What did we ever do before YouTube?

1279 Views 15 Replies 13 Participants Last post by dalek, Mar 20, 2019

steddy

Discussion Starter · Mar 16, 2019

Oh, that's right... Tech manuals.
Thursday morning I lost all functions of my heater blower motor except the high setting. Not crippling by any means, but annoying. The highest fan speed is annoyingly loud. The only time I ever use it is on the hottest days with the air conditioning because the extra moving air feels good.

Admittedly, I don't have a lot of experience fixing anything, but I like to read about problems and corrections. Thus I knew the issue was most likely a blower motor resistor at fault. So when I got home from work yesterday (Thursday), I quick YouTubed a video on how to fix it. I was mostly interested in where the part is located in a 2008 Mercury Mariner, as I had not a clue where to start. I took about 10 minutes to watch the video, which was FAR more detailed than it ever needed to be. It went through the whole process step by step starting with the problem and ending with testing the solution. In the end, it was about a 5 minute job. This includes emptying and removing the glove box door, finding and outting away the tools used, and actually replacing the resistor.

I know it was a small job, and many experienced mechanics reading this are probably laughing right now (that's fine - I can't hear you and I don't know you!), but I was able to dive into the job with almost 100% confidence. It's actually taking longer to write this post than fix my car. I felt like I had done the job before because the video was so good. I find a lot of jobs are just like this one, maybe a bit more complex, but all in all simple if you know what you're doing.

Tech manuals are great, but it's nice to have a video to show exactly where everything is located. I've used tech manuals with the black and white up close (but clear and sharp) pictures, and it's sometimes difficult to tell where whatever I'm looking at is located. I've spent 45 minutes looking for an oil pressure sensor only to find I was looking in the wrong place on the engine. A you tube video that started at the guy's workbench and followed his movements under the car easily revealed its location. The still pictures I originally saw were taken with the oil filter removed, so it was hard to tell where the location was.

I would have figured this out from a manual no problem, but it was a lot faster and easier following the video. +1 for YouTube mechanics. Any other experiences out there?

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1 - 16 of 16 Posts

Country1966?

· #2 · Mar 16, 2019

I agree steddy, YouTube is amazing. I am not mechanically inclined but I do have a fair amount of formal mechanical training. it doesn't come easy to me. I was trained as a maintenance electrician for 3 years in a coffee factory. I learned a ton from all those old-timer mechanics that I worked with from how to extract broken bolts how to heat things and get them off, plumbing, mechanical stuff, bearings, rebuilding pumps, calibrating instrumentation.

We also always worked on our own and stuff when I was a kid. Dad wouldn't pay anyone to fix stuff or very rarely. but there are some people who just are mechanically inclined and it comes easy to them; that is not me. I marvel at those people and there are a lot of them on here I can tell.

I always say I will get the job done, and I will, but it will take me four times as long as everybody else or somebody mechanically inclined and six trips to Lowes. ?

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Tractor-Holic

· #3 · Mar 16, 2019

I saved my 30+ year old fridge from the scrap yard about 5 years ago thanks to YouTube videos..
I was able to diagnose the issue after watching a few videos,it was the freezer compartment defroster elements that had failed--it would ice up the whole freezer compartment and the motor ran non-stop practically,and the food in the fride part was not kept cool enough and spoiled--if I pulled the plug and left it open to defrost (ad ruin the carpet & floor!),it would then work and run normally for a few days ,then the ice build up happened again..

The video showed the whole replacement procedure and though I'd never attempted to repair many appliances before--I felt confident I could do it after watching how..
To my surprise there is an appliance repair parts store almost within sight of my house--they had the parts in stock too,for about $40..took maybe an hour to install them..
So far the fridge is still working good!..

My friend at his auto repair shop has now gotten a smart phone so he can look up things like your heater resistor on YouTube--it has saved him hours of looking for hidden sensors,and helped him diagnose many puzzling issues..also many service procedures in service manual put you thru a LOT more work than was needed to remove a part,etc--one job he saved 2+ hours of work by being able to remove a starter without having to dissasemble half the vehicle as the service manual said to do it..a guy on YouTube had the exact same car and showed how you just have to turn the starter and flip it in a certain way,and it can be threaded out past all the items the service manual said "must be removed"..

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catdoo

· #4 · Mar 16, 2019

Been there, done that. I YouTubed many a project including your resistor replacement. Found out about Briggs valve adjustment too. Excellent learning experience.

poncho62

· #5 · Mar 16, 2019 (Edited)

Yeah, YouTube is real useful.....

BTW Steddy, a lot of times those resisters go because the blower motor is also going and draws way too many amps...If your resister fries again soon, I would replace the blower motor too....Just sayin'

deereboy55

· #6 · Mar 16, 2019

A month back I replaced the blower resister in my ford escape,,,also used you tube ,had no idea where it was. It was behind the glove box same as yours.

Despite all the time I waste looking at garbage on the computer,,,,,,,it is a very useful tool when needed.

Tractor-Holic

· #7 · Mar 16, 2019

Mouse nests in heater/blower housings are also responsible for some blower motor failures and resistor failures.along with those pencils and other items you dropped down the defroster ducts!..

It is too bad some YouTube videos are not very helpful,or "spoofs" though..
Some also drag on forever and do not get to the point quickly enough too--thank God for "fast forward ! "..

Like one video I watched showing how to get "free cable TV" just by placing used CD discs on the coax wire..twenty + minutes of my life I'll never get back!..

Another showing how to make your own "digital TV antenna" ,that costs you more in parts & labor,and your time, than buying a good new one would cost..one I watched took the guy maybe 5 minutes to assemble it,but he blabbed on and on the other 15 minutes about how he hated paying for cable,and where he went to get the parts,etc..

But there is a lot of good info on many videos too..it has saved me time & money many times..

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CCMoe

· #8 · Mar 16, 2019

Steddy,

I soldered a resistor on the overhead console outside temp and direction gauge in my F 150, using YouTube video, I was glade to have them back.

Now to figure out the cruise control!

CCMoe

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steddy

Discussion Starter · #9 · Mar 16, 2019

poncho62 said:
Yeah, YouTube is real useful.....

BTW Steddy, a lot of times those resisters go because the blower motor is also going and draws way too many amps...If your resister fries again soon, I would replace the blower motor too....Just sayin'

Thanks, Poncho! I'll keep that in mind. I think I'll go back on YouTube to find out how to replace a blower motor, just in case...

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steddy

Discussion Starter · #10 · Mar 16, 2019

poncho62 said:
Yeah, YouTube is real useful.....

BTW Steddy, a lot of times those resisters go because the blower motor is also going and draws way too many amps...If your resister fries again soon, I would replace the blower motor too....Just sayin'

Well, that looks easy enough...
Might help to unplug that wire harness that looks to be in the way, though...
This video only covers removal. I've got to think installation will pretty much be the same steps as removal but in reverse order.

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Obscured_by_Clouds

· #11 · Mar 16, 2019

Like all other malware, threats and security risks I'm aware of, I have it blocked at my router and firewall. You'll understand why someday, but by then it will be too late.

moonhare

· #12 · Mar 16, 2019

YouTube, among other helps, showed me the correct tools and methods to tune my two-cycle engines (donyboy, mostly), as well as how easily I could replace my refrigerator ice maker. I had to admit defeat on adjusting the governor on the tiller, though: it was a B&S engine repair book at the library that pulled that all together for me.

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Ingersoll444

· #13 · Mar 17, 2019

Well i start out saying that Im pretty mechanically inclined. Not much I cant figure out, and do.. That being said.. I agree! I use it all the time. I Fixed my hot water heater last year.. Its been acting up for years, and we were getting ready to replace it.. Figure I would youtube the issue one day, and 10 min later it was fixed! [flame sensor was corroded... a little sand paper and fixed! ] Fixed our washer a few weeks ago also... heck i youtubed replacing the air filter on my motorcycle... gotta remove the tank, and there is 2 wires, and 4 hoses... and everything was pretty packed in.. so might as well get a look see before I start hacking!! Im sold on it.. You learn what is a good vid, and a bad pretty quick..

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Steve Urquell

· #14 · Mar 17, 2019

Does anyone ever prepare for a task, watch the videos, read the info on the forums, and then do the task and then think people make it out to be 10X harder than it is?

I did that with putting trigger springs in my CZ pistol. All the info made it out to be like rocket surgery and it took about 10mins.

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Square Dude

· #15 · Mar 17, 2019

Most of the time what I see on YouTube is right-on but now and then I find some instructional video that is wrong. I watched someone do a brake job on the back of a Chevy pickup that had drum brakes. He had everything cleaned up nicely and looked like he purchased new hardware. Everything looked good except he put the shoes on backwards. Primary was to the rear and secondary to the front. At least it will work that way but he might have problems skidding the brakes on wet streets. At least he did both sides the same way.

All the same, YouTube is great!

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dalek

· #16 · Mar 20, 2019

I use Youtube and other sites for this as well. Sometimes I use them to find out if something is even worth repairing. Sometimes certain things lead to other things breaking or will break later on. One at least has some info to decide if something is worth the trouble even before picking up a tool. A person has to also be careful that the video is giving good advice as well. I've seen some that I know from personal experience is just plain dead wrong. Sometimes comment sections reveal that.

While I don't have a video camera, I did start a thread here on replacing a clutch in a Kubota L2500. I posted some pics as well. If I had a video camera, and the skills to make nice videos, I would likely have linked to a playlist on Youtube or some other video sites. Personally, I'll be glad when some of the less censored video sites get larger enough to be the go to sites. That's just me tho.

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