Customer States: Doesn’t Start! Broken over 1 bolt! Suzuki XL7 

Part Two is HERE! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-f5OzVJOCnL0.html

dude. your comment on old chevy trucks and how their fuel pumps would lock up on them and how to easily fix that…. dude. ive been stumped for almost a month now trying to figure out why the hell my stepside would not turn no matter what i replaced. i just took a mallet to my fuel tank and wouldn’t ya know… the sumbitch just started. you the man. 🖤

I could never film like you do. All you would hear is m'fer this and m'fer that. My repairs are R rated.

Like Eric at South Main Auto says "just because it's new doesn't mean it's good!"

Having been a mechanic myself, along time ago, I used to say that the design engineers needed to apprentice as mechanics for 5 years before they could be allowed to design a car (back in those days put pencil to paper). Pity the poor manual writers who had to figure out that kind of "stuff". They should have put a h ole in the frame so that you could get that long bolt out.

Me and my friend did the same thing when we replaced his alternator, thankfully we actually checked our work and saw it arcing and snugged up the bolt.

ive never heard of a shock absorber on an engine mount before, but it honestly makes perfect sense

At least it's not a BMW; where Engine oil flows through the alternator bracket. only the Germans could think of something like that

Mechanic: What's the easiest way to remove this part? Engineer: Disassemble everything! My wallet: Please, no...

You always seem to have the camera in the right spot. The Stephen Spielberg of mechanics is you.

Nothing like working with proper tools its amazing how even the hardest things come out like nothing.

Love watch you fight these repair problems, can't tell you how many times I sit here twisting my body and arms trying help you get things apart. Being a retired machinist I've fought machine parts for 40 years. Great job.

the sort of video that makes me glad I'm persevering with my old car that I can fix myself; looks like someone's put a lotta money into that

The alternator on my Jeep has been squealing it's bearings out for awhile and I finally decided to change it today. When I got the new on, the hot connection wasn't seating correctly. I noticed the slots in the plastic surrounding the post didn't line up with the tab on the connector when it was oriented correctly for the wire routing. I made the decision to snap off the tab rather than kink up the wire and it buttoned up fine. Just wanted you to know that having recently seen this video made me pay attention to what was going on and I appreciate what you do. Cheers!

I use to work on Suzuki and dreaded seen 07 up xl7 GMC POS… the ones with an actual Suzuki engine like the grand vitara were solid.

Glad to see such an alternator so easy to remove ! Step one take car apart! Makes my old mini look easy .

If you inspect the separated surfaces of the snapped off alternator screw you might see two colorations to the crack. The dull or gray part is the older fracture and the shiny part is new. If the older part shows dulled protrusions from the crack that may be due to rubbing over time.

As a retired Engineer I'll tell you it's known as planned obsolescence !

7 years at Domino's has given me ptsd from ringing phones.

The three words any mechanic does not want to hear.... Intermittent Electrical Fault. You can only trace the f^cker when it's Not working, which only happens when the owner is driving the car.

This happens a lot. Vehicles won’t start, but after they have been bounced around on the back of a tow truck they will start.

After seeing the engine compartment and interior features, I thought "Hey, that looks like my old Pontiac Torrent". Sure enough, same vehicle, just 8" longer.

Helpful. Hint....I keep a small length of quarter inch rope, about 3. Feet long in my tool box. Many times I use this rope when takin out. Alternators or compressors. Run. rope thru mounting hole and lift up on rope to aid in removing alternators in a difficult place. It works and saves dropping An alternator

I bet engineer went down on the assembly floor and said yup this alternator is easy to remove as he/she is standing next to just a frame no body vehicle.

The clips on the fan shroud do have a purpose. They were designed to keep you from removing the alternator

Possibly the previous repair guy cross threaded that bolt in that alternator and couldn't get it tight enough for that cable. And or shoved a rusted bolt in it, and messed up the threads. Real easy to screw up aluminum housing threads.

Cen-Tech..... The old Harbor Freight tools! That's what I would prefer for someone to use to fix my vehicle. Maybe show off your Pittsburgh wrenches and sockets!

It's like working on aircraft. The engineers swear there's plenty of room to remove that widget out the front. Naw, got to take the whole thing apart, and squeeze it out the back.

I used to work for a Suzuki dealership in Toronto. That particular generation of XL- 7 is commonly know for having timing chain chains. I've seen the timing chains stretch by about as much as a 1 inch. As well it is GM based engine power plant

Who wakes up in the morning and and thinks to themselves, 'I need a car, I think I'll get a Suzuki"?

Thanks for posting this video. It was very helpful when I had to replace the oil pressure switch that sits right behind the alternator.

The power of Ray compels you! lol

Whenever a vehicle comes in for a no start and starts first time i drive it in so if it doesn’t start again you’re not trying to round up people to give you a hand pushing Always seems like half the shop disappears when they know they’re gonna have to push. Great videos though.

If you got a PT cruiser that needs an alternator you best drop the whole engine/trans/crossmember to get at it otherwise be prepared for hours of frustration

I admire your patience, if I had to do that job on a Monday morning or Friday afternoon I'd swear the alternator out ,it'd be a family channel but all the kids were grown up .

8:30 Chowdered up? Someone's been watching South Main Auto!

I've watched several of your videos. You have nerves of steel and the patience of Job. I don't see how you do it. I would have already taken a hammer to it.

The reason it went into reconditioning mode was because the battery was below its nominal voltage. A battery of a car must not go below 12 Volts or it becomes damaged. Then you have to recondition the battery and slow charge with a low amperage till it can keep that's nominal voltage.

I'm going to start using your videos to show my shop that it should only take so long to test and repair my car ! Most your videos are what 10-15 minutes long so that all it should take them to fix my car from now on ! Thank you .

"service manual says to remove this radiator hose, but I'm not going to" *struggles to get the alternator out because hose is in the way*🤣 That's how I do things too. Just thought I'd poke at it a little.

Not heard you 'Doo Do Dooo Do Doooo' for a while - I love that, even started doing it at home!

Ray you have more patience than most!

Hey Ray, big fan here. Now I’ve always been on your side. But today you did something that I just can’t believe you did. You CLEARLY pulled the vehicle into the “shocks” bay and you were NOT doing suspension work. You really let me down today.🤪🤪🤪

Check the fuel gauge; if it is full; it's a bad fuel pump

I’ve got a regular customer with those exact vehicle. I ended up putting a jack under the motor and raised it up about an inch after removing the mount. Gave just enough clearance for that pulley and the alternator to slide right out.

I was looking at an earlier model xl7 with about 100k mi. on it from a local used dealer lot. Did some research and decided to pass on it. The engine was part of some lawsuit due to poor engineering design that caused the cam chain or timing chain to prematurely fail. This all happened after the NA Suzuki line was discontinued and GM avoided financial liability somehow. It'd seem to be about 50/50 with the amount of failures. Some would fail between 80k-100k with regular maintenance. Others would report 150k+ mi. with no major engine failure with regular maintenance. Couldn't take the risk. Ended up buying a 2008 Lexus rx400h with 213k mi. Only needed the abs module replaced and reprogrammed.

Ray(in the 3rd person) wins again! He fixed the car

That Chevy truck thing is so true. Smacking the gas tank got me going a few times.

Suzuki's marketing slogan should be, "GM "quality" in a Japanese car"

Rainman your like a mystro in a concert , your my man.

Slightly related but not really kind of... I had a '78 firebird with a 350ci ground up rebuild. I put it all together and assembled. It was my senior project in high school so I was somewhat dependant of my old man for funds for parts, and he had a hard on for reconditioned alternators. A few months later and 5 reconditioned alternators later I finally had enough money from my PT high schooler job and I shelled out the $$$ for a brand new alternator. Boom problem solved never had charge issues again!!

love your mechanic talk

That's somewhat what I went trough when changing the alternator on my suzuki. had to disassemble the exhaust under the engine to get the alternator out. It's almost like the built the car around the engine.

Good luck getting parts. Did a clutch job for a friend on a 2005 susucki forenza from a no rust state. It also had a minor leak where cv shaft goes into transmission, and a bad clutch. Could not get transmission cv shaft seals or inspection plate gasket. Napa, autozone, rock auto, etc.. All the parts stores. Had to get gasket material for inspection plate and made one. Not that big of a deal. Transmission CV shaft seals another story. Brought cv shaft to NAPA, got a seal that fits the shaft, had to hog hole to fit the OD of the closest seal they have. All hardware was extremely difficult to initially break loose. Had to break out the 250 ft lb hammer to loosen and penetrating oil. Got lucky and did not break any bolts. Put bolts in with antisieze. Cleaned all engine grounds. That fixed some intermittent electrical gremlins from runs like crap to dim headlights. Pretty straight forward car to work on, but still a turd that you cannot get parts for.

The battery was low on voltage but that doesn't mean you need to hook up the jumper pack incorrectly. Always connect the positive terminal first then the negative. Its just basic mechanics keep any potential sparks to a minimum.

Remember when they built this originally, the last man did all the bolts up and crawled out of the exhaust pipe.

Had a similar issue many years ago with my Supra. Had fan belt replaced by national company who shall be unnamed but colloquially known as Crappy Tire 🇨🇦. They snapped off a bolt for the ‘nator bracket and left it. Of course it didn’t take long for a starting issue to appear as the tension loosened. Good thing I parked on a hill and it was manual tranny. Cousins shop fixed it for free.

I had that problem with a 1980 Mazda 626. After not being able to start it for several days, I announced I would sell it for $1000.00 ( it was worth at least $2500. I'd just had a new engine put in and it had 4 new tires. Buyer came with tow truck. Car was towed 6 blocks to his shop where it started right up and ran like a champ. He offered to cancel the deal but I went through with it 'cause this was New York City and I was sick of paying alternate side parking tickets, insurance , etc.

Hey Ray, on earlier posts I was busting your balls. BUT, I am now giving you BIG PROPS because of your ability to diagnose problems across MANY different car manufacturers! Very impressive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Repair on bro !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I owned three Suzukis. They all did that fuel pump thing especially if you just moved the car in the driveway or something real quick. It was the ONLY issue I ever had with any of them.

My dumbass was like “this Suzuki needs an exorcism… A demon is draining it of it’s power…”

I am so happy I no longer work on cars,, It was so easy on the 60s, 70s and 80s cars.

geez. Watching you pulling that reminded me of pulling the one out of my HHR without removing the motor mount. Just as big of a PIA but can be done.

If you ever have a 2002-2004 Suzuki Aerio that won't run and the computer indicates no fuel pressure and you suspect the pump check the ground to the fuel pump before replacing it. Mine died on me one day, acted as if it ran out of gas with over a half tank. Tracked the problem to the pump, replaced it and two days later the same thing happened, it turned out the pump's ground connection was faulty.

Towtruck should have just delivered it to the salvage yard

"witness marks on the bolts" Heh, notice the extremely clean spot in the dirt, too, from the previous technician?

Spose you didn't have to cut it of in the end 😀 brilliant work Ray have a great day 👍

I like the name of your stall - SHOCKS!

I’ve had the same problem with a Nissan micra. Swapped the fuel pump in the tank and all was good.

Good stuff! I do think the charger should be on the battery while you're doing the alternator work.

Clean and tight, shiny and bright!

1993 Tarsus. After 2.5 hours of driving in high heat with the AC on, slow down, and the engine would stumble, and die. First time it happen, had it towed to the dealership. Of course, it had time to cool, and then it started. Long story short, the fuel pump would die during that event. I know more now and would replace the pump. Live and learn..

You can see from the marks on the radiator hose that the last guy didn't disconnect it either. =)

Lol man I could feel the frustration wiggling that alternator out

Intermittent non-starts are the worst. For an example (not actually looking for advice), I have an issue with a car that after sitting for a day after a rainy day usually needs to be cold and damp. The engine will turn over and over. Often the car will stumble but not fully start. Eventually enough attempts will result in a fuel smell. Recently I tried to time the stumble with opening the throttle and the car started. This problem has been occurring rarely for years. Leaving the hood open on a drier day will seem to resolve the problem quickly. Have talked to my mechanic about it, but it’s hard to diagnose when it works at the shop.

It has often been noticed: why does the clear coat come off, or the whole coat of paint on a car? Because of the sun, or because the cars aren't polished? You rarely see that here with us, and when it does, it's in the red paint.

Little bit of never seize goes a long way. You can get it tight the first time and don't have any problems like this. Been using the stuff for 40 years.

14:16 I see someone else has lightly coughed on a dipstick and it has broken, always just take em out when working near them. Learned the hard way on a gravy train derailed situation

Lots of interstate batteries out there, I’m a route driver for interstate in northern Illinois, I enjoy watching your videos Ray

that looks like it sucks to change that. i wanted a different car for awhile.. but after watching these videos i will just keep mine for as long as possible.

Sometimes is the crankshaft/ camshaft positioning sensor.

Man I am glad that I only drive 80s cars they are so simple to fix

Gotta like your channel and your attitude.. thanks

Great job Ray

my 1960s mini pick up truck had a sticking fuel pump .. i carried a sweeping broom around and one well aimed smack on the fuel pump would do the trick .

Strut clamps are a must, I've got 3 bulging discs in my neck from a bonnett strut failing

Iwould take some pride in a car that is 14 years old. I would tap myself on the back and call myself wise and praise my sound economics to keep such a car in driving conditions. And I would certainly clean up the interior before turning it in for repairs and maintenance! (I drive a 1,5 yo car and keep itclean regardless what). Nice videos btw learn a lot!

Alternators and starters should not require removing parts not pertaining to the fix. If I can put my hand on the part, that helps decide whether to purchase the vehicle.

The S logo took me back when everybody had the jeeps

when you said pound car with mallet...I laughed out loud

Good luck getting parts for that thing!

lol welcome to the bmw world, n52 (2007) and up engines have a 3 pc crankhubs. One gear for oil pump, one gear for timing, and the hub where the crank pulley bolts on to and both gears slip into. The 2 gears are being held in place by friction discs and a 22mm bolt. Bolt tightens up to 270 lb and sandwiches the hub to the 2 gears using nothing but a friction disc. That bolt has no thread lock from factory and tends to back out due to vibrations. 1 bolt can make your whole engine to shit itself. Or them little friction discs will snap in between the gears and fall out, having no friction discs will cause the gears to spin independently. Most common on S55 m3/4 engine

Ray finally gets the alternator out of the engine compartment and throws it through the wall of the garage...

Omg that made my day "Come out devil nator "LMFAO

Side mounted V engines are the bain of my existence

The rubber grommet perished on my belt tensioner causing the pressurized piston to pop off. This wasn't immediately visible or noticed. Result: Mechanic replaced alternator, engine sounded like a diesel, power steering was "iffy", and air conditioning compressor seemed to be on the way out. I got the car home, started watching RU-vid videos, and eventually found the .45 cent problem. Sheesh!

Always check your battery conniptions

That Cen Tech meter is state of the art.

i wouldnt want to wade through any water in that suv with the alternator way down there.something i always look for when buying a truck/suv

Check the fuel pump relay for heat damage. I had a bad fuel pump on a Ford Focus and saw that my fuel pump relay plastic had melted little.