*A must play song if you own one of these vans:* th-cam.com/video/RFnkCIwGwiA/w-d-xo.html Power Probe IV w/Case & Acc: amzn.to/2Uj6v4h Alligator Clips Test Leads : amzn.to/3bodNcO
I'm very grateful for your impressive dedication to making the right call, through diagnosis. I've learned more electrical advice from you than my journeymaan.
You seem to be a combination of a Genius Mechanic and a regular back yard mechanic. " banged on it with a chunk of pavement". You were born to do this. Im not sure if thats lucky or not.
Classic rust bucket, I remember jacking up my 68 Caddy convertible from the front bumper and listening to the coil springs break and seeing the doors binding from the car folding in half. 😯
@@rjb6327 ... Several of his videos feature cars sent to SMA from other local shops that couldn't quite get the job done by throwing parts in them. Diagnosis is sometimes an arcane art.
Gary Player says, "The more I practice, the luckier I get." Like many things in life, Ya got to be well grounded!. Thanks, Eric. Another great video. My meemaw taught me to tin the wire first, makes it easier to crimp. Then finish it up with heat and a little more solder, Cheers!
It's magic to me how you diagnose these issues. It's like solving a mystery or a puzzle. The diagnosis videos are my favorites, as I try to figure it out before you do (However, I've never done it yet.) Keep up the great work.
You can never have "too many" grounds, especially in a state that uses a lot of road salt! We use a quite a bit of road salt here in Wisconsin, and I always check the grounds first.
Good thing you were paying attention Eric. The owner definitely gave ya a good clue to where the problem was. Didn’t take ya long to track it down and put a nice repair in place. There’s not much left down there to connect to. Can only hope the guy realizes how bad the rust is getting
I'm glad to see you coat the new connection. We spray plastidip as we manufacturer many firetrucks that end up in your neck of the woods. Love it and keep 'em comin!
Eric, an easy way to crimp a ring connector to battery cable is to first form the ears that crimp onto the copper strands around a 5/16" steel rod, then remove the rod, insert the cable wires, and perform a final crimp-down on the copper strand before soldering. Always worked for me. Also, always let the molten solder solidify completely before moving it (taking it out of the vise, in this case). When the shiney(liquid) solder turns dull, it's cooled (solidified) enough to move. I am a SMA junkie.
This video saved me a ton of time and frustration. I had just finished cutting off my running boards and my van stopped running. Sure enough, the running board was completing the ground from the body to the frame. The ground strap rotted in two. I was searching around for tips on dropping the tank to replace the fuel pump when I found this video. Thank you Eric!
Ground to the P/S pump? Block to frame with a longer cable would be my suggestion. I fried a water pump years ago by running a ground from the alternator on a Cat engine. Lesson learned.
Just a piece of advice to others from a guy with plenty of soldering experience. You are quite right. You MUST solder the wire to the terminal because they will otherwise corrode in that environment, being dissimilar metals.
I watch to learn how to troubleshoot all things so wanted to thank you and your family for helping regular guys like me understand the new age ways the car company has complicated autos in general cuz I'm stuck in the 1960s when cars were simple I see people give up and throw away cars all the time ,no one gets the Hi-Tech computer or lingo used in all cars today the videos are first class and so are your skills are first rate top notch and a class act mechanic and you don't cus or throw a fit , and that takes years to explain so your dad must be a good personality to learn from for many years so thank him to for all of us out here learning to catch up in so many ways,good job TH-cam and south main auto
I remember that day when one of these chevys kicked my butt due to this ground wire. That was the day when I decided to become good at automotive electrical troubleshooting. Regards everyone. Stay safe.
I love that you do some of the things that us shadetree mechanics do, like beating on the gas tank. The basics still are the basics, even with all the electronic doodads we have today.
Sad to see such rust on any vehicle. In any northern state you have to make lots of money to replace the vehicle you need to work. I am still driving my 94 ford with only minor rust at the fenders. Thanks for sharing and be safe Eric and family.
Thanks so much for being a great teacher, I think I've got it drilled into my head now how you can't rely on ohms resistance measurements to test for a good ground. I just have to rewatch some of your other videos on maybe using a test light and maybe break out the instructions on my power probe to really learn the proper way to test electrical connections. I know some of your other videos just checking for proper voltage at a connection didn't necessarily mean there was sufficient current flow there as well. I think I see a common theme here, when using a volt-ohm meter, you can't assume you have sufficient current flow to the component you're testing. This is tough stuff to wrap my head around, I really appreciate this video to help me get where I need to be. Thanks!
thank you for the lesson Eric, I think this maybe the same problem I am having with my 95 Dodge, runs fine going down the interstate, goes into a limp mode, key off in neutral, fires right back up,
There's alot to be said about proof reading. My whole point of commenting was to show some appreciation. Wouldn't you know it that's the word I missed. I appreciate what folks like yourself and Scanner Danner are doing for us . Thank you.
Having the same problem with a 97’ Jeep Grand Cherokee... running fine, parked it, now if just spins and won’t start... bit of ether and she fires right up for a tic.. Thank you for this video, heading out right now to check out grounds.
Eric I’ve been binge watching your videos for the past few days. Not working right at the moment so your channel has helped tremendously with boredom!!!
Eric a little trick with heavy gauge wires is to bend it where you want to strip like a good u-bend, take a sharp razor and run it a lot the top of the bend and it will cut super easy and as long as your not a gorilla with the blade you won’t cut the strands. .
If you had no idea what your doing it would be a "lucky catch". But you sir, know what your doing and that is why you get "lucky"! Thanks for the content.
I have lived in Michigan all my life and I always thought our winters/salted roads were hard on vehicles, watching your videos and I will admit New York win hands down when it comes to winter salt damage. Great videos keep up the great work.
Done about a dozen of those. The braid is part of the negative cable but are always on back order. I usually go from the starter bolt down to the rearward control arm frame bracket with a cable. Hog out the hole with a unibit and grind it clean. 5 minutes and on to the next rott box. Gotta love Western NY
Thanks for keeping the content flowing. Here in France we’re confined so need plenty of content! I’ve got a 2005 Passat on the drive and keep hearing “if I can do it you can do it”....
Great video. A bad chassis or body ground can manifest in all sorts of weird issues. Random lights coming on when other accessories are powered on. turn signals flash when brake lights come on. fuel gauge drops from full to half tank when the head lights are turned on. Lots of crazy things happen when that circuit finds a ground through other circuits.
In general it's not a good idea to solder crimped connectors to stranded wire. The wire will crack and break with bending. You are probably ok because of the size of the wire. But, if it experiences much movement it will fail. Don't take that as a knock. Just friendly advice. Love your videos Eric! You keep it real. And you have superb troubleshooting skills. Thanks!
SHEVROLEY!!!! Man, make more videos, I'm in quarantine and your channel is one of the few that cranks me up and teaches me something with a laugh. Kudos to you!
you are an extremely skilled diagnostician . pleasure as always. How in the world could anyone ever give any one of your videos a thumbs down ? They must have DYSLEXIA ! GREAT JOB !
Enjoyed Eric,thanks,and to us all stay safe,make sure the older peoples have access to the basics,just be safe,we all love Theo family,hopefully we can all be safe with common sense,I’m ranting sorry people,be safe ,thank you for the short video,enjoyed.
Another excellent video on the importance of the ground side of a circuit. It is easy to focus just on the power side. Some may have been tempted to replace the fuel pump - that would hurt $$$!!!
I have been watching your videos for awhile now Eric . They are not only entertaining I find them very educational. You are very good mechanic and teacher. I greatly what you and people like Scanner Danner are doing for us . I realize that you are costing yourself time that translates into money. When this pandemic is over I plan on contributing thru PayPal. I think you folks are worth supporting for what your sharing with us . Please stay safe during this crisis Mr. O
GM actually stores them in the Gulf of Mexico (not near, in.) before selling them in the northern markets. If we saw new shiny undercarriages, we'd probably riot.
@Fascist Pedant Oddly enough, you're dead right. While the saltwater will accelerate rusting, the lack of oxygen at the bottom actually slows the process down significantly.
Was just gonna go out and work on my trailer but seen a SMA video come up. Thanks Eric O for keeping me quarantined in the house for 17 minutes and 23 seconds. Love your videos! Stay safe out there.
Another freezing day at SMA with a yard of Rustly cars awaiting with bad grounds that may not even be the main problem you are fixing!! You have to be mentally tough to face this everyday! haha I dont envy you Eric!! Love your channel. Best car repair and personality on the WW Net...
Really like the videos man, shows how rusty metal wrecks havoc. Ground, abs sensors brakes and cv axles. Down in the south, rust is not and issue just plain old diag skills needed. Keep the vids flowing.
I always solder/tin the wire first, dip the copper strands in flux, solder the copper ends, place on to the terminal bit of heat to stick the wire to the terminal and then bend the ends, bit more heat and solder just at the end, super neat way of doing it, don't get any whiskers!!!!
Another good teaching video. I’m not far from you, near Jamestown, NY. Unfortunately I deal with rust like you. I’m tired of it. I buy all my personal vehicles out of state. Fluid film is good stuff. I’m going to try woolswax. It’s thicker, so it’s supposed to hold up better in high splash areas. Stay healthy. Thanks, joe
I love watching your videos Mr O. I appreciate you making one during this crisis, thanks. You inspire me to do my own work. I'm not a professional like you or many of your viewers, so I have a lot to learn and you set a good standard to work by. Good health to you and your family. Best wishes from here in the UK.
I used to do the EXACT same thing then one day my brother gave me this amazing tool that you put the copper cable ends inside and you smack it with a hammer and it works amazing. I've even used a little chunk of copper pipe for a butt connector.
She rusty! Almost as bad as my S10 plow truck ... but that's still running for now. 😁 I learned about voltage drop testing when I was at MMI 20 years ago, but for whatever reason, I never used it, and forgot about it over the years. Then I saw one of your vids 3-4 years ago on it. Months later I had a bad ground in the new fog lights and headlight assemblies I installed in our '93 940, and I remembered your vid. Whenever I put the high beams on, the engine would choke, lights would go orange, and it would die. I had a 10.78 volt drop on the ground wire up there! I just drilled a hole nearby in the core support, ground off the paint, and ran a ground wire to that - haven't had an issue since. 👍🍻
Again great videos, keep em coming. A friends Motor Home electrical system was a night mere, some stuff worked, then at time they didn't work. After installing the ground wires to the eng block, starter, alternator, frame, firewall, and other areas, it all worked as advertised! The RV manufacturer didn't install ground wire one. Ground wires are good.
Those NY winters are really hard on vehicles. Looks like this one won't be structurally safe before too long. That "Chevy Van" song goes back to my days.
well your the man!!! I have a GMC work van and it did the same thing. I changed the fuel pump because I did not hear it coming on. she did not start so I changed the chrankshaft sensor no luck. BUT she's an old rusty girl!! YEP that grounding strap was pretty brittle. I tried it with some wire and gator clips first and it worked but I did mess with the other grounding strap a bit. so I just pulled it off the motor. Did the same thing you did and its working> Thank you!!!
Great job!!! The people in your area have no idea how lucky they are to have such a talented, honest mechanic.. there are too many places that I personally know that would’ve hit that guy for a fuel pump, and a few other things, and make the customer pay for all types of unnecessary repairs... it’s very good to see another honest person in the trade.. this could have added up to well over 1k bucks at other places who have poor ethics.. some places I know would even make the proper repair and then charge for a fuel pump remove and replace, including the price for a pump and all other associated parts and labor.. even lie and tell them they saved the customer money on not having to replace the tank straps or completely remove the tank... I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of that go on too.. nothing is worth ruining your good name and the years of hard work invested to just make some short quick cash.. plus I wouldn’t want anyone doing that to anyone in my family or friends.. Job well done, and I truly admire your honesty and hard work👍
Great video. One suggestion is to "tin" the copper strands before you crimp them. After crimping, then do your formal soldering. You won't lose any strands.
Our 2010 Forester had a broken ground strap no idea how that happened. I checked and it had two more ground straps. My early days of repairing snowmobiles and working on the lighting and shut off for the ignition taught me valuable lessons on the importance of having a ground strap on the engine to frame. One common issue was the tail light wiring was routed under the seat, after a few years, the wires would end up wearing through at the seat and grounding on the tunnel. Even the newer snowmobiles had the exact same problem. Lol.
HEY! spent the past 12 hours working on my chevy I randomly came across this video (been to channel before however) this ended up being my exact problem, I replaced the fuel pump which I sorta needed to anyway thinking that might of been it butit was the frayed ground wire to the frame it just disintegrated in my hand when i inspected it, went and got a new one and viola. Thanks!
I would have just connected the pump directly to the battery with a switch to turn it on and off as needed (for a diesel engine). For gas.... You did it perfectly!
I have been coming across this issue on a ton of G-vans lately. Some jumper cables make the diag easy, just getting under them in the parking lot is the fun part. You can just barely get the bolt out for ground cable behind the compressor bracket, takes some time but is worth it if you are replacing the cable.
Interesting the starter motor worked fine, so the engine ground was excellent. Even though the engine is bolted to the frame in many places, old vehicles rely on those extra ground straps to minimize resistance.
Jeremy Mann It's not too bad. Just remember to Engage Safety Squints(Stolen from AVE) and wear an approved safety mask, and maybe cotton balls in each year to prevent rust from being trapped forever in the ear canal.
Quick way to check for a bad ground like that, especially on a road call, is to use battery jumper cables. Put the black on the battery negative, and the other end of the black to a good frame spot. I have also found that inspection monitors (IM readiness) that fail to reset, could indicate a bad ground.
Cool diagnosis. I feel dumb. My 1996 Chevy WT1500 had a rustier frame than this one but the body panels and rockers were in good condition. Just had some rust on the underside of the door and the cab corners. The body on this beast did not look good. My ground strap looked the same but used just a 10 gauge piece of wire being too cheap to buy a battery cable. That was some quality work in the video and the new strap will outlast the truck by 15 years.
Thanks I just learned some good info. I like the way you think and diagnose and explain. Good fast work, you came up with a good result for the customer. I am now a subscriber. Thanks again
Oh yeah I've seen many of those ground straps broken before. First one I found the pump wasnt cycling so I went to lift it on the 2 post and it shifted enough that it made a good ground and the pump would come on. I've had 3 or 4 of them since.
Your comment about gauges acting wonky got me thinking...could I have a bad ground on my 25 year old F150... I've got some wonky readings too. And an intermittent stumble that I haven't been able to figure out!
I used to put a cable on the motor mount bolt driver side lower rear and run it to a hole in the frame and jam a 3/8-16 nut and bold and called it good.......can't count how many pumps got replaced over this for nothing.... They are just as bad up here too. I think New York and Ontario share the same philosophy on snow/rust control....
Great video Eric, great diagnosing skills as usual , I keep ready made earth cables in stock , different lengths, from a decent source , most car repair garages are closing around my area in the UK , our government have today given cars and vans an extra 6 months on the yearly vehicle inspection after 1st April , most main agents closed , not many parts suppliers open , stay safe boys
My power probe makes a static sound if it dosen't detect a good ground, at least I think. Good job! I could see a lesser shop changing fuel pumps and throwing other parts at it and that would snow ball into other parts with all that rust!
Proper fix . I would have gone larger gauge 4 is ok 2 much better . Look like the battery to engine should be replaced also. I understand time needs to be billed so a heads up about the battery to engine cable replacement. enjoyed the video.
![ประสบการณ์ จ้าง Developer ที่ผมจะไม่มีวันลืม [ภาค2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/pZbsSDRrmXA/mqdefault.jpg)
*A must play song if you own one of these vans:* th-cam.com/video/RFnkCIwGwiA/w-d-xo.html
Power Probe IV w/Case & Acc: amzn.to/2Uj6v4h
Alligator Clips Test Leads : amzn.to/3bodNcO
Hey were's the jeep hat.
South Main Auto Repair LLC good song I remember it well
I'm very grateful for your impressive dedication to making the right call, through diagnosis.
I've learned more electrical advice from you than my journeymaan.
That makes it run better when you here this song. Lol
Eric, what site do you use to find all those fancy wiring diagrams?
You seem to be a combination of a Genius Mechanic and a regular back yard mechanic. " banged on it with a chunk of pavement". You were born to do this. Im not sure if thats lucky or not.
Flashlight falls, ERIC: "Whoa!! Man down!" just cracks me up evertyime. Or Eric's classic: "What the thunder!" - Always a good day with SMA!
Or.. whoa fella! There's yer problem lady! Brakleen ! Napper, advanced auto, etc -- not a sponsor
My personal favorite is "Enhance"
@@Br4c3F4c3 or, un-enhance. :-)
You need a “ there’s your problem lady” shirt!
Those words sound good only from Eric. None of the others trying to use it sound right.
Best thing about this quarantine is I can binge watch SMA!
Hmm. good idea I haven't watched all of his vintage footage.
** check your supply of
Coffee.
Beer.
Internet Connection.
And tp
Don't worry, we will be able to go out come Easter
@@elynio1711 damn sure isn't your fault but that sure as hell did not age well did it. ☹️
SMA. Shiny Metal Action.
One positive attribute at SMA..the lead mechanic is well grounded.😎👍
Bite my Shiny Metal Ass!!! 😂😂😂😂😂
@@adventureoflinkmk2 good Futurama reference
That ground cable just doubled the value of that rust bucket...
Makes me glad I don't live in up state New York.
Your right. That ground cable is the best thing on that van
Filling the tank full of gas doubles the value.
Never underestimate the value of a work van that still runs.
Well technically it probably did more than that, turned it from a non running van to a running driving one
Classic rust bucket, I remember jacking up my 68 Caddy convertible from the front bumper and listening to the coil springs break and seeing the doors binding from the car folding in half. 😯
OUCH!!
I finally figured out why I find your videos so relaxing. You’re the automotive equivalent of Bob Ross.
Ever get the feeling that other local shops are saying "go see Eric at SMA, he is an expert on rust nightmares"
If you look him up on Google maps, I think he's the only shop in town.
@@rjb6327 Seems like he said at one time that there were a couple in town.
It's western/upstate NY. Every shop works on rust nightmares on a daily basis :-P
@@rjb6327 yelp shows 5 in the area
@@rjb6327 ... Several of his videos feature cars sent to SMA from other local shops that couldn't quite get the job done by throwing parts in them. Diagnosis is sometimes an arcane art.
Gary Player says, "The more I practice, the luckier I get." Like many things in life, Ya got to be well grounded!. Thanks, Eric. Another great video. My meemaw taught me to tin the wire first, makes it easier to crimp. Then finish it up with heat and a little more solder, Cheers!
Everytime I see the bottom of the cars you work on I just shake my head. No way I can deal with that much corrosion and Rust. My hat off to you man.
It's magic to me how you diagnose these issues. It's like solving a mystery or a puzzle. The diagnosis videos are my favorites, as I try to figure it out before you do (However, I've never done it yet.) Keep up the great work.
You can never have "too many" grounds, especially in a state that uses a lot of road salt!
We use a quite a bit of road salt here in Wisconsin, and I always check the grounds first.
Good thing you were paying attention Eric. The owner definitely gave ya a good clue to where the problem was. Didn’t take ya long to track it down and put a nice repair in place. There’s not much left down there to connect to. Can only hope the guy realizes how bad the rust is getting
I'm glad to see you coat the new connection. We spray plastidip as we manufacturer many firetrucks that end up in your neck of the woods. Love it and keep 'em comin!
Eric, an easy way to crimp a ring connector to battery cable is to first form the ears that crimp onto the copper strands around a 5/16" steel rod, then remove the rod, insert the cable wires, and perform a final crimp-down on the copper strand before soldering. Always worked for me.
Also, always let the molten solder solidify completely before moving it (taking it out of the vise, in this case). When the shiney(liquid) solder turns dull, it's cooled (solidified) enough to move. I am a SMA junkie.
The no crank/no start diags are definitely my favorite. Thank you for another one!
This video saved me a ton of time and frustration. I had just finished cutting off my running boards and my van stopped running. Sure enough, the running board was completing the ground from the body to the frame. The ground strap rotted in two. I was searching around for tips on dropping the tank to replace the fuel pump when I found this video. Thank you Eric!
Ground to the P/S pump? Block to frame with a longer cable would be my suggestion. I fried a water pump years ago by running a ground from the alternator on a Cat engine. Lesson learned.
Just a piece of advice to others from a guy with plenty of soldering experience. You are quite right. You MUST solder the wire to the terminal because they will otherwise corrode in that environment, being dissimilar metals.
I watch to learn how to troubleshoot all things so wanted to thank you and your family for helping regular guys like me understand the new age ways the car company has complicated autos in general cuz I'm stuck in the 1960s when cars were simple I see people give up and throw away cars all the time ,no one gets the Hi-Tech computer or lingo used in all cars today the videos are first class and so are your skills are first rate top notch and a class act mechanic and you don't cus or throw a fit , and that takes years to explain so your dad must be a good personality to learn from for many years so thank him to for all of us out here learning to catch up in so many ways,good job TH-cam and south main auto
I remember that day when one of these chevys kicked my butt due to this ground wire. That was the day when I decided to become good at automotive electrical troubleshooting. Regards everyone. Stay safe.
I love that you do some of the things that us shadetree mechanics do, like beating on the gas tank. The basics still are the basics, even with all the electronic doodads we have today.
Yep, always go for the easy and cheap things first. The knocking on a starter trick got me home one time, and I was surely grateful for that.
'95 Ford Windstar. I could hit the tank, fuel pump would run. Hit it again, pump would stop.
New pump time.
Sad to see such rust on any vehicle. In any northern state you have to make lots of money to replace the vehicle you need to work. I am still driving my 94 ford with only minor rust at the fenders. Thanks for sharing and be safe Eric and family.
Thanks so much for being a great teacher, I think I've got it drilled into my head now how you can't rely on ohms resistance measurements to test for a good ground. I just have to rewatch some of your other videos on maybe using a test light and maybe break out the instructions on my power probe to really learn the proper way to test electrical connections. I know some of your other videos just checking for proper voltage at a connection didn't necessarily mean there was sufficient current flow there as well. I think I see a common theme here, when using a volt-ohm meter, you can't assume you have sufficient current flow to the component you're testing. This is tough stuff to wrap my head around, I really appreciate this video to help me get where I need to be. Thanks!
Yep, me too! Thanks @southmainauto!
thank you for the lesson Eric, I think this maybe the same problem I am having with my 95 Dodge, runs fine going down the interstate, goes into a limp mode, key off in neutral, fires right back up,
It’s nice to see a mechanic deal with rust. Good video as always
had an old chevy that the throttle cable turned into a fuse link. made it home on shoe strings instant learning experience
There's alot to be said about proof reading. My whole point of commenting was to show some appreciation. Wouldn't you know it that's the word I missed. I appreciate what folks like yourself and Scanner Danner are doing for us . Thank you.
Having the same problem with a 97’ Jeep Grand Cherokee... running fine, parked it, now if just spins and won’t start... bit of ether and she fires right up for a tic.. Thank you for this video, heading out right now to check out grounds.
Eric I’ve been binge watching your videos for the past few days. Not working right at the moment so your channel has helped tremendously with boredom!!!
This was one of the first SMA video's I watched that got me interested in the whole diag process. Easily one of my favorites!
Eric a little trick with heavy gauge wires is to bend it where you want to strip like a good u-bend, take a sharp razor and run it a lot the top of the bend and it will cut super easy and as long as your not a gorilla with the blade you won’t cut the strands. .
If you had no idea what your doing it would be a "lucky catch". But you sir, know what your doing and that is why you get "lucky"! Thanks for the content.
I have lived in Michigan all my life and I always thought our winters/salted roads were hard on vehicles, watching your videos and I will admit New York win hands down when it comes to winter salt damage. Great videos keep up the great work.
yes we have it the worst in upstate NY, its aweful
Done about a dozen of those. The braid is part of the negative cable but are always on back order. I usually go from the starter bolt down to the rearward control arm frame bracket with a cable. Hog out the hole with a unibit and grind it clean. 5 minutes and on to the next rott box. Gotta love Western NY
Thanks for keeping the content flowing. Here in France we’re confined so need plenty of content! I’ve got a 2005 Passat on the drive and keep hearing “if I can do it you can do it”....
Great video. A bad chassis or body ground can manifest in all sorts of weird issues. Random lights coming on when other accessories are powered on. turn signals flash when brake lights come on. fuel gauge drops from full to half tank when the head lights are turned on. Lots of crazy things happen when that circuit finds a ground through other circuits.
In general it's not a good idea to solder crimped connectors to stranded wire. The wire will crack and break with bending.
You are probably ok because of the size of the wire. But, if it experiences much movement it will fail.
Don't take that as a knock. Just friendly advice.
Love your videos Eric! You keep it real. And you have superb troubleshooting skills.
Thanks!
SHEVROLEY!!!! Man, make more videos, I'm in quarantine and your channel is one of the few that cranks me up and teaches me something with a laugh. Kudos to you!
you are an extremely skilled diagnostician . pleasure as always. How in the world could anyone ever give any one of your videos a thumbs down ? They must have DYSLEXIA ! GREAT JOB !
Enjoyed Eric,thanks,and to us all stay safe,make sure the older peoples have access to the basics,just be safe,we all love Theo family,hopefully we can all be safe with common sense,I’m ranting sorry people,be safe ,thank you for the short video,enjoyed.
Another excellent video on the importance of the ground side of a circuit. It is easy to focus just on the power side. Some may have been tempted to replace the fuel pump - that would hurt $$$!!!
I have been watching your videos for awhile now Eric . They are not only entertaining I find them very educational. You are very good mechanic and teacher. I greatly what you and people like Scanner Danner are doing for us . I realize that you are costing yourself time that translates into money. When this pandemic is over I plan on contributing thru PayPal. I think you folks are worth supporting for what your sharing with us . Please stay safe during this crisis Mr. O
pretty sure youre just finding cars at the bottom of the ocean at this point
Comment of the week
They keep better at the bottom of the ocean.
GM actually stores them in the Gulf of Mexico (not near, in.) before selling them in the northern markets. If we saw new shiny undercarriages, we'd probably riot.
LoL.
"" Next time Mr Eric O works on the Titanic.""
@Fascist Pedant Oddly enough, you're dead right. While the saltwater will accelerate rusting, the lack of oxygen at the bottom actually slows the process down significantly.
Was just gonna go out and work on my trailer but seen a SMA video come up. Thanks Eric O for keeping me quarantined in the house for 17 minutes and 23 seconds. Love your videos! Stay safe out there.
The Best Mechanic Ever
He is fussy about the new ground wire on an old rust-bucket van. That is dedication to quality work.
Your video's remind of why I stay in Alabama and not having to do that anymore.
Another freezing day at SMA with a yard of Rustly cars awaiting with bad grounds that may not even be the main problem you are fixing!! You have to be mentally tough to face this everyday! haha I dont envy you Eric!!
Love your channel. Best car repair and personality on the WW Net...
Really like the videos man, shows how rusty metal wrecks havoc. Ground, abs sensors brakes and cv axles. Down in the south, rust is not and issue just plain old diag skills needed. Keep the vids flowing.
I always solder/tin the wire first, dip the copper strands in flux, solder the copper ends, place on to the terminal bit of heat to stick the wire to the terminal and then bend the ends, bit more heat and solder just at the end, super neat way of doing it, don't get any whiskers!!!!
Another good teaching video.
I’m not far from you, near Jamestown, NY. Unfortunately I deal with rust like you.
I’m tired of it. I buy all my personal vehicles out of state.
Fluid film is good stuff.
I’m going to try woolswax. It’s thicker, so it’s supposed to hold up better in high splash areas.
Stay healthy.
Thanks,
joe
I love watching your videos Mr O. I appreciate you making one during this crisis, thanks. You inspire me to do my own work. I'm not a professional like you or many of your viewers, so I have a lot to learn and you set a good standard to work by. Good health to you and your family. Best wishes from here in the UK.
I used to do the EXACT same thing then one day my brother gave me this amazing tool that you put the copper cable ends inside and you smack it with a hammer and it works amazing. I've even used a little chunk of copper pipe for a butt connector.
Willa Herrera it’s a hammer crimper I forgot the exact name but there cheap and work great.
@@FishFind3000 I got mine at Harbor Freight, and if you have a large vise, you can just "squeeze" the tool with that. You're right! Great tool.
I think the ol' girl has a date with the crusher when the next sticker comes due!
Body on frame vehicles can't fail NYS inspection for holes in the body. As long as the frame is solid it's a pass.
If it runs, it's good to go.
A Bit of a sand blast, a bit of Film Spray. Then it will be better than Macgyvers swiss army knife.
yar--that's just sheet metal--patcheroo and keep on truckin'
max p you sure on that? In Vermont holes in the body is a no no.
SURFING TH-cam I FOUND THIS VIDEO REALLY NEEDED SOMETHING GOOD AT A TIME LIKE THIS THANKS FOR YOUR TIME !
I sure enjoy your videos just common sense and no arrogance it’s Great in down to Earth
She rusty! Almost as bad as my S10 plow truck ... but that's still running for now. 😁
I learned about voltage drop testing when I was at MMI 20 years ago, but for whatever reason, I never used it, and forgot about it over the years. Then I saw one of your vids 3-4 years ago on it. Months later I had a bad ground in the new fog lights and headlight assemblies I installed in our '93 940, and I remembered your vid. Whenever I put the high beams on, the engine would choke, lights would go orange, and it would die. I had a 10.78 volt drop on the ground wire up there! I just drilled a hole nearby in the core support, ground off the paint, and ran a ground wire to that - haven't had an issue since. 👍🍻
Eric's attention to detail. "Finished appearance" going on a complete rust bucket!!
Again great videos, keep em coming. A friends Motor Home electrical system was a night mere, some stuff worked, then at time they didn't work. After installing the ground wires to the eng block, starter, alternator, frame, firewall, and other areas, it all worked as advertised! The RV manufacturer didn't install ground wire one. Ground wires are good.
Those NY winters are really hard on vehicles. Looks like this one won't be structurally safe before too long.
That "Chevy Van" song goes back to my days.
well your the man!!! I have a GMC work van and it did the same thing. I changed the fuel pump because I did not hear it coming on. she did not start so I changed the chrankshaft sensor no luck. BUT she's an old rusty girl!! YEP that grounding strap was pretty brittle. I tried it with some wire and gator clips first and it worked but I did mess with the other grounding strap a bit. so I just pulled it off the motor. Did the same thing you did and its working> Thank you!!!
Take care with everything that's going on in New York just now Eric🤘🤘
Great job!!! The people in your area have no idea how lucky they are to have such a talented, honest mechanic.. there are too many places that I personally know that would’ve hit that guy for a fuel pump, and a few other things, and make the customer pay for all types of unnecessary repairs... it’s very good to see another honest person in the trade.. this could have added up to well over 1k bucks at other places who have poor ethics.. some places I know would even make the proper repair and then charge for a fuel pump remove and replace, including the price for a pump and all other associated parts and labor.. even lie and tell them they saved the customer money on not having to replace the tank straps or completely remove the tank... I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of that go on too.. nothing is worth ruining your good name and the years of hard work invested to just make some short quick cash.. plus I wouldn’t want anyone doing that to anyone in my family or friends.. Job well done, and I truly admire your honesty and hard work👍
Living in Minnesota I’m very glad we don’t have inspections, as cars rot here and an inspection would severely limit their lifespan.
I'm up in Duluth and probably 2/3rds the cars here wouldn't pass any inspection
Great video. One suggestion is to "tin" the copper strands before you crimp them. After crimping, then do your formal soldering. You won't lose any strands.
Another great video, Eric. You're a magician at keeping the dearly should-be departed, going.
Our 2010 Forester had a broken ground strap no idea how that happened. I checked and it had two more ground straps. My early days of repairing snowmobiles and working on the lighting and shut off for the ignition taught me valuable lessons on the importance of having a ground strap on the engine to frame. One common issue was the tail light wiring was routed under the seat, after a few years, the wires would end up wearing through at the seat and grounding on the tunnel. Even the newer snowmobiles had the exact same problem. Lol.
HEY! spent the past 12 hours working on my chevy I randomly came across this video (been to channel before however) this ended up being my exact problem, I replaced the fuel pump which I sorta needed to anyway thinking that might of been it butit was the frayed ground wire to the frame it just disintegrated in my hand when i inspected it, went and got a new one and viola. Thanks!
I would have just connected the pump directly to the battery with a switch to turn it on and off as needed (for a diesel engine).
For gas.... You did it perfectly!
I have been coming across this issue on a ton of G-vans lately. Some jumper cables make the diag easy, just getting under them in the parking lot is the fun part. You can just barely get the bolt out for ground cable behind the compressor bracket, takes some time but is worth it if you are replacing the cable.
Fixed a couple of those. Got to love salt. Was so happy I didn’t have to drop the fuel tank.
This guy knows all the tricks
Now that I've started watching AvE as well, I can finally understand the references!
Interesting the starter motor worked fine, so the engine ground was excellent. Even though the engine is bolted to the frame in many places, old vehicles rely on those extra ground straps to minimize resistance.
Motor mount are rubber
That was great, Mr. O. I don't know how they sell new cars in places that don't have rust issues.
You are a well grounded mechanic....
Love crimping and soldering 💗
Your vids are giving people hope in these times of uncertainty. Good for you man
Man I am so glad I live in Texas... I can't imagine working with all that rust.
So long as you get your monthly Tetanus booster, it's all good.
Working with it isn't too bad as long as you have a Victor wrench. Worst part is your feet sticking thru the floor like Fred Flintstone.
Jeremy Mann
It's not too bad. Just remember to Engage Safety Squints(Stolen from AVE) and wear an approved safety mask, and maybe cotton balls in each year to prevent rust from being trapped forever in the ear canal.
@@LuckyBaldwin777 I prefer the Harris wrench myself.
The only good thing about the rust is that the torch helps warm up the garage
Nice work Eric O hope you're doing well today.
awesome repair, fuel issue connected to the ground issue, thks u and the family be well
You've got to watch out for those wire whiskers, they might short to ground!
Warning 50,000 ohms LOL
I assume this is a joke since he is actually making a ground. 😂😂
Like Dinner and a movie, another kick but video from the master of rust! Thanks Eric!!!!
Quick way to check for a bad ground like that, especially on a road call, is to use battery jumper cables. Put the black on the battery negative, and the other end of the black to a good frame spot. I have also found that inspection monitors (IM readiness) that fail to reset, could indicate a bad ground.
Cool diagnosis. I feel dumb. My 1996 Chevy WT1500 had a rustier frame than this one but the body panels and rockers were in good condition. Just had some rust on the underside of the door and the cab corners. The body on this beast did not look good. My ground strap looked the same but used just a 10 gauge piece of wire being too cheap to buy a battery cable. That was some quality work in the video and the new strap will outlast the truck by 15 years.
14:06 Back end of the noon-time alarm! LUNCH!!!
Thanks I just learned some good info. I like the way you think and diagnose and explain. Good fast work, you came up with a good result for the customer. I am now a subscriber. Thanks again
Eric your great expressions are getting competition from Mastermilo (Great success) One of his projects is doing a DIY on a Russian tank.
I think pretty soon that whole vehicle is gonna be grounded...
grounded into chunks, and recycled.
Oh yeah I've seen many of those ground straps broken before. First one I found the pump wasnt cycling so I went to lift it on the 2 post and it shifted enough that it made a good ground and the pump would come on. I've had 3 or 4 of them since.
and this is why you bring it to South Main Auto. Nice job Eric as usual
The first gen power probe was a diagnostic game changer.
Your comment about gauges acting wonky got me thinking...could I have a bad ground on my 25 year old F150... I've got some wonky readings too. And an intermittent stumble that I haven't been able to figure out!
I used to put a cable on the motor mount bolt driver side lower rear and run it to a hole in the frame and jam a 3/8-16 nut and bold and called it good.......can't count how many pumps got replaced over this for nothing.... They are just as bad up here too. I think New York and Ontario share the same philosophy on snow/rust control....
Hope you and the family are staying safe eric! Hope this virus goes away soon!
Great video Eric, great diagnosing skills as usual , I keep ready made earth cables in stock , different lengths, from a decent source , most car repair garages are closing around my area in the UK , our government have today given cars and vans an extra 6 months on the yearly vehicle inspection after 1st April , most main agents closed , not many parts suppliers open , stay safe boys
My power probe makes a static sound if it dosen't detect a good ground, at least I think. Good job! I could see a lesser shop changing fuel pumps and throwing other parts at it and that would snow ball into other parts with all that rust!
Proper fix . I would have gone larger gauge 4 is ok 2 much better . Look like the battery to engine should be replaced also. I understand time needs to be billed so a heads up about the battery to engine cable replacement. enjoyed the video.