In this video I bring you along as I work on a 2005 Chevrolet 1500 with the classic EVAP Vent Solenoid code. It's just your run of the mill broke wire we need to find and I do a little explaining about the number of YT'ers that call the shop each day and how aggerating that get's day after day. Any how, I created this conundrum I suppose. -Enjoy!
If an SMA Video has helped you out please consider giving using "Patreon" to help support us. The videos take real time to create and pull us away from real work that pays our bills. CLICK HERE: https://www.patreon.com/southmainauto
CHECK OUT OUR "SMA SWAG" STORE! Go on Teespring and get your very own SMA merch!
https://teespring.com/stores/the-sma-store
If you don't like Patreon feel free to use the "PayPal Me" link: https://www.paypal.me/SouthMainAuto
The South Main Auto Amazon Store:
https://www.amazon.com/shop/southmainautorepairavoca
AES Wave Automotive Diagnostic Tools: https://www.aeswave.com/cart.php?m=affiliate_go&affiliateID=2525b91fc8e906e8215984074c9d9e8f&go=https://www.aeswave.com/Miscellaneous-p9347.html
Thank you for all the continuing support!
--Eric & Vanessa O.
Feel like sending some swag to SMA because you love the videos but don't know where to send it?
Just ship it here:
South Main Auto Repair
47 S. Main St
PO Box 471
Avoca, NY 14809
Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. South Main Auto Repair assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. South Main Auto Repair recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained.

Oh, what do we got? The 2005 chevrolet gmc uh, let's see here, get her unlocked holy the money lights. On the other thing i'm told this is over told me by my list. She gave me a list, oh, where it is. I lost it.

Wow this thing's fancy, apparently whoa chevy thunder. He has changed the canister, the vent valve and the gas cap you have. The light remains on. What's it's like a 72 inch screen thanks huge uh anyhow that lights on it's got the fancy dash.

So, let's pull her in see: what's up, i'm assuming an evap code based on the parts that he's replaced so it sounds like he has not replaced the purge valve or the fuel tank pressure sensor. We've got the hotel hooked up, uh it's working a little slow. I don't know if it's just this truck, i took and reset it it's just taking a long time, but he does have a lot of aftermarket gizmos in here so uh. You know that could be part of it, but we'll see uh all else fails we'll just go generic and see what's going on here, but uh.

Let me give this some time to do its thing. So i told you there was something going wonky with his aftermarket stuff. I didn't let it finish scanning, i only let it scan the engine and the abs and tire pressure monitor, because it was taken forever and you can see. We've got a po 300 which past past past and then the last one that failed was the advent solenoid control circuit.

So we have a control circuit code, but then you can see we got a class 2 communication fault lost, comedy bcm lost, comma dash, class 2 communication high voltage. We got a class 2 low and high in the tire pressure system, so probably either the dash or the aftermarket radio is screwing up the class 2 data network, but it still starts and runs and the only code that we're really going to be concerned with is Going to be this vent solenoid control circuit. What we're going to do, though, is we're going to pop into generic obd2 and just see if that's the only code, and perhaps it has a pending code in there i'll see how fast this goes but yeah, i assume, there's something screwed up on the data network, Because it's working so slow, but this should be j1850, so we'll see how long this takes. So we go to the generic side and just as i suspected, we just have two codes, the pending code and the current code for the vent control circuit.

So this is probably a broken wire. My guess is going to be right over there. But what do i know, but let's uh go see if we're missing power or we're missing the ground side switch we're gon na go back into oem data, so we have bi-directional controls. So that's the diagram here we have the canister vent.

This is what we're going after, so we're gon na have one power now we're gon na have a control wire and i believe the orange is gon na, be the power, and it is comes right up here to the four i can't on my readers on four Ws fuse, so that's going to be hot at all times and then our white wire, that's highlighted across here, should be there. We go the control which is right there, the evap vent control. So first thing: first, let's see what we're missing we're missing. One of the two uh, because to set this code, the pcm is going to be looking uh for uh, so it's gon na have 12 volts coming in, should go through the solenoid and back out and then to the pcm, and if the pcm doesn't see that 12 volts, when it's commanded off, then it assumes there's a circuit issue.
So let's uh we'll check our fuse first before we pick it up near and then we'll go down there and see if we're missing the power or the ground. I got my readers this time. Getting the whole baby getting old, it does say ford ws and it does say under hood fuse box. So we have to come over here and find the 4ws which is right there 4ws that's the trailer park and that's 4ws supposed to be hot at all times.

She's hot on both sides and before you get burned on this, make sure it has both of its legs. Oh she's, solid corrosion. It has both of its legs. It looks super duper crusty.

Perhaps this was the problem, the whole time we'll find out, because if we go down there and everything works well now we'll assume that it was probably missing power. So we do still have power on both sides. Before we even go down on this old girl, we're gon na take we're gon na use. Some bi-directional action here.

We're gon na go to the bent. Solenoid, probably should have done this first to see if we could hear it, because if it's fixed miraculously now feel like a fool, oh she's, slow, i'll, wait for that to load up um. Oh no, there we go. She did.

Let's see, listen quietly! No! I don't hear any clicking going on down there uh. Just while we're right here, though we'll take a quick peek fuel tank pressure, looks good should be 1.5. Um looks like he's, got her filled to the brim or not wait a minute here. I thought that was at five volts: oh fueled, all rear tank.

Okay, it's like what the heck okay, never mind, never mind fuel remaining 23, so anywho, let's go down there and see if we have power. Okay, she is there's our there's. Our vent valve find something. That's magnetic under here it's not completely covered with rust uh.

So if somebody has put a pigtail on it at some point, let's just kind of quickly inspect that looks like some crimp and seal connector, so these appear to be in good order. Okay, so let's see what we're missing - let's see if we have power on this wire right here - and we do so that tells me we don't have any ground side switch here, it's likely situation. So let me turn on the vent solenoid. Well, actually, it was on right now, it's venting.

So, let's see here if we have anything on this wire, which is going to be our white wire, and we have absolutely nothing. No ghost voltage, no nothing so that 100 confirms that we have a broken wire and i'd be curious to know. If we're bad before the crimp, i mean it looks good we're just going to very gingerly poke it here, we're going to come back and fix it, because this is underneath the car ouch we'll just give that a little poke. If i can, let's see nope, i didn't i'm not bleeding, and we have nothing here, so it's likely not before the crimp.
So let's go back all the way back to the pcm and see if we can't find uh where we cut this circuit down on us. So our next logical step is to break the system down if we can as easily as we can and if you're using mitchell diagrams as usual, they suck but they're handy because they're colored, so we have to go back to an oem diagram. Uh - let's see here, we have it's probably somewheres on here: here's our vent solenoid right here. So we have our orange wire coming in from our full-time power, which we know we have.

We have no control on the white, and here we have a connector. We have the c152 connector and then we have the connector the pcm. So if we can get to this and not the pcm is covered, i think the c152 connector is covered also because i think it's under that fuse box over there. I've got the pin out for c152 and uh right here, so pin f, which also agrees with this one pin f, says on there so pin f white evap canister vent solenoid control.

So what we need to do is we need to get to this connector. We need to find, pin, f and see. Do we have control here or don't we because that will narrow down our section either? Our wire is bad from here to here or from here to here, so we need to find out which way to chase it and uh. I got ta double check.

I'm pretty sure that connector is under that fuse box. I just had to go help josh, foolishly, foolishly took on a volkswagen. I wish i hate those cars. We're gon na take this little guy off, set this to the side, and then we will pull our lid off from this that one connector here that out of there - and this should come right off, exposing our connector, usually exposing the mouse nest.

I've got no snippets, so i don't know if we're gon na find a mouse or smell a mouse. I don't smell it. Uh. The connector, i think, is underneath our fuse box.

Here you can kind of pick your poison with this one folks um, whether or not you want to pull the covers off the ecm and test right there and or come to here. First, we chose to come here because i think it's a little bit easier. I could say just kind of pick: your poison. I think it's this connector right here with the purple tape on it um.

Let's uh figure this out man, the uh plethora of youtube callers today, has hit the stupid level. You can hear one leaving a message right now. I'm gon na have to be a little more belligerent on my message to say: don't don't call, don't leave a message: uh, okay, let me get a t-pin or my other hat, so i'm a t-pin in it um and i'm not trying to sound like a prick Or ungrateful, but logistically it doesn't work out when youtube people come here. Just i'll, be completely honest and very blunt: it just doesn't work.
They usually travel a long ways. They don't understand that i am not a miracle worker. I cannot fix your intermittent problem. That happens once every seven months for 30 seconds at a time not trying to sound it's just.

I just do work for my local people and that's it and that's how it's gon na be, let's see so we're gon na back probe into this, and what we should have here, because i plugged the solenoid back in underneath is. We should have power, we should have 12 volts because, with our scan tool uh, it is not turned on. Currently. Let me just double check that here it should be not venting, so the pcm should not be pulling it to ground.

Wait for our skin tool to catch up. Make sure that our prober here is good, we'll touch our key pin and we don't have a beep. We don't have power coming up here, however, i do have a voltage reading now of zero volts 0.03, so we have some ghost voltage. So what we want to do is we're going to go to the driver test on this power probe and right now it puts voltage at the tip.

So right now we have 13.8 volts and when it goes to ground it should indicate to us a ground. So right now we still have 13.76 volts at the tip okay and then, if i go turn on, let's turn on the solenoid. Let me hold this here, we're probed into the control wire. When i turn this on, it should go to ground i'll turn it back off back on and back off.

So that tells us the pcm is good. So the engine control module is good and it is good wiring up until this point. So from this point to the back of the vehicle at some point along the way our wire is broke, a hundred percent there's no other possibility of what it can be. The sucky part is: is this truck is rotted out big time underneath very cobbled up where the wire runs um, the frame's rotted in half? It's it's pretty bad uh.

So i don't want to be fiddling with the wires and stuff there, because the brake lines and stuff are just everything's on the verge of literally breaking in half, and the problem is, if it breaks in half on your watch. The customer somehow will feel that you're responsible, so what we do we're going to try something else here. We're going to take oops stop shut that off for a second uh. Let me just take a quick peek here.

Maybe maybe we'll do they'll get lucky here. That comes out. I just want to see which wire comes out on just out of curiosity. I think it goes into that big main underneath there.

It goes into this harness. What we should do is unconnect the connector, disconnect the connector just to make galding sure. Let's see, no, we were on the output side of it anyways i was going to say we want to make sure that we're on the output side going to the back of the vehicle, which is this harness here, which we were on, so we were already on The output side, so we know that the connector is good. The connection in it is good.
We got to click that back down. We can throw the cover back on this and then we're going to very carefully give it a visual inspection. Try not to touch anything. That's gon na i see a metal bracket down.

There might be rubbing through on um we're looking for an open we're not looking for a short, so we're looking for a wire, that's completely uh, corroded and broken through. So the other thing you could do is where it comes into here into this bunch. We could just cut it and do an overlay, which was probably the best option at this point. So, let's see what we can do so this is the kind of stuff you're dealing with.

So these are all your brake lines uh. Unfortunately, this is the harness that possesses the broken wire. So we just kind of look through here like i'd, really like to touch it up in here where it goes under the cab uh. But you just don't dare um, you touch any of this.

All these brake lines are gon na blow and then we're just going to kind of give it a looky. You know these brake lines are all compression fittings like none of this will pass inspection anyway. Well, in my shop it won't but, like i said, the frame is all rotted out here. You know they cover it up with silicone, but you just you know, frames clearly broke toast um, but there's lots of shops.

If you need his number i'll give you the guy's number just trying to see, i mean we already got some wires kind of cobbled back through here um. You know what guess what i think i see it just standing right here. Look at that turn it out in the open, ding dong. I could have fixed this while you're doing anything.

Fancy ready here comes the money shot baby there. It is. Oh, we got lucky. How lucky are we? I should have looked a little closer when i uh well we're down here the first time, let's see if it's any good from here, or hopefully, there's not more in one bad spot, so i'm still doing the driver test.

We still have the 13.8 bolts at our tiff uh we're going to take and i'm going to turn the vent slowly on. So i should i should audible tone here. It should hold the ground and it does turn it back off, fan frickin tastic, so uh. Sometimes you just know when to say when folks, sometimes you got to get rid of the truck.

So, let's see here what they can remove that portion of the truck i'm just going to cut those out we're going to move them both back and we're going to call it a day and let them go to the sticker shop. Can you guys still see? Can everybody still see, hopefully the alarm's, probably written away - i'm sorry for complaining people. I try not to be ungrateful, but sometimes sometimes i don't even know what i'm gon na say. Sometimes i get grumpy, i'm not trying to be grumpy but guys just way.

The cookie crumbles someday initially when i started the youtube, i tried helping the youtube people when they would. You know, want to come here and get stuff fixed. Let me go get some connectors, but it's just never we're getting kind of intimate here right behind you uh. It just never worked out.
Well, it's it's difficult to explain. Um. I don't think i'm a bad mechanic, but i think youtube gives people a false sense of who a person really is. Perhaps i mean i am who i am i mean i'm a nice guy, but i can't walk on water folks, which, unfortunately, some youtube folks.

That call here have that perception of me in their mind, like oh, this guy can fix anything. Well, no truth be told. I can't everybody's always like oh you're the best, and the truth is i'm not. I just happen to be a guy who makes videos there's hundreds and thousands of mechanics that are as good and truth be told way better than i'll ever be they just don't make youtube videos.

So i guess all that to say that yeah i don't work on out of town people's. You know i mean if somebody's down at the gas station they broke down they're from out of town yeah. I take care of them, but other than that negative. It's just too much of a pain in the hulu, i'm a pretty laid back dude.

I don't like the high pressure. Okay, let's heat shrink those bad boys down. Oh here it should click now good. Now we can drive it right through a drive cycle and have a million leak code show up wait for the babies to cool down a little bit here and i'll.

Stick the loom back over it we're gon na cool down there. She is folks i'll put back together. Fancy all right. Folks got the fuse box back together, got the brace back in uh.

This guy's gon na have to take and drive it now to run it through a drive cycle and see. You know how many million other codes come up. I see the codes were cleared before it came because they had two monitors still that weren't set um, but this will at least fix the circuit problem. And then you know on to the next one, but obviously something in the radio in the instrument cluster or something has uh, is putting too much voltage on the can 2 or the cantu.

The class 2 data network on this truck, which is what runs on the j1850 protocol, so it's got something kind of wonky there, but it still communicates can still run a drive cycle. So i'm not going to go chasing that down. He just wanted that evap portion of it fixed, so we did that we came, we saw we conquered um and again folks. I don't want to sound ungrateful or like a prick, but i do thoroughly enjoy making the youtube videos.

I, like posting our videos, and you know you guys, seem to get a lot from them and uh. You know that's the avenue that we take so unfortunately i cannot take the literally hundreds of phone calls that come in where people just want free advice or know what parts change it's it's just too difficult. So i just don't and then the same for bringing their vehicles here. It's just it's way too difficult.
Logistically it doesn't work when you drive five six hours and you know i look at your car and you need a part and the parts you know a week away. You know, then, what nobody really thinks beyond just the the day and and to be honest with you folks, i'm just a normal joe schmo, just a plain old schmuck working in a shop with dirty hands in a small town. I'm not the lord jesus himself. I cannot walk on water.

I can't turn water into wine. I fix junk cars, it's what i do and i'm not the best at it. So anyhow, thanks for watching, don't mean to be cynical on this video, but it's just a matter of facts. Hope you liked this video if you didn't, or you want to tell me why you didn't go in the comment section when you're down there subscribe insty the facebook, you guys know what to do.

Just remember viewers. If i can do it, you can do it thanks for watching.

By EricO

15 thoughts on “Uggg the phone calls…. oh and fixing a chevy evap system”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars J Cibolo says:

    Many of us get it. Unfortunately a necessary video. 75% of the public has the IQ of a used handball… Yep. People are stupid. It's too bad the channel brings out the nuts. Keep the great content coming.

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars sbc8800 says:

    People have really lost the sense of boundaries in the internet age. I’ve watched your videos for what seems like forever. I bought new Astro tools learned new diag techniques and was entertained by your commentary. Thanks for making some of the best videos on the YouTube. God bless.

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Eagles 2017 says:

    Lol,if they would just search up your video logs they may not even have to call. I’ve been watching you for years and I’m not sure if there is anything that you haven’t fixed or made a video to fix.

    What I like is when you say “ if I can do it you can do it” so people STOP calling the man you are wasting your time and his. I wish people would atleast consider others time and stop feeling like your entitled to his time at no charge.

    Hey I have a ABS light on could it be a wheel bearing? 😂😆 JK

    STOP CALLING THE MAN MY GOODNESS

    GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY BROTHER

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Jeffrey Gortz says:

    Eric o and south main auto , I too understand what's up with the YouTube, I too am amazed at how gifted you are but like and thousands of others it's your personality and humor is also what attracts people to you , keep on keeping on , and no I'm in California !!!!!!!!!

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Jeffrey Kane says:

    Is it bad to say that when I travel thru your area on Interstate 86 to visit family in northeast PA I hope that my check engine light comes on so I can stop into South Main Auto! 🤣Thanks for all you do Eric!

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars James Ratliff says:

    Eric. Don’t sell yourself short. You are a damn good mechanic and I have learned a lot from you over the years. I wish I had someone like you here in Indiana that I could go to. Don’t let people get to you and keep making videos we all enjoy watching. 👍

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars bdiscreet69 says:

    Cars suck, people suck, ice cream doesn't. Sorry people are dumb Mr O. Your videos are quite informative and you are entertaining as well. I for one would miss them if they stopped being made so STOP CALLING SMA fans! 🙂

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Mike Biron says:

    Thanks for the invite to have dinner at your house, and hang out at the shop all day while you troubleshoot my car with 25 codes. I really appreciate it. Glad I took it to the gawd of mechanics. Later on we'll go hunting, snow skiing and sip hot coco by the fire. Cheers….

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars joe blow says:

    I've learned a ton from your videos.. Just a home mechanic and you and Ivan have saved me and my neighbors a bunch of money.. I don't come from a car background.. Worked on tugboats and industrial machines.
    Thank you for all you have done!

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Hola! John Rodrigues says:

    I have used your videos when dealing with the dealership for warranty work. When you know some terminology they don't know what you don't know. And so they go from a to z precisely and end up doing what you want them to do anyhow!

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Hard Knocks Forge says:

    Well, well, well…fella. Glad I didn’t ship my Hilux from Madagascar. Probably a real pita. Seems to crank fine and even starts when the gauge is above E, but when it’s on E it just cranks until the battery dies.

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Hola! John Rodrigues says:

    Anyone who thinks you're the best at anything stops learning. You got to feel the hounds at your heel to keep pushing you to learn and be better. Do I believe you're the best mechanic in the world couldn't say never met the rest. Do I trust you as a mechanic absolutely there's difference. I trust you to do the right thing. I trust you to be thorough in your work. And I trust you to be honest that's the most important by the way. So you go on being you, one of the reasons I watch your channel and enjoy it is because of who you are. You're a good man a good husband and a good father. Anyone expects anything more of you is kind of foolish. Take care! Say hi to Mrs o! Give the kids a hug. Before you know it they'll be grown up and gone. It's a simple reality of life. I always look at your wife like the first day you met her and you realized that she was for you it's obvious you love her and obvious that she loves you. If you have nothing else in life you have that. That is priceless.

  13. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Jason Beeching says:

    I'll tell you what sometimes I wish I lived closer but you are right I couldn't just bring you my vehicle and just leave it.. to far away. But I have learned a lot from you and you have helped me and some of my friends that I have told about your channel. Away I like the fact you are humble..

  14. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Budd Smokegood says:

    God it must suck living in a liberal state, where the government has a hold of you by the balls, forcing you to have a vehicle inspection….. In Iowa I could register a shopping cart and insure it, if I wanted to…. So is New York forcing you to call people by their made-up gender pronouns yet?!?

  15. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars South Main Auto Repair LLC says:

    Like I mention in the video folks, I thoroughly enjoy making YT videos and sharing what little I have learned over the years about working on rusty junk in hopes that the info I put out can benefit people fixing their junk. However, I do run a real life business. You might only see 4 or 5 of the cars I work on a week out of the 50 or more that might roll through the shop. My first priority is my family and my lively hood which I make by fixing cars at the shop. If I were to take each call that comes in I would never leave the phone and 95% of the questions people have can not be answered over a phone. I don't mean to sound ungrateful for the channel, my business and the loyal viewers but unfortunately that is all I can offer at this time. I will keep making content until people stop watching it or YT goes belly up but I can not talk to anyone on the phone. I also have found over the years that working on peoples cars from out of town never works out because of logistics so I will not work on their cars either. Most people do not realize that I am not a miracle worker. I am sorry if I have ever portrayed myself to be that and if I have please except my apology. I am an ordinary guy fixing cars in upstate NY and making videos. Nothing more. There are thousands of good mechanics out there ten times better than I could or will ever be. I just want to let each and everyone of you know I do appreciate the interactions I have with you on YT, Facebook and the Insty but that is the limit of my time that is available. I hope you all understand. Keep wrenchin'!

    -Eric O.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.