I had my '99 6 speed for 5 years and never had a column lock problem. I never grab the wheel and wrench it around prior to starting...otherwise, it was handled normally.

 

Check this out...
http://www.ls1howto.com/index.php?ar...8b49b670d6ba91

 

I bought my C5 with 24k on it. Evidently, the lock plate had been removed by a previous owner or dealer because when I turn off and pull the key, I hear a little buzz but the wheel never locks.

It is my understanding that the CLB actually disables the lock pin itself and you no longer get the buzz. Is this correct?

 

I have a 97, and haven't encountered Column-Lock. Took to the dealership a few weekends ago, and asked them about it, the guy basically told me if I haven't noticed any "glitch" then I shouldn't mess with it. I told him I'm probably still going to get/install the Bypass kit because I don't want to wait 'til the "glitch" hits me.

Andy

 

A 97 and you've never had a lock failure? Now the big question is: Do you ever grab onto the steering wheel when you enter or exit the car? I have a feeling you don't - hence, the stellar record of no CL problems. How often is your car started every week?

 

Ttt

 

No column lock.. and 51,000 miles on her. Nope I don't grab the wheel getting in or out of the car. I know the wheel locks when I turn the car off cause I checked ( wanted to see if the dealer had done anything to the car) and I am the 3rd owner. Car had 35,000 miles when I got her about 18 months ago. No fuel gauge problem, nothing out of the ordinary. BTW I dont turn off the key, turn the wheel till it locks either. I wonder if people turn off the key, then turn the wheel till it locks..I used to have the habit of doing that in other cars but for some reason I never did it with my vette.

Hope that helps..

Jim in Amarillo, TX

 

This is an excellent use of a poll. I've wondered if there was some common habit that contributed to the dreaded column lock. Great idea!

I have had my 04 coupe for 7 months with no problems. I never touch the wheel after i turn off the ignition. Don't really grab it when getting in or out. That is all I know about it. Same habits from driving my 280zx for 300,000 miles. (The vette is actually much easier to get in and out.) What a car! Both of 'em.
g

 

Grabbing the steering wheel may be akin to turning your steering wheel lock-to-lock every day while the car is stationary; this type of action, if done consistently, may very well shorten the life of your power steering pump, which was designed to accomodate less of a load. I'm guessing that grabbing the steering wheel strains the locking mechanism the next time it is activated - something life testing invariably did not include.

 

Many people have been stuck with the column lock issue... even after trying the lock to lock steering wheel trick... the lock seems to always come at ther worst time.,.. it does happen and people have been caught twice with the GM fix...
What I fail to unbderstand is no one has ever had a problem with this issue once they installed the bypass.. they only cost 55 dollars.. and less than an hours work.. are people that cheap or just that naive?
I put a bypass in my car five years ago... and I dont even have to worry about it... anyone who doesnt have it should worry about it eveery day... There is a moderator here on the forum ( no Names..) he has been here four years... very knowledgable about coumn lock failures... after four years he got stranded for three hours out in the boonies... tried all the tricks to unstick it.. but nothing worked...
when he posted his column lock failure here... most of us who know this guy.. posted things like "Shame on you" etc.. You should have known better"... He owned up to his stupidity... he also said it was a total nightmare.. waiting three hours out in the boonies... then having his car dragged up on a tow truck.. etc...

 

instructions come with it...you remove the pin motor and add the bypass which tells the PCM everything is ok... But your thinking is correct in that being safe than sorry is the right thinking...

 

[QUOTE=Evil-Twin]put it in.. dont wait to be bitten...
Also this poll in skewed..
mostly everyone on this forum knows about the problem... the older the car, the less likely they are to not be protected... the new people to the forum are not as aware of the problem.. and would be less likely to buy a bypas...people with 04's eg. are goping to say they dont have a problem and naturally have not bought a bypass... people with say 98's or 99 's cant answer the poll because most have installed a bypass.. there are only about 1100 active C5 users on this forum...
not alot considering almost 1/4 million have been sold...

Let me shoot your theory down a bit....

I have an 04 Z06...3400 miles....no problems....got scared by these threads in the past so I bought the CLB. Its still sitting in the garage waiting to be installed.

I never grab the wheel to get in or out...its for not some sort of escape assist device I treat the car very gingerly...except for the shifter, the tires and that pedal to the right

I'd rule out the tired battery as some people have had this occur with low miles. I suspect the steering wheel, lock-to-lock, or some other type of repetitive use issue. Could just be a hit & miss gremlin I suppose. But now that I have expoused my beliefs I undoubtedly will incur the wrath of the Column Lock God and be punished on my next drive. I will now go to the garage and start the install

 

Many people have said that any steering wheel locking device is useless and that it is senseless to even have one. Of course, many of these people also will ask, "Why have an alarm system? Any professional thief can steal your car if he wants to."

While there is some truth to these statements, it is also true that many thefts are commited by relatively inexperienced people. In addition, few will bother to steal an alarmed vehicle when another identical (but unarmed) one is nearby. If locking the steering wheel were completely usless, throwing in a CLB would be a no brainer, but the fact is that all new cars have a column-locking feature for a reason - it is a deterrent, not the best or most theft-proof, but a deterrent nontheless. It is for this reason that this post attempts to find out how we may utilize this theft-prevention feature without failure. obviously, it IS possible to not have a failure after 8 years of use; the question is "HOW?"

 

Just to make sure...because you guys are scaring me...I went out to my car and the wheel can be turned either way without a key in it. Does this mean I don't have to worry about the CL problem?? The previous owner did mention the recall when I bought it. Thanks!

 

[QUOTE=C54EVER]First of all its not a theory... secondly I am a retired GM engineer , the C5 was my last project... MN6 cars require lock mechanism by law... that's why GM can not remove the column lock...
the A4 cars have a locking paw in the transmission. That why they could take out the pin motor...in the column. The battery has nothing to do with column lock..It's the pin in the moter that becomes misaligned and sometime stuck... there have been three fixes for the MN6 but non have been 100 % fool proof... GM can not remove the pin motor from an MN6 but you can.. again this is not therory this is fact...OH and By the way.. manipulating the wheel can get you unstuck sometimes.. but it also puts another nail in the pin motor coffin... sooner or later your going to get bitten...NO one who has used a bypass in an MN6 has ever had an issue with column lock.

 

Yes, in some cases the dealerships have disabled the mechanism with a block-off plate (I believe), but only (as Evil mentioned) in auto tranny C5s. You must have an auto tranny in yours.

Again I maintain that this pin mechanism was originally tested to a number of cycles that are equivalent to 20 years of daily use. Therefore, some owners are doing something that was not intended, such as applying a side load by grabbing the steering wheel. It may very well be possible to not have a failure for that long if a few precautions are observed. Those 97s and 98s may prove this point, but please everyone, let's hear if you do or do not yank the steering wheel.

 

According to this page from supporting vendor, Thunder Racing...

2001 and later model automatic cars do not have a column lock at all, however the 6 speed cars retained it.

 

Up until yesterday, I could select the '99 - '00 no problems & no bypass. Can't select it now. This many people can't be that wrong, so I installed one. Good price from Corvettes of Houston and took 35 minutes start to finish.

With a reasonable cost and simple / quick installation, why wouldn't anyone not want to do this?

 

I find this 'poll' somewhat skewed.

The facts are that this issue (column lock) is recognized not only by a large number of Vette owners, but by GM itself (otherwise why the recall?).

Looking for a 'common' reason it occurs does not, and will not, change the fact that the problem exists.

To what extent it exists will never be found in the poll in this thread - simply because there are not nearly enough members represented against the total amount of Vettes built since 1997.

Further, many Forum Members have not ever had the problem. Fine.

Others have had the problem, sad but true.

Others do not know if they would have encountered the problem as they elected to implement the CLB as an 'insurance' against just such an event.

If any of these groups are not represented 'in equal proportions' in the voting, the poll is usless.

Lastly, the reason for the problem is that GM did a poor job on engineering or material installed in the column lock for the Vette. Have you noticed many other vehicles encountering this issue?

Just my $0.02

 

When I park and get out I don't turn the wheel to lock the column. It's never locked on me. I don't know if that action, or lack of it, is relevant to the problem.