Hello,

just wanted to say thanks to all the people that contributed to this thread because from what I have read thru this post the information saved me from $200.00 to $400.00 in labor fees.

I have a 2000 FRC MN6 and had the dredded column locked Monday and the service column lock and pull key message.
My car would shut off the second it started to move so even getting it back in the garage was a trick.

Of course after reading thru the first 11 pages of this post I knew how to unlock the wheel which worked and I drove the car to work the following day, its my daily driver..
I called GM and found out that the previous owner had the K-harness and software installed which was perfectly in alignment with the information on this forum post.
Chevrolet gave me a SR number and said to take it in and they would pay for the parts but as I found out here on this post I will end up paying for the labor... no good.

I ordered the CLB from the Houston Vette store, followed the posted instructions and because I'm a bit slow and sure about what I'm doing kinda guy, I completed the work in about 90 minutes.
She's all better now but IMHO it better because now the wheel can't lock. Its that whole safety thing that scared me.
Maybe later on I'll remove the lock mechanizum but I'm in no hurry.
I did leave the connector for the ECL motor sticking out right under the steering wheel between the knee bolster and the bottom of the column so I can plug in the power cord thingy every few weeks to see if I can hear it move more then the tinest little bit. If it sounds like the lead screw is able to migrate (which I can't imaging) then I'll pull it out.

Anyway...
I really appreciate the effort put into this forum and this informative post and want to make a contribution to the forum and the people that helped me.
I'll be making a donation to CF today because you guys rock..

John.. "Cscokd" Cheers to you man.. Thanks so much.

Best regards,

Thomas

 

Tact, you've been reading my mind. I'm leery of turning the car over to them. I've had bad experiences with other cars and dealer support. I suppose the real "best" solution is install the CLB, and if it ever fails, remove it, and THEN turn it over to the dealer to solve. This particular vert has never had any squawks except the seat belt retractors since it's delivery to the original owner, but he did have the initial recall done. Thunder Racing's CLB is on the way and will go in upon arrival. Thanks. Jack

 

 

Guys, I have a question. I had the column lock up tight on my 98 M6 while I was at the dealer about a week ago. Needless to say I had them perform the recall. They replaced the harness and removed the lock plate but I can still hear the column lock motor when I turn the key. Now I'm getting the "Pull key - wait 10 secs" alarm on the DIC and the fuel supply cuts off. Pulling the key and waiting the 10 secs seems to work for now but who knows how long it will continue to work. I was thinking about taking it back to them again but I suspect they will reflash the computer the next time I visit them. I have a supercharger with custom tune and I am reluctant to take it back to them for that reason.

Now the question, will the column lock bypass kit work after the recall has been performed and the harness replaced?

 

I think it's the BCM they have to reflash to disable the fuel cutoff not the ECM.

cc

 

There is no such thing as a BCM reflash to disable fuel cutoff.

Again, one prior recall implemented a reflash to modify the fuel cutoff logic, but fuel cutoff has always been part of the column lock functionality and it still is.

There is no BCM reflash for the current recall 4006C.

 

Your problem sounds like the faulty Harness K relay which is not sending the proper signals to the BCM hence causing it to go into Fault Enable mode and instructs the PCM to cut fuel. The reason you hear the lock moving is because GM's solution still connects power to the lock actuator even though the locking plate is removed (you should be able to move the wheel when the car is off).

You're best bet is to install the CLB now. It will replace the Harness K and provide the BCM with the required feedback signals. The lock actuator will be completely disconnected. The only thing GM will do at this point is replace the Harness K, so you're not guaranteed that the problems won't resurface. As I posted above, they would not perform any BCM reflash
since there is no reflash required as part of this recall.

 

Thanks JC, I ordered the CLB from COH yesterday. Sounds like GM has their hands full with this issue.

 

Mine 98 A4 is at the dealer now. Fuel shut off, had to have it towed in. I had the recall done a year ago. They want $600 to replace the actuator. But, I could hear the actuator move when I turned on the key so I'm not convinced that it's the problem. I'm not sure what I'm going to do.
I'm thinking I should try to talk them into removing the K-harness and install the CLB. I'm wondering though if removing the K-harness will make it run again.

Also my air conditioning started acting up shortly after getting the recall done. I never would have put the two together, but I saw somebody else did. Is there a connection? My compressor was making a wierd noise so I just bought a new compressor but haven't installed it yet.

The only thing I'm sure of is that I'm frustrated with this car. It only has 49,000 miles and the list of problems it has had is amazing. This is the first car I have ever bought with under 90,000 miles but it's had by far the most problems. When it's good it's awesome! But when it's bad it's really bad.

Thanks for all of the help. This is the best message board on the net!

Jay

 

You're correct that the noise is your accuator motor but I doubt that it's the problem. It could be, as some accuators do fail and cause the column lock issue. I'd bet the problem is more in the K harness as I've been seeing more and more of them failing. Do as I and many others have done. If it not drivable, get them to remove the K harness and install the CLB. The actuator will then be taken out of the picture completely and hopefully no more problems.
If it is drivable, just go pick it up and install the CLB. I wouldn't give them any more $$$ an I have to. Replacing the accuator should be part of the recall as it still is a defective part that GM should foot the bill.

 

Well crap, add me to the list of the undecided.

My 2000 MN6 locked up a few years ago (before any recalls). Dealer wouldn't do squat. Took a few years but it locked up again last weekend. Then it locked up again two days ago and no amount of jerking on the wheel would get it to release. I rolled the car a few inches and it released like it should.

In the mean time I've built up a stack of all the notices from GM. Figured I finally let them take a shot at it but after reading this thread .......

Maybe its worth letting them do the latest recall to remove the locking ring. Then again, think I'm better off doing that work so they don't screw anything else up or create tons of rattles.

I'll check the battery tonight. Maybe I'll be lucky and its just run down. I haven't had it plugged into the tender and it is the original.

Cscokd, Have you looked into using a transistor to switch the feedback signal? I'll take a look at it this weekend (making it latching will be the tough part). How about placing a capacitor on the contacts to decrease switching transients?

 

Yeah I looked at a solid state CLB. It turned out to be too much work and I wanted to make something that would simply plug into the existing harness without making the circuit more unreliable and adding even more wiring. The problem is you don't have a +12V supply to power your circuit. The signals on the Orange and Purple wires are only there for the amount of time it is switching from one state to another. Just use the CLB. It works just fine once you get all the other crap removed that GM added. Removing the locking ring is a GOOD thing though.
John

 

I was thinking that I could bring power in from another source and use that to help the circuit not get out of sync with the computer.

I'll look at it this weekend. If I come up with something good I'll send you the schematic.

 

No problems, get recall, then problems. Took off the kharness, car was fine ordered a clb "insurance policy" now I can drive without holding my breath everyting I turn the key.

 

Nobody seems to have posted this solution so here goes.....

When your column locks and won't unlock, rather than call a tow truck and
screwing around fighting with the GM service bureaucracy, try what I
call the "unofficial" Chevy repair.....it doesn't cost anything and it really
works, no matter how stupid it sounds or how foolish you feel while doing it.

1. Ignition on
2. Grab steering wheel firmly at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock.
3. Turn steering wheel to the right as hard as you can against the column lock.
4. Turn steering wheel to the left as hard as you can against the column lock.
5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 until lock slips....usually takes three or four
repetitions.
6. Turn off ignition
7. Start car and column lock is no longer engaged.

This happened to me at an SCCA autocross last year in between my 2nd and 3rd
runs. I'd already had the warranty service (Chevy should be ashamed of
themselves for the ineffectiveness of this procedure). I could not drive except
in a straight line. I could not even clear the staging area.

I called a friend who is infamous for his knowledge of quirky fixes on vettes.
He was laughing as he described the above procedure, and I could not believe he
was serious.

I must have asked, "You're joking, aren't you?" at least a dozen times. (OK,
the terminilogy was a bit more colorful.<g>) His response was, Try it."

I figured, "What the hell?" I was stuck and blocking traffic. I tried it. Just
like the veggie slicer on TV, it REALLY, REALLY WORKS! I was dumbfounded, but
happy....and able to finish my last two runs. Sure beats having to call a tow
truck!

Once you release the column, you can opt for the bypass available thru Mid
America and elsewhere, or just repeat the above procedure if it recurs.
It happened a few more times over the next couple of weeks but has not recurred since.

Hope this helps.

 

Just happened to me 11PM Saturday night (8/19). I had not been on here since 2003 when I got advice for aftermarket wheels. Just wondered if your still wathing and did you go with the CLB .. who is COH? ..........Bil

 

webdzynes sent this to me and it resolved my problem. i did charge the battery before trying this and that alone did not fix the problem.

That issue is a common one and it happened to me several times. EVERY time however I was able to get it to unlock by doing this:

(Connect the battery back on) Wiggle the steering wheel HARD about 6 or 7 times and on the last pull to the right, HOLD IT THERRE with a strong pull (to the right). DONT let the pressure off. The turn the key to activate the power. It (hopefully) will unlock. This worked for me about 20 times until I bought the bypass. Also worked for several of my friends' vettes... Give it a shot and good luck!

 

First, many thanks to the contributors to this thread. Very knowledgeable and helpful!

I've read through all the posts, but would like to confirm my plan...

Mine is a just purchased '04 6 spd, 2300 miles. The original recall was done 11/04 when the car was still in dealer inventory, but nothing since. (The wheel unlocks properly and no error messages thus far, but I realize its only a matter of time.)

Based on this thread, it seems the best approach is to get the current recall (4006c) done in order to eliminate the lock plate. Assuming that makes sense, do I gain any further reliability (related to fuel shut off) by then replacing the Harness K with a CLB?

Thank you!

 

If I had your car, I'd do the same thing I did to my 2002Z. Skip the 4006C recall. GM (General Monkeys) will remove your steering column locking plate and damage whatever else gets in the way. They will have to add the K-harness which you'll throw away. Skip the stealership and just install the CLB yourself. The CLB will take the pin actuator out of the loop anyway. No evidence exists that the actuator pin will move by itself to engage anything. If the actuator gives you problems, or for peace of mind, you fear the steering wheel will lock (unlikely with the CLB) you can have a knowledgeable ASE mechanic familar with Corvettes install the good actuator (#88952427) and remove the steering column locking plate while leaving your CLB intact. With this scenario, you have the best chances at driving freedom.

Randy

 

My actuator just failed and I just paid $567 to get it replaced after a flatbed tow. Who has contacted GM and had their payment reimbursed? I need to call somebody...this is BS