In this video I have a look at a customer’s 2020 Chevy Equinox that she has had at the local Chevy dealer several times in an attempt to fix the warning message she gets on the dash every time she turns on her left turn signal. At the end of the day, she just wants the light fixed. Let’s see what we can find.
-Enjoy!
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40 years experience here in industrial electronics, Eric! Really appreciate your excellent diagnostic skills. My guess is that this system uses an opto-isolator at the dash panel end, driven by the "logic" in the tail-light assembly. This logic will be an light sensitive transistor (a photo-transistor) looking at the LED tail-light: when the light is on, the transistor will cause that sensing wire (brown-yellow) to be pulled to ground, which turns on the LED in the opto-isolator (via a smallish resistor in series somewhere to limit the LED current). The LED in the opto-isolator is connected to +12V battery – as shown in the schematic. The opto-isolator is an LED which illuminates a photo-transistor. When the LED is producing light, it causes the photo-transistor to turn on, which signals to the electronics that the distant light is working. I think the symbol at the dash end is dark to signify that the LED in the opto-isolator does not produce visible light – it is probably an infra-red one.
I could see there was a high resistance problem when you showed the waveform on the left hand side. The top of the pulses was rounded, indicating that it was taking a very long time for the voltage to be pulled up towards +12V. My guess is that the wire was probably measuring many hundreds of kilohms in resistance – resulting in just not enough current to light the LED in the opto-isolator.
This shows why they probably used an opto-isolator in this position. The opto-isolator requires a reasonable current – perhaps 10 or 20 milliamps – to turn on. This ensures a good, robust, signal back to the dash panel end, generally immune to any transient pickup in the wiring harness between circuits.
America has a national incompetence problem.
The symbol for a light absorbing diode has finally been classified.
Eric, you would fit right in South Carolina. I think we have more Yankees from New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio than southern boys in Charleston. When I am driving around Charleston, I have flashbacks of the New Jersey Turnpike.
This just shows that it is better to understand basic technical principles and troubleshooting skills, than to have all the dealers' black box gadgets without understanding what you are working with. Also, keep in mind that dealer's want you to buy a new car, not fix your car.
If Eric O "isn't a big electronics guy" then oooooooooh boy I REALLY don't know what i'm doing. Great video as always sir!
Iβm at two minutes and 30 seconds and Iβm gonna make a guess. Iβm guessing that all the bulbs are LEDs and LED bulbs have a circuit. I think it mightβve something to do with a defective LED bulb that comes on but the computer doesnβt know itβs coming on. Itβs probably more complicated than that but I wanted to just say that before Eric figures out what the problem really is.
Your tesa tape looks like the stuff my Dad called friction tape. Wow does Mrs O have love lights in her eyes or what! Good for you.
A classic example of why I now follow your channel. I love the methodical way you go investigating the issues. Oh, and I like the occasional side stories too, as per the Honda that got bullet from the insurance company. An of course, Mrs O made a appearance too, that is always the icing on the cake.
Many thanks,
David in the UK.
Devils advocate hereβ¦a new harness would have fixed it π but I agree with you. Most dealerships arenβt in the business of diagnosing and fixing. They just replace and throw their hands up when that didnβt fix it
Algorithm booster
You don't wanna know how my two brain cells work!
Nice fix with the "Tesla" electrical tape! π€£
Hi, where did you go to get the Vin # decode with all those details? has more good info .
I had my car with stick shift to service in the dealership for βhesitation while drivingβ . Charged me two thousand dollars, didnβt fix the problem. Never take my car to any dealership for service again! Eric, if you were around, I would bring my car to you to fix. Well, that was twenty years ago!!!
Thanks Eric! And BTW I really like "all the story time".
This channel is so good. Keep up the good work!
45:25 MrsO baffling Eric with her technical talk.
Man you guys were on your A game with the 1 liners. LOL epic
Tesa makes several different tapes the fuzzy tape is interior tape (51608) and the exterior tape (51036) (usually also found on interior harnesses of GMs) is much more weather and heat resistant as well as being nearly impossible to tear by hand
lol boobies haha
Nice fix
I have a roll of tessa tape in my tool box in the truck.
π₯π₯π₯
Way to go, found the problem, and without the shotgun!
Once again Eric, you never disappoint. Your troubleshooting skills are top notch and incredibly through. I'm guessing your local Community College or Trade School is constantly trying to get you to trade in your tools for a lab coat! You're a great instructor. π
Number one problem with problems with dealers they hook up a scanner and fire off the parts cannon instead of trying to figure it out and solve the problem.dealers now don't use diagnostics skills .they just fire parts and labor and still don't solve the problem because lack of real mechanical skills
34:41 really looks like this car was in an accident and repaired. That sealant on the left side and how messy it is really looks like it was done by a shop. The right side doesn't look anything like this. I'm leaning toward it was in a fender bender and the wire was damaged. The fix was about as good as the sealant job that was done.
Not that I don't agree with the sentiment generally, but the dealer's guess was kinda sorta in the ballpark? it did need a harness by their standards.
You discovered the schematic symbol for DEDs. The Dark Emitting Diode.
Sorry Eric, but the asphalt base undercoating is a good product. The issue is that in the days of years gone by, the Ziebart product was MUCH more viscous and sprayed on MUCH thicker. The 55 gal drums of the product required belly heaters kept on continuously to keep the product warm. Upon application the product cooled rapidly and didn't drip too much. I own a few vehicles which were done as described. Today the belly heaters are not required because the product is much thinner. The thicker application was MUCH more effective in many ways. Also, the wheels were removed to put a good thick coating in the wheel houses. Today that is NOT done and the fender liners are not removed either. I think the application process today is very slip shod as demonstrated by all the areas left uncoated. In addition, the "inner cavities" were coated with a thinner product maybe not unlike Fluid Film.
Lastly, those vehicles with rust under the undercoating you like to criticize were most certainly coated AFTER the rust had already started or maybe the thin watery version of asphalt undercoating was used. Thin applications DONT work well. That never works unless the rust is gone over with a needle descaler first and painted with a product like POR.
I love your videos, so keep them coming. Cheers.
ππ»ππ»
I don't mean to sound like one of those old farts that says "why can't new vehicles still have carburetors and points distributors?", but really; was there any real benefit to making modern lighting circuits computerized?
There is a huge amount of incompetence in shops these days. It's very sad. Your town is very lucky to have you.
Eric, I purchased a '77 T-Bird in March of '77 and had it Ziebarted at the Dealer. I drove it mostly in Michigan, Ohio and New York.(Only one winter in New York) In '80 The Drivers side front fender was destroyed by guy on "Work Release" that ran a stop sign. Anyway, fender was Ziebarted when repaired. I drove the car until '89, then gave it to my Sister-in-law and she drove it for a long time. It is still sitting in her yard in Michigan, MINUS the Drivers side front fender. Something changed at Ziebart between the Spring of '77 and the Fall of '80 !. The original coating would drip on the ground when it got hot outside and reseal everything. In '88 I was in Oregon when it was 120+ out, and 11 years later it was still dripping on the ground!
Way to go Mr O
if not body work, I suspect tire blew its tread and hit the wiring. I call them general morons for a reason.
Don't know if you have a video on it, but what kind of scope is that?
Never a dull moment at SMA. Great Job!!
car dealerships and many other repair businesses want quick and easy fixes. when i hire a plumber ,electricians etc, i always say if you dont want the job be honest and tell me. the money i make to pay with was made the honest way
as a side note, if whoever did the previous repair would have done it properly eric o would not have to do it right.
When I pick a vehicle up on my lift, I make sure it's high enough for me to be able stand on my wood crate box to reach what I'm working on! π
That's how I work!!
Blessings!
i forget what the 2 things on the algorythm said but i think mrs o coverered them all
Man, u just a sick ccunt in the mechanic world. Love ur videos, tips and tricks, and ur funny storytimes with Mrs. O <3