I hope the customer knows that you are one of the few guys in the world that has the knowledge, skills, patience, troubleshooting skills and genuine caring for the customer that helped him out of a really bad situation. Amazing job Wes.
@Dave DDM The video is 40 minutes. There's a very good chance that more than 2 hours was put into the vehicle. Every minute extra that was worked over 2 hours was done as a nice deed for a young guy with very little money who got taken advantage of by a shady seller.
Agreed. Pretty obvious he put in way more than the 2 hours he likely charged the guy. We have a saying in the south that applies to Wes. "He's good people."
I've been ripped-off many times with used cars. Especially when I was much younger. People are jerks. There should be more liability on people who sell used vehicles.
@@southjerseysound7340 The Wizard. I don't understand how he gets business. If he charges the prices he claims in his videos, there's some stupid people in Kansas
As an electrician the phrase “at that point the wire becomes the fuse” was spot on ! I’m probably going to borrow that phrase. Thanks Wes, that was an awesome repair. That kid could’ve been driving down the road and that thing could’ve lit up on him, what if he had some little ones in a car seat in the back. I hope Facebook flipper meets Karma some day soon~
Reasons why Wes shouldn’t be interested in spending his time for a net $10.00 bucks an hour on cars or pick ups that should have been driven into a bridge abutment years ago with out a single backward glance. $40,00 an hour is now the new ten buck an hour rate. One of my grand kids works at an ice cream parlor, he is 14 years old and this is his first job. With tips he earned $36,00 per hour, lives at home with his parents. My first job was shoveling horse manure into the back of a PU. I earned 1.00 per hour. When I told him this story his eyes glazed over.
I continue to be amazed at your troubleshooting capabilities. Having spent 40+ years troubleshooting industrial equipment, cars and trucks you're as good as anyone I've ever worked with. Nice job of bringing this one back to life.
I feel like if I paid a shop for 2 hours worth of work, they wouldn't do any of this extensive diagnosis. I'd be lucky if they diagnosed even one of the issues in that time. Good work, Wes.
I think most shops start the timer when you pull in, they have to put their suit on and boots and put down the mat and move the car and open the hood and oops there goes the first hour time to pee, ok we have 54 minutes left to diagnose this thing, let’s start by pressing buttons and reading codes, no codes? Ok customer needs a new module (I made this guess too though) send it.
Took my bike into Yamaha too get an ABS light checked Said that the bike was tuned so they can’t communicate with the ecu (yeah right) So I asked if they followed the diagnosis for no communication to the module, “yes we have followed every wire, checked every plug and run manual tests on the voltage across the modules and no issues were found. It’s your tune messing with the ABS” ….my sheer annoyance with their shitty service made me that afternoon, start to go through the wiring like Wes does. I didn’t plug in the ABS properly last time I was in there 🤦🏻♂️ Looked perfectly fine, but was only clipped o. The side you could see Diagnosed the module my ass, would’ve made an easy killing off the labour if they did any diagnosis at all
As someone who has owned several 1998-2004 S10s, Blazers and Sonoma, I can say a few things with confidence. Most of those years had a sensor on the dash for automatic headlights. You can bypass it by pressing the round button under the light switch three times and you'll hear a chime. The oblong button under the light switch you turned on, turns on the fog/driving lights integrated into the headlight /signal light assembly. Those years engines had a spider injection system under the upper intake manifold, not throttle body injection. The early models used a mechanical pressure pulsed poppit valve in each intake runner (CSFI) and those went bad and leaked fuel often. I think in 2000 they switched to electrical opening poppit valves (MPFI), but it is still a single central injector with a fuel "spider" to each poppit. You can upgrade the older mechanical ones with the later model electrical ones. Nice work Wes, thanks for bringing us along.
I think your absolutely right, without question. But hopefully in the long run, Wes has a new customer for life and subsequent work from friends and family of said customer. 👍
@@86FxBdyCpe i wouldnt be surprised if wes never wants to see this blazer in his shop again. Im sure if he does see it coming in hes going to think more damage occurred in that harness and wants nothing to do with it. I wouldnt blame him one bit, cause like he said just never know n theres really nothing he can do that would be worth it given the situation. He did damn good though. Really did save this poor kid a major headache and possible fire burning down the car. Kids lucky he took it to someone that actually knows what they are doing and not the dude he got the truck from or some other hack.
@@jacksmith2315 Eh, future electrical gremlins on this will be easy to chase down because you already know what harness is likely to contain the problem and you've already got your root cause if it does. Identify the relevant circuits, verify they run through that harness, cut your losses, cut the wires and run an overlay.
Wes as a retired mechanic of some 48 years, I got say I absolutely love your dry wit and the sarcasm.. the only thing missing is the fog of blue air that usually in my case accompanied my commentary about a customer’s pile that had been deposited in my work area.. you bring a big smile on this old mans face every time you post a video.. just glad I never resided in the rust belt.. you hit the proverbial nail on the head about BUYER BEWARE, and that goes for wherever you live..
I made it as far as the compression fittings on the brake line. And I remember back to watching a "Rev Up Your Engines" video with Scotty K. saying his usual nonsense and saying compression fittings are 100% okay for brake lines. Compression fittings are NOT designed to be used on brake lines PERIOD! And now back to our video already in progress.....Special shout out to everyone's favorite arm waving mechanic!! Scotty K.! (I'm sure he's right about 80% of the time. But that other 20% can be a disaster....Just in my opinion...)
Any troubleshooter worth his gold never stops his wheels churning. "I went home and thought about it" is the sign of a man who will not let something, no matter how bad the situation, get in his way. In addition, the odds were this kid would likely have not found someone to do everything you did, as well. Great job. Liked and subscribed.
@@12345NoNamesLeft exactly. I suspect this was a kid, probably his first car purchase. Not much money to spend. The seller most likely filled the brake res up and on the short test drive it worked well enough. Wes is amazing! taking this on and working with the guy. He obviously made no money on this BUT im sure he will have a life long customer with a lot of word of mouth advertising.
that laugh from Wes when he finds the smoking gun gets me everytime. 😂The amount of time & effort you put in to help that young person who got in a little over their head was very generous.
Back when we were camping, at one point we were thinking of a used Airstream and I came across the phrase, "beware the polished turd", which is pretty self explanatory. I think your customer has a polished turd, poor guy. Well done, Wes! Good idea to counsel the customer not to park it in the garage (or near anything else flammable)
A repair shop took me for $600 in 1971, ( when I was a young apprentice making $35 week). An experience that convinced me to do all my own mechanical work. For most of my life I have, I learnt to do it all including engine rebuilds. Cars have become more complex over time so these days the mechanic gets the job. I still do oil changes and such, and know enough not to get shafted. I admire your ethics and skill Wes, you are a fine example for us all. And I thank TH-cam for the opportunity to see them.
I've learned there is a GIGANTIC difference between fixing a car from the 80's or older vs a modern car full of circuit boards and wires and electronics. For a diy at home mechanic working on a vehicle from the 90's or newer can become a very daunting task. My first two cars were air cooled VWs, a 72 Bus and a 71 Baja Bug (I'm 26, was into old cars from a very young age), and I learned along with my dad how to completely disassemble and rebuild the engines on those. They are all mechanical and so simple, it wasn't that hard to figure out. Cut to now, I have a mini truck from 1993 with early fuel injection and an early 2000's saturn vue. Working on those two cars is a whole different ordeal, especially the truck that's a mismatch of old and new technology. Sometimes I wish cars were still simple so the everyday person could fix their own stuff.
Pep boys stripped my oil pan on my 1998 Mustang the first time I ever took it to them and wanted me to pay for a new pan. After that I did everything myself
You’re amazing, Wes! You have so much knowledge and patience. Even with a “wreck” like this, you remain so respectful to the customer and their situation. Great Work!
This brings me back to my late brother and his car flipping bs experiences/victim. He went through 3 Craigslist/FaceBook cars, couldn't spend enough on a decent car, only repairs, but each were always in the shop more than not. It got to the point I told him to borrow my car for however long he needs (he worked nights, I had college during the day, so it worked out). I feel for this young man.
Thanks Wes for spending well over the 2 hours troubleshooting and saving a victim from the sharks. Hopefully he will be back for the engine and brake issues. At least his car will not burn down to the ground while he is driving it. You are a great, honest man!
I know many “mechanics” that wouldn’t of even touched this Blazer. Excellent diagnosis & repair. I hope the customer appreciates your efforts getting this beat up vehicle running again.
but also good to let the customer know you're cutting them a break and be honest with what you found, at least then they can have an example of a good, honest person.
Man the fact that you still went deeper into it after seeing all those wires just shows your confident knowledgeable and willing to take on that task that anyone else would just say nope send it off to the crusher.
Wes, you are a master diagnostician. This video brings back memories of my first car buying experience as a kid paying handsomely for a car that had been put through the wringer. Thank you for helping this kid. The world needs more good people like yourself.
For some reason, those Blazers / Jimmys are notorious for corroded connectors at the 4x4 module, like in this video. My mechanic who used to work for a GM dealership put transmission fluid on those connectors after cleaning them and the 4x4 started working again. You did great work with everything and saved this truck from the crusher for sure. 👍
Whenever there's an edit and the scene changes, and the first thing you hear is Wes chuckling, you KNOW things just got real. Can't help but feel bad for the guy that bought this mess, but I hope he knows how lucky he is to even know Wes and have access to his patience and skills.
This is a great lesson on having a pre purchase inspection done. If the seller won’t agree then walk to the next deal. One hour of a mechanics time can save you hundreds if not thousands of $$s great video Wes. 👍
You are an amazing person Wes. What you did on this Blazer is beyond anything any other mechanic would attempt. Most would throw the car into the junk yard. Thanks for showing us your patiences and amazing troubleshooting skills. Keep up the good work.
I get so mad when car sellers misrepresent what they sell. There is a used car dealership a couple towns east of me that routinely sells shoddy cars for far too much. Every time a person buys from them and brings it to where I work the car needs at least as much in repairs as the purchase price. I get buyer beware, but I also think a used car dealer should be at least somewhat honest.
Same thing with major name brand dealers that buy a lot of used cars and have shady management that has been investigated by Federal Law Enforcement and left that state for another state.
Welding the latch back in place for the door is something I've done more than once. They only take so many cycles and when you run old tired stuff you run into this. Having a worn-out and repaired striker is probably a sign that the vehicle had a lot of short trips or had a high-duty cycle life. The last one I fixed was on an ex postal carrier vehicle. Chore trucks get it hard too. Hinges get worn things don't line up anymore and more stress on the striker. I have a family member that is always the last owner of any given vehicle. When he is done with them, it's because both my brother and I have said no more.
Wes, I felt sick for this customer! Some people (the seller) has no conscience, obviously. Thought it was bad until you got into the wiring! Yikes! All the best to the customer. Thanks for helping him as much as you could Wes!
@@SergeantExtreme This can happen with anything. Houses, cars, anything. I will not feel sorry if this happens a second time since a lesion should be learned. That said, alway bring someone with more experience when making these purchases. A second opinion would’ve probably talked him out of it.
@@unclemarksdiyautoIf self tapping screws holding panels on the vehicle is not your first sign, it should be the last. This is a no go purchase to begin with. Even in the 21st century, we have to have some modicum of personal responsibility.
I daily drive a '97 Blazer that i bought new. It has about 429,000 original miles. You never buy a 20 year old vehicle unless you know the history and have the ability to at least mostly work on it yourself. A lot of people call it being nickle and dimed to death, when the little repairs come up but I assure you, it is much cheaper than a $200, $300 or $600 car payment. Not to mention the insurance you have to carry on it.
At the intro I thought, “that’s a nice looking blazer”. Then I saw the rust and thought, “ ok that looks like every blazer here”. But the booger welded door striker brought it to the next level.
You'd think looking for actual holes in the bodywork should be one of the absolutely first things to do when buying a car (except maybe something for farm driving) but maybe that's just my European perspective. I'm not a mechanic but I most definitely know how much work rot repair is and how expensive it gets when you have it done by a garage so one brief look at that bucket and I'd have called it.
I was thinking the same thing. We were all young and naive once, but there are so many warning signs on this heap that I'm surprised anyone could miss them.
@@Rickenbacker69 I wasn't even thinking of those treats. The rear-left wheel arch has a 2" rust hole going all the way through (3:28 into the video)! I'd say you need either fairly dark rose-tinted glasses or very poor lighting to miss those. And yes, I know the tactics of sketchy sellers and it's February, so I definitely wouldn't rule out darkness.
If it was legally easier, he should have used any means possible to shove that thing up the sellers rear end... but for most with buying a used car as I understand it, you are on your own. Around here there would be a few laws that might be in your favor, as this is almost a case where the seller deceived the buyer. But then if you maybe buy the thing like, sight unseen, or as is or whatever, good luck.
I hope he can bounce back and not being robbed too bad, we've all done bad car deals in our life. I've been robbed myself buying a Ford Mondeo in europe for 3500$ having to sell it a year later for 350$ and glad I got something for it and it towed. Hopefully when we're young and take it as a learning experience to not get ripped off again. If you don't know, don't buy it. Have a mechanical friend or something with you and check on it to help you if you don't have the knowledge - buy them some food or something as a thank you. Walk away, there is plenty of vehicles out there to look at, don't fall in love and if you do, make sure everything is as it should be. Make sure it is cold when you start it, drive it for a longer test drive, CHECK EVERYTHING inside that it works. Turn it on and off. These are just some minor things but I hope I got some good tips.
My door striker has the same cracking. It was caused by a shop removing the striker when they were making body repairs. The inner side of the striker is a plate with anchor nuts. When they removed the bolts, the inner plate fell and instead of retrieving it, they just put nuts on the back. Without the back plate, all the stress is concentrated in one spot.
It’s so refreshing to see a mechanic that knows something about auto electric, and electric in general. When the problem is electrical in nature, most techs just give your the blank stare.
That's crazy to me because auto electrical work is not that difficult as long as you understand the basics of how to troubleshoot it but I've seen guys I work with have trouble with the simplest electrical jobs like replacing a burned up starter or solenoid and managing to fry an ecm in the process
any mechanic who struggles with electrical diagnoses should watch south main auto or diagnose dan for a refresher on the process. i'm sure everyone who watches this watches that as well 🙂
I bought a 1999 dodge 2500 with the Cummins, the gentleman I bought it from had all these receipts from “shops” who had done work on the truck, after about a year of driving it I realized I had been f$!%ed over. Everything he had receipts for went wrong, I was only 19 at the time and had little experience with vehicles especially diesels, I learned to do a VERY close inspection before buying something. Awesome you’re helping a kid out as I didn’t have that luxury and the truck drained my finances and left me feeling upset and cheated. Awesome work Wes !
I once bought a motorcycle that had a bad stater.The seller knew I was a broke college kid abd he knew there was a problem but told me all was good. To fix the problem on my $0 budget I went to a motor rewinding company and asked them if it was possible for me to rewind the stater by hand. They told me if I was willing to do that they were willing to give me the insulated wire for the project.I unwound the stater lobe by lobe and made a diagram showing how it all came apart and then rewound it with new wires. The new stater worked perfectly for 5 years and I eventually sold the bike. Watching this video reminded me of that get'er done mindset.
That goes for ALOT of things. I occasionally flip houses, my real estate agent knows the business. He'll show me a house and I can bang ideas/questions off him. In a 30 minute showing with his experience and mine, I know exactly whats there.
Nobody else would have spent the time to fix this. I know alot of mechanics and I cant think of one. A handful of them wouldn't and couldn't of even figured it out. Your the guy. Be proud of that. I hope your compensated well for your efforts.
I have to admire your troubleshooting and repair skills. Instead of "well, it needs a whole new harness for $4800 plus labor" you got it where it works and won't cause more damage as long as someone else doesn't put in bigger and bigger fuses again if there is a problem. Also impressed with your skills of retaping and looming it back up afterwards. Most people would throw a few zip ties on there and call it a day.
About 4 years ago, when I was a bit younger, and much more mechanically inept, I bought a 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix. The thing ran like garbage and I knew it, but I also thought I knew why. I was wrong, I was completely clueless and it took me 4 months to get this thing to run right consistently. It needed O2 sensors, I put 2 MAF Sensors in it because the first OEM replacement I got was for a naturally aspirated car, and mine was supercharged and didn't like that sensor, it needed a coil pack (which is what I'd initially figured out when looking at the car), and all of the wires were dried out and falling apart from the desert heat, and I replaced all the transmission fluid and the filter in my driveway, and I did a fuel pump through the crappy little access panel that GM gives you too. So I took a $1200 car, spent about $800 catching up on deferred maintenance on this car that I was beginning to piece together the story that it had sat a VERY long time in one place, and that past caught up to me after 6 months of fairly reliable service. It caught on fire from a wire in the dash harness being chewed through by field mice. I got the fire put out before any severe damage occurred to the car, but my ability to trust the thing had been holed, I patched up the harness where it had burnt and got rid of it, I told the guy about it and he didn't seem to believe me and took off in it. I wonder if he made it where he was going, quite frequently
Hey dude I'm a diesel mechanic in the navy. We just get told to go fix these types of headaches without the option to say no. I sure would love to, so knowing that you said YES, and damn sure undercharged the customer for the extra work, makes you the man! I haven't stopped watching your videos since I found them this week. Keep on!
My hat's off to you, Wes. Your client was very fortunate to engage an experienced and knowledgeable, and conscientious mechanic to deal with his problem.
You gotta feel for the guy that bought this, we have all been there. For me I got taken to school by a shop that “convinced” me that leaking axle seals = full axle rebuild. I still have no idea if all those parts and labor were actually completed and the axle was overhauled or if they slapped new seals on and sent it out the door but they got a few grand out of me. Haven’t been to a shop since, and do all of the work myself (save alignments) If I don’t know how to do it then the shop manual and the internet are my guide and I’ll figure it out. Too many shady shops and people out there who take advantage of others. Except Wes of course. 😃
It burns. I did my own plugs on my new jeep TJ . I unplugged the MAF to get access not knowing doing this could throw a check engine light until the computer settles down after a few miles. Took it to the dealer to see why the light was on and they gave some BS about the wiring harness being messed up, they claim a repair was done and hand me a $270 Bill. A day later I called them out on the BS and the response was "so what you going to do about it" Last time I paid a mechanic 15+ years ago...
I think you saved this young man's bacon. He will not understand how much he owes you if he can drive this rig for the next three years he should be thankful to Wes. Over the winter he will try the four wheel drive and it might actually work God willing. Thanks for the video Wesly.
Above and beyond Wes! And honestly, I expected nothing less. Cleaning corroded connectors ... I have had decent results using Oxy-Acet tip cleaners "gently" to get into some of those smaller ones. Thanks for sharing 🇨🇦
Another successful troubleshooting job Wes! Too bad we have "low life's" that take advantage of others by "polishing turds"! Thanks for being there for that young man. You set a great example him and others to follow!
Man you have more patience than me I gotta give ya that. That's insane dangerous .....feel bad for the owner...he has a long road ahead when it comes to the brakes and everything else.
You're a good man Wes, doing what you could for the guy that bought it, Lord knows a lot of shops 1 wouldn't have touched it or 2 taken him to the cleaners and not really fixed anything
Well I guess they all cant be winners, your a good guy Wes I know you don't work for free but you atleast feel for people and try to give them an honest evaluation
Some of the most amazing diagnostics I have ever seen! Well done. But...the guy said take 2 hours and diagnose as much as you can that's wrong with the truck. I can't imagine you didn't have at least 8-10 hours in here on just the 4WD system. God bless you man!
I give you a lot of credit for helping that guy out. Never ceases to amaze me what ignorant people do their cars. That was definitely a potential car fire.
You are truly an amazing man and technician for even looking at this vehicle letting alone trying to do any repairs, especially electrical on this machine. If there was ever a time to purchase a bicycle instead of a car, this is it!
I hope he can bounce back and not being robbed too bad, we've all done bad car deals in our life. I've been robbed myself buying a Ford Mondeo in europe for 3500$ having to sell it a year later for 350$ and glad I got something for it and it towed. Hopefully when we're young and take it as a learning experience to not get ripped off again. If you don't know, don't buy it. Have a mechanical friend or something with you and check on it to help you if you don't have the knowledge - buy them some food or something as a thank you. Walk away, there is plenty of vehicles out there to look at, don't fall in love and if you do, make sure everything is as it should be. Make sure it is cold when you start it, drive it for a longer test drive, CHECK EVERYTHING inside that it works. Turn it on and off. These are just some minor things but I hope I got some good tips.
Really awesome video, Wes. You're the kind of mechanic everyone wishes they had. You always find the root issue and refuse to throw parts at it or hack something together.
The 4 wheel drive systems on this year Blazer is really complicated. It has the electric shift motor in the transfer case, and there's a vacuum actuator under the battery tray that works a cable system that engages the front axle. The door strikers are known for tearing away from the door jamb also. My 01 Blazer had the same problem.
I have a 98 and if the 4wd electrics ever go out maybe i'll just extend the cable into the cab,old school? I like my blazer but their not fun to work on,I think its because their a big vehicle thats been compressed into a compact package and that leaves no room to work on anything.
Yeah, I was about to say these sound like standard Blazer problems. I do not miss working on these. Most of them rotted their way to the scrap yard in my area.
Fortunately here in Oregon we don't use salt on the roads and my Blazer and all that I've seen up here including my 86' f150 4x4 don't have any rust other than a little surface rust here and there but years ago i lived in Massachusets and cars there just "rotted away" along with everything else in a very short time.
This job took an insane amount of patience, you're likely one of the only mechanics nationwide that has the technical expertise and willingness to do this out of the kindness of your heart. Most would throw their hands up and say "Welp, my two hours are up." You helped this young guy who got completely screwed, and I'm sure this isn't the first time you've given free labor for those who are in a tight spot. What a NIGHTMARE dealing with that wiring, bro, holy smokes. Literally. You're definitely one of a kind, dude!
Yup, my heart sank the moment when you showed us the melted wires knowing the amount surrounding them in the bundle and where they ran. I'm glad it worked out.
Absolutely AWESOME job Wes, your diagnostic skills and your attention to detail, is second to none. I just wish there was someone around here locally to me with your work ethic!, I HATE electrical problems.
soon as you showed that compression fitting i thought... "did scotty mess with this?" then i saw all the meltage of the wires and was like... well.... possibly. maybe he flips cars to compensate his time lol you have the patience of an oak tree messing with that old blazer man. keep up the great work. world needs more honest mechanics like you.
I really appreciate that you immediate went for the most difficult problem with the vehicle and left the smaller and (probably) easier stuff for the customer to figure out.
Oh dear what a mess that Blazer is. I feel sorry for the young man that purchased the vehicle from a crook. Thank you for helping the young man out. I imagine you have made a friend for life. You are the Mr. Rodgers of mechanics for sure. Fabulous diagnosis and repair. Dang you are good man. Thanks for the video.
l sold a Ford Mavrick to a dude and after the deal was over l said ''Now that you own it l'm gona tell you what's wrong with it'' and you should have seen the look on his face ! l had bought it new and the little things that went wrong were fixed under warranty, so l told him '' nothing ! '' and he started laughing.
Well, he had to add some time for setting up the camera making sure everything is in shot etc. But overall Wes is overqualified for this type of work, so I don't think he invested much more than 2 hours if you remove the camera work :)
In some ways I think I can relate to Wes and his background of wanting to know why it won't work. Closure I guess I will call it, but then knowing the cause for me makes it that much closer to figuring out a solution. Wes, nice diagnosis work and acceptable plus safe solution. I am not a fan when the wire is "the fuse".
As an owner of the EXACT same vehicle (Trail Blazer package) I'm a little bit happier with mine being in slightly better structural shape! Although I did have to replace the transmission on mine when I bought it and it could use a drivers front door panel. If this guy ever decides to scrap his blazer I'd love to have his door panels! The driver seat and all plastics would be nice too! I would like to add for the headlights and taillights being on, I think they are supposed to always be on while the vehicle is on as mine is the same way. Pressing the Dome Override button a few times allows manual light control using the dial and pressing it twice more turns the lights back on.. Not sure if this is something from the factory or not but I just leave the lights alone and haven't had any issues with them.
He certainly brought it to the right person for electrical. I'm always impressed with your electrical troubleshooting. Hopefully the owner will watch this video and tell everyone he knows that there's only one place to have their vehicle or equipment repaired in your area! The Master tech Wes .
Wes your a credit to REAL mechanics. I know you spent way more time on that car than the 2 hours the customer could afford. I also know you did it because your a good human being and would have done it even if you didn't have a You Tube channel and this job was useful as content.
I used to be terrible at electrical diagnostics and problems, didn’t have the patience for it but as soon as I bought my 89 suburban that was constantly shorting out the radio and horn I kinda found out it’s kinda fun to discover the short and fix it for some reason, also just having a test light and a 5 dollar multimeter, even if you really just know how to check for ohms can solve a lot of issues
I am sooo impressed by your automotive forensic, diagnostic, detective work, and I enjoy your sense of humor and sarcasm, and that roguish smile whenever you start to talk to us in your videos. Your knowledge is impressive!
Hey Wes, first off, Great Job! I have had several of these vehicles, including this exact blazer, which I currently own, so I feel your pain. Just wanted to point out that the 4.3 engine in there is NOT a TBI, but is actually a multi port fuel injection which GM "conveniently" hid underneath the upper intake manifold. The injection system is a comprised of a main unit which is connected to the 6 individual injectors and is lovingly referred to as the spider. Earlier models had manual poppet valves while later models actual had real electronic injectors. I imagine that all of the vehicles in your area rusted out long before these units failed which is why you are lucky enough to never have encountered one :) . Also, I agree 100% with the airbox assessment, worst ever!
The W engine was "Central Port Injection" with the spider and "poppets". The X engine didn't come out until the 2003 model year with actual multi point injection. This 2000 S-10 was indeed a W "VIN" engine. They stopped the Z engine (TBI), after the 1994 model year.
l had a 4.3 v-6 which is nothing more than a small block 350 v-8 with the rear 2 cylinders lopped off. lt had a throttle body fuel injection. l loved it and replaced everything from a new gas tank all the way up but sometimes it would hard start and chug down the road. After l junked it an auto parts dealer told me l should have tried a cold spray Fi cleaner that l never heard of. Too late now.
Don't know the buyer, but I appreciate what you've done here, i.e. investing your time into this project to help him as much as you could. Wish the kid had a working brake system as well, but you can't have everything, I suppose.
I was cruising down the highway one day and noticed my tachometer bouncing from 0 to 6 then saw smoke roll out of the defroster vent. I pulled over and shut it off. I opened the hood and saw a wiring harness had fell off of the firewall and landed on the header. I had to drop the steering column and rob my speaker wires to replace wires all the way from the battery to the ignition switch. All this was done on the side of the highway as I was far from anywhere. Later I replaced the whole wiring harness. It was a lot easier back then as this was a 1980 Mustang 2.3L. Props to you for even attempting such a repair on a piece of crap like this. Reminds me of polishing a turd.
As a guy from the gulf coast south that has never seen salted roads, I guess a 4wd vehicle “beater” that can be sacrificed (or has already been sacrificed!) is the “perfect” low buck choice…you saved him!
Great job on an advanced diagnosis, given the limits! "Looks OK from a distance, but on closer inspection...." The theme on this one, even the painted rust looked OK from a distance!
That sounds alot like my s10-blaser. Bought it because it has a stack of service history and drove it like 100 miles and the rear main bearing went. Had the engine rebuilt and they didn't help matters. They lost the vacuum chamber so none of the vacuum actuated stuff worked. Fixed that with some silicone and a glass bottle. Now the engine likes to stumble and miss randomly when you take it above 3,000 rpm. But it does run and drive some what safety and has zero rust so that's a plus. Thanks for another kick butt video wes!
Also the stupid headlights are gm always on with the key. Even if the switch is in the off position they will still come on unless you push in the parking break.
@@squidiz496 I will give it a shot, thanks. I have spent more nights then I care to admit in my truck and having the headlights come on is quite annoying.
You did very well on that GM Wes. I used to think my SARCASM was really good but even at my advanced age 78 you have surpassed me LOL. Yours is World Class for your recent 37th BD. LOL. Always enjoy your channel and really enjoyed you and your wife live the other night.
Impressive diagnostics as always Wes - I was rooting for a return to the road for the old blazer. Hopefully the brakes get sorted out too, those are important!
On the S-10's they're Spider injected, also the Head lights are all time running lights, you have to push the E Brake in to turn them on or of with the switch, the Dead Drivers side 02 Sensor is common because the 12V heater circuit will short against the Ground feed back of the 02 Sensor and shorts the ECU out internally, it will still run but runs like shit and never goes out of Open Loop.
I hope the customer knows that you are one of the few guys in the world that has the knowledge, skills, patience, troubleshooting skills and genuine caring for the customer that helped him out of a really bad situation. Amazing job Wes.
0p0
Mechanics with his skills and abilities are rarer than iridium.
@Dave DDM Found the shady mechanic
@Dave DDM The video is 40 minutes. There's a very good chance that more than 2 hours was put into the vehicle. Every minute extra that was worked over 2 hours was done as a nice deed for a young guy with very little money who got taken advantage of by a shady seller.
agreed .... very very few mechanics would ever did into this type of electrical these days, very impressive
Your a good guy for taking the time to help this guy out from being completely taken advantage of.
Yeah
Something tells me he had way more than 2hrs into it.....
That's why I wear my WWW t-shirt with pride :)
Exactly. As genius of a mechanic I think Wes is, there's no way that was only 2 hours of labor.
I totally agree 👍
Well done Wes for helping a customer who was caught with a bad purchase that's awesome of you.
Agreed. Pretty obvious he put in way more than the 2 hours he likely charged the guy.
We have a saying in the south that applies to Wes. "He's good people."
@@ronicard Wes just ain't good people...he's the best people! :)
I've been ripped-off many times with used cars. Especially when I was much younger. People are jerks. There should be more liability on people who sell used vehicles.
He is a shop of course he going to take the work to make money you fool
@@unkowntrooper1657 🤥
I suspect there were in excess of 2 "normal" hours in diagnosing and repairing all this. Thank you for helping this guy out.
Absolutely. I love watching this guy work
I wonder if Wes charges $4k for a LS lifter change out like some other magical youtuber....
@@member57 who did that? 4 grand could probably get a new short block 😆
Yes much respect for him!
@@southjerseysound7340
The Wizard. I don't understand how he gets business. If he charges the prices he claims in his videos, there's some stupid people in Kansas
As an electrician the phrase “at that point the wire becomes the fuse” was spot on ! I’m probably going to borrow that phrase. Thanks Wes, that was an awesome repair. That kid could’ve been driving down the road and that thing could’ve lit up on him, what if he had some little ones in a car seat in the back. I hope Facebook flipper meets Karma some day soon~
Reasons why Wes shouldn’t be interested in spending his time for a net $10.00 bucks an hour on cars or pick ups that should have been driven into a bridge abutment years ago with out a single backward glance. $40,00 an hour is now the new ten buck an hour rate. One of my grand kids works at an ice cream parlor, he is 14 years old and this is his first job. With tips he earned $36,00 per hour, lives at home with his parents. My first job was shoveling horse manure into the back of a PU. I earned 1.00 per hour. When I told him this story his eyes glazed over.
@@Timothy-lb2vrcan confirm this comment also made my eyes glaze over
At that point, the vehicle becomes the fuse!
I continue to be amazed at your troubleshooting capabilities. Having spent 40+ years troubleshooting industrial equipment, cars and trucks you're as good as anyone I've ever worked with.
Nice job of bringing this one back to life.
Totally agree. Wes' skills are second to none.
I feel like if I paid a shop for 2 hours worth of work, they wouldn't do any of this extensive diagnosis. I'd be lucky if they diagnosed even one of the issues in that time. Good work, Wes.
I think most shops start the timer when you pull in, they have to put their suit on and boots and put down the mat and move the car and open the hood and oops there goes the first hour time to pee, ok we have 54 minutes left to diagnose this thing, let’s start by pressing buttons and reading codes, no codes? Ok customer needs a new module (I made this guess too though) send it.
Took my bike into Yamaha too get an ABS light checked
Said that the bike was tuned so they can’t communicate with the ecu (yeah right)
So I asked if they followed the diagnosis for no communication to the module, “yes we have followed every wire, checked every plug and run manual tests on the voltage across the modules and no issues were found. It’s your tune messing with the ABS”
….my sheer annoyance with their shitty service made me that afternoon, start to go through the wiring like Wes does. I didn’t plug in the ABS properly last time I was in there 🤦🏻♂️
Looked perfectly fine, but was only clipped o. The side you could see
Diagnosed the module my ass, would’ve made an easy killing off the labour if they did any diagnosis at all
Yeah peobbly just look around for 1 hr and just that’s it
As someone who has owned several 1998-2004 S10s, Blazers and Sonoma, I can say a few things with confidence. Most of those years had a sensor on the dash for automatic headlights. You can bypass it by pressing the round button under the light switch three times and you'll hear a chime. The oblong button under the light switch you turned on, turns on the fog/driving lights integrated into the headlight /signal light assembly. Those years engines had a spider injection system under the upper intake manifold, not throttle body injection. The early models used a mechanical pressure pulsed poppit valve in each intake runner (CSFI) and those went bad and leaked fuel often. I think in 2000 they switched to electrical opening poppit valves (MPFI), but it is still a single central injector with a fuel "spider" to each poppit. You can upgrade the older mechanical ones with the later model electrical ones. Nice work Wes, thanks for bringing us along.
I was shocked he didn't know what was going on there in that clip to be honest. Thankyou for having all this, so well articulated too.
Customer is damn lucky he's got you in his court well done sir...cheers!
I’ll bet you spent a “little” more time on this than what you charged the customer because you’re a good man AND a good mechanic.
I think your absolutely right, without question. But hopefully in the long run, Wes has a new customer for life and subsequent work from friends and family of said customer. 👍
@@86FxBdyCpe i wouldnt be surprised if wes never wants to see this blazer in his shop again. Im sure if he does see it coming in hes going to think more damage occurred in that harness and wants nothing to do with it. I wouldnt blame him one bit, cause like he said just never know n theres really nothing he can do that would be worth it given the situation. He did damn good though. Really did save this poor kid a major headache and possible fire burning down the car. Kids lucky he took it to someone that actually knows what they are doing and not the dude he got the truck from or some other hack.
@@jacksmith2315 Eh, future electrical gremlins on this will be easy to chase down because you already know what harness is likely to contain the problem and you've already got your root cause if it does. Identify the relevant circuits, verify they run through that harness, cut your losses, cut the wires and run an overlay.
@@86FxBdyCpe Just what he needs A customer with no money for LIFE.
@Roger Preston Obviously you weren't paying attention. Wes said "not a lot of money" not NO money!
Wes as a retired mechanic of some 48 years, I got say I absolutely love your dry wit and the sarcasm.. the only thing missing is the fog of blue air that usually in my case accompanied my commentary about a customer’s pile that had been deposited in my work area.. you bring a big smile on this old mans face every time you post a video.. just glad I never resided in the rust belt.. you hit the proverbial nail on the head about BUYER BEWARE, and that goes for wherever you live..
fire beware!
I made it as far as the compression fittings on the brake line. And I remember back to watching a "Rev Up Your Engines" video with Scotty K. saying his usual nonsense and saying compression fittings are 100% okay for brake lines.
Compression fittings are NOT designed to be used on brake lines PERIOD!
And now back to our video already in progress.....Special shout out to everyone's favorite arm waving mechanic!! Scotty K.! (I'm sure he's right about 80% of the time. But that other 20% can be a disaster....Just in my opinion...)
Any troubleshooter worth his gold never stops his wheels churning. "I went home and thought about it" is the sign of a man who will not let something, no matter how bad the situation, get in his way.
In addition, the odds were this kid would likely have not found someone to do everything you did, as well. Great job. Liked and subscribed.
He's a detective on a case, a hound after that smell that escaped him.
There's NO WAY someone test drove a car without brakes & said it was fine.
been there done that, sometimes that makes for a sleepless nite.
@@wandameadows5736 The brakes were actively leaking fluid. They may have worked when there was fluid in the master cylinder reservoir.
@@12345NoNamesLeft exactly. I suspect this was a kid, probably his first car purchase. Not much money to spend. The seller most likely filled the brake res up and on the short test drive it worked well enough. Wes is amazing! taking this on and working with the guy. He obviously made no money on this BUT im sure he will have a life long customer with a lot of word of mouth advertising.
that laugh from Wes when he finds the smoking gun gets me everytime. 😂The amount of time & effort you put in to help that young person who got in a little over their head was very generous.
00
When is that?
@@RoshDroz 28:17.
Back when we were camping, at one point we were thinking of a used Airstream and I came across the phrase, "beware the polished turd", which is pretty self explanatory. I think your customer has a polished turd, poor guy.
Well done, Wes! Good idea to counsel the customer not to park it in the garage (or near anything else flammable)
I am truly impressed every time to diagnose an electrical problem. Most mechanics I have known would have just have struggled and given up. Nice Job.
It's amazing how a guy can be a mechanic for decades yet be completely clueless on how electrical systems work and how to diagnose electrical problems
The Earl Scheib reference had me laughing out loud. Your sense of humor is second to none.
Had Earl Scheib on my corner in Brooklyn when I was a kid…$29.99 any car!
@@golferpro1241 can't even buy a pint of acrylic enamel at that price anymore! Lol
@@golferpro1241 "...any color..."
we need more honest mechanics like Wes!
A repair shop took me for $600 in 1971, ( when I was a young apprentice making $35 week).
An experience that convinced me to do all my own mechanical work.
For most of my life I have, I learnt to do it all including engine rebuilds.
Cars have become more complex over time so these days the mechanic gets the job.
I still do oil changes and such, and know enough not to get shafted.
I admire your ethics and skill Wes, you are a fine example for us all.
And I thank TH-cam for the opportunity to see them.
I've learned there is a GIGANTIC difference between fixing a car from the 80's or older vs a modern car full of circuit boards and wires and electronics. For a diy at home mechanic working on a vehicle from the 90's or newer can become a very daunting task. My first two cars were air cooled VWs, a 72 Bus and a 71 Baja Bug (I'm 26, was into old cars from a very young age), and I learned along with my dad how to completely disassemble and rebuild the engines on those. They are all mechanical and so simple, it wasn't that hard to figure out. Cut to now, I have a mini truck from 1993 with early fuel injection and an early 2000's saturn vue. Working on those two cars is a whole different ordeal, especially the truck that's a mismatch of old and new technology. Sometimes I wish cars were still simple so the everyday person could fix their own stuff.
@Cadger Christmas Light Show I get the sentiment, but it was also an era when you were lucky to get a 100 HP engine if you bought an economy car.
@@CadgerChristmasLightShow im 27 i self learned most things on cars with some help from my dad i much prefer working on diesels.
$600 in '71 = ~ $4200 today
Pep boys stripped my oil pan on my 1998 Mustang the first time I ever took it to them and wanted me to pay for a new pan. After that I did everything myself
You’re amazing, Wes! You have so much knowledge and patience. Even with a “wreck” like this, you remain so respectful to the customer and their situation. Great Work!
This brings me back to my late brother and his car flipping bs experiences/victim. He went through 3 Craigslist/FaceBook cars, couldn't spend enough on a decent car, only repairs, but each were always in the shop more than not. It got to the point I told him to borrow my car for however long he needs (he worked nights, I had college during the day, so it worked out). I feel for this young man.
Thanks Wes for spending well over the 2 hours troubleshooting and saving a victim from the sharks. Hopefully he will be back for the engine and brake issues. At least his car will not burn down to the ground while he is driving it. You are a great, honest man!
I do agree with every sentence.
It may not stop with no brakes, but at least it wont burn down!
I feel bad for the kid who bought that thing. Good thing for him he brought it to you. Nice job Wes.
I know many “mechanics” that wouldn’t of even touched this Blazer. Excellent diagnosis & repair. I hope the customer appreciates your efforts getting this beat up vehicle running again.
My dad is a lifelong GM mechanic. He used to describe jobs that he "just wouldn't want to get into", knowing full well he won't make any money.
When I grow up I wanna be Wes
You did so much more than 2 hours of diag. Good on you. I really hope the customer appreciates it. I get the feeling he will.
Yeah, we went way over. But that's OK.
but also good to let the customer know you're cutting them a break and be honest with what you found, at least then they can have an example of a good, honest person.
I think it was initially two hours to get a clue. He managed that. Then he worked with the owner from there to completion.
Maybe the customer will at least buy you a case of that microbrew you drink in your livestream 🍺
No freaking way. I cant believe that things runs after all that melting wire. Dude you are the freaking man.
Man the fact that you still went deeper into it after seeing all those wires just shows your confident knowledgeable and willing to take on that task that anyone else would just say nope send it off to the crusher.
Wes, you are a master diagnostician. This video brings back memories of my first car buying experience as a kid paying handsomely for a car that had been put through the wringer. Thank you for helping this kid. The world needs more good people like yourself.
For some reason, those Blazers / Jimmys are notorious for corroded connectors at the 4x4 module, like in this video. My mechanic who used to work for a GM dealership put transmission fluid on those connectors after cleaning them and the 4x4 started working again. You did great work with everything and saved this truck from the crusher for sure. 👍
Whenever there's an edit and the scene changes, and the first thing you hear is Wes chuckling, you KNOW things just got real. Can't help but feel bad for the guy that bought this mess, but I hope he knows how lucky he is to even know Wes and have access to his patience and skills.
This is a great lesson on having a pre purchase inspection done. If the seller won’t agree then walk to the next deal. One hour of a mechanics time can save you hundreds if not thousands of $$s great video Wes. 👍
All you have to say is "inspection". Negative comment or body language, RUN.
Wes even said how would you know to look for the short? It was hidden pretty well.
That is so right. And ignored so often.
@@JosephQPublic No need to look for the short, when the rest of the truck is garbage.
The drive to the shop probably would have been enough to smell the burning wires.
You are an amazing person Wes. What you did on this Blazer is beyond anything any other mechanic would attempt. Most would throw the car into the junk yard. Thanks for showing us your patiences and amazing troubleshooting skills. Keep up the good work.
I get so mad when car sellers misrepresent what they sell. There is a used car dealership a couple towns east of me that routinely sells shoddy cars for far too much. Every time a person buys from them and brings it to where I work the car needs at least as much in repairs as the purchase price. I get buyer beware, but I also think a used car dealer should be at least somewhat honest.
Some people have no shame.
Same thing with major name brand dealers that buy a lot of used cars and have shady management that has been investigated by Federal Law Enforcement and left that state for another state.
Why are they still in business ?
It's like that when you see the yard is covered with gravel, that gets freshly raked when a car is sold and gone to hide the oil drips...
:-D
Greed is awful thing
Welding the latch back in place for the door is something I've done more than once. They only take so many cycles and when you run old tired stuff you run into this. Having a worn-out and repaired striker is probably a sign that the vehicle had a lot of short trips or had a high-duty cycle life. The last one I fixed was on an ex postal carrier vehicle. Chore trucks get it hard too. Hinges get worn things don't line up anymore and more stress on the striker. I have a family member that is always the last owner of any given vehicle. When he is done with them, it's because both my brother and I have said no more.
Cop cars suffer really badly from worn out hinges,strikers,handles etc.
Wes, I felt sick for this customer! Some people (the seller) has no conscience, obviously. Thought it was bad until you got into the wiring! Yikes! All the best to the customer. Thanks for helping him as much as you could Wes!
At the same time, some people (the buyer) have no brains. Like W. C. Fields once said, "Never leave a sucker with so much as a dime."
@@SergeantExtreme This can happen with anything. Houses, cars, anything. I will not feel sorry if this happens a second time since a lesion should be learned. That said, alway bring someone with more experience when making these purchases. A second opinion would’ve probably talked him out of it.
@@unclemarksdiyautoIf self tapping screws holding panels on the vehicle is not your first sign, it should be the last. This is a no go purchase to begin with. Even in the 21st century, we have to have some modicum of personal responsibility.
@@michaelsnively3621 Yes I agree people need to take some responsibility. But a reputable place would not do this. They are thieves.
Looks like you went over the 2 hours by a lot! Good for you Wes you're the man! Great diagnosis & repair!
Probably, I bet how scuzzy the sale was made it to the point where he wants to see the person gets his money back.
Master diagnostician! Your patience and persistence is absolutely invaluable. The way that you took care of the customer was most admirable too.
You can really tell that wes has a passion for fixing things. He takes great joy in fixing the unfixable!!
I daily drive a '97 Blazer that i bought new. It has about 429,000 original miles. You never buy a 20 year old vehicle unless you know the history and have the ability to at least mostly work on it yourself. A lot of people call it being nickle and dimed to death, when the little repairs come up but I assure you, it is much cheaper than a $200, $300 or $600 car payment. Not to mention the insurance you have to carry on it.
At the intro I thought, “that’s a nice looking blazer”. Then I saw the rust and thought, “ ok that looks like every blazer here”. But the booger welded door striker brought it to the next level.
This is definitely good content it takes a good mechanic with good patients to know how to fix this and deal with it properly and with the customer.
I am truly impressed by this young man. Don't get to say that very often.
Another lesson to get a PPI done, but sounds like its a kid that just wanted to buy a car.
Well done Wes, you're a man of integrity and compassion.
You'd think looking for actual holes in the bodywork should be one of the absolutely first things to do when buying a car (except maybe something for farm driving) but maybe that's just my European perspective. I'm not a mechanic but I most definitely know how much work rot repair is and how expensive it gets when you have it done by a garage so one brief look at that bucket and I'd have called it.
I was thinking the same thing. We were all young and naive once, but there are so many warning signs on this heap that I'm surprised anyone could miss them.
Don't need a PPI. Just need to have eyes.
@@Ragnar8504 Yeah. I'd have seen those screwed on "rust hiders", walked out the door and not looked back. But we've all been young and dumb once.
@@Rickenbacker69 I wasn't even thinking of those treats. The rear-left wheel arch has a 2" rust hole going all the way through (3:28 into the video)! I'd say you need either fairly dark rose-tinted glasses or very poor lighting to miss those. And yes, I know the tactics of sketchy sellers and it's February, so I definitely wouldn't rule out darkness.
I feel for this young man. I hope things work out well for him. You did a superb job on this one, Wes. A++, brother.
If it was legally easier, he should have used any means possible to shove that thing up the sellers rear end... but for most with buying a used car as I understand it, you are on your own.
Around here there would be a few laws that might be in your favor, as this is almost a case where the seller deceived the buyer. But then if you maybe buy the thing like, sight unseen, or as is or whatever, good luck.
I hope he can bounce back and not being robbed too bad, we've all done bad car deals in our life. I've been robbed myself buying a Ford Mondeo in europe for 3500$ having to sell it a year later for 350$ and glad I got something for it and it towed. Hopefully when we're young and take it as a learning experience to not get ripped off again. If you don't know, don't buy it. Have a mechanical friend or something with you and check on it to help you if you don't have the knowledge - buy them some food or something as a thank you. Walk away, there is plenty of vehicles out there to look at, don't fall in love and if you do, make sure everything is as it should be. Make sure it is cold when you start it, drive it for a longer test drive, CHECK EVERYTHING inside that it works. Turn it on and off. These are just some minor things but I hope I got some good tips.
@@douganderson7002 sad but true
My door striker has the same cracking. It was caused by a shop removing the striker when they were making body repairs. The inner side of the striker is a plate with anchor nuts. When they removed the bolts, the inner plate fell and instead of retrieving it, they just put nuts on the back. Without the back plate, all the stress is concentrated in one spot.
It’s so refreshing to see a mechanic that knows something about auto electric, and electric in general. When the problem is electrical in nature, most techs just give your the blank stare.
That's crazy to me because auto electrical work is not that difficult as long as you understand the basics of how to troubleshoot it but I've seen guys I work with have trouble with the simplest electrical jobs like replacing a burned up starter or solenoid and managing to fry an ecm in the process
any mechanic who struggles with electrical diagnoses should watch south main auto or diagnose dan for a refresher on the process. i'm sure everyone who watches this watches that as well 🙂
Parts changers give the blank stare
broke up with a girl cause she brought over a land rover that i told her not to buy and it had electrical issues (shocking!)
Those aren’t “techs”, they’re parts changers, and dart players.
Being competent in basic electrical trouble shooting is part of the job description.
I bought a 1999 dodge 2500 with the Cummins, the gentleman I bought it from had all these receipts from “shops” who had done work on the truck, after about a year of driving it I realized I had been f$!%ed over. Everything he had receipts for went wrong, I was only 19 at the time and had little experience with vehicles especially diesels, I learned to do a VERY close inspection before buying something. Awesome you’re helping a kid out as I didn’t have that luxury and the truck drained my finances and left me feeling upset and cheated. Awesome work Wes !
I once bought a motorcycle that had a bad stater.The seller knew I was a broke college kid abd he knew there was a problem but told me all was good. To fix the problem on my $0 budget I went to a motor rewinding company and asked them if it was possible for me to rewind the stater by hand. They told me if I was willing to do that they were willing to give me the insulated wire for the project.I unwound the stater lobe by lobe and made a diagram showing how it all came apart and then rewound it with new wires. The new stater worked perfectly for 5 years and I eventually sold the bike. Watching this video reminded me of that get'er done mindset.
1st rule of buying a "new" car. Always take someone with you who isn't excited about buying a "New" car and doesn't wear Rose Coloured Glasses.
Dad is usually the best guy to take. Lol, such a true and excellent comment.
Bingo. Applies to any big purchase really.
That goes for ALOT of things. I occasionally flip houses, my real estate agent knows the business. He'll show me a house and I can bang ideas/questions off him. In a 30 minute showing with his experience and mine, I know exactly whats there.
@@mph5896 In a video shitting on flippers, you come here and self-proclaim to be a flipper? No safe space here.
@@TheMetalButcher My sh** don't stink.
Nobody else would have spent the time to fix this. I know alot of mechanics and I cant think of one. A handful of them wouldn't and couldn't of even figured it out. Your the guy. Be proud of that. I hope your compensated well for your efforts.
I have to admire your troubleshooting and repair skills. Instead of "well, it needs a whole new harness for $4800 plus labor" you got it where it works and won't cause more damage as long as someone else doesn't put in bigger and bigger fuses again if there is a problem. Also impressed with your skills of retaping and looming it back up afterwards. Most people would throw a few zip ties on there and call it a day.
This is my favorite kind of content. Logical sleuthing, wiring diagrams and going the extra mile to help someone out.
About 4 years ago, when I was a bit younger, and much more mechanically inept, I bought a 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix. The thing ran like garbage and I knew it, but I also thought I knew why. I was wrong, I was completely clueless and it took me 4 months to get this thing to run right consistently. It needed O2 sensors, I put 2 MAF Sensors in it because the first OEM replacement I got was for a naturally aspirated car, and mine was supercharged and didn't like that sensor, it needed a coil pack (which is what I'd initially figured out when looking at the car), and all of the wires were dried out and falling apart from the desert heat, and I replaced all the transmission fluid and the filter in my driveway, and I did a fuel pump through the crappy little access panel that GM gives you too. So I took a $1200 car, spent about $800 catching up on deferred maintenance on this car that I was beginning to piece together the story that it had sat a VERY long time in one place, and that past caught up to me after 6 months of fairly reliable service. It caught on fire from a wire in the dash harness being chewed through by field mice. I got the fire put out before any severe damage occurred to the car, but my ability to trust the thing had been holed, I patched up the harness where it had burnt and got rid of it, I told the guy about it and he didn't seem to believe me and took off in it.
I wonder if he made it where he was going, quite frequently
Hey dude I'm a diesel mechanic in the navy. We just get told to go fix these types of headaches without the option to say no. I sure would love to, so knowing that you said YES, and damn sure undercharged the customer for the extra work, makes you the man! I haven't stopped watching your videos since I found them this week. Keep on!
I am a qualified construction electrician and fault-finding vehicle electrics scare me. This was amazing to watch, nice job.
My hat's off to you, Wes. Your client was very fortunate to engage an experienced and knowledgeable, and conscientious mechanic to deal with his problem.
I certainly would know where to go with my cars If I would live in Wes Area
Thank you for helping out that young lad. This is definitely one of your best diagnosis, problem solving fix videos.
You gotta feel for the guy that bought this, we have all been there. For me I got taken to school by a shop that “convinced” me that leaking axle seals = full axle rebuild. I still have no idea if all those parts and labor were actually completed and the axle was overhauled or if they slapped new seals on and sent it out the door but they got a few grand out of me. Haven’t been to a shop since, and do all of the work myself (save alignments) If I don’t know how to do it then the shop manual and the internet are my guide and I’ll figure it out. Too many shady shops and people out there who take advantage of others. Except Wes of course. 😃
It burns. I did my own plugs on my new jeep TJ . I unplugged the MAF to get access not knowing doing this could throw a check engine light until the computer settles down after a few miles. Took it to the dealer to see why the light was on and they gave some BS about the wiring harness being messed up, they claim a repair was done and hand me a $270 Bill. A day later I called them out on the BS and the response was "so what you going to do about it" Last time I paid a mechanic 15+ years ago...
Oh What A Treat For Our Snowy Sunday Morning, Appreciate You Having us Along
I think you saved this young man's bacon. He will not understand how much he owes you if he can drive this rig for the next three years he should be thankful to Wes. Over the winter he will try the four wheel drive and it might actually work God willing. Thanks for the video Wesly.
Above and beyond Wes! And honestly, I expected nothing less.
Cleaning corroded connectors ... I have had decent results using Oxy-Acet tip cleaners "gently" to get into some of those smaller ones.
Thanks for sharing 🇨🇦
I have also used card board fingernail files cut to size.
Another successful troubleshooting job Wes! Too bad we have "low life's" that take advantage of others by "polishing turds"! Thanks for being there for that young man. You set a great example him and others to follow!
Man you have more patience than me I gotta give ya that. That's insane dangerous .....feel bad for the owner...he has a long road ahead when it comes to the brakes and everything else.
You're a good man Wes, doing what you could for the guy that bought it, Lord knows a lot of shops 1 wouldn't have touched it or 2 taken him to the cleaners and not really fixed anything
Well I guess they all cant be winners, your a good guy Wes I know you don't work for free but you atleast feel for people and try to give them an honest evaluation
Some of the most amazing diagnostics I have ever seen! Well done.
But...the guy said take 2 hours and diagnose as much as you can that's wrong with the truck. I can't imagine you didn't have at least 8-10 hours in here on just the 4WD system. God bless you man!
I give you a lot of credit for helping that guy out. Never ceases to amaze me what ignorant people do their cars. That was definitely a potential car fire.
You are truly an amazing man and technician for even looking at this vehicle letting alone trying to do any repairs, especially electrical on this machine. If there was ever a time to purchase a bicycle instead of a car, this is it!
I hope he can bounce back and not being robbed too bad, we've all done bad car deals in our life. I've been robbed myself buying a Ford Mondeo in europe for 3500$ having to sell it a year later for 350$ and glad I got something for it and it towed. Hopefully when we're young and take it as a learning experience to not get ripped off again. If you don't know, don't buy it. Have a mechanical friend or something with you and check on it to help you if you don't have the knowledge - buy them some food or something as a thank you. Walk away, there is plenty of vehicles out there to look at, don't fall in love and if you do, make sure everything is as it should be. Make sure it is cold when you start it, drive it for a longer test drive, CHECK EVERYTHING inside that it works. Turn it on and off. These are just some minor things but I hope I got some good tips.
Really awesome video, Wes. You're the kind of mechanic everyone wishes they had. You always find the root issue and refuse to throw parts at it or hack something together.
The 4 wheel drive systems on this year Blazer is really complicated. It has the electric shift motor in the transfer case, and there's a vacuum actuator under the battery tray that works a cable system that engages the front axle. The door strikers are known for tearing away from the door jamb also. My 01 Blazer had the same problem.
I have a 98 and if the 4wd electrics ever go out maybe i'll just extend the cable into the cab,old school? I like my blazer but their not fun to work on,I think its because their a big vehicle
thats been compressed into a compact package and that leaves no room to work on anything.
Yeah, I was about to say these sound like standard Blazer problems. I do not miss working on these. Most of them rotted their way to the scrap yard in my area.
Fortunately here in Oregon we don't use salt on the roads and my Blazer and all that I've seen up here including my 86' f150 4x4 don't have any rust other than a little surface rust here and there but years ago i lived in Massachusets and cars there just "rotted away" along with everything else in a very short time.
This job took an insane amount of patience, you're likely one of the only mechanics nationwide that has the technical expertise and willingness to do this out of the kindness of your heart. Most would throw their hands up and say "Welp, my two hours are up." You helped this young guy who got completely screwed, and I'm sure this isn't the first time you've given free labor for those who are in a tight spot. What a NIGHTMARE dealing with that wiring, bro, holy smokes. Literally.
You're definitely one of a kind, dude!
Yup, my heart sank the moment when you showed us the melted wires knowing the amount surrounding them in the bundle and where they ran. I'm glad it worked out.
Absolutely AWESOME job Wes, your diagnostic skills and your attention to detail, is second to none. I just wish there was someone around here locally to me with your work ethic!, I HATE electrical problems.
soon as you showed that compression fitting i thought... "did scotty mess with this?" then i saw all the meltage of the wires and was like... well.... possibly. maybe he flips cars to compensate his time lol you have the patience of an oak tree messing with that old blazer man. keep up the great work. world needs more honest mechanics like you.
Wes is truly the wire whisperer. When I lay eyes on modern harnesses with all thise tiny wires, my blood pressure skyrockets.
Straight up anxiety when I saw that harness.
I really appreciate that you immediate went for the most difficult problem with the vehicle and left the smaller and (probably) easier stuff for the customer to figure out.
Oh dear what a mess that Blazer is. I feel sorry for the young man that purchased the vehicle from a crook. Thank you for helping the young man out. I imagine you have made a friend for life. You are the Mr. Rodgers of mechanics for sure. Fabulous diagnosis and repair. Dang you are good man. Thanks for the video.
l sold a Ford Mavrick to a dude and after the deal was over l said ''Now that you own it l'm gona tell you what's wrong with it'' and you should have seen the look on his face ! l had bought it new and the little things that went wrong were fixed under warranty, so l told him '' nothing ! '' and he started laughing.
How long did that really take you? If you did that in 2 hours...well, I guess that would make me inadequate. Impressive diagnosis there Wes!
I'll take a guess that Wes is 3-4 hours into it, not including time away on other vehicles?
Well, he had to add some time for setting up the camera making sure everything is in shot etc.
But overall Wes is overqualified for this type of work, so I don't think he invested much more than 2 hours if you remove the camera work :)
It would've taken me 2 hours just to do the tape part
@@thomasbrown9402 why?
0
I don't know whether to consider you a genius or someone who just likes pain and suffering. Job well done either way!
In some ways I think I can relate to Wes and his background of wanting to know why it won't work. Closure I guess I will call it, but then knowing the cause for me makes it that much closer to figuring out a solution.
Wes, nice diagnosis work and acceptable plus safe solution. I am not a fan when the wire is "the fuse".
As an owner of the EXACT same vehicle (Trail Blazer package) I'm a little bit happier with mine being in slightly better structural shape! Although I did have to replace the transmission on mine when I bought it and it could use a drivers front door panel. If this guy ever decides to scrap his blazer I'd love to have his door panels! The driver seat and all plastics would be nice too!
I would like to add for the headlights and taillights being on, I think they are supposed to always be on while the vehicle is on as mine is the same way. Pressing the Dome Override button a few times allows manual light control using the dial and pressing it twice more turns the lights back on.. Not sure if this is something from the factory or not but I just leave the lights alone and haven't had any issues with them.
He certainly brought it to the right person for electrical. I'm always impressed with your electrical troubleshooting.
Hopefully the owner will watch this video and tell everyone he knows that there's only one place to have their vehicle or equipment repaired in your area! The Master tech Wes .
Wes your a credit to REAL mechanics. I know you spent way more time on that car than the 2 hours the customer could afford. I also know you did it because your a good human being and would have done it even if you didn't have a You Tube channel and this job was useful as content.
I used to be terrible at electrical diagnostics and problems, didn’t have the patience for it but as soon as I bought my 89 suburban that was constantly shorting out the radio and horn I kinda found out it’s kinda fun to discover the short and fix it for some reason, also just having a test light and a 5 dollar multimeter, even if you really just know how to check for ohms can solve a lot of issues
I am sooo impressed by your automotive forensic, diagnostic, detective work, and I enjoy your sense of humor and sarcasm, and that roguish smile whenever you start to talk to us in your videos. Your knowledge is impressive!
Hey Wes, first off, Great Job! I have had several of these vehicles, including this exact blazer, which I currently own, so I feel your pain. Just wanted to point out that the 4.3 engine in there is NOT a TBI, but is actually a multi port fuel injection which GM "conveniently" hid underneath the upper intake manifold. The injection system is a comprised of a main unit which is connected to the 6 individual injectors and is lovingly referred to as the spider. Earlier models had manual poppet valves while later models actual had real electronic injectors. I imagine that all of the vehicles in your area rusted out long before these units failed which is why you are lucky enough to never have encountered one :) . Also, I agree 100% with the airbox assessment, worst ever!
And the spider crumbles when you touch them.
The W engine was "Central Port Injection" with the spider and "poppets". The X engine didn't come out until the 2003 model year with actual multi point injection. This 2000 S-10 was indeed a W "VIN" engine. They stopped the Z engine (TBI), after the 1994 model year.
l had a 4.3 v-6 which is nothing more than a small block 350 v-8 with the rear 2 cylinders lopped off. lt had a throttle body fuel injection. l loved it and replaced everything from a new gas tank all the way up but sometimes it would hard start and chug down the road. After l junked it an auto parts dealer told me l should have tried a cold spray Fi cleaner that l never heard of. Too late now.
Your ability to diagnose electrical issues always blows me away.
Don't know the buyer, but I appreciate what you've done here, i.e. investing your time into this project to help him as much as you could. Wish the kid had a working brake system as well, but you can't have everything, I suppose.
You're a good man, Wes. Stay true.
I was cruising down the highway one day and noticed my tachometer bouncing from 0 to 6 then saw smoke roll out of the defroster vent. I pulled over and shut it off. I opened the hood and saw a wiring harness had fell off of the firewall and landed on the header. I had to drop the steering column and rob my speaker wires to replace wires all the way from the battery to the ignition switch. All this was done on the side of the highway as I was far from anywhere. Later I replaced the whole wiring harness. It was a lot easier back then as this was a 1980 Mustang 2.3L.
Props to you for even attempting such a repair on a piece of crap like this. Reminds me of polishing a turd.
As a guy from the gulf coast south that has never seen salted roads, I guess a 4wd vehicle “beater” that can be sacrificed (or has already been sacrificed!) is the “perfect” low buck choice…you saved him!
You're a very kind man! I hear stories like this often of young kids getting taken advantage of. God bless you for helping him out of this mess!
Great job on an advanced diagnosis, given the limits! "Looks OK from a distance, but on closer inspection...." The theme on this one, even the painted rust looked OK from a distance!
That sounds alot like my s10-blaser. Bought it because it has a stack of service history and drove it like 100 miles and the rear main bearing went. Had the engine rebuilt and they didn't help matters. They lost the vacuum chamber so none of the vacuum actuated stuff worked. Fixed that with some silicone and a glass bottle. Now the engine likes to stumble and miss randomly when you take it above 3,000 rpm. But it does run and drive some what safety and has zero rust so that's a plus. Thanks for another kick butt video wes!
Also the stupid headlights are gm always on with the key. Even if the switch is in the off position they will still come on unless you push in the parking break.
@@spczippo556 Press the dome overright button like 7 or 8 times. Most s10 owners don't know that turns em off.
@@squidiz496 I will give it a shot, thanks. I have spent more nights then I care to admit in my truck and having the headlights come on is quite annoying.
I'm amazed by your diagnostic skills. Good Job!
My understanding is that you took some bad comments on this. If that’s true, you don’t deserve that. Your patience here is incredible
You did very well on that GM Wes. I used to think my SARCASM was really good but even at my advanced age 78 you have surpassed me LOL. Yours is World Class for your recent 37th BD. LOL. Always enjoy your channel and really enjoyed you and your wife live the other night.
Impressive diagnostics as always Wes - I was rooting for a return to the road for the old blazer. Hopefully the brakes get sorted out too, those are important!
kind-a important :D
Just make the horn louder
On the S-10's they're Spider injected, also the Head lights are all time running lights, you have to push the E Brake in to turn them on or of with the switch, the Dead Drivers side 02 Sensor is common because the 12V heater circuit will short against the Ground feed back of the 02 Sensor and shorts the ECU out internally, it will still run but runs like shit and never goes out of Open Loop.
You’re the man Wes, thank you for all you do to help individuals in need