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Steering Column Lock FAQs - please read before you post (sticky please)
Racer
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 418
Likes: 1
From: Chicago, Midway IL
well I,m a little pissed had the recall done last summer(on A4) went to pick up car from storage put a new battery in and guess what happened,SERVICE COLUM LOCK and now it has to be towed to a dealer, what are the chances they will take care of it since they just did recall last year
Advanced
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 71
Likes: 0
From: Sunrise, FL
I think I found the root of my problem. The ECL motor is froze in the locked position. I applied 12V across the orange and purple wires of the motor and just got a slight buzzing noise, but not the noise of the pin retracting. Can't wait for the CLB to get here!
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,727
Likes: 20
From: Carson City, NV
Originally Posted by 1rahamay
I think I found the root of my problem. The ECL motor is froze in the locked position. I applied 12V across the orange and purple wires of the motor and just got a slight buzzing noise, but not the noise of the pin retracting. Can't wait for the CLB to get here!
Thanks
John
Advanced
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 71
Likes: 0
From: Sunrise, FL
Praise the Lord! I have a Vette again. I installed the COH CLB and got the same problems. Pulled the 25 and 29 fuses for 5 minutes...same problem. Tried with and without the jumper on the relay. Cleared all the codes. Pulled the board out fo the BCM? box under the floor panel and inspected for any damage or burn marks...same problem. I pulled EVERY fuse in that car and found the #23 to be fried. Replaced the fuse and tried again. I got the "Pull key" warning, so I pulled the key and counted...then prayed. It actually started up with NO CODE! It was 2 weeks of agony, hopefully it's over! I guess I'll see about 6:30 tomorrow morning...
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 266
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
Be careful defeating an Anti-Theft Device without replacing it
Here's a lesson I learned the hard way. Learn from my mistake. If you do the CLB, you better either put a hidden kill switch on your car or keep it in a locked garage... particularly here in Florida.
I learned the hard way after my Vette was stolen from my driveway last week that the Vette is apparently quite easy to steal. It takes more than a slide hammer but not a whole lot else supposedly. Having the CLB apparently makes it that much easier, but I cannot verify this 100%. I sure had no idea the Vette was so easy to steal.
And at least here in FL - if someone has your plate it is very easy to get your address. The cops told me to use a PO box instead on registration. That's what they do so you can't find their home address from the tag.
So be careful. Trust me, watching someone steal your car and the cops chasing them and unable to keep up sucks. Bad.
I learned the hard way after my Vette was stolen from my driveway last week that the Vette is apparently quite easy to steal. It takes more than a slide hammer but not a whole lot else supposedly. Having the CLB apparently makes it that much easier, but I cannot verify this 100%. I sure had no idea the Vette was so easy to steal.
And at least here in FL - if someone has your plate it is very easy to get your address. The cops told me to use a PO box instead on registration. That's what they do so you can't find their home address from the tag.
So be careful. Trust me, watching someone steal your car and the cops chasing them and unable to keep up sucks. Bad.
Pro
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 726
Likes: 2
From: Denver CO
So I went ahead and had the recall done on my '97 since I had so much trouble out of the CLB. 40 minutes is all it took. Hmmmmm, supposed to remove the steering wheel, remove lock plate, replace steering wheel, in addition to the GM Harness K.....40 minutes?? Hmmmm.....why do I think something's wrong......hmmm, turn off car, pull key, hear ECL, turn wheel...oops, wheel's locked. Well, so much for Reeder's Vette Tech....took the short cut. So, I'm out there today working out a cross-threaded fastener (there's only 4 fookin' screws and he manages to screw one up) and now I have to figure out if I can make GM's CLB work. GM and stealerships....gotta luv 'em!
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,727
Likes: 20
From: Carson City, NV
Originally Posted by TopCat
So I went ahead and had the recall done on my '97 since I had so much trouble out of the CLB. 40 minutes is all it took. Hmmmmm, supposed to remove the steering wheel, remove lock plate, replace steering wheel, in addition to the GM Harness K.....40 minutes?? Hmmmm.....why do I think something's wrong......hmmm, turn off car, pull key, hear ECL, turn wheel...oops, wheel's locked. Well, so much for Reeder's Vette Tech....took the short cut. So, I'm out there today working out a cross-threaded fastener (there's only 4 fookin' screws and he manages to screw one up) and now I have to figure out if I can make GM's CLB work. GM and stealerships....gotta luv 'em!
John
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Pro
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 726
Likes: 2
From: Denver CO
Originally Posted by Cscokd
Take it back and make them remove the lock plate. That was the main part of the recall.
John
John
Pulled fuse 23 under the hood, but it won't go away. Oh well, I'll hook it all back up and take it back to the dealer and ask them what their problem is. BTW, between this, the blower motor control module problem, the VATS acting up on me when the car is hot, the rocking driver's seat and numerous other little things cropping up on the little red beotch, I'm seriously considering a BMW. I love the sound and power of the V8, but I got better things to do on my weekends and evenings than to mess around with screwed up electronics!
Last edited by TopCat; May 2, 2006 at 06:02 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,547
Likes: 0
TopCat--my instructions said to pull fuse 25 (not 23). When I first turned the key back on I had the service column lock message. I took out fuse 25 on my 2004 MN6 and put it back in after 60 seconds and the message went away.
Racer
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 482
Likes: 1
From: Waveland MS
I did mine yesterday as well. It truly was a piece of cake to install. After the first recall from Chevy left me on the side of the road, I don't trust them for another one. Thunder Racing also seems to know a heck of a lot more about Corvettes than my local Chevy dealership.
Pro
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 726
Likes: 2
From: Denver CO
Originally Posted by HHC5
TopCat--my instructions said to pull fuse 25 (not 23). When I first turned the key back on I had the service column lock message. I took out fuse 25 on my 2004 MN6 and put it back in after 60 seconds and the message went away.
Once I pulled the right fuses, got rid of the message. So, I decided to pull my CLB (since it occasionally fails on me with the "Pull Key.." message) and plugged the K Harness back in, but only the CLB side of it, I DIDN'T plug the K Harness back into the electronic column lock plug. It Worked
No messages and it runs....well, there was the one time when it didn't give me the message, but stalled when got up to 2 MPH ????????????? But that hasn't repeated, so I'm cool. I'm an expert at pulling the knee panel and installing CLBs now!! So, have my aftermarket CLB in the glovebox with my Torx screwdriver "Just In Case" so I won't get stranded. Upshot: Lock plate still on, ECL disengaged, GM's K Harness installed without incorporating ECL, and the paperwork indicates my recall as complete. John, rather than have the Stealership tear up more stuff, I'm going to leave the lockplate alone....I'd disconnect the ECL anyway because it can fail with or without the lockplate, so why chance it??? End of ECL recall story for me....on this Vette at least 
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,727
Likes: 20
From: Carson City, NV
Originally Posted by TopCat
DOH!!! Finally figured out that I needed to be pulling fuses from the passenger compartment area
Once I pulled the right fuses, got rid of the message. So, I decided to pull my CLB (since it occasionally fails on me with the "Pull Key.." message) and plugged the K Harness back in, but only the CLB side of it, I DIDN'T plug the K Harness back into the electronic column lock plug. It Worked No messages and it runs....well, there was the one time when it didn't give me the message, but stalled when got up to 2 MPH ????????????? But that hasn't repeated, so I'm cool. I'm an expert at pulling the knee panel and installing CLBs now!! So, have my aftermarket CLB in the glovebox with my Torx screwdriver "Just In Case" so I won't get stranded. Upshot: Lock plate still on, ECL disengaged, GM's K Harness installed without incorporating ECL, and the paperwork indicates my recall as complete. John, rather than have the Stealership tear up more stuff, I'm going to leave the lockplate alone....I'd disconnect the ECL anyway because it can fail with or without the lockplate, so why chance it??? End of ECL recall story for me....on this Vette at least
Once I pulled the right fuses, got rid of the message. So, I decided to pull my CLB (since it occasionally fails on me with the "Pull Key.." message) and plugged the K Harness back in, but only the CLB side of it, I DIDN'T plug the K Harness back into the electronic column lock plug. It Worked
No messages and it runs....well, there was the one time when it didn't give me the message, but stalled when got up to 2 MPH ????????????? But that hasn't repeated, so I'm cool. I'm an expert at pulling the knee panel and installing CLBs now!! So, have my aftermarket CLB in the glovebox with my Torx screwdriver "Just In Case" so I won't get stranded. Upshot: Lock plate still on, ECL disengaged, GM's K Harness installed without incorporating ECL, and the paperwork indicates my recall as complete. John, rather than have the Stealership tear up more stuff, I'm going to leave the lockplate alone....I'd disconnect the ECL anyway because it can fail with or without the lockplate, so why chance it??? End of ECL recall story for me....on this Vette at least Glad you got it working again. I prefer to remove the lock plate, especially if GM will do it at no charge. Good luck with the K Harness. Leaving the ECL disconnected is a good thing in my opinion. I will say the K Harness relay has been a bit unreliable for many on this forum. But your CLB should work, so there's still something strange there unless it's the fact that it's a '97. Let's hope it works reliably for you so you can work on all the other things that drive all of us
crazy.Cheers,
John
Last edited by Cscokd; May 14, 2006 at 01:12 AM.
Intermediate
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
From: Jonesboro Louisiana
Thanks for the help, but need a little more
I am new to the forum and also the proud owner of my first vette. I purchased a 98 2 weeks ago. I did some research before buying, and somewhere along the way I found this site. So I had a little knowledge of the column lock problems so many were having. So guess what happened to me Saturday morning, the service column lock and the pull key 10 sec bull started, but thanks to everyone here and most especially Cscokd's information got me back running by Sunday. Seems my car has had the recall. I followed Csokd steps and found that my car had a faulty K relay. With all this said I have a question, I know some people still have trouble with a CLB on 97's and 98's, so should I just replace the K harness with a new one or should I buy a CLB and install it? Like I said, I'm sure my car has had the full recall, I can turn my wheels with the key off, even after I removed the faulty K harness.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,727
Likes: 20
From: Carson City, NV
Originally Posted by buysigns
I am new to the forum and also the proud owner of my first vette. I purchased a 98 2 weeks ago. I did some research before buying, and somewhere along the way I found this site. So I had a little knowledge of the column lock problems so many were having. So guess what happened to me Saturday morning, the service column lock and the pull key 10 sec bull started, but thanks to everyone here and most especially Cscokd's information got me back running by Sunday. Seems my car has had the recall. I followed Csokd steps and found that my car had a faulty K relay. With all this said I have a question, I know some people still have trouble with a CLB on 97's and 98's, so should I just replace the K harness with a new one or should I buy a CLB and install it? Like I said, I'm sure my car has had the full recall, I can turn my wheels with the key off, even after I removed the faulty K harness.
John
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,802
Likes: 61
From: Wichita KS
Cscokd, My car has just started experiencing the fuel cutoff problem yesterday. I had the second recall done in March and hadn't had a problem until now. Now, it won't clear. The dealer says in addition to the Service Column Lock code there is a new code that indicates there is a short in the BCM.
They can't get it to clear and the car won't run. I asked the shop foreman to contact GM about obtaining and installing a CLB which he and the service manager both think is the best thing to do. So far the regional tech rep has not called back.
It is getting to be more trouble than it is worth. I've been a Corvette junkie for most of my life but I am losing my patience and it's not fun anymore. It's an expensive garage warmer that's not even paid off yet.
New Update: the dealer ordered a column lock actuator but it won't be in until Wednesday the 31st. Will let you know if it gets rid of the SCL message.
They can't get it to clear and the car won't run. I asked the shop foreman to contact GM about obtaining and installing a CLB which he and the service manager both think is the best thing to do. So far the regional tech rep has not called back.
It is getting to be more trouble than it is worth. I've been a Corvette junkie for most of my life but I am losing my patience and it's not fun anymore. It's an expensive garage warmer that's not even paid off yet.
New Update: the dealer ordered a column lock actuator but it won't be in until Wednesday the 31st. Will let you know if it gets rid of the SCL message.
Last edited by CCrane65; May 26, 2006 at 10:26 PM.
Drifting
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 1,917
Likes: 3
From: Southern NH
I installed the CLB within a month of buying my car 6 years ago. Since my car is an MN6, this was the best and only solution for a long time to disable the CL.
After receiving multiple recall notices in the past few months I was actually considering whether I'd be better off letting GM perform the "officially approved" procedure to disable the CL. Then my sanity came back!
I am sure glad I decided not to let them touch it.
After receiving multiple recall notices in the past few months I was actually considering whether I'd be better off letting GM perform the "officially approved" procedure to disable the CL. Then my sanity came back!
I am sure glad I decided not to let them touch it.
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 45,545
Likes: 892
From: Texas
CI 1-4-5-8-9-10 Vet
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '10, '17
Hey guys. I've been away from the C5 board for a while. When I had a C5, I installed the CLB myself and forgotabouwdit.
Now I'm considering buying a 2002 or 2003 Z06. Didn't GM recently issue a recall for a REAL fix (not the bogus one mentioned above) where they actually disable the CL. By reading the above posts it sounds like that is the case, and they remove the lock pin and / or plate rendering the CL mechanism harmless. Is this correct? If so, and if it's done correctly (I have a friend at a dealership so it would be done correctly) it appears as if the thing to do is let GM do the recall and forgetabouwdit. Correct?
Now I'm considering buying a 2002 or 2003 Z06. Didn't GM recently issue a recall for a REAL fix (not the bogus one mentioned above) where they actually disable the CL. By reading the above posts it sounds like that is the case, and they remove the lock pin and / or plate rendering the CL mechanism harmless. Is this correct? If so, and if it's done correctly (I have a friend at a dealership so it would be done correctly) it appears as if the thing to do is let GM do the recall and forgetabouwdit. Correct?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,727
Likes: 20
From: Carson City, NV
Originally Posted by need-for-speed
Hey guys. I've been away from the C5 board for a while. When I had a C5, I installed the CLB myself and forgotabouwdit.
Now I'm considering buying a 2002 or 2003 Z06. Didn't GM recently issue a recall for a REAL fix (not the bogus one mentioned above) where they actually disable the CL. By reading the above posts it sounds like that is the case, and they remove the lock pin and / or plate rendering the CL mechanism harmless. Is this correct? If so, and if it's done correctly (I have a friend at a dealership so it would be done correctly) it appears as if the thing to do is let GM do the recall and forgetabouwdit. Correct?
Now I'm considering buying a 2002 or 2003 Z06. Didn't GM recently issue a recall for a REAL fix (not the bogus one mentioned above) where they actually disable the CL. By reading the above posts it sounds like that is the case, and they remove the lock pin and / or plate rendering the CL mechanism harmless. Is this correct? If so, and if it's done correctly (I have a friend at a dealership so it would be done correctly) it appears as if the thing to do is let GM do the recall and forgetabouwdit. Correct?
John