This Stupid Device Just Cost My Customer Thousands in Car Repairs 

GM Just Shut Down Car Production and May Be Going Bust: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oxDufrTbJFI.html ⬇️Scotty’s Top DIY Tools: 1. Bluetooth Scan Tool: amzn.to/2nfvmaD 2. Mid-Grade Scan Tool: amzn.to/33dKI0k 3. My Fancy (Originally $5,000) Professional Scan Tool: amzn.to/31khBXC 4. Cheap Scan Tool: amzn.to/2D8Tvae 5. Dash Cam (Every Car Should Have One): amzn.to/2YQW36t 6. Basic Mechanic Tool Set: amzn.to/2tEr6Ce 7. Professional Socket Set: amzn.to/2Bzmccg 8. Ratcheting Wrench Set: amzn.to/2BQjj8A 9. No Charging Required Car Jump Starter: amzn.to/3i7SH5D 10. Battery Pack Car Jump Starter: amzn.to/2nrc6qR ⬇️ Things used in this video: 1. Common Sense 2. 4k Camera: amzn.to/2HkjavH 3. Camera Microphone: amzn.to/2Evn167 4. Camera Tripod: amzn.to/2Jwog8S 5. My computer for editing / uploading: amzn.to/301tYt9 Subscribe and hit the notification bell! ► goo.gl/CFismN As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Another possibility: there's a slightly loose ground connection somewhere that causes high resistance with the right vibration when the metal is cold, but when warmed up and the metal has expanded slightly, the connection is secure enough not to exhibit the problem. With a map of where the front ground points reside, checking them for tightness could possibly remedy the problem.

That car would be perfect for My Mom. She never drives over 50 miles an hour anyway.

I'd definitely change the battery. It has a pool of corrosion on the positive terminal. It did throw a low battery code I think too. Weak batteries can make a cars electronics go nuts.

Hi Scotty, just some advise here from a 40 year professional electronics guy. When using electronics spray cleaners be sure to allow the cleaner to completely dry in the connector before putting the back together, even use compressed air to blow it out because any liquid cleaner left in the connector will slowly corrode the contacts over time.

My dad had a throttle problem in his 1955 Plymouth Savoy. No fancy electronics back them, only a capacitor in the distributor. Turned out to be a chicken bone stuck under the gas pedal.

I hesitate in cold weather too !

Thank you for speeding up the use of the screwdriver when you edited this video - you wouldn't believe how many other mechanic-type videos I watch where the person videos the screwing/ratcheting at real-time... and it's good that one can speed up the video on RU-vid through settings, for sure!

These are my favorite videos that Scotty makes. Old school how to

That was a really intriguing video watching Scotty go through everything and pinpoint the issue. Too bad for the customer 🙁

I worked for Verizon when Verizon Wireless came out with that little contraption I believe around 2002. Instructions said to leave it in the OBD Port all the time and it would give you constant feedback on any malfunctions with your car. It was nothing but a corporate money making gimmick from people who knew nothing about vehicle maintenance. I always advised against using it despite my corporate guidance

Runs like a scolded egg! i love that man,i watch every video,amazing honest person with incredible knowledge.

The first tip of rolling down the window is a good idea… sometimes in a stressful situation when you have car trouble, you might lock your key in the car… it’s a great tip.

Scotty, after watching you use different scan tools for different jobs, I have decided to buy the INNOVA 5610 ... I would have liked auto VIN #, but I'll get along just fine. Thank you for what you do here.

You were right on Scotty. Usually I find this hesitation is related to fuel injectors are dirty and a can of cleaner in the gas tank and a tank of Chevron super will help it too.

Awesome video Scotty. Fantastic to see the real world diagnosis of a car problem .

I always appreciate you taking the time to educate us youngsters. I wish I had the opportunity to work on cars before all the immense complex technology in these cars.

I would check for bad grounds before changing the ECU.

I love how the accelerator pedal on my 1979 MGB is attached to my throttle with a MECHANICAL CABLE AND A SPRING. Why do I need a computer between me and my throttle?

Scotty!! I have learned from experience... I have been the employee who locks the key in the ignition multipke x hence... I adopted the window down about 10 years ago!!!! lol learned the hard way lol. nothing like having your service truck running in the cold and snow and asking the customer to hang out for an hour waiting on your supervisor to show up with the spare key lol...m

By far I think that was one of your best one of the best I've seen and I love how you're always excited about different stuff at cool!

Thank you so much for being out there to help little old ladies like me. Don’t go!!!!!!

Wow. I always learn alot from you Scotty. Please always make more videos. I've really come to rely on you.

Hi Scotty - I live in Canada and my Cell phone service provider offers those OBD dongles specifically for letting the car have wifi via cell service. It also provides diagnostic info, so it does access the car computer.

This was very interesting and extremely informative! Nice work Scotty!

I went through something similar on my Ram recently. It started as a throttle body problem, but then quickly devolved into finding water in the pcm connector. Turns out it was creeping in via a small drip from an electrical clip retainer, to the ac lines, and then onto the connector. I was fortunate enough to find a refurbished computer for 255 bucks, and coupled with a little silicone and some bulb grease, my Ram is running great once again.

I'm a drivability tech and can say these "dongle's" create a lot of problems especially with excessive parasitic drain on the battery. Can't trust anything if you're dealing with charging system problems. Alternators get tired after months of recharging almost dead batteries. Remember folks, alternators are designed to keep the battery charged, not for charging dead batteries and automotive batteries don't like being discharged and recharged repeatedly either.

I like when you make these types of videos the most. Keep up the great work!

I greatly admire Scotty, but I have to disagree with him on this one (I'm not an auto mechanic, I repair medical equipment). Car computers are actually pretty well hardened against high temps, electrical glitches and spikes, etc. Years ago, I had a GM instructor tell me that of the GM computers sent back to them by auto mechanics, over 99% of those replaced computers were perfectly good... the problem is most often the sensors giving bad information to the computer, which then makes bad decisions on how to run the engine based on that bad data; Garbage In, Garbage Out. Sensors are often poorly designed, cheap, and made of cheap materials. The computers, even as complex as they are, are typically extremely reliable. I would question many other possibilities before I would begin suspecting the computer. Even a dirty or corroded electrical connector on a sensor is far more likely to cause problems than the computer itself! In those cases, a good cleaning of the dirty/corroded connections (and perhaps the application of dielectric grease to keep those connections clean) would fix the problem-- nothing at all was actually bad, neither sensors nor the computer. Electrical connections are usually where most faults lie in electric/electronic systems (electrolytic capacitors excepted). It seems to me that the action of the sensor built into the accelerator pedal should be tested waaaay before I would begin blaming the computer-- or the dongle. Those dongles, even though assembled in a 3rd world country, were probably designed in the US, Japan, or Germany, and YES, they WERE designed to stay connected to the ODBII constantly! Now if something goes wrong with them, they would probably (my guess) stop working and perhaps interfere with the CANbus data flow, a problem which might stop once the bad dongle is removed from the ODBII connector. But they typically ARE designed to stay plugged in. If it is a Chinese design, though... all bets are off. It's wise not to automatically trust cheap Chinese electronics; some is fine, some not so much. Oh... and poor electrical ground points in cars (they have many) are also very high on my list of suspects where there are any kind of electrical issues. Check the battery condition and clamps, check the alternator for normal output (no bad diodes), and look closely at the grounding points throughout the car!

The device likely has nothing to do with the problem. The problem is only when the vehicle is cold. Thus in "Closed Loop Mode". The base parameters for the engine are off so it performs poorly. Then when warm, it enters "Open Loop Mode" and uses more sensors like down stream oxygen sensors to operate more efficiently. This car probably has a "small" air leak after the throttle body. Intake gaskets or other, but the fuel trim and/or the mass air flow per engine size at idle should hold the key.

I had a tmobile one that almost messed up my computer on my truck. When I finally got rid of it, everything went back to normal. These things are trash and I agree with Scotty it is just not worth the risk.

Love your videos scotty. I watch all of the new ones every night. Keep it up

Your moving to the top Line of my watch list . . love your awesome INFO. 😉

Always have an extra key in your pocket. Lesson learned after (during) 55 years of driving.

Yeah it sounds more like it’s a loose ground or a bad connector. The factory service manual has procedures for properly diagnosing trouble codes including checking voltages and resistance on the different circuits. I had an intermittent check engine light on my old mustang and while I was 95% sure it was a bad O2 sensor, I still spent an hour or two following the procedure to make sure the wiring and computer was good before I shelled out the $50 for a new sensor when it could have been a loose ground. Also at 2:40 Scotty said “We know it’s a fuel problem for sure” and never once checked any part of the fuel system.

Great video. Very in depth. Good job Scotty!

I’m a GM owner, I have a 2018 Silverado, luckily I know how to work the on my own vehicles although there are things I will not do, having a guy like you Scotty is nice.

I roll the drivers window down often just in case my dachshund locks the doors again. Apparently verizon telematics is a type of monitor of car use, location, and other crap to big brother the use of the car.

That thing about certain parts not being kept in stock makes a lot of sense. Also, thankful that my car still has a cable operated throttle despite being made in 2016. It's like driving a 90's car but with a touchscreen

Great video, thank you for the info.

Excellent info, thank you

I have to believe this is similar to devices insurance companies put on your car to track how you drive and give you a discount for never speeding.

Love your content 😂💯

Wow, that is enlightening. I have had the FIXD Bluetooth Scan Module plugged into my Lexus since 2017. I will remove it next time I am in the car. Thank you.

Great vid, mind blown. I used to leave a cheap OBD diagnostics dongle loaded in my Ford Explorer. Disappointed to hear that can cause a problem but electrical connectors are ALWAYS a week point. I used to work on portable military radios and the main front electrical connector was a minor mechanical wonder - it was one of the most expensive components in the radio. Look at ALL the connectors in a car. I just replaced the window regulator in one of the doors and the entire door panel probably has 15 connectors - every one a potential failure point.

IME I would be more suspect of the sensors vice the computer. If it were my own car I would change out the TB and the pedal rheostat assembly since they can get mechanically worn. But great job here Scotty. Really thought provoking and well done.

If I'm not mistaken, that's a Verizon HUM module, which is used not just for diagnostics, but also Geofencing and driver monitoring (primarily for younger drivers and fleet vehicles). It's designed to be plugged in and stay in place so that the car can be monitored remotely. The computer certainly can be damaged by a third party device, but I think it's unlikely in this case, given that the device is purpose-built to stay plugged in.

dielectric grease pushed into electrical connections has solved so many problems for me over the decades, cant even count anymore.

Really good & informative vid Scott 🙂

That is a telematics dongle, for vehicle tracking and recovery. It just reads data and uses the cell network to report driving habits. That is not a diagnostic dongle. Literally nearly all fleets use them Light Duty/Medium Duty/Heavy Duty. Every Semi you pass unless claiming short haul exemption, has one connected, which is required by federal law. Literately millions of those are connected to vehicles in the US. Verizon, CalAmp, KeepTrucking, Samara, Omnitracs, ATT, etc all make or have made units just like that one. Used car dealerships tend to put something in the vehicle and pay for tracking at least till the things paid for, all be it they normally use a wired one and hide it under the hood or in the trunk.

Especially on potentiometers, but great for any electrical wipe-connections, I've rarely had CAIG Deoxit fail to restore intermittent faults. (And that can is a lot cheaper than $300.) It's commonly used by those who restore old electronics, does anyone else use it in automotive applications?

Hi Scotty, great content here. Keep the great videos coming. We appreciate it.

Great video as always, but a very different and interesting one!

Makes some people miss the days of points, plugs, filters, clean the carburetor and go.

11:34 maybe one of the circuit boards has a crack in a copper trace? Because metal expands when it gets hot maybe that helps complete the circuit, but when it's cold the circuit is open? I had a similar problem in my old Isuzu Trooper. Good video 👍

Thank you for all the information sir!!! Great information!!! Great mechanic!!!!👍👍

I love when he does these vids. It helps me diagnose my vehicle.

I agree scotty, don't leave dongles in the obd slot, but the 1 thing you did wrong and should be done every time is run the throttle learn sequence on any diag equipment, thats what i saw was spiking in the graphs. Every time an electronic throttle pedal or throttle position position sensor is changed the throttle learn sequence must run, otherwise the vehicle engine ECU will revert back to previous on the ecu memory or divert to basic settings erespective of any any DTC's cleared or not.

Scotty, that looks like that verizon Hum device. It is a tracking device, diagnostic device and it give wifi access apparently. It is a monthly cost as well. Not only does it mess with the vehicle computer, you pay verizon for the pleasure of them messing up your car! Great video!

Nice job, I always learn from your videos.

Great advice. Thanks.

Cmon, let them install a SPYING DEVICE in YOUR CAR.. It will save you $2 a MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

14:15=The cat was priceless 🤣

Good point. I know I left one of those 'my mechanic' in my Lexus for a while now, but I need it to reset ecu due to knock sensor failure that kills the transmission overdrive function. Now that I'll be changing the knocks, I'll be sure to remove it.

Great work Scotty, diagnosis from A to Z Your the BEST!!! Aussie chrisso 👌

As a technician I know this and still did it with the dumb Progressive SnapShot device to save on insurance. Thankfully, it didn't damage my ECU. If they EVER try to make me do it again, I'm finding a new insurance provider, lol.

And to think my insurance company wanted me to use an OBD recorder so I asked them if they were going to repair my car when it blew my computer. 🤔

Wow! I never knew! Thank you so much!!!

I always roll the drivers side or the passenger side (if raining, and I'm driving along, obviously) because I'm super concerned about locking myself out. Glad to see you mention that tip to all!👍🏾

I know corps with fleets of vehicles that use something like these. So far the one I personally know have had no issues with these dongles with exception that they can stick out too far and be kicked over and over. A short OBD extension cable fixed it. These dongles provide in vehicle wifi + tracking + vehicle statuses. So far, I only agree with you plugging crap in cars so far were those cheapo cigarette lighter adapters with super noisy switching power supplies that can in fact glitch out computers.

Remember Progressive telling people to plug them into that port? I do.

Every single video of yours is awesome!

Amazing video, Mr Scotty

Throttle relearn is needed after cleaning throttle. That’s how I fixed mine .

Sounds like a class action suit in the making for Verizon.

Thank you. Good advice 💯

Good info!

I always roll down the window 😂😂😂😂 it’s programmed in my head

That's probably what messed up the cars computer, great job Scotty! Lesson well learned I hope. 😎👍

Love all your videos!!!

Scotty, my 2001 Saab 9-3 used to do the same exact thing as this Toyota. I replaced the crankshaft position sensor and found a ground issue in the trunk going to the fuel pump. After fixing those two issues I haven't had a problem since with acceleration.

10:46 WHAT ABOUT... an UltraGuage or ScanGuage digital gauge tool? It gives live data from the car's computer and displays engine information such as RPM, Speed, Coolant Temperature, etc. Good video 👍

Since I'm an electronic technician (40+ years) I have to say that these computer systems aren't very well designed if they're not fault tolerant. Pretty much everything that is computer controlled can't be trusted. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

Thanks for that! I recently had a problem with my car that I needed to clear the codes (of course being a JLR engine it just randomly cleared its own codes so I did not need to buy anything or take it in) so was considering buying a diagnostic tool instead of taking it in to a repair garage. I saw the Bluetooth ones it said you could leave in to watch what happened as it drove, and had considered that. Would not want to pay the amount JLR would charge for a new engine management computer.

Thank you for the video

If I could get Scotty Kilmers to check out my car with his huge $6000 dealer level scan tool I would drink the shot of whiskey and puff on the Cannabis Cigars with him and get all schmoked up.

Years ago I would sell these things like hotcakes. I would never in a million years use one but people loved the idea 💡 😂

Great vid !! Good man !!

Uncle Scotty! How many in. lbs. or lb. ft. of torque, is your, "Ughhhh" grunt sound that you make when tightening a fastener! LOL! Thank you for your videos, your wisdom, your wit and your sense of humor!

Hey Scotty, great vid -as always - and good to know about those OBD diagnostic dongles. Curious, do you think those insurance company driver behavior monitoring OBD devices/dongles can also cause damage? I don't trust any of 'em!

The dongle is a red harring. The more likely as the car has aged the grounds or a connection at the pcm has green crusties or the throttle motor is just out of lube. You did say the voltage is out of spec. The other issue as well is water in your gas or a fuel filter clogging which would explain the limited power. I feel this needs a revisit with a spare junk yard pcm since that car is a dime a dozen and your scan tool writes keys scotty.

Great video!

Wow! One of the most interesting videos you've done.

In theory, yes that device could have damaged something, but such damage would likely look very different. Even the least expensive major brand CAN interface chips (for example, MCP2561) have integrated protection for miswiring of the power supply and transients on the CAN bus. If anything other than the transceiver could be damaged by that then that sounds like a major design flaw that would have lead to many failures, and a damaged transceiver typically just doesn't work at all - not an intermittent failure or scrambled data specific to only one particular group of sensors and actuators. Some vehicles (probably not this one, but without schematics I can't say for certain) have entirely separate buses for engine control versus diagnostic information. Either way, it is unlikely that such damage would only cause an issue with a cold engine. Avoiding plugging questionable and/ or cheap electronics into your OBD port is always a good idea, but this bus is designed to have many devices permanently attached. Many thousands of commercial vehicles have similar devices installed in this manner and do not regularly suffer from these issues. At best, this dongle seems like an unrelated item.

" Hello officer, whats the problem? Sir, you are speeding with no seatbelt on.. holy sh$t, your Scotty Kilmer. you are a legend.. fasten your belt & carry on sir"... a day in the life of Tennessee Scotty!

Good info Scotty

Good video; seemed to work well under the leafless tree canopy. Cute dogs! Good luck!

Buen dato amigo

i missed the part where the verizon device cost thousands of repairs

I love these case problem solver videos.🏆