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Comments
One other thing that has come to mind. I have recently changed keys, So the current key I am using is not the key I did the 10 minute relearn after I did the bypass with the resistor method, could this be the issue?
thankyou once again.
I have replaced my fuel filter and had the fuel injectors cleaned out so now time will tell.
One more question,
today when i started the car i noticed when the lights on the dash light up the security light lights up with all the other ones. Does this mean anything? When the car was not starting the light never flashed on since the bypass.
thanks,
this has been very helpful I hope to be rid of this terrible inconvenience
According to your owner's manual, when you first turn the key on, you get a "bulb check" for a couple of seconds to insure that all your bulbs are working. This happens whether or not you have done the bypass, and is normal.
I suspect there is a faulty ground splice pack that is affecting the Body Control Module. Try measuring the voltage between the battery negative terminal and the wire that goes to pin A10 of connector C3 of the Body Control Module. If there is voltage at that point, there is a problem... it should read very near zero volts.
Check for corrosion on the pins of the three connectors that go to the Body Control Module. Make certain that all the connectors of the BCM are seated properly and locked in place by the tabs. If you did the modification at the BCM, there is always the possibility that you did not get the center connector properly seated, and this would account for the door locks going wild, since their controls are on the same connector as the SECURITY wiring.
Good Luck.
Dick B
Only you can decide whether it is worthwhile to have the car fixed. If the body is in good shape with no visible rust, good tires, and good compression and smooth running (when it runs), and you have upscale accessories, then it is probably worth replacing whatever "smoked" in your steering column. Oh, and by the way, you normally sit behind the steering wheel. I'm assuming you meant that smoke came from the steering column, in front of the steering wheel.
Dick
Is the security light still on? Solid or blinking?
Do you have Fuel Pressure to your injectors?
Does the engine ever fire, or does the starter motor just spin the engine, with no "kicks"?
Dick B
This year alone I have spent more than $4000.00 on my car. Complete nightmare. Everything that goes on this car is always big!! Two days ago I tried to use my wiper fluid and nothing. Took it to a mechanic and was advised that they couldn't run a wire to another switch. The lever arm has to be replaced!! Cost of part $230.00 ---Labour 3hrs (cost $300). Another $500.00!!!! I give up!!
Key = $121.00
Program the key = $48.00
Oh, and by the way, you can run a wire from your wiper fluid pump to another switch. But due to federal regulations, DEALERS MAY NOT MODIFY THE WIRING HARNESS OF A VEHICLE.
Your solution is to get a service manual, find the wire you need to splice into under the dash, and do your own re-wiring. Assuming you have a Grand Am, here are links to the Wiper/Washer Wiring Diagrams for a 2002 GrandAm...
Grand Am Wiper-Washer-Diagram1
Grand Am Wiper-Washer-Diagram2
The wiring for the Washer Fluid Pump is at the left side of Diagram #1
I hope this helps. Good luck.
R.B.
1. go to Bergerweb.net and perform one of the modifications listed on the menu there, or....
2. Take Advanced Auto to court. Any repair facility known as "Advanced Auto" ought to know that if the security light is on solid, and the car starts, you cannot disconnect the battery. This is such a common problem that they should not have had any problems, but apparently they weren't smart enough to know that if the "security" light is on solid, disconnecting the battery will cause a "no-start" condition, and the only way to get it started again is to either perform the resistor bypass, reconnect the yellow wire and do the relearn procedure, or replace the Passlock Module and do the relearn procedure.
Advanced Auto obviously knew that the car started OK when they drove it into their garage to do your complete tune-up. If it did not start after doing the tune-up, then obviously they did something to it that caused it not to start, and it is their responsibility to fix what they messed up. Take them to small claims court. At the very least, you should get back the money you paid them for the work they did not perform correctly. Here are your arguments.
1. I drove the car to Advanced Auto to have it tuned up.
2. They drove it into their shop to do the repairs. It was still running at that time.
3. After they finished their tune-up, it did not run.
4. Therefore, their tune-up caused it to quit running.
Dick B.
I also have a 2001 Grand Am, and I work on mine like crazy. I had the exact same problem. Come to find out, it was the passlock system. It's an easy fix, no ripping the dash out, not going under the steering wheel. and no taking the radio out, or getting a new ignition. Go to this sight, and try the one under the glove compartment. I didn't use a solder gun with my fix, just good ol wrapping it tight, and electrical tape. Works find, no lights on dash. Good luck... http://www.bergerweb.net/grandamsecurityfix.htm
Dick B
Tony
Tony
Usually, if you can start it with a shot of carb cleaner in the throttle body, it would be in the electrical part of the fuel injection system. You say it has pressure at the fuel rail. How much? enough? Faulty passlock usually allows it to start, then die quickly.
Tony
My 2004 Grand Am failed to start so I followed the 10 minute re-learn.
It then started but the security light stayed lit. It has been this way for
several months (starting fine with security light on). I performed the soldering
version of bergerweb.net today hoping to make the security light go off.
I attempted the 10 minute re-learn procedure twice. I attempted the 30
minute re-learn procedure but the car started so I aborted the attempt.
The car still starts fine but the security light remains lit. I didn't find anything
that matches my exact scenario. Any ideas? Thanks a lot.
Do the following.
1. Make certain that you did the bypass procedure correctly. If you did, then you should have connected a resistor of 1500 ohms to 3300 ohms between circuit #1835 (black wire) and circuit #1836 (yellow wire).
2. Remove the kick panel from beneath the dash on the passenger side. It is held in place by two fasteners, one just below and to the left of the left corner of the glove box, and the other, a plastic push-fastener near the right upper corner of the panel. Once this panel is removed you will have access to the Body Control Module. Disconnect the center connector from the BCM, and measure the resistance between pins A6 and B6 of the wiring harness connector. The resistance should be approximately the same as the resistor you connected into the circuit. If it is not, there are three possible problems.
A: you connected the resistor to the wrong ends of the wires or the wrong wires.
B. There is a broken wire in your wiring harness. (the ohmmeter reads an open circuit)
C. There is a short in your wiring. (the ohmmeter reads near zero ohms.)
Below are wiring diagrams of the BCM and a diagram of connector C2 of the BCM. Right click on the pictures to get an enlarged view.
Passlock wiring diagram
Connector C2 wiring diagarm
Several things can happen when attempting to perform this modification.
* one end of the resistor gets connected to the wrong black wire.
* the resistor gets connected to the wrong ends of the black and yellow wires. It must be connected in such a way as to be connected to the BCM, not the ignition switch.
* The chosen resistor is the wrong size. I always use a 2200 ohm resistor, whose color code is three red bands. Those without much electronic experience often use a 2.2 ohm resistor. (color code- red, red, black)
* when doing the modification at the BCM, the technician reads the pins of the connector from the wrong end, causing them to choose pins B7 and A7 instead of A6 and B6.
Good luck with your troubleshooting.
Dick B
Also, you stated that you did the solder method mod. There are two methods on my website that use the solder method. Which of the two? the one for the Pontiac (at the BCM) or the one for the Alero (through the radio cavity)?
Dick B
school so I will pursue this over Spring Break.
Tom
1. Fouled plugs. Replace your spark plugs.
2. Clogged fuel filter. Replace your fuel filter
3. Incorrect timing. Make sure your timing chain has not broken
4. Low fuel pressure.
5. Low compression. (usually caused by not changing oil regularly)
Dick B.
i did extensive research into it and found out that the problem is not even fuel related , it has to do with water temp , the radiator reserve has a temp sensor in the bottom of it that is a safety feature that will shut off the fuel flow to the motor when it gets hot and will not let it start , we replaced it and unhook the battery for 10 min and had to spray starter fluid into it 1 more time and now it starts every time , so if you can spary starter fluid into it and it starts you need to replace the reserve tank its about $40-$45 and only need a 10 mm socket to remove 1 screw and a pair of pliers to remove the lines....lol i hope this helps you and keeps you from going through all the same crap i did , cya later
www.bergerweb.net/PasslockFix.
To read the value of a resistor, hold it so you can read the bands from left to right. The first band is the one nearest to one end of the resistor.
The first band is the first number.
The second band is the second number
the third band is the number of zeros to add.
The color codes are as follows:
Black = 0
Brown = 1
Red = 2
Orange = 3
Yellow = 4
Green = 5
Blue = 6
Violet = 7
Grey = 8
White = 9
So on a 2200 ohm resistor, the bands will be red - red - red
On a 3000 ohm resistor, the bands will be orange - black - red.
A common mistake is to use a 2.2 ohm resistor (red - red- black) instead of a 2.2 K ohm.
Finally, If your security light is on solid, it's an indication that the BCM has detected a problem in the Passlock module while the car was running normally. If you have done the bypass correctly, you should be able to perform one of the reset procedures and get the "SECURITY" light to go out. It's not likely that your BCM is defective, but this problem does sound like the Passlock system is preventing the fuel pump from running.
The fact that you cannot get the starter motor to run without jumping it is another problem, unrelated to the Passlock. This could be caused by the ignition switch (not the ignition cylinder), or by bad wiring to the starter solenoid. According to the service manual, The Passlock II system does not prevent the starter motor from running.
A link to the GM Security Passlock Fix can be found at the top of each page of this thread.
The fact that it won't keep running for more than 2 seconds after squirting starter fluid seems to indicate that there is something wrong with the fuel supply... either fuel pump or fuel filter. I would certainly replace the fuel filter as a first step, before replacing fuel pump or BCM.
I'm baffled as to why the Security light is on solid and won't reset. Have you tried the 30 minute reset method?
Dick B
CIRCUIT DESCRIPTION
When you turn ON the ignition switch, the Powertrain Control Module enables the fuel pump relay which powers the fuel pump ON. The fuel pump remains ON as long as the engine is cranking or running and the Powertrain Control Module receives ignition reference pulses. If there are no ignition reference pulses, the control module shuts the fuel pump OFF within 2 seconds after the ignition was switched to the ON position or if the engine stops.
Does that reference to 2 seconds sound familiar?
Here is the starter schematic:
Looking at the wiring to the starter motor, you could have a problem in one of four places:
- 1. Ignition switch Batt 1 fuse.
- 2. Ignition switch, or the connector to it.
- 3. Gearshift Park/Neutral switch (or clutch pedal switch if stick shift)
- 4. Starter solenoid (Not making contact between motor and battery when engaged.
I think I would check the fuse first. Second, jumper between the small wire and the large wire on the solenoid to see if that will make starter motor run. If it does, then the problem is the P/N switch, ignition switch, or wiring.About the "Security" light...
Have you pulled the middle connector off of the BCM and read the resistance between pins A6 and B6 of the connector? Should read 2.2Kohm
Also, there seems to be some validity to the information in Post #1104. There is wiring that goes from the Coolant reservoir to the Body Control Module. It could be that the BCM checks that signal, and then as a safety precaution, sends a signal to the PCM telling it to shut off fuel when there is no coolant.
Good luck, and don't forget to let us know how you made out.
Dick B.
Chris
I don't know where the park/neutral switch is located, so I did not test. Just want to verify. The car should still crank even if the passlock system is in "security" mode.
You are right, the car should crank. I think the Park/Neutral switch is located on the transmission. Here is the service manual page concerning removal and replacement of it, but before going that far, I would try wiggling the gearshift lever around and see if you can find a position where the starter operates. The PNP switch could just be loose, or mis-adjusted.
Here is the manual page.
Park-Neutral Switch Service
I just now noticed something in Post #1103 that I had overlooked before.
The security light is on solid and will not go out after the 10 min wait period with the key in the acc position.
The Passlock reset must be done with the ignition in the ON position. Here is the exact quote from the owner's manual:
"After attempting to start the engine, if the SECURITY light flashes or stays on, wait ten minutes with the key in ON until the light goes off. Then turn the ignition to OFF before attempting to start the engine again."
Is that what you did?
Dick B.
It Rained really bad here the other night and my windows wont roll up all the way it got very wet in my car and the water got into my door and made me TRUNK pop open then thats when the next day i saw that my car wouldnt start because of my security light?
ANY IDEAS? i founf your posts very helpfull
There are two things that trigger the blinking security light about 99% of the time:
- The Passlock module malfunctions due to wear or dirtiness.
- The 3 wire connector on the passlock module becomes intermittent.
On rare occasions, such as when one has a leaky windshield seal, water somehow gets into the Body Control Module or the connectors to it, but In all these 1100 posts, I don't think anyone has found this to be the case, and nobody has yet reported a bad BCM or PCM, which are the only other modules involved with the Passlock system.Overall, with the exception of the poor connector on the Passlock Module in the ignition cylinder, this is a pretty bullet-proof system. That's why the simple solution of bypassing the Passlock module works in so many cases.
The usual cause of loss of power when trying to crank is a bad or corroded connection at the battery, such that when the starter tries to kick in, the 80 or so amps drawn causes the poor connection to burn away. Usually, removing the terminals from the battery, cleaning them thoroughly with fine sandpaper, then with alcohol (both the battery terminals, and the contact points of the cables) and then reconnecting them works.
Less often, similar problems occur when some of the contact points in the ignition switch get burned, especially after many weeks of hard starting, where the ignition switch is turned off and on many times in the process of trying to start the vehicle.
At any rate, you will need a shop manual to troubleshoot this kind of problem.
Dick B
My mom has a Pontiac Grand Am SE '99 and we had the same problem with the car acting "dead" but it's actually the cables that are the problem. They are corroded and need to be cleaned, this can be done with baking soda and water, I believe:)
When it happened to us, it was dark outside. Gotta love flashlights! Haha
I mean, it PHYSICALLY would not move past the OFF position. The chimes rang signaling the key was inside, but it just would not budge. I was devastated because I don't need this kind of problem. I'm a college kid, all I ask is for the tools I need to make it through life. Nothing fancy </3
Well, no Security light was on at the time. My dad took me to school and kept the car to work on it.
Well, he took out the dash and replaced the ignition cylinder/switch. Not sure what he took out exactly but I imagine just the piece that you stick your key into (I was at school worrying about all the other things in my life). That afternoon he calls me to go get the car.
I now have two keys (one for the doors and one to turn the car on).
It is very odd! The car turns on! everything works fine! It runs! but the SECURITY light is on! It is beyond me how this is happening.
I don't want this little light to be an impending sign of doom. But my dad turned off and turned on the car multiple times, and Since then, i have sucessfully driven my car around multiple times.
It would be nice to know what had initially happend, but at this point I am more concerned with making sure I don't get stuck out in the world ever again. I've read about CUTTING the YELLOW wire behind the Radio dash and just totally disabling the stupid system. It will caure the light to remain on forever, but the impression i get is that it will make sure my car keeps turning ON!
I'm down with that.
Help me beautiful people of the world! I'm just a poor kid that doesn't need to deal with this right now. I want to dump money into a car when I've bought it new and am able to afford car payments with a new job after graduating college, not right now!. Right now, I just want to get from point A to point B successfully for a few years.
I temporarily feared that maybe something having to do with the Radio Install is the cause of all this from the beginning, but at this point (with the work my dad did) i just need to make sure the car keeps turning on and running.
It looks like you have a problem with your Body Control Module, which contains control circuitry for all of the items you are having problems with. You will find the three wiring diagrams for the Body control Module at the following links:
BCM Schematic 1
BCM Schematic 2
BCM Schematic 3
This should be all you need to troubleshoot all of your problems. The first thing I would do is remove all the connectors from the BCM, Clean them with alcohol, and then re-connect them. If that doesn't help, you probably need a new BCM. The BCM is located behind a kick panel right below your glove box.
Read the previous posts in this thread that tell you about resetting the "SECURITY" light. The procedure is also in your owner's manual. Basically, just follow the instructions. If your father installed a new Lock Cylinder, you will have to go through the reset procedure described in the service manual. Several of the posts in this thread contain links to instruction pages in the service manual. If you don't have a service manual, you can get online access to one through AllDataDIY.com. It's $27.00, and it's the complete service manual for your vehicle.... much cheaper than buying the printed version from GM ($150.00)