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Comments
i have tried both the reset and relearn procedures.
my problem isn't a blinking light. i've had a solid security light the entire time. it does not turn off. it never blinks, it never has. and the car won't start. it has thrown a code, but i haven't had a chance to pick up a scanner yet. but does that sound like a passlock problem or would the cell be the reason the car doesn't start?
i have replaced starter, battery, checked and cleaned the prongs for all fuses, looked throughout the car for any signs of damaged or corroded wires but no luck. the fuel pump turns on while the car is in the run position. i get fire when i use starting fluid, but it seems like the injectors are disabled. everything else in the car works (all electrical) it just refuses to start.
i was given the car in this condition and the only history i know is that it was running fine and then someone wanted to buy it and took it for a drive during a heavy downpour, and after they shut it down it hasn't started since.
ideas?
You need a service manual in order to figure out whether the resistor fix will work on your vehicle. But here is one thing you can check. Look at the side of your key. Is there a little "+" sign on the side of it, stamped in the metal just below the black handle? There probably is, since GM switched over to these security keys on most vehicles in 2004. If so, you cannot use the resistor mod.
If your key does have the "+" stamped on it, please post back here, with your year, make, model, auto/man trans, and engine size so that the rest of us will know.
One more thing. If you have an aftermarket remote start system installed, chances are you will not be able follow the directions on the website you mentioned. You will also need a shop manual to find out which pins of the BCM to use to bypass the security system. I know that they are not the same as the 2002 manual trans Grand Am SE, which was the vehicle I modded when I wrote up those instructions.
Good luck, and hope to hear back about your key.
Dick
Car ran great until I changed the starter with a new one,,,
I'm going to speculate on what your problem is. Your symptoms seem to indicate that there is a mismatch between the resistance in your remote start bypass, and the resistance in the original ignition switch passlock system. This may be caused by either the installers of the remote starter choosing the wrong resistance value for the bypass, or after they installed it, the resistance of the original passlock system changed, or it could be constantly changing, which would be what causes your system to intermittently malfunction.
If I were in your shoes, I would do the resistor mod on your vehicle, which would, in effect take care of both your problems, but... I would definitely install the resistor on the wires near the Body Control Module, as was described on my website. www.bergerweb.net Even so, you will have to get a service manual so that you can find out which two wires to use to solder in the resistor, as they may be on different pins on different model cars. The cheapest service manual is the online subscription service called
ALLDATADIY
where you can subscribe to online service manuals for each of your cars at only $27.00 per year. They give an example of what kind of information is available, and one of their examples is a Chevy Tahoe 1998 truck. Here is the schematic of the security system portion of that vehicle, and as you can see, everything about the passlock module of that vehicle is shown on one wiring diagram...
1998 Chevy Truck C Tahoe 2WD
Looking closely at the above diagram, you can see that on that vehicle, to do the resistor bypass, you would have to find the EVO/Passlock module, cut the yellow wire going into it, and solder a resistor between pin b5 and b7 of that module. Doing this would render the Security system inoperative, thereby getting rid of the no-start problem, which is in your case a good thing, since your security system is more of a problem than a desirable feature.
Good luck, and I hope you find the service manual to your liking. I subscribed to it for one year when I first had my Passlock Problem, and was very satisfied. While I had the subscription, I made paper copies of pages that I thought would be useful in the future.
Dick B
(2002 Grand Am) My light stays on too but not visible when covered with a piece of black electrical tape .: )
I had to put the key in and wait for 10 minutes before car would start. I tried using a new key that I had made several years ago. It solved the problem. I am so happy now. Four months and no problem. Cheap way to fix. Get a key cut to code or try spare key that has not been used alot.
I have a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am V6 4 door.
Over a year ago I was having passlock issues where I couldn't start the car at all.
I even installed the bypass switch for the passlock and that solved my passlock issue.
But this year I started having other issues, they were,
The gauges (cluster) wasn't turning on until a long time into starting the car.
windows wouldn't roll down
air wouldn't turn on.
I used just answers.com and asked a technition questions and he said try to replace the "Ignition Switch"
I bought an ignition switch from a local store for $99.00 and if that didn't work I was going to return it.
Once I replaced the ignition switch, I had to deactivate the bypass switch I put in a year ago. ( If you don't have a bypass switch, then your ok)
Next I had to reprogram the key by turning it to the on position (not starting the car) for 10 minutes
After 10 minutes I turned the car off for 5 seconds and repeated the step 2 more times. (On 10 Min off 5 sec, On 10 Min off 5sec)
Then I started the car still with the bypass switch disengaged.
And the car started great with no issues. The passlock security light went off and everything worked well and still does.
I hope this helps for everyone.
If you really have a passlock issue then this wont help, but I would give this a try first if you are handy with installing things.
Please can anyone give me some insight on what I need to do to fix this. She is not crazy about the fix with the light being on (but like I said isn't that already bypassed for the remote start?). Also my keys do not have a + symbol on them, does that mean I have Passlock 1 or 2.
Thanks
If, after removing the remote starter and putting the system back to the original wiring, you still have the passlock problem, I would suggest you do the resistor mod described on my website. For your truck, you will definitely need a shop manual, since my website does not describe where to place the resistor for your vehicle.
If you want to save money on repairs, you will need the shop manual anyway, and $27.00 is not that much to spend for a year's subscription to the online version of the manual.
twice in the past month, the car has died while on the highway. needless to say this has been extremely dangerous, losing power steering and all, two tows later, the car restarted hours later. i read in one of the many posts the security light should stay on if passlock fails while the car is running, but the car should not shut off.
is this a problem that could be caused by passlock? if not what?
You probably need to report this problem to a dealership and, if there is no satisfaction there for a reasonable price or for free as a recall, contact the NTSB. Losing all power while you're on an interstate definitely is a safety problem.
It happened about a month ago, I let it sit for 10 minutes with the key on and it started. I assume the BCM and transistor somehow got out of sync on the electrical pulse??? But since it started up after waiting, I didn't think too much into it, hoped it was just a fluke. Well it happened again today and now it will not reset. I left it for 10 minutes twice and the third time I let it sit for 15 minutes, and nothing. Do you think the transistor could have gone bad? I am thinking about changing it, but the car is in a hotel parking lot 40 miles from my house, so trying to figure out what to do. I would really like to bypass that passlock system altogether if possible but don't know how or if that is even an option with all the electronics. I appreciate any help you can provide.
One other slight detail is that there has always been some electrical 'gremlin' in my car (I bought it new in 03) and something I have been able to recreate is after I shut the car off and the fan speed is on high, I turn down the speed to 1 or off and all the dash lights will blink. I try to not touch the fan speed after shutting the car off, but both of these occurrences have been around a time where I accidentally changes the fan speed.
Thanks!
I assume you are referring to the RESISTOR mentioned there, rather than a transistor.
If you did the modification correctly, you would have bypassed the security system. If your Security light is on solid, then something is wrong with your modification... probably the resistor is not connected to one of the two wires, or to the wrong wire. It is also possible that your wiring is not exactly the same as that shown on the website. The only way to know for sure is to get a service manual and check to make sure you are connected to the correct wires. You can subscribe to an online service manual at:
ALLDATADIY
If you have trouble identifying the correct wires after you have your manual, post back again, or send me an E-mail at:
richard@bergerweb.net
It also sounds like "piling on." Richard's resistor bridge makes the light go out; cutting the wire and installing the toggle makes the light stay on solid. It sounds like you tried to install the wrong component and, in effect, cut the wire (no toggle). This is adding an issue.
If the starter does not even click, that sounds like perhaps a bad battery or corrosion at one of the battery posts, cutting off the juice. In this case, recall there is a reason for the toggle: When the battery goes bad or electricity is cut off, PassLock can rearm, which means you have to get the car started again before "recutting" the wire by turning off the toggle. Since you have to turn something on again before you can turn it off, that's why it's there! Otherwise, the wire would be cut with the car off and PassLock engaged, which prevents you from starting it at all.
Try this first: Take some steel wool plus pliers, screwdriver, wrench, whatever you need to pop the battery post, polish everything good and clean, and reassemble. If you still get no click from the starter, your battery (or the starter) may be dead. So, don't forget the jumper cables, and see if someone else can jump you. If PassLock has re-engaged, this won't work, but at least the engine should turn over. That tells you the problem is the battery, not the starter. Assuming that's true, get a good battery from Sears and install. Try the 10-minute fix to see if you can get the car to start. If it starts, drive it home and don't drive it again until you get the problem fixed, either with the cut-and-toggle or resistor bridge. :shades:
If it doesn't start, you may have to have the vehicle towed to a place which can fix it, and that will cost. But, before you put a lot of cash on the table, first make sure you did the ten-minute reset with the PassLock data wire connected. Because, like I said, if PassLock has rearmed and the wire is cut, there is no way to bypass it until the data wire is whole again. :lemon:
You are correct, it is the resistor that I installed. I was reading many posts and there seemed to be two methods, one using the resistor to bypass the passlock system, or to install the toggle switch, and I chose the resistor since it seemed to be the most non-visable method to fix this problem.
I did this about a year ago, and could have messed it up, but I did follow your instructions step by step, which are excellent by the way, and I have been problem free till about a month ago. I did have the one symptom of the security light on solid, and ran through your suggestions if that occurs, but couldn't get it to go away. I guess with that light staying, there must be something incorrect. Your pictures and my car's BCM wiring were identical by looking at them, no extra wires or differing colors.
To give a little more background, when this first occurred, I was driving down the highway and the car just died, sort of like running out of gas, but I had a full tank. I was not aware of any security issues at the time, had the car towed to a mechanic, and they replaced the fuel pump. Almost $600 later, the car was running and I thought all was well. Then about two weeks later the car wouldn't start, no turning over at all. I thought the battery was dead, tried jumping it and nothing, so purchased a new battery and must have accidentially left the car on for 10 minutes, resetting the security and didn't know it. Then this happened again a week or so later, so I called the dealership and read in the book, learning about the security issue. Then just got used to resetting it all the time, till I read the fixes and tried yours. I really don't know if I needed to change the fuel pump or not now after learning about these passlock issues. What is interesting is that my issues have always been the same, where I have full power (gages, windows, fan, lights, etc) and nothing happens when you turn the key to start position. I read many others where the engine will turn over but will not start since the passlock system doesn't let fuel to the injectors.
Sorry for the book
I think I'm going to re-run your proceedure with a new resistor, along with checking the service manual. Also going to try the 2nd key, sometimes one key would not have as many problems as the other. I will also check fuses, I was rushed this morning.
I saw another post after yours, but I really don't think it is a battery or starter issue, not 100% sure, but I have been dealing with this problem for two years, and it seems to be the same thing, especially since this occurred a month ago and sitting for 10 minutes fixed it then. Do you think an unexpected electrical signal could fry the resistor?
Please let me know if you have any other suggestions.
Thanks again. Eric
If you do happen to check for wiring differences using a manual, I hope you will copy the page in the manual with the wiring diagram and post it here to help those who have your model vehicle.
So, after it sat thru the weekend, mechanic couldn't get the car to fail to start for couple of days. finally one day it wouldn't start and he found there was no spark. he found out the ignition fuse under the hood was good but it wasn't getting any juice at the time, when before it had juice when the car started no problem. he thinks there must be a problem somewhere along the path so he jumped it with a temporary wire. he's got a wire going from the blower fuse to the ignition pack somewhere. he picked the blower since it's only got juice when the key is in the on position. he did that last thursday and since then the car has started on the 1st time everytime. ill start taking it on longer and longer trips until we're confident that solved the problem, then he'll make a nicer wire job and we'll just keep it that way. we're going to trade the car in towards something better in the next few months and the dealer can clean it up.
My mechanic also found some highlighted lines in the fuse panel map under the hood so looks like the car has had electrical work in the past. He has a theory that perhaps somewhere in the wiring or harness the ignition line is frayed or corroded and perhaps when the wire heats up it can't carry the juice necessary to keep ignition going. then the car stops, won't restart, until the wire cools down and can carry current again. just a theory.
if you like i can post a pic of the temporary wire he's got, not sure where he spliced into the ignition by the coilpacks. but ask your mechanic to check the ignition fuse juice both when the car starts and not.
hope this helps, much luck with your problem, hopefully this holds on our car.
At 36,000 miles my 2001 Olds Alero started having passlock starting problems. At first it was every other month and then after 2 years it happened with every other turn of the key. Since I am not the least bit mechanically inclined, I tried any and all procedures suggested on the internet except cutting wires, or installing a new switch. Eight months ago I decided to clean the grooves on my ignition key with a squirt of 3 in 1 oil. THE CAR STARTED RIGHT UP. I did it again for the next 3 days to gain little confidence in the procedure. THE ALERO CONTINUES TO START EVERY TIME
Now once a month I oil the key, push it in and out of the switch slowly a couple times. When starting the car, do not jam the key in quickly and turn. Take your time. It seems to be a very sensitive switch, and needs a little TLC to prevent dirt build up. Try it. A little 3 in 1 oil squirt might save you a $500 repair bill. I told my GM dealer mechanic about this solution. He said "Yeah, it might work"
UNQUOTE
If this procedure works for you, or any other Grand Am owner I would appreciate hearing your results-good or bad. Don't use any fancy ignition key lubrication from an auto parts store. Just a little dab of plain, old 3 in 1 oil ...........Ja
This doesn't sound like a passlock issue at all .
By the way, the dealer is not responsible for keeping your engine in top running shape, nor is the car company. You must maintain your own vehicle. If you don't (among other things) change the oil, keep coolant in the system, clean and replace air and fuel filters, maintain the electrical system, ....... your engine will quit running, and there is no way to predict when it will happen.
First of all I'd like to thank you for putting up such an informative website, http://www.bergerweb.net/grandamsecurityfix.htm.
About a week or so ago I noticed the security light come on the dashboard and stay on. I kept on driving the car as usual thinking nothing of it because it always started and would run fine.
Then a couple days ago I went out to start it and it died after a few seconds. I tried to start it again but it would just continually turn over and not fire.
I then realized that the security light was flashing instead of remaining in a solid on state.
This is when I found your posts, through google, and realized that I was having a passlock security issue.
I went back to my 2003 Grand Am and turned the key to the on position and then got out of the car and went inside. After about 15 to 20 minutes I went back outside and noticed the security light had gone off.
I then turned the key back to the off position then proceeded to turn the car to the crank position, it immediately started up fine and remained running correctly.
However, the security light was now on and would not go out.
I then drove the car to the electronics store to pickup a 2.2K Ohm resistor and some shrink tube.
I then followed the directions on: http://www.bergerweb.net/grandamsecurityfix.htm exactly as described.
I disconnected the negative terminal from the battery.
I cut the yellow wire A6 and soldered one end of the 2.2K ohm resistor to the end of the yellow wire that was coming from plastic connector piece. I then took the other end of yellow A6, was going back into the glove box somewhere, and taped it to itself with some black electrical tape.
I then removed a piece of insulation from the black wire B6, without cutting the copperwire, and soldered on the other end of the 2.2K Ohm resistor.
I then taped up the 2 connections and plugged it back into the middle slot on the BCM.
I reconnected the negative terminal to the battery.
I then put the key into the ignition and turned it to the on position, the security light was still solidly on. I then left the vehicle and came back after about 20 minutes and found that the security light was still on.
I decided to attempt to start the vehicle, it turned over and fired up very easily.
However, ever since then and even today the security light is still in a solid on state.
I tried disconnecting both leads and holding the positive lead to the negative lead for over a minute, to see if it would reset the BCM but it did not.
I am still driving around with the security light in a solid on state.
The car is working perfectly alright at the moment except the fact that the security light is still on even after the resistor bridge. I thought that after bypassing the passlock system the security light would turn off?
Like I mentioned above it is a 2003 grand am and not a 2002.
Your solution makes sense by installing a resistor after the hall effect switch but before the BCM it's just that I am unable to determine why the light is still on. I would like to have as problem free driving as possible and I'm not sure if I actually accomplished anything because the light is still on and the car works fine.
Any light you can shed on this subject would be greatly appreciated, in fact I would be willing to go out and purchase the service manual for my car from alldatadiy.com, as suggested in your article if you think it might help out.
Thank you thus far for the information you have provided on this often costly and bothersome issue that Grand Ams possess, that have nothing to do with the cars core function.