Working to turn frustration into a learning opportunity

Initial frustration! Grrrr. 

We'd just spent the better part of two weeks in class, reviewing "advanced" electrical diagnosis and exploring vehicle networks. I've yet to see any "advanced" electrons, I thought they all did their stuff at the same speed. In fairness though, it really was a basic electrical review with a dose of maximizing the power of DMMs and DSOs, in readiness for exploring network fault diagnostics.

Early on, I had emphasized that all diagnosis and electrical circuit testing of the nature that we have been involved with should begin with a fully charged battery that is being maintained at the requisite voltage, plus tools and equipment with good batteries, otherwise measurements won't mean much. I'm also a stickler for having students turn off the headlamps when they've cycled the ignition on, simply because it all too often results in dead batteries. 

Anyway, fast forward to yesterday morning. I've got a particularly small class of eight students in session, as opposed to my usual head count maximum of sixteen. Paired off into four groups, we began to tackle some engine management related learning activities. The first two of lead-in exercises in the Student Work Guide (SWG) are diagnostic process related, to ensure that all are using the same diagnostic starting point, instead of wandering off aimlessly in different directions.

In both exercises a fuse in the under hood fuse blocks, bussed electrical centres, whatever you prefer to call them, was replaced with a blown fuse. To expedite these two "15 minute" activities, I doubled up the class into two groups of four. That in itself might want to cause you to pull out clumps of hair, because unless you emphatically state "two groups of four" and "herd" them into separate corners, you will most certainly end up with a group of five and three or six and two!

Anyway, a blown ECM fuse was blown on an '09 Malibu 2.4L and a throttle fuse on an '07 Silverado. The class can work on the newer stuff ('15-'17) when they prove to be better capable of following directives and diagnostic process. In reality though, these two vehicles actually fit the exercises exactly, as designed to achieve the desired results. And, that's where it all began to go wrong!........

Each group was assigned a vehicle and when the diagnosis has been completed, the groups were to switch and work on the second vehicle. The Malibu exhibited a no crank condition and the Silverado, a crank, start and stall. Group A works through the Malibu in the shop and B outside on the Silverado. The groups were instructed not to "give the game away", as sometimes is the case. I've got my eye "on the ball" and decide that I can wash some green slime from the '07 Acadia parked just outside the shop door, that has accumulated over the winter and be ready to assist/coach as needed, with both groups visible.

"Turn off the headlamps", me says on numerous occasions while group A is on the Malibu and again when the groups switched vehicles. "Put a charger on it too", all this falling on deaf ears at the Malibu after group B has spent some time assessing the vehicle. I don't know how many times I called this out as I passed back and forth roaming the shop, as group B grew exponentially in size until it was both groups at the vehicle. They began blaming each other for a fault that they had collectively generated by ignoring my "chirps" from the "cheap seats". As my words went unheard or more than likely ignored, I imagined feeling like Lily Tomlin must have in movie, The Incredible Shrinking Woman.

With obvious floundering, despite what appeared to be a group decision to follow a specific diagnostic path, it was time to step in and ask what the holdup was. "We have a high resistance in the HS LAN the initial "instigator" of the diagnostic direction "chirped" proudly. "We're testing the bus right now" he proclaims, just as I managed to stop one of his team from disconnecting the BCM with the battery still connected, which can often result in an undesired outcome. At that time, the thought process was that 183 Ω had been measured across terminals 6 and 14. "Okay, that is understandable if there was a fault on the bus me says." I'm now openly being blamed for having secretly bugged the system, but there has been at least one or more students at the vehicle for the entire session and I'm no magician!

By this time, the end of the day was fast approaching and from my earlier observations I was pretty sure what the issue was. I barked out my directives, "Charge the darn battery, carefully re-connect any open connectors, reassemble the vehicle trim, then clear all of the DTCs." (knowing that there will be many DTCs in there by the bucket load.) "Then, start the car and move it outside."

"Humph, what d'ya mean? What did you do to it?" one student asks and again, they know full well that as sneaky as I can be, I didn't set a bug this time. "So, how'd you know there's a bunch of DTCs set?" another asks. (there would find many). "There's still the 183 Ω resistance on the HS LAN the instigator announces and counters, "No way, it ain't going to start", just as the now re-connected battery allows a KOEO ignition input signal to send a fuel pump request that resulted in the familiar buzz of a healthy in-tank pump.

Someone announced, "It never did that before", while another said, "An' the lights ain't on all the time now either." A turn of the key and the previously silent beast now runs as happy as ever, and I'm internally overjoyed that I don't have to go on a diagnostic chase the following morning at 5 am before class starts. Some mornings can go in that direction and it keeps me sharp.

So, where did they go wrong? Neither group had followed basic steps to ensure that the battery was kept at an acceptable voltage level. I knew they were in trouble when they couldn't cycle the lights off, (they had all missed that clue completely), plus let the battery go so dead that nothing would operate.

A fixation on locating a resistance on the bus, probably because they'd been diagnosing network faults on the same vehicle the previous week, had led the students astray. They should have listened to my comments about "headlamps" and "battery", but everyone had chosen to ignore my words to their own embarrassment by this point.

I'm pretty sure that "Mr. 183 Ω" was pretty "steamed" when the now not broken car started on the first attempt and that's too bad because his thought process of late has been developing reasonably well and being "humbled" by the car wasn't something he had been at all prepared for. Since I've had my "butt handed to me before", I know that humble feeling all too well.

For all of about thirty seconds at the end, with a big grin I got to say "Who's yer Daddy now?!!" , as I summarized how and why they had strayed so readily from the basic needs of the vehicle to function as designed. Today however, their focus while working on more diagnostic activities, was very much improved!

For me, it had been a bit frustrating early on that they "lost the plot" early on, resulting in a problem that hadn't been in the vehicle as presented. Instead of re-grouping to deal with the issue as a fresh concern, they had become disorganized and floundered badly. It was compounded by "tunnel vision", followed by going down a "rabbit hole" and eventually running into a "wily old fox" who'd scared 'em back onto the "trodden path."

My words of advice were, "Listen to the clues that the car is giving you." A dead battery from extended sitting with the headlamps on and no battery maintainer connected, headlamps that could no longer be turned off and a nearly endless list of DTCs throughout the vehicle, had provided a valuable lesson. 

From this single experience, I might net a little extra short-term respect and buy-in, from those who realize that we were born with two ears and one mouth for a reason. The lesson is, to be able to turn a frustrating or negative experience into a positive experience that will not soon be forgotten!

I'm sure that we've all got some similar stories to share......