I would have pulled and replaced the starter, put it all back together, tried starting it, click, click, clik, yelled the F word and thrown a wrench across the garage. Thanks for the lesson.

That voltage drop test was awesome. Never did that before. Like they say, never too old to learn something new, even at 65.

I remember a wise man who once said, "plan your work, and work the plan". Thanks for showing this. Don't jump to conclusions.

I changed a starter on a 78 Pont Catalina in the snow, because I thought it was bad. didn't fix it. Towed to a local shop, he called before I got home, it was the ground cable. charged me $15, I was very happy with his work.

For some reason I'm really hoping for a part 2, even though it wouldn't be anything super exciting, I know.

Anyone on here that says they would have checked that before is full of crap!! They would have checked it after they put a new starter in, when that didn't work 😂

There was one time I was helping out a fellow traveler on the road because their car would not start. I swapped out the battery (either one I had in the trunk, or the one in my car - for definitive diagnosis purposes) & cleaned (battery wire brush) the battery terminals & cables and the car started. I popped their battery back into their car & it started right up. All that was to say that the corrosion between the battery posts & cables caused enough resistance to prevent the car from starting. Ever since then I am always suspicious of battery to starter connections as a source of high resistance. Nowadays I carry a meter in the car!

The sad part is that there are any number of shops out there who'd throw a starter on it, discover the corroded cable, and then charge the customer for both 'repairs'. Customer would get a substandard starter and shade tree cables... At a premium price of course!. It's always a kick to watch a real technician at work!

I was expecting "This cable is hot, but not as hot as Mrs O." Thanks for the videos. Stay safe out there.

“Who let the Smoke out”….Eric O!😂

Love it when you see the magic smoke out of the cable!

sometimes you wonder how hot a banshee might be for something to be hotter than it

I love the way you showed how to do active drop testing even when you don't want to turn the key when intake is off. The common excuse by pros is that it is too much trouble to do drop testing when you can't get at the terminals without major surgery. Once they do that, they feel committed. Time and again you show how drop testing doesn't need to be a time waster, you do it quickly and efficiently. The trick is to select a few quick, reliable screening tests and move on with your day if those tests check out.

Mr. O shows us that sometimes letting the smoke out of the wire helps speed up the troubleshooting. Great video.

My brother in law recently had nothing when he turned the key on a 2008 F150 5.4. He told me that the starter was a few months old and the battery was good. I told him not to assume either was good. I also told him to test before buying because it is stupid to put out $300 for a starter when it doesn’t fix the issue. He put a new starter on and it still did the same. I told him he could have a bad negative cable. He said it “looked good”. (You can imagine what I said). I talked him through a voltmeter and test light test and indeed it was the negative cable. He ordered a new one and his 18 year old son installed it. Fired right up after cable install.

For everyone crapping on mechanics who have mistakenly replaced starters in the past, MOST of the time, it is an intermittent fault. It’s easy enough to diagnose properly when then starter has failed completely, but try it when it only fails once every 3rd Sunday when the old lady is trying to go to church.

Picture worth a thousand words, or in this case, a video. You've coached us on the value of doing voltage drop tests and this is indisputable evidence of why it's important. Thanks for bringing us along. Part 2?

I thought for sure it was the starter but guess that’s why you do other test. Good job as always Mr O

That era hondooo is the only manufacturer that still made a starter with very easily replaceable brushes for $13. Typical telltale sign that brushes are going bad is excessive current draw when starting. It makes it seem as if the battery is weaknor going bad because if you put a jump pack on it will seem to crank normal because you've basically doubled the cranking amps available to the starter.

You are one the very few honest-to-a-fault mechanics out there who will take responsibility for a misdiagnosis and wear the cost of a new starter. (although that's very rare at SMA) We all know that often, especially dealerships, just shoot the parts canon at a car and charge through the nose for each part. (and that car often ends up at Eric's place)

You are so right Eric I would of blamed the starter !!

Eric....as a lifetime electronics troubleshooter, I often smile at some of your explanations. Certainly not the way I would explain it, but you are demonstrating techniques to people watching you troubleshoot. Your explanations are excellent. When I have been called upon to teach people techniques, I am talking to folks who have an in depth understanding of the circuitry involved. My explanations would only serve to confuse your followers. I have watched your videos since day one, & I am always intrigued by your explanations , that are just as if we were all standing beside you. My God ! You provide intensive learning for your followers, without sounding like a college professor, or like some of the nitwits that I have come across that have NO idea what they are talking about. Ivan & Scanner Danner are also good, but Scanner Danner speaks too rapidly , & occasionally misses a link in the diagnosis. I mean that he omits a link in the diagnosis chain that is of no consequence to people who have electrical knowledge, but may be confusing to those who are just starting to learn. This is an observation , NOT a criticism ! Further, it is not a regular event in his explanations. Eric, technical schools need people like yourself & your colleagues to bring their students to your & your colleagues level of expertise. Carry on Sir.... first class trouble shooting techniques await your followers. Cheers! from the wind swept Prairies of Alberta Canada.

I'm not a particularly skilled mechanic, but I had a situation like this.... and if you are in the dark, the corroded spot will light right up so you can see it.

I'm so early this Honda Accord had no issues starting.😂

Fun fact: On those K24 hondoo motors, you can actually pull the starter mounting bolts and drop the starter down from underneath the motor. Then remove the solenoid wires. Saves a ton of time by not having to remove the intake plenum. It’s less of a PITA, in my experience. Great diagnostic video!

Within the last couple of weeks, I replaced the alternator in a 1993 Chevy C1500. The original alternator was a two-wire. One wire was for the positive output of the alternator. The other small-gauge wire was the alternator's primary coil exciter feed from the idiot light on the dashboard. Replacement alternator #1 works for fifteen minutes before going dark and back to battery voltage. Same thing with replacement alternator #2 and #3. What? For #4 I go all nuts with voltage drop testing. I test each and every segment of grounding cable and positive starter and alternator cable. It all checks out. Finally, after a butt ton of Internet research, I find a data sheet for replacement alternators that states, "The primary coil wire should not exceed 1.0 amps." Well, mine is up around 1.5 amps. And this is with the old-school incandescent dash idiot light in the mix already. I source a selection of big 10 watt resistors to get the current for the exciter wire down to below 1.0 amps. And with everything set up with alligator clip leads, I take off to the auto parts store to walk them through the setup so if I fry alternator #4, they were participants. Standing there in front of the engine bay, the kid clerk asks me about the condition of the cables. I state I voltage drop tested all of them. He gets this funny look in his eye. So, I do a parking lot electrical clinic concerning voltage drop testing with a multimeter for the kid. Boy! Did his eyes light up! I told him, "You master voltage drop testing, and you'll be able to solve 90% of all electrical problems. With my add-on resistor in the alternator's primary coil exciter feed, the truck idled in the parts store's parking lot for an hour without blowing alternator #4. The current on the exciter wire was down to 0.2 amps. I'm currently 2,000 miles away from home. The 0.2 amps is too low for the battery idiot light in the dash to illuminate. This will be fine for the drive home. I'll just need to keep an eye on the dash volt meter. Once home, I'll use a 4-decade variable resistance box to dial in the necessary resistor to keep the primary exciter circuit as low as possible and still have the dash idiot light illuminate.

If you work backwards and sideways like some of the techs today you’d start at the terminal and cut open a harness just to find everything ok and you needed a starter… 😂

My electrical diagnostics has improved greatly from watching your videos. Thanks for the lessons in proper diag

That bit making it smoke was the best lol of the day

That starter in that location with that symptom.... THAT would of caught a lot of folks... including me... and I troubleshoot multiple cars a day, taking pride in being spot on! Thanks for keeping us sharp Eric!

After about 3+ years of learning this from channels such as soutmain Auto scanner Dan western truck & tractor repair. Knowledge is power thanks to channels like this. Much appreciated

I'm happy that you have done another basic electronics analysis and brought us in to watch it progress. Great work Eric!

This was very interesting and informative. I never would have thought of checking for voltage drop first! I've replaced many starters and was lucky to fall within that 95% chance odds. Thanks for sharing this, Eric!

i would have burn through 2 starters before getting to the battery terminals, not anymore thanks to you MR O, thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.

We do put a ton of starters on Hondas and Toyotas but those braided ground straps on Hondas also do fall apart in our rusty areas anyway besides all the regular stuff like what happened in todays video but also don’t know why people do such poor wire and cable repairs as they cause so many problems down the road and sometimes not far down the road

I have a 2003 Element with the same engine. Had a bad original starter after 10 years and 150K… shop replaced the starter with an aftermarket… which was bad out of the box. The shop did NOT pull the intake when they needed to replace the starter again the next day… doing that they destroyed the wiring harness to the knock sensor which is also right there. Didn’t tell me about that damage. A few years later when I needed yet another starter as the aftermarket one was dead my new non dealer Honda mechanic needed to call in a few favors to get a full harness to splice in the correct wires and connectors into the knock sensor. With time and corrosion it was throwing codes… fixed now with a Honda OEM starter. 211,000 miles on my 21 year old Element. Still love it. Best car I have ever owned.

Ohh noo...even it is one minute past midnight now I have to stay up and enjoy this SMA :D

Show of hands, who keeps a meter in their vehicle at all times? 🖐

Dragging out the tutorial to eleven minutes, and not ending with the beautiful repair you made!

Eric has learned- ALWAYS pay heed to that little voice in your head when it starts telling you something! It is your subconscious trying to save you from your EGO! Another great video Eric!

Thank you for the tip. That is a very good example of a huge voltage drop.

Well, the close-up of the battery terminal crimps sent me into a full belly laugh, so yes, I did enjoy this

Let that smoke out. One of the best test that I have ever seen. Good job.

Aww! I thought i was going to see soldering on a new battery terminal, a process that always brings out the critical experts on soldering.

Darn it Eric, you let the smoke out of that junk connection. Good troubleshooting once again Eric.

Thanks for the video Eric. Great troubleshooting as usual.

I had a similar situation in a 2007 Civic, only intermittent. I checked all the connections, then tapped on the starter with a long extension. Each time I struck the starter it came to life. The starter was junk. I was able to change the starter with the intake on. The top bolt was stupid tight. I enjoyed the video, and learned something this morning.

This, everyone.... is the difference between a mechanic and a parts changer. Eric is a true mechanic.

Good find and demonstration. Plus, you saved the customer lots of money. That's worth the price of admission and why these vids of yours are so important.

I am 100% sure I would have replaced the starter. And then maybe I would have figured out the wires were bad after I got lucky and smelled the smoke that I probably would not have found. Awesome video…again. Luv me sum SMA video

I love to share my experience with a customer telling me he needed a starter. I found voltage drop on the negative cable and replaced the cable from the battery to the block with the negative cable on my 25 foot long jumper cables. I then went inside the car and turned the key to the sound of the engine starting i then checked the cable ends and found the end that was attached to the block had corroded so bad that the plastic cover on the cable was the only thing that supported 2 inches of that cable. I had to remove almost 3 inches of the cover on that negative cable before i found the nice copper color i was looking for. I replaced the $14 cable and bolt instead of the price of that new starter which at that time was about $80 my price. Good video as always Sir!

As someone who has worked on Hondas for 30 years first thing i seen was that junky ass battery terminal. Hondas dont like those. Ive got bitten by those before. Just today actually with one with a turn over no start. Spent an hour on it before realizing it had that same junky ass ternimal. Gotta remember to start with the simple stuff first. Even i forget. Great video!

I would’ve immediately checked the blinker fluid level. This is why I watch Eric!

Just last night I was helping a coworker whose car wouldn't start. A couple other people there were saying her starter was dead. Turned out her battery clamps were loose. 😅

The older side Post Terminals on Chevy Trucks would often Corrode underneath the Terminals, everything outside looked clean but it would not allow vehicle to start, my engine just shut off at a Traffic Light. A mechanic that I knew pulled up beside me and knew what the problem was, an education for me...

So, in an unrelated, slightly dumb story. Me and my father were going up north from Dutchess County to Buffalo for a family event. My father stopped off for us to take a pit stop and happened to coincidentally pulled over in your town and drove by your shop. I explained I've been watching you on KZfaq for more than 5 years I think now. We drove by your shop and I looked and saw and drove down the road you always go down. It was interesting. Would have stopped off but 5pm on Friday and knowing how you feel about non customers just dropping by or calling without work needing to be done. I opted against it. I opened my mobile mechanic business modeled sort of how you do things but with my own twist. Thank you for doing a sometimes thankless job just to keep us educated and entertained.

You are the man of the hour! Thanks for the great tip! I have replaced a starter only to find that it was the cable that was rotten. You are so right.

95 T-10 Blazer, turn key, loud click. No crank, no start. I replaced the starter twice before giving up and having it towed to a garage. Long story short, the fuel pressure regulator inside the intake manifold that fed the spider injectors had rotted through and filled a cylinder with fuel, and hydro-locked the engine.

I learnt this exact lesson at the age of 15, it was May 1st 1972, and the very first day of my official employment at the garage of a local haulage company after leaving school. The truck we were to fix was a 4 year old Ford D Series, it presented all the signs of a bad starter motor. However, before we dived in to fit new parts, the old school mechanic I was working under did a voltage drop test. Sure enough we found a full 12 volts where there should have been none. Turned out to be a poor connection on the common earth point on the chassis, this was hidden away right behind the battery. After a through cleaning, and replacing a corroded cable connection the truck fired right up. That "voltage drop lesson" stuck with me throughout my 53 years with the same company, and I myself have taught it to many new apprentice mechanics, and many an old one too. I'm retired now, but the company still owns that same old 1969 Ford D Series, it was the companies very first 'brand new' truck. Many thanks. David in the UK.

Thanks again Eric for teaching all of us DA’s out here how to do something properly. I, like several others people in the comment section, would have changed that starter only to find out I was wrong…. Not that I’m gonna be changing a starter on a Honda or anything for that matter. I still change my own oil and brakes but that’s about it. I’m getting to old to do that stuff……

Thanks Dr. O !!! I've personally been burnt from not checking the dang battery connections first and then fuses ECT! Another great video!!

Great testing Erik. I might have to add that to my starter R&Rs. Voltage drop like that takes seconds with it all apart! Some shops would throw 10 starters at it, THEN send it to you!

Voltage drop testing is the most accurate method of electrical diagnosis.

work for the AA in the Uk, its amazing how many breakdowns I go to that have just had starters or alternators fitted, when all it was is a poor cable. what's also amazing is the amount of qualified people fixing this stuff that don't know how to do a voltage drop.

Cant fool me, that voltage drop test was taught to you by your meemaw.

Come on Eric...I doubt anyone here would question your troubleshooting techniques!! If you didn't start there, no one would have, thanks for another lesson!

Experience and knowledge will always prevail. Nice to have the thought process explained.

No, I’ll freely admit. I assumed it was the starter too. I’ll also admit I would’ve checked the battery cables for loose connections on the battery and any corrosion, but I wouldn’t have thought to look under that tape. Well, at least until I saw the smoke. This is a good lesson and not to make too many assumptions and jump on them blindly. I have to do some work on my defender tomorrow and it’s either replacing the coolant sensor or it’s a bad ground so I’m gonna replace the coolant sender because honestly they are cheap easy to access and only take a minute to do. Plus I don’t wanna screw with the grounds unless I really have to. If you want folding utility knife that opens really easy with one hand I suggest the Klein folding utility knife. It just pushed the button, flick your wrist, and it opens with no effort. Then push the button again and it folds down with just gravity.

Lesson learned right there.its hard to not jump right to the fix when the flat rate clock is ticking.but it could save me buying a starter .I have to tell myself to slow down to go fast.

I always enjoy watching your troubleshooting videos which has helped me to find some crusty wires/cables. Thanks for sharing and stay blessed

the parts cannon lives another day without being fired... great job

Not sure if this counts on new cars, but we had a car that would turn over but not start till you let off the key. I say we, I was helping my Dad many moons ago. Anyways, best we could figure was the starter was drawin so much juice, it had none left to give a strong spark and why it would fire off just as you let off the key. Upshot was a rebuilt starter and worked good, point being, we didn't know squat about how to test for that and only figured it out by using our ears and grey matter and deduction on an old car with very few gizmo's. These new cars, boy... Glad we have Eric to show us the ropes. Thanks for the great vid!

Love your videos, Eric! Long time viewer. You remind me so much of myself, I appreciate your dedication to proper diagnosis in every scenario - no excuses! Keep it up brother.

Fantastic troubleshooting. Thanks for bringing us along!!

Your electrical videos are my favorite! I’ve learned a lot from watching them about auto electrical ( I’m a commercial electrician)

Good stuff, Eric! You are an excellent teacher and the viewers are better for it!

Eric (or is it EPIC) - as usual, 10-min master class in diagnostics - all of us can use forever going forward. Truthfully, I would have thought "starter" looked at how hard - and REPLACED THE CAR.. Fixed. (LOL)

That is why I enjoy watching this channel.

South Main Auto.. Awesome video. Very well explained Eric. That is the correct way to test/diagnose this vehicles concern.

I was at work the other day and messed up something because I did things out of order. I grumbled as I redid it, then did my Eric O impression of "Always follow the process".

That would have been a cool one to film with the thermal imaging camera.

I found this out on 6 volt cars. On 6 volt cars you need every volt to make the starter work. A voltage drop test is required to test everything electrical.

Kind of new here,;even watching awhile and am impressed by your thorough, methodical way of diagnosis and. Cleaning before it all goes back together. Interesting how you saved the woman the cost of a starter. I've done my own work since high school and because I'm cheap,I will check and recheck everything before I bite the bullet and by the expensive part. I should clarify,I'm not cheap just thrifty. Thanks for making these video's 😊

When you see electrical tape on a heavy current connection it's a red flag. It didn't come out of the factory that way...

Eric we need closure. We need part 2! Voltage drop is my favorite troubleshooting method. It tells the tale. Nice troubleshooting. Cover those damn intake holes! Lol

Very good lesson Eric!

Ya know Eric if you save one of us from the dreaded "A" hole status you have done a great job today. Learned a long time ago find where its good and work it to the bad. Nice repair. Thanks once again for sharing your skill and wisdom with us.

I fixed photocopiers before I retired, so I always had a bit of time to think over the customer complaint while driving to the site. That thinking led me astray many times, fixing what I thought was the problem, not necessarily the problem the machine actually had.

Eric O uses a new version of the Avoca smoker to find the problem - great lesson for us all

Knowing that it needs a harness now sure makes you feel better about pulling the intake. You would have had to do it anyway.. what a relief. :)

Epic. Always learn good stuff from you, Eric. Thank you.

Was at a funeral in FL, one of the guests from Louisiana couldn't get the car to start. I asked if he needed help, he said "no, my son works in a garage, he went to get a new battery." I said ok. When the battery came, the car wouldn't start. They were looking for tools, which I had, to remove the starter when I finally asked them to give me a few minutes to look at it. First thing I see is one of those two bolt clamp types on the positive battery terminal. I remove the tape and see the green. I nipped off the offending green and wire brushed everything and reassembled it. The car started fine, the hour was late so they drove back to Louisiana with an extra battery in the trunk. Turns out the son worked in a garage as a swamper and clean up man. Wished they had let me look at it before spending $$ on a battery.

Great video as always. I have learned so much from you! Thanks for the continuing education!

Great job as always. I wish that more car shops were not just parts replacers!

I would have checked for corrosion exactly like Eric....after watching Eric the wizard's video. Eric is a wizard, having paid attention to all of his mentors and having a ton of common sense.

The crook I used to work for would have replaced the starter anyway and gave the customer the old "you had 2 problems " line

Don't worry Eric, this wasn't a boring video, we got to see 2 money shots. That explosion of dust when you uncrimped that battery terminal 🤣😂

As always, much respect to Eric for taking the time and finding the issue. As for me, I would still recommend a new starter to the customer since they are very prone to failure and since I had the intake off anyway.

Agree totally, as an electronics engineer. Just lore current with a starter motor. Reminds me of the saying; Just 'cause its shiny and new, doesn't mean it works properly.

You are the best at diagnosis that I have ever seen.👍