If your C5 has active handling, you'll eventually find that your steering position sensor has gone bad. I've talked to several members about this, and since GM discontinued this part quite awhile ago (2012?), it appears there's not any NOS parts available anymore. This means you must take a big gamble, and buy a used, salvage yard part. The gamble comes because it's quite a job to put one in, and your "new" part may last 5 days or 5 years. It's anybody's guess. Does anyone know of a company somewhere that is making reproduction sensors? Or possibly repairing bad units? Some states wont pass a car with a "service vehicle soon" lamp on. The lack of a functioning steering sensor will eventually take our C5s off the road in many states. As time goes by, this is going to become a huge problem for anyone with active handling. Earlier C5s, I think it was optional on the '98-'99 models, and standard on the 2000-2004 models. Hope someone can shed some light on this.......

 

Someone here posted a pic of the innards of a bad one - I believe the issue is a "plastic disk or ring" which is coated with an electrically conductive material against which a "wiper" rides - once the wiper wears through the coating down to the plastic underneath its game over....

 

I'd like to see pics of those sensor innards. One problem I've been told I have is my C5 is a 2000 model. From info I've gathered, if true, the 2000s were a "transitional" year. Some electronics are digital, some analog, some are both. Again, this is what I've found online. If true, it makes for a lot of electronic interfacing issues. I guess the '01-'04 sensor won't work on my car. I hope someone will reproduce it soon. Lucky my state doesn't safety check/emissions test vehicles. Many states will not pass a car with a check engine/service vehicle soon light on. What are people in these states doing, turning their vehicles into race cars, or parking them in the garage? Not the solution I'd want.......

 

2000 isn't really a transitional year with 1-off electronics. It basically has the same stuff as the earlier cars. The earlier sensor in all had both an analog signal and a digital encoder signal.

 

Why are you calling out active handling? Just wondering as even without it you will still have codes....I have a 99 with no active handling

 

I don't know what other "you'll still get codes" youre talking about. All I'm saying is that if you have a C5, 2000 or earlier with AH, you're out of luck when it comes to a new steering sensor, because.nobody makes a new one. If you do not have AH, the service active handling code will not be able to flash, because you wont have a steering position sensor. Not trying to call out active handling....

 

Thank you for enlightening me. Someone had once told me there are some electronics on the 2000 models are unique to the 2000 models. However, my point on AH was the non available steering position sensor is no longer available new. Hoping someone, somewhere will start making a new reproduction steering sensor.....

 

OK, what you're posting has been the same status for quite a few years If I had to guess, sensors easily went out of production over 10 years ago by now.

The EBTCM is the same way, I'd guess the PBMV has been out of production just as long too, but it fails less often and is replaced less often so there might be some NOS around still.

 

Hey Lionel, what is a PBMV? I'm guessing it's Power Brake Module something? Anyway, I agree with you that its probably been 10 years since GM made any new ones. The points I was trying to make in my posts were that the lack of a functioning SWPS will take C5s off the road in some states. So I'm hoping a vendor somewhere will make a reproduction sensor soon. The other fellow here thought I was ragging on AH. Not at all. My point was that you wont get a "Service Active Handling" code if your car doesn't have AH. At least, you shouldn't!! What year C5 do you have? Do you know of any NOS SWPS for sale anywhere? Sure hope someone will start a company making them for the C5

 

Brake pressure modulating valve. The valve and pump block of the ABS.

I don't know of any available sensors and I'd doubtful a new supplier will appear any time soon. The EBTCM will never be manufactured again.

 

If you are going to buy a used SWPS, make sure it was tested before you buy it. With a Tech 2 it can be check out with your car or another car by plugging it into the existing circuit and check for center. On rare occasions, some have reported using electronic cleaner to clean the SWPS while on the car, it did not work for me.

 

I’m watching this thread with some interest. My ‘98 will display Service Vehicle Soon and I just hit reset on the dash. Nothing else feels or acts differently. When I look it up in the codes it shows C1281. The description for that code is “Steering sensor uncorrelated malfunction”. Since that part is no longer in production what the hell options are out there? Putting a used part in is just stupid IMO. What could uncorrelated malfunction actually mean. My cruise control is not working either, but I could care less about that. Car only has 46K on it.

 

My CC didn't work either - I took out the 3 switches attached to clutch/brake - opened them up - used a nail file to roughen the contacts - shot them with electrical contact cleaner - put them back and my CC has worked fine ever since. Warning - if you open up those switches have them in a towel or something - they are spring-loaded and bits will go flying

 

Thanks for the tip. Any correlation to the steering sensor you are aware of. I will try that and report back.

 

Can some one confirm 97-98 C5 SWPS is specific to those two years?

 

Yes the SWSPS is part number specific for the 1997 and 1998 model years Part Number 26055808
The Model Year 1999 and 2000 model years use P/N 26058286



Cheers,
Goose

 

Has anyone found any workaround to this? Let's look at a hypothetical situation in states that require annual inspections.
Let's say there are 30,000 C5 owners in a big annual inspection state. NOT every C5 owner MUST have active handling. However, every C5 owner MUST pass inspection. That said, how about pulling the light bulb that illuminates the yellow, skidding C5 on the dash. Or, maybe better yet, seek out a REALLY GOOD tuner that can tune out the AH from the BCM. Or find an earlier BCM from a non AH C5? I know the VIN must match on the PCM and BCM, so they can communicate with each other. Ive also seen tuners change vin#s on a BCM to match an existing PCM, or vice versa. That way there are no more chiming sounds and messages from the DIC, so when the C5 is inspected, it behaves like it never had the option, and if the the inspector asks about AH, you could ask him "what's active handling"? Believe me, if a new OEM SWPS was available, I'd be in line to get one, and I don't condone lying. But I also don't condone out of control government telling me I can't drive my car anymore because some option I've never needed in the first place is no longer functional. I believe AH was an option until MY 2000. Could this be a workable situation?

 

What's the difference between a car that has active handleing and one that doesn't? Is there a module the sensor connects to that could be removed?

 

Changing the BCM is not a solution.
#1. The BCM doesn't tell the cluster to illuminate the light, the EBTCM module talks to the cluster directly.
#2 Even non AH cars has TC and ABS and they illuminate lights too when there is a malfunction.

 

Do you know if all C5s have a SWPS, even if they do not have AH? Reason I ask is another forum member has told me that ALL C5s have the SWPS, even cars that don't have AH. Just trying to verify. If true, it would obviously increase the pool of used sensors. Thank you.