If this beloved TikTok mechanic hadn’t been able to figure out what went wrong with the vehicle, it might have had to go to the scrap yard.
Auto DIYers, listen up so you don’t make the same simple mistake this customer did.
What went wrong?
Here’s the situation: A client came in with a 2015 Toyota Scion, but he put in his own used engine. While this is usually done by a professional, some car enthusiasts like to do it themselves for fun, to save money, or both.
The thing is, the engine would spin, but he couldn’t actually start the car, so he brought it in to the folks at Royalty Auto Service (@royaltyautoservice on TikTok).
Royalty Auto Service has gained a nearly 800,000-person-strong following due to their honest car advice, approachable explanations, fun storytelling abilities, and hot takes. They’ve previously gone viral for sharing their perspective on the best-used car to buy under $10,000, issuing a warning on engine sludge, and why you should think twice before buying car parts from Amazon.
In this viral video with more than half a million views, mechanic Sherwood went through a series of tests to figure out what was wrong. On one of the scans, he noticed that the vehicle’s pattern was a bit off.
“After doing a bunch of research,” he says, Sherwood figured out that the crank sensor was out of time with the cam sensor, so he knew the tone wheel was out of place.
For those who read that as gibberish, basically, two parts that really need to be in sync (lol, NSYNC) were out of sync. This led Sherwood to find that a toothed wheel was misaligned by what looked like just a few inches.
Even though it was only a bit off, the misalignment can throw off the engine’s timing, cause misfires, and prevent the car from starting.
“We’re dealing with a used engine, we might have to cross another bridge once we get this done. But we clearly know this was bad,” Sherwood says in the clip.
Did the solve work?
As you might have guessed, that simple fix got the engine revving again.
He pointed out that it would have been virtually impossible to find this small mistake without the diagnostic equipment mechanics have access to.
“It showed us the way,” Sherwood says.
“It was an easy mistake to make, I get it. It’s one of those things where that little tiny easy mistake? Wooooo, that can cost you some serious time,” he adds.
He says that if the customer hadn’t brought their car into their shop, the vehicle could have easily ended up scrapped.
@royaltyautoservice Mystery solved! #scion #engine #cartok #mechanic #automotive #mechaniclife #viral #fyp #foryou #toyota #technician #stitch ♬ Pop beat BGM / long version(1283324) – nightbird_bgm
Commenters react
“I’m a backyard mechanic. Just gotta say I really appreciate what you guys are putting out there!” a top comment read.
“Outstanding diagnosis. A simple but expensive mistake on the owner’s side,” a person said.
“Toyota tech here, I’ve done that,” another added.
The Daily Dot reached out to Sherwood for comment via email and Instagram direct message.
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