Originally Posted by bjones7131

Remember to let the dic do it's thing maybe 2 seconds before u crank it or u may get the pull key 10 second message, i did it to quick and got the message, richard told me to pause before cranking. It works

Originally Posted by 8VETTE7

Chances are excellent that the Column Lock Recall service was done to your car many years ago. You can determine is the recall is OPEN (never done) or CLOSED (done ) on your car by calling the GM Customer Service line and have your VIN ready. They can tell you if it was done.


What exactly is the problem you are experiencing????


What year is your car and is it a manual or automatic trans. makes a difference on the column lock symptoms/corrections.

Originally Posted by canada9

8VETT7
Knows what he is talking about LCM5 works that fixed my problem for the last 2 years

Originally Posted by 8VETTE7

You need to check the battery. The MOST common cause of the column lock symptoms is a weak or bad battery or loose or corroded battery connections including at the starter. Measure the voltage across the battery posts using a digital multi meter and with the neg battery cable disconnected. This is the No Load battery voltage. It MUST be greater than 12.5 volts for the electronics in the car to function correctly. ESPECIALLY the column lock electronics. The no load voltage on a good battery will measure 12.7 to 12.9 volts or more. The car will start with 12.2 volts no load or less. However the electronics is NOT going to be happy. In addition to measuring the no load voltage have the battery load tested. Most parts stores will do that free. Don't bother reading the voltage on the dash gauges. They tell you the state of health of the charging system and NOT the state of health of the battery. With engine running they show the output voltage of the alternator. With key on and engine off they show the loaded voltage of the battery since there are many electrical circuits that are powered when the key is ON. The column lock function occurs BEFORE you start the engine so having voltage from the alternator once the engine is running is TOO late.

Once you get by the battery issues you need to order and install an LMC5 to prevent the column lock symptoms ever again and to avoid getting stranded by the column locking or the 2 mph fuel shutoff that was part of the column lock recall service on your car.

To install an LMC5 you MUST get the column unlocked first. Therefore order the "unlocker" with the LMC5. If the unlocker fails to unlock the column you MAY need to resort to arm strength to do the unlock. Here is a link to a process that works in the event that the lock motor is stuck in the locked position:


http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ghlight=unlock


Don't be afraid to use your strength and sometimes you have to try more than once.

Post back your results please so that others can learn from your experiences......

Originally Posted by 8VETTE7

Define "acted up again".. What exactly were the symptoms you encountered?

What year is the car? Manual or automatic trans? Does the column lock with NO KEY in the ignition?? Have you had the battery tested? When you installed the "bypass" ( Can we assume it was a CLB and NOT an LMC5?) did you insure that the GM K Harness if one was installed was removed??

Originally Posted by 8VETTE7

K harness looks like this:




GM Column Lock Recall Service would have installed one in an automatic so I bet you have one that you failed to remove when the CLB was installed...


When you plugged the CLB male connector into the female connector behind the drivers knee bolster did you look at the female connector?? If the back side of the female connector has only 2 wires, 1 white and 1 purple, that is the female connector of the K harness. Remove the CLB male connector and let it hang for a minute. Then follow the 2 wires to the relay body of the K harness. Then follow the other 4 wires back to another male connector plugged into female connector that is attached to the bottom of the dash. Unplug this male connector and plug the CLB male connector into the female connector attached to the bottom of the dash.

Before you reinstall the knee bolster, put the key in the ignition and turn it toward the start position but DO NOT start the car. If you get a "Pull Key..." message do exactly as it says and remove the key for at least 10 seconds. Then reinsert the key and repeat. The message SHOULD be gone. BCM may have been out of sync and the key removal should have corrected that.

K harness is famous for frying due to low battery voltage. Here is a pic:



You can remove the K harness or leave it hanging there if you want to confuse the hell out of the next owner.

Alternatively you can order and install an LMC5. LMC5 abandons all the factory wiring and recall wiring downstream of the BCM. LMC5 is directly connected to the BCM. Google Compliance arts for more info on the LMC5.

Originally Posted by 8VETTE7

Not good. With no K harness and the pull key message then either the CLB has failed ( it does happen but not often) or there is something NOT good going on with the wiring between the BCM and lock motor (rodents eating wires?) or there is an issue with the BCM itself since there is NO Column Lock Relay to fail on the 97 and 98.

Is the carpet in the passenger foot well wet?????

You said the battery had 12.8 volts. How specifically did you measure that??? Digital Multi Meter placed directly across the battery posts???? Hopefully that was NOT the voltage seen on the dash gauges with the engine running. If that was how you measured the voltage, that is not a good voltage. With engine running you see the output voltage of the alternator. That tells you the state of health of the charging system and NOT the state of health of the battery. Best measure is a DMM directly across the battery posts with the neg battery cable disconnected (No Load battery voltage). If that value if 12.5 or less then the battery is low or bad. Car starts with a No Load battery voltage of 12.2 but the column lock electronics which run BEFORE the engine starts and the alternator produces voltage) WILL fail with voltage that low Voltage AFTER the car starts is too late for the column lock system. It has already run and failed.

Originally Posted by 8VETTE7

System works by BCM sending Lock or Unlock commands to what it thinks is the lock motor (even if the column no longer physically locks as is the case on automatics) and expects back an acknowledgement that the command was done. Lock motor usually does that unless the battery voltage is too low to operate the lock motor and respond or there is an aftermarket device installed to do the responding. (CLB or LMC5). If the BCM fails to get back a response it is designed to "fail" on the safe side and prevent the driver from attempting to drive with what might be a locked column, hence the 2mph fuel shutoff. For automatics that have had the GM Column Lock Recall service the column cannot physically lock but the system was NOT designed with that possibility so it can (does) shut fuel off if the BCM thinks the column might be locked when it should be unlocked. When you insert the key, BCM recognizes that and first checks the "state" information it keeps about the column lock. On start the state should be LOCKED. If that is true the BCM sends an unlock and waits a brief time for an "completed message. If it gets the completed signal it changes the state to UNLOCKED and allows the car to be started and driven. If the completed is NOT received it puts up a Service Column Lock message and then sends an "ENABLE fuel shutoff to the PCM. PCM monitors vehicle speed and shuts fuel off at the set fuel shutoff speed. Recall service set that to 2mph. If you set it to a high number like 200MPH then the PCM would not shut off fuel until 200mph. When you shut off the car and remove the key the BCM senses that and sends a LOCK command and expects back a COMPLETED message. If it gets that it changes the state to LOCKED. When you next start the car that state info is checked. If on a Start the state is UNLOCKED, the BCM senses that something is wrong and raises the Pull Key... message. If the driver removes the key for 10 seconds the BCM sends a LOCK command hoping to get back a completed response. If the completed is received the system is back in sync and the BCM changes the state to LOCKED. Next key insertion the system starts the process again.

Commonly a bad lock motor (if an LMC5 or CLB are not installed) fails to respond but other components can fail. Any electrical component between the BCM and lock motor (or CLB) or damaged wiring or a wet BCM......etc, etc.

Best solution is the LMC5 since it installs at the BCM and abandons all factory or recall wiring so electrical issues between the BCM and lock motor connection under the knee bolster are no longer issues.

If you set the fuel shutoff speed to a large number, that will work on your automatic since column does not physical lock. You will be able to drive the car./ However the error messages will still be displayed in the DIC.

Originally Posted by bjones7131

Get the lmc5 (40) bucks, install and forget it. Purchase at compliance eng. From california, install in 30/45 minutes in passenger footwell.

Originally Posted by bjones7131

Richard of comp. Eng is the best for support even after the purchase, i talked with him tues. There is a youtube on how to install the lmc5 but follow inst. With pictures that comes with it. Good luck