The check engine light is a warning light in your car that tells you something might be wrong with the engine. If it lights up, it's a good idea to have it checked out by a mechanic.
TPMS helps keep track of how much air is in your tires. If the air pressure gets too low, it warns you so you can fill them up, which is important for safe driving.
NOx emissions are gases that come from car engines when they burn fuel. They can cause air pollution and health issues, so it's important to keep them low.
The fuel evaporated system is a part of a car that makes sure no fuel vapors leak into the air. It checks the fuel from the tank to the engine to keep the environment clean.
The evaporative system helps keep harmful fuel fumes from leaking into the air. It includes parts like the fuel tank and fuel cap that work together to trap these fumes.
The transmission helps your car change gears so it can move. If something goes wrong with it, your car might not shift properly, which can trigger warning lights.
The Toyota FJ Cruiser is a tough-looking SUV that was made for off-roading and adventures. It has a cool, vintage design and is built to handle rough terrains, which makes it a favorite for people who love outdoor activities. Many people talk about it because of its unique style and how well it performs in challenging conditions.
The coolant temperature sensor checks how hot the engine's coolant is. This helps the car's computer know if the engine is running too hot and needs attention.
Air intake temperature is how hot the air is when it goes into the engine. The car's computer checks this to make sure the engine runs well and efficiently.
The body control module is like a control center for the car's electrical features, like locking doors and turning on lights. It helps everything work together smoothly.
Fly by wire means that instead of using physical parts to control things like steering, the car uses electronic signals. It can feel different because there's no direct connection.
The rack and pinion steering unit is a system that helps you turn the steering wheel into movement for the wheels. It makes steering easier and more responsive in cars.
The alternator is like a generator in your car that produces electricity. It helps power things like the radio and lights while the engine is running, but it doesn't charge the battery directly like a battery charger does.
An engine misfire happens when the engine doesn't run smoothly because something is wrong, like a part not working. This can make the car feel shaky or lose power.
The SRS is the system in your car that helps keep you safe in an accident, mainly through airbags and seatbelts that tighten up. It has its own computer to monitor everything.
The service light is another light on your dashboard that reminds you to take your car in for maintenance, like an oil change. It's important to pay attention to this light to keep your car running well.
LIVE
Good morning Niagara, you're tuned into Car Connection where the coffee's hot, the tools
are ready and the talk is always tuned up.
I'm your host, Nile Motormouth Jenkins, coming to you straight from the Car Connection workshop
where we mix a little humor, a little know-how and a whole lot of horsepower.
Here it's not just about fixing cars, it's about keeping you rolling, saving you money
and giving you the confidence to understand what's under that hood.
From the classics to the commuters, the weird noises to the what the heck moments we've got you
covered. So grab your coffee, your cup of joe, sit back, well not too far back if you're driving
this morning and join the crew, check your order before you leave the drive-through just saying
lock that cup down in the cup holder because this is Car Connection.
Yes and it's Saturday morning pit stop. We've made it to the weekend together for stories.
We have smarts and a few good laughs. I'm Nile Motormouth Jenkins and we are shifting into drive
right here in the workshop. Thanks for joining us. Thanks for bringing us into your space
wherever that may be. You may be driving, you may just arrive at work and nobody's around,
you can have the radio on tapped into our podcast. This is officially series one episode
number 63. So we have just a few podcasts up there for you to tap into the information where
you know what, everything we talk about lives at our website. We've made it really easy for you
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We'll get you to our homepage. On our homepage, here's what you can expect to see.
All the logos for all the businesses that are program partners and recommended businesses
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Who calls it that? Just shoot me an email through there. There is a website form there. There's
also a website form somewhere on our homepage. I think it's under Connect or whatever. Yeah,
you can find it. It's easy. Just click the tabs. iHeart link is there for our podcast,
like this one right here. And we are on all the major platforms, Spotify, Amazon, Apple,
and also iHeart, and all other platforms that are available to you out there where you can
pull your podcast from. Just type in the search bar, Car Connection Workshop. We also have our
merch store, and there's a couple of reasons behind that. It's not to fill our pockets. It's
to sell the merchandise and come along, be part of the motormouth crew and show it off.
Make sure that you order our first time ever original Car Connection coffee mug. It can be tea,
it can be a lotty, whatever it may be. It could be something, a beverage that you enjoy hot,
get yourself a Car Connection original coffee mug while they're available. Well,
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any merchandise really available for a couple of decades now. One time we sold out of t-shirts and
no time. Five, six thousand of them gone. But here's the story behind the store. You go into the
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for it safely online, and it gets sent directly to your door. I want to thank Total Freedom Dairy
and Center New York and their store there called Freedom Expressions. It started off as a t-shirt
store and they do all kinds of stuff now and create an income so that the campus can be completely
self-contained. They take no money from anywhere, no government, no grants, nothing. They produce
stuff, vegetables in the summer. They have a commercial kitchen. You can order a chicken
dinner or some food on the takeout window. Lots of stuff going on there. So take a moment, would you
and look up Total Freedom Dairy and Center New York. That's a campus for those going through
addictions, struggling deeply with addictions, all age groups, and that's what they do there. It's a
campus available to Canadian US residents. There's Total Freedom Sydney Manitoba that's
directed by Rick and Robin, and do they have a story to tell? They both
have had previous addictions and I just thinking about it just kind of chokes me up because I've
heard their testimony. It's so amazing. It's so amazing and now they are facilitators of the
City Manitoba campus. So I'm spending a little bit of time on this because they put together
Freedom Expressions, put together our merch store, and they put together all our merch
and proceeds go to Total Freedom Dairy and Center New York and they disperse them as needed to make
sure that no one is turned away from the campus. No one. So they can get there. When they're ready
to say, I'm ready to take on that addiction, we work together with you. You buy some merchandise,
you can know that you're helping someone with an addiction to get it dealt with once and for all,
and get a new life because there's a new life waiting there. So that's the whole spiel all at
once. A car connection is brought to you by Rainbow Motors and Garage in Scarborough, Ontario,
Canada, sales and service that you can count on and trust 100%. So if you're looking for a vehicle,
they have a small car lot. They don't have what you're looking for. Just let Reader Ramiz
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whatever other vehicle you own, they service all years, makes and models, including up to light
commercial vehicles. Rainbow Motors and Garage, sales and service you can trust in Scarborough,
Ontario, Canada. So this morning we're going to be jumping into, I wasn't planning on doing a part
two when it came to what does that dashboard light really mean? Well, I had a number of
queries, could you dive into it a little bit deeper? What causes the light to come on in the
first place? Well, usually right after you put your morning beverage into the cup holder,
that'll put the check engine light on. Or did you close the glove box? Hard?
Yeah? Well, that'll do it. No, I'm just kidding. So we're going to jump into a part two and I'm
going to unveil to you some of the possibilities why the SES is on and the possible causes. Service
engine soon is what it used to be called. Now it's check engine light, some have nicknamed it the
money light. So we're going to go back into it with a part two and let's pull over and part drill
down, pull the handbrake. Yeah, we're going to unpack it big time. Service engine soon,
light is on. What are some of the possible causes? How do we dive into that and find out what's
really going on? So I hadn't planned on doing a part two, but because and by request, might as
all do it, we did part one already and I thought it was just going to be part one. So anyway,
let's have a beverage together this morning. Something different for me is I'm having water.
Yeah, have you ever like woke up in the morning and your mouth is so dry, you feel like your
tongue is stuck to your forehead? Is that just me? Is my forehead too low? I don't know. It's
an IDK moment. But anyways, I'm having water. I feel extra thirsty this morning. I might have
eaten something that was a little on the salty side. I'm not sure. But anyways, not quite feeling
like I know I'm going to say this. This is abnormal. Not quite feeling like I need a cup of Joe
right at the moment. I need something to clench my thirst. So here's how we do it. If you're visiting
us for the very first time, we count it down three, two, one, we raise our cup of Joe or whatever
your morning beverages and have a swing together. You ready? Three, two, one.
I think I just finished half of that one.
Pretty much more. All right, let's jump into it this morning.
Car Connection brought to you by City Auto Sales and Leasing in the Greater Toronto Area. There
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So check them out on our website and be sure to let them know that we sent you.
Well, here's where we are. We're into part two, service engine soon light, check engine light,
the money light. The fear always seems to kick into absolute 100% high gear when that light
comes on. Well, I want us to just say this, don't panic babies, friends. The whole purpose of that
light is to let you know something's going on that needs some attention. And no, it doesn't mean
you're only going to be able to keep the steering wheel and we're going to change everything else.
That's called getting out the parts cannon. This is where you really have to have a shop that you
trust, a shop that you trust that has the technicians and the equipment to diagnose that
check engine light because there's text that can and then there's auto service text that get out
the parts cannon. And that's usually where they'll throw a pile of parts at your vehicle until you get
ticked off and lose your cool and push, pull and drag it out of there and get it over another shop.
And that's usually when we open the hood and we look at your service orders to see where they've
been, what they've done to determine what the heck are they doing. They're not diagnosing,
they're guessing and that's expensive. That is going to rob you of a lot of money if that
those service texts are not trained in diagnosing computer related issues. It's that simple.
So they either are an asset to you when it comes to when the service lights on and you need
diagnostic work done. I mean, it's easy to diagnose a flat tire, worn out brakes,
the exhaust is leaking, you've got more fluids leaking under the hood than the whole car has in
itself from the factory, belts, hoses, all the simple stuff, all you got a headlight out,
all that stuff is easy peasy to diagnose, right? But when it comes to the electronics,
that's where the rubber meets the road. There's service texts and then there's
diagnosticians. There is so much involved in that service light coming on. And it's not just
head down to the auto shop auto store or the Prince of the Palace store or, you know,
the jungle website and grabbing a $79, $69 code reader. That is going to get you in deep trouble
because if the person that's operating that only figures out how to dump the fault code,
you haven't solved anything. And number two, if they figured out how to retrieve the fault code
or fault codes, where do they go from there? Because there is no ticker tape parade or confetti
going to come out of that little device and the paper comes out of the side. Change this.
If that's what dude is saying to you, you go, thank you for your time. Here's $20.
You know, buy yourself something real nice, Clark, and get out of there. You want to know
that the service tech that you're talking to that's going to be asking you some questions to get some
background noise on when the light came on. Have you noticed anything different? Did you have
anything serviced anywhere else prior to the light coming on? These are all the things,
all the questions that I would ask you with a notepad, a tablet right in front of me so I can
take some notes. Because things that I'm going to ask may seem insignificant to you, but the more
information, the more intel I can get from you can help reduce the diagnostic time.
In most cases, a tech that's trained to diagnose and knows how to work an engine analyzer
and a proper full-blown scan tool, not something, you know, you go and buy at the hardware store,
can you get them at the hardware store? No, probably not. Somewhere where they sell car stuff,
that's where you're going to get it. Like I said, Prince of the Palace store,
Hobo Freight, you know, the store with the little red triangle on it, and most of your parts jobbers.
That's where you can pretty much get one of those small code readers. Now, I have a pretty decent
small code reader. I made a huge mistake when I closed the shop. I sold my scan tools, but
we will get some back once our YouTube channel grows and we get monetized. Few things are going
to happen there. We need to get an updated tire machine so we can do every wheel on the market,
just to use one as fine, as cheap as we can, that's going to last us a while, and a proper analyzer
and a scan tool. Because that's where we can help a lot more as well. So if we have the tools,
we can do the job. So our YouTube channel is, and also this podcast, is to get monetized as
soon as possible so that we can pay for the parts and provide the labor for men and women, widows,
orphans, single bombs, just a family that may be going through very difficult, challenging
financial situation in the car is like the most important to keep it going. And that's what we've
been called to do. So help us get there, you know, do the package, like follow and share,
watch the videos, all the videos are based on nothing less than five things.
What it is, where it is, how it works, how it breaks, and what could you have gained knowledge on
with basic fundamentals of how to run and operate an automobile and how things work.
Not in technical terms, like I'm keeping it as simple as possible with the service engine life,
because that's a really, it is a touchy feely conversation. I'll tell you that I've had people
ask me that when I, you know, you see me in a restaurant or something, which is not, which
is a rarity these days, because, man, you need to mortgage your meal. I rather, I'm, I love to cook
so and barbecue and all year round. So eating at home is, is what I like to do. I can lounge,
I can put on my loungers, whatever. But the whole idea for us is to be able to afford to buy the parts
so we can get them going as quickly as possible. So those are just a couple of things that we
really, really need. And they don't have to be brand new, but the scan tools and the engine
analyzer tool has to be up to speed so we can use it. I mean, it's an asset, same as the tire
machine. It can be five, six years old, 10 years old, if it's in good shape, a turntable version
that will easily fit into the shop here. We have an old FMC machine. You probably don't know what
that is, but we probably changed two, 3000 tires with it, and it can't be used on everything. So
if I have that gear, then I can diagnose a lot more thoroughly. I'm pretty good with a small,
I've got my small scan tool, I'm pretty decent with that. But I, there's times where I need a lot
more information on the screen. I need to toggle some, I need to toggle the ECM and some relays
and things that are control units these days. There's relays and then there's control units,
lots of them. So what we need to do is to be able to manually toggle those control units
to verify whether they work or not. So what can turn the service light on? Are you ready for it?
You ready? Just about anything. Not everything, but just about anything, but not everything. So
what's not, if I tell you what's not monitored by your onboard computer, then it will give you a
better idea as to what is monitored. All right, you ready? Gasoline, fuel supply.
On most cars, they're not all equipped with tire pressure monitoring systems. So I can safely say
50-50, depends on how old your vehicle is. I don't have anything that has TPMS,
tire pressure monitoring system, nothing. I have nothing that is TPMS. The bumpers,
the wipers, lights. Yeah, that's belts, hoses, that stuff. No filters, no air filter, cabin filter,
fuel filter, no transmission oil filter, screen, no muffler, no exhaust pipe, no
catalytic converters, yes. What else? I'm trying to think all the way to the front of the car.
Ball joints, tie rod ends, shocks, struts, brakes,
master cylinder. Well, yeah, there's an idiot light on that master cylinder. If the pressure
drops, that's when the warning light, brake warning lamp is going to come on and probably flash,
drive you crazy. ABS, it's monitored. So yeah, so master cylinder, yes. Anything else? Battery?
No, not monitored. Charging system? Yes. Battery? No. Anything else I can think of?
Radiator cap and the radiator? No. Cooling system? Yes. Anything else?
Engine air filter, I forgot that one. No. Not monitored. Globbox lid? No. Console? No.
Cup holders? No. Rear cup holders? No. Door pockets? Accessories? Accessory plug-in port? No.
All right. That should give you a pretty good idea. Hood release? No. Well, unless it's on
the patch system, yeah. That is usually monitored by another computer that is either the body control
module or it has, it does have a computer. It's called the patch system. That stands for,
I'll get it in a minute, little brain fart at the moment. Passively armed
That has a computer. It's monitored. So if there's a sensor, an entry sensor somewhere,
it could be hood, trunk, passenger, driver's doors. All those are monitored with sensors.
So it has its own brain if it's the patch system. Okay. So let's jump into service engine light.
So what systems are monitored that I didn't mention?
Not too many, right? Not too many. Okay. So I'll give you the lowdown on that.
So if you've got somebody who's got the 16 pack of crayons, that's how we work here in the workshop.
You pass that over with a leaf bag, fold it up like a laptop so they can take notes.
This would be a good place to take some notes and or re-listen to this podcast. You can
re-listen and listen and even download any of our podcasts on our iHeart channel.
Just go to our homepage of our website, which is the biggest tool box for rehab. We're all
contacting information is in one place. So logos for the businesses and program partners that
support us and make this program available on our YouTube videos available and also
all our links in the top right hand corner. I would highly recommend, highly recommend
that you sign up for our YouTube channel and watch as many videos as you possibly can to catch up
on all the basic fundamentals. So whether you're a man, woman, or child,
young adult, older adult, senior, single mom, widowed, there's a lot of information easy to
understand on every single video that we put together so that you can learn the basic fundamentals
on how to, number one, no one understand your vehicle a whole lot more. So you prevent
stupid breakages that cost you money. If I had a known sentences, we could save you from that.
Oh, only if I had a known. Yeah. And that's what the YouTube channel is for, just for you,
is to learn, to laugh and learn, have some fun and keep it fun so that you take it all in.
And there's almost 150 videos there. We put three new ones up every week,
two for Tuesday, one every Friday, just so you know. So it's fresh all the time, every single
week. So there'll be, yeah, you will have gotten a new video yesterday, which would be Friday,
today is Saturday. So we made it to the weekend. For those of you who like me, I've worked weekends
for over 31 years. This I guess this would be year 32. You just get used to it. You just figure it out.
So let's let's take a look at the systems that are monitored. I'll start at the back of the car,
work myself forward. So I try not to forget anything. Okay.
Hmm. Fuel is a no evap system. Yes. What does that mean? That means anything to do with the
possibility of unburnt fuel gases. So vapors, in other words, will keep it simple fuel vapors,
escaping to the atmosphere. Those are what we call NOx emissions. That's the big daddy.
Yeah. It's not carbon. Did you know that we are carbon molecules?
Yeah. If we actually got to zero carbon molecules, you know, we wouldn't be alive, right?
Yeah. That's how it works. Just ask a farmer. We dropped below three. We're already in the
danger zone. 3%. We dropped below two. There's no plant life, no bees, no people.
So yeah, we don't want unburnt fuel gases escaping into the atmosphere. So fuel vapors.
So yes, the fuel evaporated system is monitored from the back of the tank
all the way to the engine. There cannot be any fuel vapors escaping anywhere.
So when an evap system code is triggered, yes, the service light comes on.
And that's usually an area where a lot of parts, cannons get burned out, throwing the parts on
the car, firing them onto the car. Because you need a smoke machine and a number of other pieces
of test equipment to get down to the root cause. What in the evaporative system is malfunctioning?
And there's a lot of components. I'm telling you that on purpose is the number one area where
a lot of money gets spent and the problem isn't cured. Okay. Lots of fuel caps get changed.
And that's part of it. It's true. Okay, next. Moving towards the front of the car.
What do we hit first? Transmission. Yep. Transmission is monitored. So anything goes wrong,
basically with the shift points on the automatic transmission, not so much on the manual,
more on the automatics. It will trigger service light and it will be the transmission control
module that's the Brainiac that's monitoring that. And we just did a program on transmissions,
how to avoid a $7,000 bill. And that's cheap. Yeah, we have some estimates coming in
to give you real world pricing on automatic transmissions and manual. You wreck a manual
transmission. They're not, nothing is, I want to reiterate this and I should do it in every podcast.
There is nothing on your automobile that doesn't need service or repairs. Nothing.
There is nothing on your automobile that is maintenance free. Nothing. Absolutely not one
piece anywhere. It needs to be cleaned, serviced, replaced, tweaked or repaired on a regular basis.
That's what you do with a piece of equipment. On a piece of equipment made by man,
anywhere on the planet, there is nothing that doesn't need service.
We're looking at inspecting, evaluating, reviewing, replacing. Yeah, nothing. So whenever somebody's
lips move and say that components maintenance free, liar, read Pinocchio. You might want to touch up on
that manual. Yeah, liar, liar, pants on fire. Or you can say, aren't you glad that Pinocchio was
really just the story? Yeah. Imagine trying to drive your car. Interesting. Can you say saw?
Yeah. Anyhow, I digress. So I hope you understand that part. There's not one component on your
automobile that is maintenance free. It all is going to need be touched by human hands at some
point in time. Next, transmission. Keep moving. Oh, exhaust, catalytic converters. Heated exhaust
gas organizers and O2 sensors. Yeah, there's two types. It's either a HEGO or an O2.
Oxygen sensor. Definitely. And if you're as lucky as I am with our 2007 Toyota FJ cruiser,
it has four catalytic converters and a lot of oxygen sensors just for fun. Yeah. But I can't
complain. And I am not because that FJ is going to reach the 400,000 kilometer club this year,
heading for the 600,000 kilometer club. Yeah. And it's not maintenance free. I just want to
let you know that. Yeah, we have to occasionally throw parts there at it and stay ahead of the
curve. And that's how you get to the 400,000 and 600,000 kilometer club without a problem.
Well, you're going to have to do maintenance. Sorry to tell you. It doesn't void you of any kind of
repairs. Yeah. You're going to have to do stuff to get it there. And it's worth it because the
vehicle is paid for. Next, moving from exhaust to cooling system. Yes, monitor. Not the coolant
temperature sensor. Yes, it is. It's the sensor, not the sender. That gets messed up all the time.
Yeah, I need a coolant temperature sensor. Why? My gauge isn't working. My coolant light, my coolant
gauge isn't working. That would be the coolant coolant temperature sender. That's what operates the
gauge or the cooling system. Idiot light that says we're overheated. You idiot, pull over. Well,
maybe it's a, okay, pull over nicely. Yeah. Does somebody need a hug? Exactly. The coolant temperature
sensor is in the cooling system monitored by the onboard computer. Yeah, engine control module, ECM.
Next, what do we have next? We have evaporative system, air intake. Yes, air intake temperature.
That's part of the engine that is the engine's running, air gets sucked in. The air temperature
is monitored. So for the computer to say, I think the engine's overheating. So that's where the coolant
temperature sensor would be telling the computer, yeah, we're running way too hot. So that's going
to make the air in the air intake too hot. So that's monitored. Next, let me see here.
What else we got? All the accessories are monitored through like auto door lock, doors lock when you
put it in drive, all that kind of stuff and interior lights staying on and then timing off,
that's all controlled by a BCM, body control module. But here's the thing. It won't set a service
engine light. Service engine light. Service engine soon. Yeah, and it always looks like a little engine.
So those things are called feature comforts. That's the feature comfort system. TPMS,
another control unit is monitoring tire pressure, but it's not the ECM, the electronic control module.
I call it the engine control module because that's what it's taking in. It's taking in all the information
from all the monitored sensors and systems and checking it to make sure that the values are true.
What else could we have? We can have a power steering sensor that a computer is monitoring
pressure in the power steering. So if a line breaks or is rupturing or pressure is leaking,
it will set a service light. If it's a monitored system, not all vehicles have that. A number of
them do now. We also have vehicles that are fly by wire. There's no steering column per se. You
have a steering wheel, but the wheels turn. Yeah, that creeps me out too. It feels like you're turning
the steering wheel and the wheels are turning, but it sensors between the steering wheel and the
steering box or rack and pinion steering unit that if something goes wrong, it will flag the system
and put on service light. Next, I was just thinking of another one. I want to make sure I get them
all in here. Alternator. On a lot of vehicles nowadays, if the alternator is not supplying
electrical charge to run all the accessories, that's what its job is. Alternator is not
designed to charge the battery. It's not a battery charger, fellas. It's not. You don't
boost and go. You need to charge the battery back up 12.6, 13.4 volts on slow charge, then a medium
charge to bring the battery standing voltage up to where it should be. Alternators are not designed
for that, but if you wish to do that, you can reduce the lifespan of your alternator as it's
getting smoking hot, hot enough to bake muffins and burger patties, and that's what kills it,
kills the alternator. It is not a battery charger, period. And a story. Next question.
What is its job? The alternator's job is to provide electricity to all the components you turn on
in the vehicle once the engine's running. Then once the engine's running, the alternator will kick
in and put back any electricity borrowed from the battery to get the engine cranked over and started.
Then it goes to sleep until you start turning stuff on. Wipers, radio, more radio,
louder radio, even louder radio. Yeah. Lights, all accessory. Didn't like that song. Next CD,
MP3 file. Yeah. That's what the alternator does. Everything you turn on, blower fan motor. That's
a huge one. All those accessories are run by the alternator, not the battery, just the alternator.
Again, alternators are monitored on a number of vehicles. If it stops producing electricity,
charging the system back, it will flag a service light, charging system circuit.
If we have an engine misfire, so an injector's not working or a coil over plugs, that's what
we're dealing with now. Instead of plug wires, we have ignition coils sitting on top of the
spark plugs. Yes, in that conglomeration under the hood is and still has spark plugs. And no,
they're not good for 100,000 kilometers. They need to be changed long before that so you can get them
out. Otherwise, the engine has to come apart. So all the money is saved because the sales guy said
you can leave them in there for 250,000 K. Yeah, come to my house and get those out for me. Would
you partner? Be a champ. Thanks cowboy. Good luck. So yes, ignition system, primary and secondary.
So if there's no sparky, engine's not firing because there's no sparky, it will put a service light on.
Yeah, airbag light, separate control unit. It's not the ECM. That would be the SRS,
safety restraining system, airbag system, and computer that's monitoring all of that. So that's
not the service engine light. Did I forget anything? I'm not sure. And while you may have
what we call impact sensors, you have a wreck. The sensor will set off the airbags. You have one in
the back, one in the front. Again, that's SRS, safety restraining system, airbag system,
separate control unit. I don't know if I've forgotten anything. But if I did, put it in the
comments in one of our YouTube videos or send it through our website because there is a website
form there at carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com. So if I have forgotten something, please forgive me,
remind me what it is. And I'll say, you know, I'm sorry I missed that. But you know what,
we got to move on. It's like we're almost at our end of our day here to spend with you at 8 o'clock.
Saturday morning drive with motor mouth. But to finish it all off, I hope I gave you an
understanding and didn't bore you too much. Would you admit, yes or no, leave it in the
comments or send me an email. There's a lot of stuff going on in your vehicle that's monitored.
And there's a bunch of stuff that is not. And the reason I spent the time on that is so that you
can understand, there's a lot going on. And it's not just going to take a little $79, $59
code reader from some magazine or some website to give you the answer why the service light is on.
No, it's going to give you clues. But then, you know what? It's what separates the men from the
boys is and the and the techs from the high techs. The diagnostic techs. Diagnostatician techs,
which I R one is you got to get into the nuts and bolts as to what other system tied in with
another system can trigger the same fault code. And I did mention that in part one. And so you
really got to understand that there's a lot going on from the back of the car all the way to the
front. What could it possibly be? If buddy with his little handheld code reader can go, yeah,
change this without any pinpoint testing, he should make his way to NASA because they need them.
Yeah, our strategic air command here in Canada, they need they need you in the Arctic,
working on the new monitoring system. Yeah, in case the two legged mice sneak up on us while
we're sleeping. Yeah, there's lots going on. And it takes a lot of knowledge to number one,
know what tools and equipment need to be used to diagnose the symptom.
Right. So remember, there's four things, the concern, the cause, the correction and
confirmation, all four of those things need to be written down on your work order and always,
always, always and only authorize one hour of diagnosing time at a time, one hour at a time.
So you don't end up picking your car up and they've charged you like four, five,
six hours of diagnostic time. That's how you control the rip off.
That's how you control it is authorize one hour at a time. And then I want a phone call and we'll
talk about work orders another time. I've already done it before, but I think we need a refresher
because that's the information that if it's not written down and cast in stone,
that's where at the end of the day you get the five o'clock surprise.
I didn't expect it to be that much. How many have used that? That's exact sentencing.
How much is it? Oh, I didn't expect it to be that much. You can prevent that from happening
and I'll teach you how. That's just one method. There's concern. What's going on? What seems to
be the problem? The cause, that's diagnostic time. We need to find what it is and narrow it down and
determine and here's how I always work as a diagnostician tech. I need to be in what I call
my 97 percent tile zone before I will say I need to change this. If I can't hit the 97 percent tile,
then I do some more pinpoint testing till I feel absolutely confident that I found the component.
I've tested the component and the readings are incorrect based on values from the manufacturer,
not what my neighbor said or somebody across the street or somebody who brought me coffee.
Thank you very much. Yeah, we got to do our own homework. Not anybody else's outside white
noise that costs you money. All of you thousands of dollars a year. Am I a rocket scientist?
Absolutely not. Do I learn stuff all the time every single day? Yeah. TGIF, toes go in first.
I got that now. I have nailed it completely. I have to hit the 97 percent tile on my diagnostics
before I say I need to change this and this is how much it's going to be and this is how
much the component is, parts and labor. That's what you want to work with. We will do around on
what is the procedure for what they call SR, service from repair times, SRTs,
and work orders or service or same daunting. It depends on who you're talking to. We'll cover that
in detail because that's where the communication crash happens and money comes out of your wallet
like mods. Yeah, or somebody said they buy you lunch and then they forgot their wallet at home.
Yeah, then your money comes out faster than mods to pay for it. Does that just happen to me?
Okay, so I'm just having some light fun with you because it is a hard thing owning a car,
but it doesn't have to be. It can be fun. You can have joy with it. You can have happy,
healthy motoring and not spend a fortune on your car and then you can learn enough stuff,
knowledge, no matter what age you are, no matter whether you're male or female.
You can learn enough through what we do with car connection to be dangerous in the service
department because you know stuff. You know the language. You know what the components are.
You understand what it does so that you know what you can be part of the process
or part of the problem getting ripped off because you left the gate open and on the
farm we used to say if you leave the gate open the cows are going to be outside.
Well, they already are outside. Outside the outside. Yeah, and that's a lot of fun.
So till Monday morning, I hope I've given you some food for thought. Don't be afraid of that.
Check engine light, service light and stop calling it the money light. Vehicles are
trying to communicate with us. I'd rather know than not know if there's something going wrong
and I'm in some kind of aircraft 20,000 feet from the earth's crust. Yeah, I would want to know
if there's a problem. Treat your car exactly the same. You'd want to know when there's something
going on so you can stay ahead of it and it doesn't go from cause and effect because that's
what happens when it goes ignored. You go, well, everything seems to me all right. I'm just going
to kind of keep on keeping on. It's going to move to the next level and then you could have nipped
it in the bud and cost less money instead of more money. I'm here to help you not hurt you.
So happy healthy motoring. Thank you to our nonprofit faith based organizations that are
out there doing what we can't do. I hope you to consider making them a part of your monthly
giving. That's total freedom. Darien Center, New York. Campus open to Canadian and US residents.
Total freedom. Sydney, Manitoba, Canada. Men only campus helping people to get through
an addiction and out the other side with a brand new life that's waiting for them right there.
Crystal Ridge Dream Center in the heart of Crystal Beach. What are they doing? Serving
men, women, children of all age groups, meals, love, hope, changing lives one at a time in the
Niagara region and we are truly grateful to have them for our certified financial planning
professionals helping people navigate through those financial things. We don't like to talk about
those moments of intense fellowship between husband and wife. You have access to an hour
and a coffee discovery meeting to sit down with them and get your questions answered from those
who have the fruit on the tree. That's what's important. Check in with them. Tony Miele, Larry
Tietro. I was just with Tony this morning. Those are my brothers from other mothers. They're both
my financial planners. Over 20 years and we've known each other, worked together with each other
and let me tell you, I couldn't think of two better people that are certified financial planners
to help you navigate through some challenging financial problems and make it to the other side.
So check in with them. Whether you have an investment portfolio, you need to take care of
some debt. You have no idea how you're going to get out. Estate planning, wills, powers of attorney.
If you need to set up a mortgage, you need some life insurance, life insurance and critical
illness insurance and there's a whole lot more services I haven't even mentioned that are available
to you. Check in, get that hour and a coffee. It's not a sales pitch. It's not a gimmick. It's
listening to, they'll listen to what your needs are and they will use their time as a gift to
formulate a plan just for you. So until next time, keep it under 100. Watch out for the other guy.
Put that coffee on. I think we're going to come to your house. Peace, patience, kindness,
and happy healthy motoring and we'll see you right back here Monday morning at 8 a.m. for motor
mounts morning drive. Come and join us. Share this with your family and friends and have it.
Have yourself a fantastic marvelous weekend. Bye for now.
About this episode
Diving deeper into the causes of the 'Service Engine Soon' light, this episode emphasizes the importance of proper diagnosis over guesswork in automotive repair. Host Nile Motormouth Jenkins discusses the various systems monitored by your vehicle's onboard computer, highlighting common misconceptions and the need for skilled technicians. The conversation blends humor with practical advice, ensuring listeners understand the significance of addressing warning lights promptly to avoid costly repairs. The episode also touches on the importance of community support and the role of trusted service shops.
Hs you check engine light ever come on before? Comments on our YouTube Channel or email me.
In Part 2 - the wrap - up of our dashboard warning light series, Motormouth breaks down why the service engine soon light comes on and the many possible causes modern vehicles monitor every time you turn the key. Today's vehicles are constantly watched by the engine control module (ECM) - the main brain tracking vital signs like fuel delivery, ignition, emissions, airflow, sensor performance, and system communication. And that's just the beginning.
This episode explains:
1) What the ECM actually monitors ( and why it matters)
2) Why a cheap code reader only scratches the surface
3) The difference between possible causes vs. probable causes
4) How multiple systems can trigger the same warning light
5) Why "parts cannon" repairs leave wallets empty and lights still on
6) When emotions rise, intelligence drops- and mistakes get expensive
If diagnosis was as simple as plugging into the ALDL port, this would be easy. But real-world automotive repair requires testing, data interpretation, and experience-not guesswork.
This episode closes the loop on " What Does That Dashboard Light Really Mean?" and arms drivers with the knowledge to make better repair decisions before money, time, and patience run out.
More episodes and ... project details & links are available at Car Connection Business Network .com (ccbusnet.com) you'll find everything you'd like to follow the build/repair work we do & connect with our program partners, just click their logo to connect Thank You! Grab some Motormouth Merch and know you are helping those struggling with addictions get the help they need at Total Freedom Campuses Canada & USA. Tnx for watching & Listening Friends,
