Ok everyone about 3 weeks ago I jumped in my car pressed in the clutch pressed the start button. Gauges did their thing and the car did nothing. Did not even try to turn over. The battery in the car is about 10 moths old. I then hooked up my daily driver to the car for about 10 minutes and still the car would not turn over. Battery was not the issue.

I jumped on the forum and poked around and I saw a few threads related to the sterring wheel column lock issues that benefitted form disconnecting the battery for a couple minutes then restarting the car. Then the car fired up without fail. Needless to say this has happened a few more times in the last couple weeks. Each time the car gave no messages just simply would not start. All the steering column issues I have seen have displayed the message on the dash.

I decided to rule out the battery woes and bought a charger to keep on it when its parked just to see if it acts different. I am assuming with the car being a 2005 I am just now starting to see the column lock issue that should be recalled by GM. I know there are many other 05 owners out there with this heartburn, but have any of you successfully fixed this issue? Any advice, parts list, etc would be appreciated.

 

If you're handy, a member recently figured out a DIY bypass for the lock. My eyes crossed trying to understand it but you might benefit.

Link to instructions in post #19 and a couple follow-up questions after that. Good luck.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-t...ft-design.html

 

Sometimes you don't even need to disconnect the battery, just jiggling the steering wheel can reset the lock and the car will start.

But I will bet that a new steering column is in your, and eventually ALL '05 MN6's future.

The gizmo has a nylon gear that just looks like it will loosen, jamb and fail with time.

I found a replacement on the internet for $315 and total install was around $600. I forget where I ordered it though.

 

hmmm. This is interesting. I think I would prefer to get my arms around what parts and labor are involved to just get this issue fixed instead of bypassed.

 

Yeah I tried the "jiggling" technique, but can only get the battery disconnection to work.

I am kind of unclear what exactly should be replaced though. Is it just the locking mechanism? I have seen threads where it's the SCL and some "module" and some that are just the SCL.

Did you get the dealership to install it and just supply parts?

 

This is what usually gets replaced.


http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...ck-2005-a.html

 

excellent. Thank you. I will see if I can dig up the part numbers.

This issue seems extremely mis-managed by GM. This should clearly be recalled for every 2005 on the planet.

 

That's the part and my dealer installed it for me. They originally quoted me $1000 for the parts and install.

The steering lock was a Federal Mandate that I'm sure GM didn't want, but they got stuck and came with another lame fix. When you look into the guts of the part, there is a nylon gear that just looks like it won't last. I don't think it will be recalled, but I would hope for an extended good will warranty. It is destined to fail with enough cycles, and my car might have the most. 7 years old daily driver. 3 short trips almost every day.

 

What is strange is the column lock seems to be working ok. When I park the car the steering wheel locks. When I get in the car to start it the column unlocks. It sounds ok, does NOT give me any message in the DIC and then just doesnt start. Has everyone that had this issue gotten the "service column lock" message in the DIC?

 

As I recall on those occasions where I couldn't start the car the steering lock had not locked, or disengaged itself. So if I got in the car and the steering wheel was loose - no go!

 

Yeah I thought to myself that this was my symptoms as well. If the wheel was already loose when I got in it then I knew it wasn't going to start. However I have been checking it each time I get in to start and yesterday it was still locked, then disengaged itself when I hit the start button. Then the gauges did their thing but the car did nothing.

Hoonose did you just supply parts, and get yours replaced at a dealership?

 

Yours is def acting differently than mine.
I supplied the parts and the dealer installed them for me.

 

My 2005 Z51 has been at the dealer for approx 1 1/2 weeks. I drove it to work one day, when time to leave I hit the button and nothing. Guages worked but no starter activation. Dealer has finally decided that it is the ECM and has replaced that part. However, now he says they are afraid to test drive it because the engine is making a strange noise. To say that I'm concerned at this point is an understatement. To the dealer's credit, they at least got me a rental car to use while my car is being repaired.

 

Wow this is not a feel good story. What made the dealership decide the ECM is bad? Did they even look into the SCL issue on it? That is a pretty big commitment to just change out the ECM. The engine is probably making a funny noise because the tune in the new ECM isn't correct.

Man stories like this scare the hell out of me.

 

BillH2121,
I'm sorry to hear you've been without your car for so long. Let us know how everything works out.

Chevrolet Customer Service,
Justin

 

Having the car come back from the dealer with more problems then it had going in is hard to stomach.
Good luck with yours.

 

Just spoke with the service advisor and found out the following info:

Time was lost on my car when they installed a new ECM and that didn't solve the problem. At that point, they felt they needed to do a "wire by wire" search for the problem. What they didn't know was that the new ECM was defective. A second ECM solved the start problem.

The "noise" they are hearing is a "clunk" when the button is pushed that they believe is starter related and not an "engine noise" as reported to me by my wife when she spoke to the service people yesterday (why was my wife speaking to the service people you ask?? - I've been stuck in court for the last week and couldn't talk to them during the day).

Again, the purpose of my response is not in any way to bad-mouth the dealership. I have dealt with them in the past and I don't have any complaints. No one wants their car, especially when its a DD, to be out of commission for a long stretch, but I realize things happen out of the control of service advisors, mechanics, etc.

I feel much better now that I've been told the noise isn't engine related - advisor said that once the car starts, it runs fine. Hopefully, I'll get my car back in the next day or so.

 

BillH2121,
I'm glad to hear that they finally figured it all out. Let us know how everything works out.

Chevrolet Customer Service,
Justin

 

Get into your car, DO NOT push in the clutch, push the top of the ignition switch as if to start your car, and you'll see the same response that you are getting.

So.....I'd say either you aren't pushing the clutch all the way in to activate the clutch pedal sensor switch, or that switch may be failing.

I dunno bout the column lock!!

Bob

 

Thanks Bob.

Clutch is definitely getting pressed in all the way. I suppose it's possible that it's the pedal sensor. Never thought of that. Not sure why a battery disconnect would remedy the issue though.

I am starting to think it might be something other than the SCL because it has never given me that message on the DIC.

I will keep an eye on it. I bought a battery tender just to keep on it and it fired right up yesterday.

Stay tuned.

Tim