Help! Steering Column Lock - Again!!
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 207
Likes: 54
From: Trail BC
Help! Steering Column Lock - Again!!
Hi All, I have a 2000 Convertible that never had a steering column lock problem in 14 years. Last year I took it to a dealership for service and the new service writer said there was a recall for the steering column lock. They ordered parts and did the recall. A couple of weeks later, I got the steering column lock come up and had to have the car taken on a flat deck for $400 tow bill. The dealership said the recall parts were faulty and replaced them. It happened again and once again was towed but to a different, closer (my regular) dealership. They worked on it for a few weeks and had the GM engineer come in three times to fix it. I drove the car, put it away for winter and drove it a bit this summer as I bought a new C7. The car has not been driven as regularly due to the new car, but when I went to drive it yesterday....guess what...service steering column lock error came up on the DIC. Anyone have any ideas or should I just take it back to the dealership / GM engineer - Again!! Thanks!
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 207
Likes: 54
From: Trail BC
You are living proof that GM has NEVER EVER had a permanent fix for the C5 Column Lock FUBAR.
Is your car a manual trans or automatic?? Does the column physically lock when you get the symptoms/messages??
The cause of your symptoms is most likely a weak or bad battery or loose or corroded battery cables including at the starter.
While the car will start with a low battery the electronics in the car WILL fail if the voltage measured at the battery with the neg battery disconnected is 12.5 volts or less. Thecolumn lock electronics is especially sensitive to this voltage but other electronics will fail also.
There is only one permanent solution. It's called the LMC5. Google Compliance Parts and read about the product then order it and install it. Cost is about $40 plus shipping. GM will not install it for you so you either install it yourself or find someone that will install it. Install is simple. Info on the Compliance Web Site on how to install it......
Until you get and install the LMC5 you can try having the battery load tested and fully charged and see if the symptoms go away. In some cases they will and others they will not.
Is your car a manual trans or automatic?? Does the column physically lock when you get the symptoms/messages??
The cause of your symptoms is most likely a weak or bad battery or loose or corroded battery cables including at the starter.
While the car will start with a low battery the electronics in the car WILL fail if the voltage measured at the battery with the neg battery disconnected is 12.5 volts or less. Thecolumn lock electronics is especially sensitive to this voltage but other electronics will fail also.
There is only one permanent solution. It's called the LMC5. Google Compliance Parts and read about the product then order it and install it. Cost is about $40 plus shipping. GM will not install it for you so you either install it yourself or find someone that will install it. Install is simple. Info on the Compliance Web Site on how to install it......
Until you get and install the LMC5 you can try having the battery load tested and fully charged and see if the symptoms go away. In some cases they will and others they will not.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 207
Likes: 54
From: Trail BC
Since your car is an automatic they installed a GM K Harness between the lock motor and the connection back to the BCM as a part of the recall. The logic in the BCM blindly goes through the motions of "locking" and "unlocking" the column even though it cannot physically lock. Most likely the low battery caused the K Harness to fry and it looks like this inside the plastic housing:
That is preventing the BCM from getting back the "completed" signal to its lock or unlock commands and the BCM therefore raises the error messages.
Because the car is an automatic you could just drive the car and the only down side is the annoying messages displayed in the DIC. ie your car should not have the 2mph fuel shutoff set.
The nice part of the LMC5 is that it abandons all the factory and dealer recall mods made to the system since it connects directly to the BCM.
As far as the need for the brown wire mod, it may or may not be needed. Save the install instructions so that if you begin seeing the "Pull key..." message after the LMC5 install you can do the brown wire mod and stop that message from appearing.
Personally I would NOT let the dealer touch the car. Good chance they will tell you the lock motor has failed and want more than $500 to replace it. That part is NOT covered free as part of the Column Lock recall service. You DO NOT need a lock motor with an LMC5. When it is installed the power to the lock motor is disconnected as part of the install. The LMC5 is simply a device that responds reliably to the BCM lock/unlock messages to make it think the column lock system is working normally when in fact it is fully disconnected.
Post back if you have further questions.
That is preventing the BCM from getting back the "completed" signal to its lock or unlock commands and the BCM therefore raises the error messages.
Because the car is an automatic you could just drive the car and the only down side is the annoying messages displayed in the DIC. ie your car should not have the 2mph fuel shutoff set.
The nice part of the LMC5 is that it abandons all the factory and dealer recall mods made to the system since it connects directly to the BCM.
As far as the need for the brown wire mod, it may or may not be needed. Save the install instructions so that if you begin seeing the "Pull key..." message after the LMC5 install you can do the brown wire mod and stop that message from appearing.
Personally I would NOT let the dealer touch the car. Good chance they will tell you the lock motor has failed and want more than $500 to replace it. That part is NOT covered free as part of the Column Lock recall service. You DO NOT need a lock motor with an LMC5. When it is installed the power to the lock motor is disconnected as part of the install. The LMC5 is simply a device that responds reliably to the BCM lock/unlock messages to make it think the column lock system is working normally when in fact it is fully disconnected.
Post back if you have further questions.
If I simply install the LMC-5, should fix it? I do get the 2 MPH fuel shutoff but do not actually get a steering column lock. I'm thinking maybe back to the low battery? Module in any event should fix?
Last edited by Tweedy; Aug 15, 2015 at 12:18 AM. Reason: additional question
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 6,835
Likes: 302
From: Columbia SC
I consider the LMC5 to be the best Column Lock problem permanent fix out there. It also does not require you to “undo” any previous CL attempts to resolve this issue. Their eBay ads have a good video that shows the install at the BCM. It does not cover everything in the written instructions. So, read the instructions and also here is some extra info. In some cases, the BCM timing is off just enough to cause some issues. They make several versions and they can swap out/provide one of these if you have any issues. Their customer support is as good as it gets.
Not uncommon for people to "put the column in a pre-lock condition" and not know it and then start with the install. In other words, they started with the column lock “energized’ even if it was not actually locked yet. If not actually locked yet, it will be as soon as you turn the steering wheel after the LMC5 install. It will then remain in the locked condition until you cause the motor to unlock. It will then remain in the unlocked condition since the motor is then unpowered with the circuits disconnected.
Here is one way to prevent that if your column locks and unlocks normally:
If the CL is functioning normally you don't not need the Unlocker, merely turn the ignition ON, pull fuse #23 in the I/P fuse box, turn ignition OFF, turn the steering wheel (left and right) and verify it is unlocked. Next, disconnect the negative battery terminal, re-insert fuse #23 and continue with the install.
Also the 1999 and later C5's have a column lock relay that can be unplugged or else it will be powered and could fail and drain the battery. The LMC5 written guidance provides this info. This relay is above the BCM.
They also have a great install video in their eBay ads you need to watch.
Compliance Parts website: http://complianceparts.com/index.html
Mr. Sam
Not uncommon for people to "put the column in a pre-lock condition" and not know it and then start with the install. In other words, they started with the column lock “energized’ even if it was not actually locked yet. If not actually locked yet, it will be as soon as you turn the steering wheel after the LMC5 install. It will then remain in the locked condition until you cause the motor to unlock. It will then remain in the unlocked condition since the motor is then unpowered with the circuits disconnected.
Here is one way to prevent that if your column locks and unlocks normally:
If the CL is functioning normally you don't not need the Unlocker, merely turn the ignition ON, pull fuse #23 in the I/P fuse box, turn ignition OFF, turn the steering wheel (left and right) and verify it is unlocked. Next, disconnect the negative battery terminal, re-insert fuse #23 and continue with the install.
Also the 1999 and later C5's have a column lock relay that can be unplugged or else it will be powered and could fail and drain the battery. The LMC5 written guidance provides this info. This relay is above the BCM.
They also have a great install video in their eBay ads you need to watch.
Compliance Parts website: http://complianceparts.com/index.html
Mr. Sam
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 207
Likes: 54
From: Trail BC
One More Question
You DO NOT have to worry about ANY of the wiring related to the column lock system. Neither factory original nor recall installed. It is disconnected and abandoned in place when the LMC5 is installed.
If you are experiencing the 2mph fuel shutoff then either the dealership or the "GM Engineer" screwed up on the recall service. The 2mph fuel shutoff was ONLY supposed to be done on the manual trans cars. That is because the lock pin on the standard trans cars could NOT legally be defeated until after the variation 04006C recall service came out in Feb 2006. There has been a federal requirement for a column locking mechanism on manual trans cars as "an additional anti-theft" feature since the 1960's and continues to today.. It took GM until late 2005 to get an exception for the manual trans C5 from the federal powers that be. Variation 04006C for manual trans cars installed the same small diameter lock ring that is on your automatic that prevents the column from physically locking. ie there is no detent for the lock pin to intercept so the column cannot lock. The fuel shutoff purpose on the manual trans car was to prevent a "dumb driver" from attempting to drive a car with a locked column. If the BCM "thought" the column was locked when it should be unlocked it sends a command to the PCM to enable fuel shutoff. The PCM has a value stored (2mph from the recall service) at which the PCM will shutoff the fuel. The 2mph fuel shutoff CAN be reset to a high number by either EFI Live or HP Tuners tuning software. Setting it to 200 MPH or 255 MPH effectively defeats the fuel shutoff because the PCM shuts off fuel at the set value it has stored (if you can get your C5 to that set speed).
The LMC5 and if needed the brown wire mod will solve your symptoms even if the battery goes low again. The LMC5 requires significantly less voltage to function to the point that the car will no longer start before the column lock system fails to function.
If you are experiencing the 2mph fuel shutoff then either the dealership or the "GM Engineer" screwed up on the recall service. The 2mph fuel shutoff was ONLY supposed to be done on the manual trans cars. That is because the lock pin on the standard trans cars could NOT legally be defeated until after the variation 04006C recall service came out in Feb 2006. There has been a federal requirement for a column locking mechanism on manual trans cars as "an additional anti-theft" feature since the 1960's and continues to today.. It took GM until late 2005 to get an exception for the manual trans C5 from the federal powers that be. Variation 04006C for manual trans cars installed the same small diameter lock ring that is on your automatic that prevents the column from physically locking. ie there is no detent for the lock pin to intercept so the column cannot lock. The fuel shutoff purpose on the manual trans car was to prevent a "dumb driver" from attempting to drive a car with a locked column. If the BCM "thought" the column was locked when it should be unlocked it sends a command to the PCM to enable fuel shutoff. The PCM has a value stored (2mph from the recall service) at which the PCM will shutoff the fuel. The 2mph fuel shutoff CAN be reset to a high number by either EFI Live or HP Tuners tuning software. Setting it to 200 MPH or 255 MPH effectively defeats the fuel shutoff because the PCM shuts off fuel at the set value it has stored (if you can get your C5 to that set speed).
The LMC5 and if needed the brown wire mod will solve your symptoms even if the battery goes low again. The LMC5 requires significantly less voltage to function to the point that the car will no longer start before the column lock system fails to function.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 207
Likes: 54
From: Trail BC
Some of us old bridge engineers wear both a belt and suspenders...........
When you install the LMC5 it is simply a more reliable way to respond back to the BCM when that device sends its lock and unlock commands. If the car has the PCM programmed to set the 2mph fuel shutoff then that will NOT occur with an LMC5 unless something happens to the LMC5 and it does NOT respond correctly. While the LMC5 is a very reliable device, nothing is perfect forever. Hence I have both a belt and suspenders if you get my drift..... Most, however, simply have the LMC5 and bank on it performing correctly.
When you install the LMC5 it is simply a more reliable way to respond back to the BCM when that device sends its lock and unlock commands. If the car has the PCM programmed to set the 2mph fuel shutoff then that will NOT occur with an LMC5 unless something happens to the LMC5 and it does NOT respond correctly. While the LMC5 is a very reliable device, nothing is perfect forever. Hence I have both a belt and suspenders if you get my drift..... Most, however, simply have the LMC5 and bank on it performing correctly.
