Column lock problem fixed?
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 25
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From: Pinson Alabama
Column lock problem fixed?
I recently became the owner of a black 04 convertible. Low mileage - 10,300 miles. I've been reading about the column lock problem with the C5s. How can I find out what if anything has been done to this car's column?
Thanks for any help.
Thanks for any help.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 11,405
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From: Whippany NJ
CI 6-7-8-9 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,305
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From: Red city in deep blue Oregon
St. Jude Donor '17
For the record, we just bought a low miles '04 Vert also. I was asking the same questions you are.
If you search my name you'll find my threads. Most likely you will find the answers you seek.
Good Luck! Summer's near, and I can't wait to drop the top!
You, too....I'm sure.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 13,421
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From: Lake Mary Florida
The serial number component is what they first thought, later during the recall it is effective for 97-00 automatics and 97-04 6 speeds, regardless.
Phase three of the recall removed and replaced the column plate which would also give a similar experience with the key off/removed. The steering wheel will not lock.
The only way to absolutely ascertain its' state is to access the installation instructions on ls1howto.com (lower right hand side of page) to obtain instruction to gain access and physically determine if the bypass module is present.
Phase three of the recall removed and replaced the column plate which would also give a similar experience with the key off/removed. The steering wheel will not lock.
The only way to absolutely ascertain its' state is to access the installation instructions on ls1howto.com (lower right hand side of page) to obtain instruction to gain access and physically determine if the bypass module is present.
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Pro
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 647
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From: Norwalk CT and Boynton Beach FL
Also if the VIN is higher than 45120862.
If so the recall does NOT apply to your car.
If the VIN is lower, get a copy of the GM Service history and look through the service that GM has done. It will reflect the recall as completed if it was done.
Last resort would be to call the GM 800 customer service with your VIN handy. They will tell you if there is any outstanding recall. Most likely the recall was performed. But if it hasn't DO NOT let a dealer touch it. They have to reflash the PCM (required by the GM recall) and that sets the fuel shutoff at 1.5MPH. That will come back to bite you in the A$$ sooner or later.
What BAMvette says below is certainly true if 1) a previous owner has installed a Column Lock Bypass (CLB) or 2) recall variation 04006C which calls for the removal of the lock ring has been done to the car....
If so the recall does NOT apply to your car.
If the VIN is lower, get a copy of the GM Service history and look through the service that GM has done. It will reflect the recall as completed if it was done.
Last resort would be to call the GM 800 customer service with your VIN handy. They will tell you if there is any outstanding recall. Most likely the recall was performed. But if it hasn't DO NOT let a dealer touch it. They have to reflash the PCM (required by the GM recall) and that sets the fuel shutoff at 1.5MPH. That will come back to bite you in the A$$ sooner or later.
What BAMvette says below is certainly true if 1) a previous owner has installed a Column Lock Bypass (CLB) or 2) recall variation 04006C which calls for the removal of the lock ring has been done to the car....
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 25
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From: Pinson Alabama
My VIN ends with 45126061.
So does this mean anything or not?
Also my steering wheel is locked when the key is not in the ignition.
My son tunes F-bodies and trucks using HP Tuner so I have access to that. BTW my son has a 2000 Trans AM 383 stroker, ATI supercharger with 680 HP. If GM is still doing the recall work for free it seems to me that I should have a dealer do all the recall stuff including removing the lock and then have my son reset the fuel shut off.
BAMvette - What color is your car, mine is black inside and out. It also has the Tiger Shark nose and hood. A doctor owned it before me and did a lot of things to it - 6 piston Baer calipers on front and 4 piston on rear, 18 inch chrome C6 wheels front and back (front required to clear the 6 piston calipers), unbelievable sway bars (the front is thicker than my wrist), aftermarket shifter I'm not sure which but has a very thick stick. He had an LS7 that he was going to put in it but lost interest. According to the salesman at the dealership where I bought it this doctor buys really expensive cars (Ferraris, etc), keeps them for a year or two then sells them and moves on to something else. I also have a black inside and out 97 Trans AM WS6 6 speed convertible. Winter doesn't keep my from putting the top down. I just turn the heater on. In the summer when it's too hot I run the A/C with the top down (for when I'm stopped at a red light).
8VETTE7 - It's a 6 speed. Can the BCM be programmed to not send a signal to the column lock (or CLB) or to disregard a response? You said that the recall does not apply to VINs like mine. Does this mean that my car doesn't have the problem or that it does but just isn't included in the recall and won't be fixed for free at a dealer?
Thanks to everyone for the responses!
So does this mean anything or not?
Also my steering wheel is locked when the key is not in the ignition.
My son tunes F-bodies and trucks using HP Tuner so I have access to that. BTW my son has a 2000 Trans AM 383 stroker, ATI supercharger with 680 HP. If GM is still doing the recall work for free it seems to me that I should have a dealer do all the recall stuff including removing the lock and then have my son reset the fuel shut off.
BAMvette - What color is your car, mine is black inside and out. It also has the Tiger Shark nose and hood. A doctor owned it before me and did a lot of things to it - 6 piston Baer calipers on front and 4 piston on rear, 18 inch chrome C6 wheels front and back (front required to clear the 6 piston calipers), unbelievable sway bars (the front is thicker than my wrist), aftermarket shifter I'm not sure which but has a very thick stick. He had an LS7 that he was going to put in it but lost interest. According to the salesman at the dealership where I bought it this doctor buys really expensive cars (Ferraris, etc), keeps them for a year or two then sells them and moves on to something else. I also have a black inside and out 97 Trans AM WS6 6 speed convertible. Winter doesn't keep my from putting the top down. I just turn the heater on. In the summer when it's too hot I run the A/C with the top down (for when I'm stopped at a red light).
8VETTE7 - It's a 6 speed. Can the BCM be programmed to not send a signal to the column lock (or CLB) or to disregard a response? You said that the recall does not apply to VINs like mine. Does this mean that my car doesn't have the problem or that it does but just isn't included in the recall and won't be fixed for free at a dealer?
Thanks to everyone for the responses!
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 13,421
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From: Lake Mary Florida
GM stopped doing the recall for free last year. They sent out notice at intervals leading up to the date. If you have GM work on this issue you will pay full price for labor and parts.
The jig is up on this for GM.
The jig is up on this for GM.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,305
Likes: 1
From: Red city in deep blue Oregon
St. Jude Donor '17
My VIN ends with 45126061.
So does this mean anything or not?
Also my steering wheel is locked when the key is not in the ignition.
My son tunes F-bodies and trucks using HP Tuner so I have access to that. BTW my son has a 2000 Trans AM 383 stroker, ATI supercharger with 680 HP. If GM is still doing the recall work for free it seems to me that I should have a dealer do all the recall stuff including removing the lock and then have my son reset the fuel shut off.
BAMvette - What color is your car, mine is black inside and out. It also has the Tiger Shark nose and hood. A doctor owned it before me and did a lot of things to it - 6 piston Baer calipers on front and 4 piston on rear, 18 inch chrome C6 wheels front and back (front required to clear the 6 piston calipers), unbelievable sway bars (the front is thicker than my wrist), aftermarket shifter I'm not sure which but has a very thick stick. He had an LS7 that he was going to put in it but lost interest. According to the salesman at the dealership where I bought it this doctor buys really expensive cars (Ferraris, etc), keeps them for a year or two then sells them and moves on to something else. I also have a black inside and out 97 Trans AM WS6 6 speed convertible. Winter doesn't keep my from putting the top down. I just turn the heater on. In the summer when it's too hot I run the A/C with the top down (for when I'm stopped at a red light).
8VETTE7 - It's a 6 speed. Can the BCM be programmed to not send a signal to the column lock (or CLB) or to disregard a response? You said that the recall does not apply to VINs like mine. Does this mean that my car doesn't have the problem or that it does but just isn't included in the recall and won't be fixed for free at a dealer?
Thanks to everyone for the responses!
So does this mean anything or not?
Also my steering wheel is locked when the key is not in the ignition.
My son tunes F-bodies and trucks using HP Tuner so I have access to that. BTW my son has a 2000 Trans AM 383 stroker, ATI supercharger with 680 HP. If GM is still doing the recall work for free it seems to me that I should have a dealer do all the recall stuff including removing the lock and then have my son reset the fuel shut off.
BAMvette - What color is your car, mine is black inside and out. It also has the Tiger Shark nose and hood. A doctor owned it before me and did a lot of things to it - 6 piston Baer calipers on front and 4 piston on rear, 18 inch chrome C6 wheels front and back (front required to clear the 6 piston calipers), unbelievable sway bars (the front is thicker than my wrist), aftermarket shifter I'm not sure which but has a very thick stick. He had an LS7 that he was going to put in it but lost interest. According to the salesman at the dealership where I bought it this doctor buys really expensive cars (Ferraris, etc), keeps them for a year or two then sells them and moves on to something else. I also have a black inside and out 97 Trans AM WS6 6 speed convertible. Winter doesn't keep my from putting the top down. I just turn the heater on. In the summer when it's too hot I run the A/C with the top down (for when I'm stopped at a red light).
8VETTE7 - It's a 6 speed. Can the BCM be programmed to not send a signal to the column lock (or CLB) or to disregard a response? You said that the recall does not apply to VINs like mine. Does this mean that my car doesn't have the problem or that it does but just isn't included in the recall and won't be fixed for free at a dealer?
Thanks to everyone for the responses!
Our '04 is a Commemorative Edition convertible. It's LeMans Blue with the Shale top and interior. 6 Speed.....Borla quad exhaust. EVERY time it fires up my heart skips a beat!
Here she is....after the trip home from the dealer in da rain....
Sounds like you've got a car with a LOT of SWEET mods!
Our car is ABOVE the VIN cutoff number......and the recalls "don't apply" to us. I did the CLB anyway. Peace of mind for when we're on the road.
Best of luck to ya!
Last edited by BAMvette; Mar 20, 2009 at 10:12 PM.
Pro
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 647
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From: Norwalk CT and Boynton Beach FL
I'm assuming your car is a manual (can't remember). If you do not have a CLB installed I suggest that you install one first. That is because with only the GM recall in place the column lock system is left in tact. Ie column unlocks when you insert the key and locks when you remove the key. (Exception to that is if the 04006C variation of the recall was done to the car. If it was then the lock ring should have been removed. Even with no lock ring the electronics still go through the cycle of attempting to unlock the column when the key is inserted and locking the column when the key is removed. Just don't have the ring in place that accepts the lock pin) With the working system it is theoretically possible for the column to lock and you attempt to drive the car. NOT GOOD. ( That's why GM reflashed the PCM for the shutoff speed. If the BCM thinks the column is locked, it signals the PCM to enable the fuel shutoff so that you cannot drive the car)
With a CLB installed the column gets unlocked and then the actuator gets disconnected and the CLB installed in its place. BCM now sends it signals to the CLB which responds as though it were the actuator. With the actuator disconnected the column will never again be locked. At that point it is safe to set the fuel shutoff speed to a high number. This can only be done by either the HP Tuners tuning software or the EFI Live tuning software. The fuel shutoff speed gets set to a high number like 255mph. You need to find a tuner that has either of these softwares and have them reset the speed. Cost is usuall less than $50
With a CLB installed the column gets unlocked and then the actuator gets disconnected and the CLB installed in its place. BCM now sends it signals to the CLB which responds as though it were the actuator. With the actuator disconnected the column will never again be locked. At that point it is safe to set the fuel shutoff speed to a high number. This can only be done by either the HP Tuners tuning software or the EFI Live tuning software. The fuel shutoff speed gets set to a high number like 255mph. You need to find a tuner that has either of these softwares and have them reset the speed. Cost is usuall less than $50
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,727
Likes: 19
From: Carson City, NV
If you're not the original owner, it's impossible to know exactly what mods your used C5 now has. Yes you can check with the dealer and search your VIN, but that means nothing now. The previous owner(s) could have installed a CLB, removed the lock plate himself, reprogrammed the PCM....any number of changes. I tried to start a thread to offer suggestions to you new owners on how to determine what you've purchased. Hope you find this helpful.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...icky-this.html
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...icky-this.html
Last edited by Cscokd; Mar 21, 2009 at 12:57 AM.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 25
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From: Pinson Alabama
BAMvette - I bet it sucked having to drive your car home in the rain the first day you had it. I bought mine the last Saturday in February. This was about 50 miles from my house. Didn't have another driver with me so I left my 99 Camaro at the dealer. Sunday morning when I got ready to go get the Camaro there was 4 to 6 inches of snow. I couldn't believe it. I ended up having to drive my newly acquired Corvette through all the slush and crud to go get my Camaro.
I like that blue color on your car. I have C5 wheels on my Camaro that look like the ones on your car. It took me a while to get used to the C6 wheels on my car but I like them now. I like this car more every time I drive it.
8VETTE7 - Thanks for all the helpful info!
Cscokd - Thanks for your writeup on how to determine what's been done to the column lock!
Thanks to everybody for all the responses.
I think I'm going to like being a member of Corvette forum.
I like that blue color on your car. I have C5 wheels on my Camaro that look like the ones on your car. It took me a while to get used to the C6 wheels on my car but I like them now. I like this car more every time I drive it.
8VETTE7 - Thanks for all the helpful info!
Cscokd - Thanks for your writeup on how to determine what's been done to the column lock!
Thanks to everybody for all the responses.
I think I'm going to like being a member of Corvette forum.
