Even presuming it's as simple to create these as you say, if it's not going to be profitable, they aren't going to make them. Obviously if they don't exist, they have taken a look at the expected profitability and elected not to produce them.

 

Everyone needs to keep pushing!
I sold my C5 a couple months ago and picked up a Pontiac Solstice with an Air Bag light on. The day I bought it the car a recall was announced. The reason for the recall was the push by members of Solstice forum page. They offered a temporary repair until a full solution was available. Mine was repaired last week 12 year old car, no questions asked and fixed free!! Bottom line is keep pushing.
I also have a used EBCM for active handling option "V" code available. (with a cut harness) I purchased it for a back up knowing the problem. The buyer thought I was kidding when I offered to him. $1,000 PM if interested.

 

I did a little research and you are correct but I did find one tibet, as long as the car is under warranty, the dealership must provide the part, whether it be their part or aftermarket. So, if the 2004 C5 had a 5 year warranty, GM was required to keep (or have made somewhere) every part till 2009. Those with a 97-2000 have been out of luck since 2005??? Luckily, those with the 2001-2004 EBCM, they can be repaired for as little as $150 or you can buy a remanufactured one for about $600.

 

With a little looking around I got mine repaired for $50 and it cost me $7 to ship it. Fixed same day it was received and mailed back out.

James

 

I would think someone could reverse engineer the EBCM. We know what it does. It would be easy to measure the Input/output signals. Some of you EE's get on it!

 

I had a theory a month ago after watching the way the f45/f55 Real Time Dampening was programmed out. RTD could only be effectively removed by a combination of deleting the feature with tech ii and unplugging connections to the ESC module, and as soon as you replug those connections, RTD would show up again with all the RTD Dic codes.

Since it looks like Active Handling can be unselected or uninstalled with tech ii, my curiosity is this. What if you delete the Active Handling RPO JL4 and disconnect the appropriate electrical connectors leading into the ebcm and never plug those in ever again.

I'm just a bean counter with no experience in electronics so I could be completely talking nonsense but it may be worth a try. Maybe someone with access to tech ii and some spare time could try it out.

 

That's the problem...reverse engineering it is the majority of the cost of production. GM should do the right thing for owners, and provide the specifications to aftermarket companies so that they can produce it.

 

I don't understand why they won't. What possible benefit is it to GM to keep the schematics secret if they aren't going to do anything with them?

 

Do we know for sure that GM is keeping them secret? Many components are manufactured by partner companies. EBCMs are made in Mexico. I think if they could make money they would keep building the parts.

 

Good point. Our vendor supporters should chime in to see if they have (1) approached GM to release the info, 2) if not, why not, and 3) if yes what was GM response.

 

okay this got interesting I subscribed..

 

Good point. Our vendor supporters should chime in to see if they have (1) approached GM to release the info, 2) if not, why not, and 3) if yes what was GM response.

 

I am thinking some new parts, like sun visors are being made by the same company that supplied GM for the original production run. I seriously doubt that a company started from scratch to build them. Maybe it's just a matter of time before demand climbs to the point where it's profitable to start building EBCMs again. Or maybe that demand will never reach the point where they can make money.

 

Someone or some company has got to have the specs for these things, and since they are no longer being produced and sold, there is no benefit whatsoever to the company to sit on them...at the very least they could make them available to purchase for some aftermarket company that would like to produce and sell them...

 

Perhaps no aftermarket company wants to produce these products with such a limited market. It really is all about money.

 

I read a lot about the EBCM issue before purchasing my 2003.
I even called GM (not a dealer), told them I have a 2000 model that needs an ECBM and I cannot find one. After being on hold for 15 minutes, they told me that that is correct, there are no EBCMs available and no information on any to be produced. I was shocked at how honest they were and also shocked that my make believe super condition 2000 Corvette (still a beautiful car) was stranded indefinitly due to a no longer available part....Electronics are the one thing I hate about owning a 14 year old car. IN the old days, mechanical devices lasted a long time if cared for - they still do. The old electronics were minimal and if they failed (speedo or fuel tank sender or brake lights) they were easily fixed or modified. Modern cars and the C5 have tons of electronics. ECM, BCM, ECBM and others. When they fail, and the vehicle specific (and sometimes year specific) parts can and will no longer be available, and that 20 year old BCM in the scrap yard for $400 is most likely on its way out too, we are going to have to junk these cars or find a way to modify them with more universal aftermarket components to control the ABS or instrument panel, windows etc. Easy way out (and expensive) is to always have a newer car with parts availability. Hot rodders will modify these cars eventually to rewire/delete overly complicated electrical systems or retrofit with aftermarket parts. Everything in this world changes- nothing stays the same. PCM support should be around for a while - hopefully! I am keeping my C5 for now.

 

Yes it is, and there may not be enough of a market for an aftermarket production of EBCMs...still, GM could make the schematics available in case there is a company that would like to produce them...it's of no benefit to GM to not make them available...

 

The C5 came out pretty close to the beginning of all this electronic stuff in vehicles. Just think about today's vehicles...they are so over-dependent on electronics that when these devices go out and are no longer produced, it will render the vehicle completely useless. Vehicles are now produced with built-in obsolescence...a guarantee the vehicle will HAVE to be replaced some day...a Model T can be kept on the road virtually forever, while modern vehicles cannot...is this progress?

 

Agree. Creates an opportunity for a company to make a stand alone ABS retrofit system across multiple vehicle platforms though. Not enough money to do it for one specific low production vehicle. There will always be parts for honda civics though. When you make that many vehicles, the aftermarket will support....

 

Everyone has heard "Think Outside The Box" . My Headlight Control Module went out. I know you can get used ones pretty cheap but they are just that, used and as old or older than the one that failed.

I designed and built an HCM from scratch. It works perfectly. I'm just a hack, surely not an electronics expert. I just know some of you really talented folks can re-engineer the EBCM.