Livewire Automotive Diagnostics and Repair

01/30/2026

Customer complaint of misfire that won't go away, Coils and plugs have been replaced and before they went any further with injectors they wanted a diagnosis. Scan data showed codes have been deleted and no misfire counts or codes coming up to help identify which cylinder(s) are misfiring. Next choice of action was a power balance test and that showed a steady misfire on cylinder 5.. next i moved to a quick relative compression test with a cylinder sync back probed into cylinder 5 ignition coil command and an amp clamp around battery negative cable, disable fuel and crank for ten seconds.. scope showed steady low compression on cylinder 5 and i could hear it in the crank rhythm. Next decided to go old school and use the compression tester on cylinder 5 for a wet and dry compression test. Dry showed 73 psi max and wet showed 138 psi max confirming bad piston rings on cylinder 5 most likely due to a misfire previously left unchecked for too long.. no coil, plug, or injector will help this misfire unfortunately. Picture shows relative compression test on lab scope, yellow is cranking amperage and blue is cylinder 5 ignition command.

01/27/2026

Customer came in with a complaint of no heat blowing in the vehicle.. noticed a check engine light flashing and a scan showed a cylinder 1 misfire code. Diagnostics lead to a failed head gasket leaking coolant into cylinder 1 along with a low coolant condition.. misfire and heating issue both caused by a blown head gasket. Picture inside of cylinder 1 dripping coolant.

10/30/2025

2014 Honda CRV. Throwing sensors at cam or crank sensor codes or or taking the time to remove the timing cover without knowing for sure if it should be removed is a waste of time and money. Back probed into the cam and crank signals on the pcm and I know what steps to take after i analyze the waveform.. This one shows timing is absolutely off and that there was massive slack in the chain. After analysis of these waveforms, it makes perfect sense and is totally justifiable to go into the timing cover and NOT just put new sensors in it. You can see in the picture that the timing chain is not even fully seated on the teeth.

09/29/2025

2016 Ford Explorer with a p0016 code. Here is the set up and results. This test was done with the VVT disabled to get a base timing waveform. The results show good cam and crank sensor function, unfortunately the timing is off by one tooth with slack in the timing chain.

09/18/2025

A very interesting endeavor on a Subaru Impreza STI with VVT solenoid codes. Checking cam and crank signals to check base timing and to see if the vvt is working and moving the cams like it should.
Blue: left cam signal
Yellow: right cam signal
Purple: crank signal
Green: OCV solenoid command signal

08/03/2025

Fuel injector Voltage and amperage waveform showing proper voltage and amperage as well as a proper opening and closing of the injector pintle.

08/03/2025

A relative compression test showing good even compression on all cylinders

04/20/2025

Don't ignore those engine warning lights! We do free code readings, so don't hesitate to see what your vehicle is trying to tell you!

03/31/2025

A word to the wise: stop driving with your 02 sensor codes..you could have an actual lean or rich condition and that can do damage to your engine or catalytic converters. Even if it is just a bad sensor, why ignore it when it provides your vehicle's engine computer with such vital information for keeping your vehicle running properly and at a correct air/fuel mixture?

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03/19/2025

Another tip to those of you that don't know. These "bling rings" can actually disrupt the signal between the key and the immobilizer causing a no start condition.

03/16/2025

A quick PSA on alternators for any DIY mechanics..Always fully charge your battery or replace if its bad when you replace an alternator. I have seen time and time again alternators getting replaced multiple times in a short time period because of this.

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