oh i have one other question. Is it "possible" (even if it means altering the wire harness) to use a newer 01-04 receiver in a 2000 vert? since the new fobs are so cheap and easy to get, I'd like to just upgrade my receiver to a 01-04 receiver if its at all possible. The receivers look to be cheap enough (like $61 on gmpd.com) and keyfobs for them are a dime a dozen

Thanks

 

THAT is an interesting question ..... clever idea.

Here's the wiring layout to the 2001 RFA ... see if it matches up to your cars .... if it does I would GUESS that it should work.

Pin A - ORANGE - Battery Positive Feed
Pin B - Not Used
Pin C - Not used
Pin D - PINK - Serial Data
Pin E - Not Used
Pin F - Not Used
Pin G - BLACK/WHITE - Ground
Pin H - Not Used

Unless the BCM in the 2001 and up has a different protocol for working with the RFA ... and why would GM change that .... then it SHOULD work.

Neat idea.

 

actually yes thats the exact pinout for the 2000 harness as well Hmm, now to find someone that knows if the protocols are the same hehe.

Thanks for the help, good to know the pins match

 

Keep in mind that it uses the new tire pressure sensors too. You may be getting into more than you want. I'm not saying they won't work, I haven't tried, just something to think about.

 

Worth a look see...TPM's for a 2000 are $85.00 vs $35.00 for a 2003...if you need replacement $340.00 tpm's ,$60.00 key fob/$140.00 tpm's, $10.00 key fob ,$75.00 for the receiver. Money ahead if it will work!

 

Could you just plug in a new receiver and replace the fobs and tpms?

Someone at a dealership or parts counter might TRY it and give us a neat way to save MUCHO bucks in the long run. BIGHANK

 

yeah the way i see it with actual GMPD prices:

$33.44 each for TPM's
$61.10 for the receiver

which is just around $200 including shipping. Not too bad for a complete conversion. Add another $20 or so for a pair of keyfobs on eBay and I'm done ;-)

Actually now that I think of it there's probably cost involved with replacing the TPM's as I have no idea how that is done, and I'm guessing I'd have to have that work done by a mechanic? (true?)

Point is I have a keyfob that is starting to act funny so do I want to spend $60+ on a new 2000 keyfob or just upgrade the whole system for a few bucks more, because since my current system (receiver and sensors) works pretty well, I'm sure I can get a few bucks for the whole system on ebay which will bring my conversion cost probably down quite a bit.

My only issue is still "will it work" in the 00 vette. It seems like it should, but without a factual answer or being able to test this myself, I'm apprehensive to spend the money.

 

ugh, i just looked in the service manual and replacing/reprogramming the tmp's looks pretty involved and likely a very expensive procedure.

 

99.999999 % of the time, a BRAND NEW FOB will fix the problem.

 

No it is not, you just need a strong magnet to reprogram them. Any tire store can change them, if they only break the one bead, the tires won't need rebalanced.

 

Will the new receiver still supply the correct messages to the DIC.
Is there any BCM issues. Older C5s used a differnet BCM. BIGHANK

 

That's the same question I'm asking when I said ...

Unless the BCM in the 2001 and up has a different protocol for working with the RFA ... and why would GM change that ??

In a prior post.

I'm gonna GUESS that a "new" RFA will work because ....

There are only 3 wires to the RFA .... two are dead simple ... a 12v power supply and a ground. The other is a connection to the Serial data line.

The data that ANY of the RFA's sends is the same ... the sensor serial number and the absolute tire pressure.

A change to the protocol between the RFA and BCM seems unlikely ... the data is the same ... the speed of the connection is the same ... why would GM change it ???

Finally, as I understand it, the ONLY difference between the 3 GM sensors used on the C5/C6 Corvette is the radio frequency that the sensors/fobs and RFA use. There is a difference on the C6 because the RFA is no longer tied to a serial data line, but rather to the CAN network protocol, but for the C5 the data link is unchanged.

I think Vette Prince may well have hit on a very interesting "solution" for people who find the "old" TPMS and Key Fobs too expensive. It does seem like changing the RFA to the "new" frequency, and then "upgrading" to the newer (and WAY cheaper) key fobs and TPMS is a very viable solution for owners of cars prior to the 2001 Model Year.

Heck, it is not an issue for me (since I have a 2001) but I'd offer $10.00 towards the cost of Vette Prince trying this out.

 

You are a true Vette lover indeed (as well as a curious tinkerer). I'm tempted to actually try the procedure just out of curiosity myself at this point. However the keyfob has been working better lately so I've been reluctant to go forward with the experiment because of the good old "if it ain't broke..."

Plus I just bought a "window valet" ($150), plus I need to replace the passenger side headlight actuator motor, or just the gear drive system inside the actuator becuase I broke off a tooth on a gear inside and now it makes a horrible (and LOUD) grinding noise when the headlight goes down. That could cost me anywhere from $20 for a new gear, to $170 for a whole new actuator assembly

 

There is some differences in how Series I and Series II TPSs operate. Series I update constantly, in real time. Series II update less frequently, hence their batteries last longer, but when they sense a pressure loss, they update immediately.

Do you think all this is built into the sensor? I doubt it, certainly the Series II updating with a loss in pressure (probably below a certain value) is built into the sensor, BUT the BCM for a Series I is expecting realtime updates, if it doesn't get them, I bet it would set an error code and have the DIC report Service Tire Pressure Sensors.

What do you think?

 

From what I can tell reading the Service Manual (2001) here's the way the Series II system works ... and I can't imagine GM would change it significantly from Series I as it would APPEAR to require both possible RFA, IPC and BCM changes if they change the way the information is passed between the computers .....

NOTE - there is LOTS of conflicting information in the manual.

For example - on page 3-115 it says "When the vehicle has been stationary for more than one minute, the sensors enter a power down or sleep mode and will stop transmitting tire pressure information." But just a few pages before, under the description of the C0750 etc. DTC it says "When the vehicle is stationary for more than 15 minutes, the sensors enter power down mode and will transmit the tire pressure data once every 60 minutes"

So this is the way it APPEARS to work ... but I'm not certain this is correct.

The RCDLR (RFA) is where the TPMS serial number and position data is stored. The BCM doesn't seem to know or care about this as I can't see anything in the BCM "Scan Tool Data List" that shows the BCM is aware of anything about the TPM system. The only place the BCM seems to know about the TPMS is in the RPO configuration table. Looks like the only part the BCM plays in the system is when you re-program the sensors ... either the IPC or BCM sends a message to re-program to the RFA (unclear), and the RFA sends messages back indicating to beep the horn (BCM) and move to the next DIC message as it picks up each sensor.

The RFA does not store the tire pressure data. It transmits the data on the serial data link as a message that looks something like "RF30" (for Right Front 30 lbs). The IPC actually stores this data. The RFA is also programmed to send a message to the IPC requesting display of "LOW TIRE PRESSURE" or "FLAT TIRE" should those conditions occur.

So, bottom line .... here's my GUESS about what would happen if you switch to the Series II RFA and fobs/TPMS ..... NOTHING BAD .... it SHOULD work like a champ. I'm gonna guess that, worst case, if the IPC is not getting Tire data as often as it would expect it, it might set a Uxxxx code indicating the IPC has a communication problem with the RFA.

That's my GUESS .... but you raised a very good question Oldvetter ... I think someone is gonna have to try this to be able to get a difinitive answer.

 

My 99 fob was a pita and required that I reset it every day or two by pressing both buttons.
I then followed the instructions for getting the car to "learn" a new fob (using the old fob of course) and since then the fob has been fine (one month without problems).
I still intend to buy a spare. I saw that one of the supporting vendors had these fobs on their monthly special. Now, to just get them to post it down under.

 

Let me get this straight .... you live on the Gold Coast (Surfers Paradise ??) ... one of the most beautiful places in the world ... you drive a Corvette .... and you're complaining ????

 

Thanks for all the info. Before I go with the technical aspect of replacing a unit under the carpeting I will go with 99% of the peeps here saying the fob has gone bad. Does anyone have a used key fob for a 2000 corvette that I can buy?

 

I am experiencing all these same symptons on my newly purchased 1998 C5 base. These fobs are now over $80.00 at GM Parts Warehouse. Do you recommend trying a new fob first before the Remote Door Lock Receiver/RFA? How difficult is the instal of the Remote Door Lock Receiver/RFA? It is totally bunk when you cant open and lock the doors by fob.

 

Before you get too deep in early model C5 FOB and receiver issues,,, Why dont you consider this up-grade:

- C5 Tire Pressure Monitor Sys Up-Grade 97-2000 to 2001 RFA System: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...e-sensors.html , http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...aded-tpms.html


The newer FOBs and TPS work better and are less money.

BC