. Good job again. Have a blessed and safe week to you and your families.
Danners cubed 😂
Pretty sure I have this issue on my wifes 2009 G6. What's the best way to get the wiring diagram so I can find the relevant grounds?
eautorepair.adtrk.biz/?a=10817&c=24&p=r&s1=
This is the DIY version of the same diagrams and service info I use. Thanks!
How can you test a fuse junction box that sits under the hood of a 97 Grand Prix GT 3.8. The repair shop said it was bad. I have the service engine soon light. I have already replaced both oxygen sensors and the other evap sensors. I didn’t want to keep dumping money. I get the bank 1 lean sensor code
Do you have a list of all the ground locations for the g6?
I do not. I'm sorry eautorepair.adtrk.biz/?a=10817&c=24&p=r&s1=
My OBDII PORT WILL NOT WORK. HOW CAN I FIX THIS?
Toyota Siennas have ground wires attached to each bank. One easily accessible on the right side when facing the engine and the other one not visible from the front but from the bottom. In my case I had heating circuits for the O2 sensors for both banks, these are shared, there are least 4 ground wires that are directly fed to the PCM that is used for grounding components, in this case the O2 sensors, the ground wires were toast and ripped off as soon as I touched it. I diagnosed this by watching the pulse width from the computer that was not present, I almost called the engine computer but I didn't realize the the computer had so many small ground wires. I guess Toyota doesnt have many shared ground internally as we are used to. This was a Toyota Sienna 2012.
is the Pontiac 2008 G6 GT direct-injection
I've got one same situation but scanner wont communicate
I wonder for testing purposes about adding some heavy duty ground wires from battery negative to the engine , chassis and body . However , is a component is missing it's ground then you would still be SOL . I see Eric O has a pair of vice grips added to ground a test light . That's taking no chances that you bite into a ground and it stays put .
Ok I have a 2010 g6 its starts but after awhile it will randomly just die out and will only crank and crank and won't start. I had fuel pump replaced, still doing it, had relays replaced and still nothing. So u think it could be a ground wire. Its got the 3500v6
for sure!
I just put a brand new alternator in my 2007 pontiac g6 but its still not charging the battery. 2days ago i put a new starter in and made the mistake of rushing and didnt unhook the hot on the battery. Socket knocked the ground wire off the old stater, and than sparked up on the engine directly behind the starter. The engine starts with a jump as the batterie is dead, but the alternator will not charge the batterie. Code 0010 came up. Any ideas?
you will need a good wiring diagram, maybe a blown fuse on that circuit? eautorepair.adtrk.biz/?a=10817&c=24&p=r&s1=
If you need additional help, post this to my forum www.scannerdanner.com it is free to join Thanks!
What are your thoughts about having a redundant ground on the TCM heat sink?
I was getting P1682 and U0101 - not very specific. I don't have access or can afford to purchase detailed information for this car. I eliminated virtually everything else and was about to investigate the park/neutral switch and came across your video. I did manage to get the car to start with a ground jump to the TCM heat sink so I knew there was ground issues but didn't know where the intended ground was.
Bottom line is that I stripped, braided and soldered all those little wires together and put them in a welding lug and then crimped and soldered that.
That's awesome, so you fixed it then?
@@ScannerDanner Yep! Fortunately I have experience working with some small wires. I miss the days that cars didn't have so many or small. I showed the guy at the parts store the original lug and he said that they're not supposed to be open to expose the wires like that. Shame he didn't work fir GM.
Omg thank you. This just fixed my g6. Bad g105 ground.
Glad I could help! This car had thousands of unnecessary repairs done for this issue
@@ScannerDanner I was chasing a intermittent stumble for a month. Random just acts like you shut the key off and back on. Then no maf sensor. G105 is ecu ground and maf ground.
Just fixed another one of these on a g6. It had been to 2 shops and one other mechanic said it need a new PCM. They called me to program replacement PCM. I knew what the problem was as soon as I arrived. Cleaned the wires, crimped on a new lug and hooked it back up and it was fixed. The customer didn't want to pay me my 85 for the diag and 50 for the labor. It told them that's fine. I can break it again, and grabbed my wire cutters, they were like no, no.. We will pay.
People suck man. Two different shops and you fixed it and they didn't want to pay? And your prices are cheap too!
Smh
Nice job my friend
Awesome vid, loving the new editing!
@0:03 "Feels like a mug shot."
You will never get away with your crimes because your short height gives you away!
🤣 I'm not 5ft, My son was poking fun at me as usual
LOL It looks like someone's sensitive about his lack of height!
4 people thumbed down due to COVID when James accidentally used Paul's sweat rag.
5' in your mugshot haha
smh, Caleb is such a punk
Cheese burger walrus🤣
those dern GM grounds lol , awesome video bro !!!!
Good catch. Thanks for sharing
As always Great video. I have had customers bring their car to the shop I work at and say I need you to install this transmission, PCM, etc...when asked why they have said, I have brought this to 3 shops and they say I needed a new one. Get setup to change said part and start removing wire harnesses (I start with grounds now because of this) and start loosening a gound bolt and the ring terminal falls off the wires...replace the ring terminal with individual ring terminals (I also have found if you have the wire to do it if you have the wire coming off the 12 O'clock position and support the harness so strain is relieved they shed water instead of letting it pool)and the car is fixed...call customer and explain finding and they usually flip because they just want the part replaced. What would you do?
My thinking is they went to 3 other shops why did they not let them repair it . I see customers going to part stores doing free scans not knowing how to do repairs go to a shop more often lately . I see this as a bad customer tell them to watch this video or other ones on bad grounds and call you back . I try to avoid working on that type of personalitys cars in the first place hopefully that helps
@@kevinarmstrong864 great advice but I'm only the newest of the monkey's but it's not my zoo...the owner has been in business for 20+yrs in a 40k population town, so we get some of the interesting cases like you often find on this channel! Hence why I have been binge watching...someday soon I will be signing up for Scanner Danner's web learning. For now I'm the one in the shop that get's to change alot of oil and tires...and every so often get's handed a troubleshoot & note findings job, so the front office can send an estimate and get approval to fix...the more I learn the faster I get a diagnosis to these the more I will get...the faster I will get raises/bonuses. Eitherway thank you for commenting!
Bend the customer over as requested. Crazy stuff some people feel ripped off without being ripped off yet feel completely satisfied being ripped off ??
Very informative. Great video
I have no sympathy for customers. When I hire stuff out, I look for the best in the business. If you want to be cheap and not pay a diagnostic charge, its on you. In the end, the best guy is usually actually very reasonably priced (if not cheaper) compared to the other clowns in town.
Most wanted. Auto technician 🔧🚘
I wish I wasnt on the wrong side of the state. I would love to be able take my cars to Danners shop.
You guys are right. I grew up from 12 working on cars. My godfather had a shop and he took me in when my uncle died. Showed me how to no throw parts at cars or trucks. Find the real problem fix it. Do not ever put a part on car or that don’t need it.
G6 was a quality car, it had to been because it cost more than a Bentley in the 4 years I owned one. I had that ground problem too!! That was also fun to find, then a week later the water pump quit. AND after that the rad support rotted out..... replacing suspension parts every 7 months.... rust.... trans cooler lines.... bla bla, you get the idea