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Eliminator fitted last night and lock pin assembly physically removed!
Car fired up first time and has been through 6 or 7 ignition on/off cycles so far without fault or hesitation. I hope it will give me no problems in the future but can you send me a part number/supplier of the relay that commonly blows in the SCLCM just in case? I might try and source a couple this side of the pond
The gears actually all appeared to be ok but rotating the worm drive gear and getting the pin to move is very difficult by hand - it then frees up at the end of it's movement.
As I say, mine worked without fail for years in the Nevada heat and then has seized up when brought to England! The only thing I can think is the car was possibly 'baked' in the shipping container on it's 7 week voyage through the Panama canal and this has caused the worm gear to expand thus seizing up the mechanism. It feels like the worm gear is just a bit too big. If you've had one of these in your hand you'll know what I mean.
Post 36 if you want to pull the steering column lock apart to try to resolve it. https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-2005-a-2.html
Hence a quick way to get a headache by seeing the product obsolescence in the part in the first place and what you up against.
As for the SCLCM, next time I pull one apart to repair a cold solder joint/ the relays, will do a write up on it. Hence both on just soldering in a new relay, and just pulling the relay cover itself, to clean the contractor points on the relay itself as well.
Hence you buy a used SCLCM on the cheap if desired (and pray that is not someone one else s problem and why it was pulled in the first place), but you can fix a intermittently failing unit for free most of the time isntead!!!
Bad relay/cold solder joint in the module that the steering column lock/bypass plugs into. The board can can be pulled to resolve that problem for a few dollars if you have electrical trace and soldering skills.
As for that lock module, yes has to be programmed to the car if replaced with another module, while the eliminator or actual steering column lock down line of the lock module does not get programmed to the car instead.
As for the steering column lock on the 05,
Yup, two part problem, being the first that the plastic gears will bind up over time. The second problem, by the time the steering column lock does get power with a fully charged battery, the power to the lock is only around 11 volts. When the battery is drained down slightly, even less voltage, and the problem is the lock is not moving fast enough for the module, and the module will voltage time out before the lock is fully unlock.
The way that the steering column lock works, it has a 12 volt power supply on two of its wires. Power through the wires one way will move the motor to lock the steering, and the power reversed through the same wires via the lock module will reverse the motor the other way (what the module does with it relays).
The second set of wires on the plug are sensor wires is for feed back if the steering lock is fully unlock, or fully locked through a restance reading across these two wires.
So the resitances that the lock module is looking for is 294ohm, or 482 ohms to tell it that the lock is fully one way or fully unlocked the other way instead.
And this is the glitch, since if the module times out on the motor voltage before the steering column is fully locked or unlocked when the gears are binding or the voltage is low, then the resistance across the sensor wires reads resistance instead (meaning that the lock is not fully locked or unlocked), and you get the service message and the car will not start.
Bluntly, if you still want to have the factory steering column lock in the car working, then ditch the plastic gears and have someone cut you some brass or steel ones instead. Playing with the plastic gear is short lived (same as replacing it with a new lock as well), and you will be back in the same boat instead.
Or, just spend the money to install the column lock eliminator instead to take the problematic OEM steering column out of play instead.
FYI, the column lock eliminator is just a latching relay that get switch one way or the other, depending on how the lock module sends voltage , with the needed resistors values on the sensor wires to give the lock module the needed resistance reading to make it think that the steering column is in the locked or unlock position (actual OEM steering column lock is in the unlocked position and unplugged instead).
The latching relay works down to around 9 volts and switches very quickly, so it does not have the weak battery problems on the actual OEM lock.
Hi Dano, I wrote about tis a few weeks ago. After I wrote, the column started actually locking and the car starting. Now today my wife calls saying the car wont start. The column wont lock and when pushes the button the thing just chimes. I can't get to her so I talk her through disconnecting the negative on the battery and reconnect it. BINGO, the F'n ting starts. Is it common for this problem to correct itself for a while then go caput? I think I'll be on AMAZON tonight ordering the bypass
The vet is not that much of a problem child, but a hell of lot of electrical gremlins as the car gets a little older, could have been solved by GM using some dielectric grease on the connector tabs to begin with.
As for the one areas that shocked me more than the others, is the engine bay lower fuse block that is left bone dry during the install instead.
For the most part, most of the connector that my see water are semi water tight with seals to semi protect them, but there a gaping holes in the side of the engine fuse block housing, and sooner or later, you know water is going to find it way to the lower block to reek all kinds of havoc instead.
So a long time again when I had spare time, started to preemptive strike back at the problem isntead, to start pulling connector to clean them/ dielectric greasing when wrenching in any area of the car, so they would not have a corrosion problem long term instead.
And this may seem over kill to some on a car that spends more time on a battery tender most of the year than an electric car plug in charging its batteries, but the first time you have to replace one of the front turn light signal sockets that gets burnt up since it was not greased from the start during install (which helps to dissipate the heat as well), this novel concept does not become just crazy thought instead.
Do you guys know if its common for the steering wheel to be locked, service column wwarning flashing, and when I try to turn the wheel it turns then locks then turns then locks, I can hear wht sounds like a locking mechanism inside sounds like it's sliping and catching then letting go...
I'm hoping you'll say "yeah, order the eliminator and you'lll be all good" ??
Do you guys know if its common for the steering wheel to be locked, service column wwarning flashing, and when I try to turn the wheel it turns then locks then turns then locks, I can hear wht sounds like a locking mechanism inside sounds like it's sliping and catching then letting go...
I'm hoping you'll say "yeah, order the eliminator and you'lll be all good" ??
Thanks!
When you get the "service column lock message" it because the steering lock did not fully unlock and register in the first place.
So yes, the eliminator will solve the problem, since you put the steering lock in the unlocked position to start with, leave it in that position unlocked, and unplugged, and the eliminator is sending the needed values to the steering column lock module to make it think that the defective steering column lock itself is working correctly instead.
The C5's had the steering locks that went south, and it was only the 2005 manual C6 that GM put the steering column lock in, and abandoned it in 2006 and on models since it was such bad design over all to start with.
When you get the "service column lock message" it because the steering lock did not fully unlock and register in the first place.
So yes, the eliminator will solve the problem, since you put the steering lock in the unlocked position to start with, leave it in that position unlocked, and unplugged, and the eliminator is sending the needed values to the steering column lock module to make it think that the defective steering column lock itself is working correctly instead.
The C5's had the steering locks that went south, and it was only the 2005 manual C6 that GM put the steering column lock in, and abandoned it in 2006 and on models since it was such bad design over all to start with.
SO I installed the eliminator and got the car to start but the wheel still locks while rotating, it feels like its broken, I can turn it and about every 30% of the way around it catches and locks up and lets go , spin , repeat. ,
SO I installed the eliminator and got the car to start but the wheel still locks while rotating, it feels like its broken, I can turn it and about every 30% of the way around it catches and locks up and lets go , spin , repeat. ,
ANYONE have help with pulling the pin out ?
Did you get the OEM steering column lock all the way unlocked before you unplugged the OEM lock from the SCL module???
If no, they you may need to jump the unplugged steering column lock connector with 12V to get the OEM steering column lock in the unlocked position now.
On the OEM steering connector plug (the ribbon one), you want to apply 12V to connector pin positions C and D. If the steering column lock fires into the locked position, reverse the wires (positive and negative) to the C and D pins and it will fire into the fully unlocked position instead.
If the steering column lock will only fire about half way into the unlocked position the first time, fire it back and forth between lock and unlock a few times until it fires all the way into the unlock position. Hence firing back and forth/moving the drive gears back and forth will help to loosen up the worm gears for a few min's and this will allow it to fire all the way into the unlocked position to leave it that way in the unlocked position.
Also, make sure that there is no tension on the steering wheel that is holding the lock pin tight in the slot when you are firing the lock via the 12 volts.
It never really went into a state that I would call"unlocked fully" the wheel is able to be turned but only a little bit, like from 12 to 2 before the lock intermittently binds up.
Thanks for the info, i'll hit it with some power and see how it goes. Thanks again!
It never really went into a state that I would call"unlocked fully" the wheel is able to be turned but only a little bit, like from 12 to 2 before the lock intermittently binds up.
Thanks for the info, i'll hit it with some power and see how it goes. Thanks again!
Now worries, and the ideal is to use 12V direct to the connector pins to get the column to unlock.
Hence your getting the pin to retract all they way back in via the 12V voltage, instead of having to dig into the dash to have to do it manually instead (read rip the lock out, then having to rip it it gears out to manualy lower the pin back down via the drive gears instead).
4:00 is the lock pin that you retacting back in, and in the lock state now in the below photo.
Go to post #36 to see the worn worm gears and why it may take a few back and forth firings the motor and gears back and forht until it fully unlocks. And again, just reversing the wires (positive and negitive to pins C and D on the connector) turns the motor from one direction to the other. https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ck-2005-a.html
I ran a jumper from the battery, 12.4v to the pins on the left side if the connector that I unplugged from the scl box I did it both ways, pos to top neg to bottom (the clip of the connector its on the top side, And I couldn't hear any noise, nothing like a little motor, and the wheel is still halfassed locking up.
I read that some cars have the ribbon and some have wires, here's a pic of what mine has. The previous owner is dead so I can't ask him if he ever needed with it but it looks goofy to me. What do you think?
Do you know if theres a way to test to make sure the ribbon and connector are ok?
The feed back sensor wires are green and black, and the motor power wires are the purple and Orange wires.
So the wires you want to run 12v power to are the purple and orange wires.
If you can not get the motor to fire back and forth on these two wires at the connector, un-tape the mess at the ribbon, and double check how the wires where soldered to the ribbon isntead (read may have a broken solder joint and have to touch the 12 volt to the ribbon trace solder points to get the motor to fire instead.
So top right is A, bottom right is B, bottom left is C, and top left is D.
If you look how the connector plugs into the SCL module itself, and think module connector pins, the order make a lot more sense instead.
The feed back sensor wires are green and black, and the motor power wires are the purple and Orange wires.
So the wires you want to run 12v power to are the purple and orange wires.
If you can not get the motor to fire back and forth on these two wires at the connector, un-tape the mess at the ribbon, and double check how the wires where soldered to the ribbon isntead (read may have a broken solder joint and have to touch the 12 volt to the ribbon trace solder points to get the motor to fire instead.
So top right is A, bottom right is B, bottom left is C, and top left is D.
If you look how the connector plugs into the SCL module itself, and think module connector pins, the order make a lot more sense instead.
Thanks for the color confirmation, I was prety sure I was going at th ecorrect wires but not 100% and I didn't want to run power to the wrong ones so I didnt hit the others with the 12v jumper.
I was however running power to the correct pins, I got nothing. I checked to make sure the wires were connected past the connector, they were, but I didnt' \ can't past the tape, into the ribbon. I guess I will take that tape apart, and see if theres something not connected.... Any ideas for where to go after that? Assuming the pins are connected properly to the ribbon and power to the pins still wont fire the lock?
peeled off the tape, jumped directly to the contacts d\c and backwards c\d with 12v ..I got nothing. I thought about pulling the bezel off of around the base of the whel to chase the ribbon but I can see from picstures that the ribbon just goes into a connector into the lock mech. body. I ws thinking maybe I could jump it right there, no dice..
I realy appreciate the help, if you have any mroe ideas I'd really love to hear them.
I'm trying to jump the motor whie the car is in ACC mode, the DIC says "service column lock" I just wanted to confirm this is correct as well. ...Pretty sure it is but I'm not positive about anythign atm..
Car should be off, and you should be trying to jump the steering column lock motor with the connector not plugged into the SCL module.
If you can not get the steering column lock motor to turn via power to either is connector pin, or to the ribbon connector points that the connector wires are soldered into (via removing the tape), then you will have to dig into the steering column.
Again, when you are done and the eliminator plugged into the SCL module, the OEM steering column lock is going to taking out of play, and you just need it into it unlocked position now.
So step one, lets make sure that the eliminator is working. Hence plug it in instead of the OEM connector to the SCL moudle, and try to start the car. The car should start, and you should not get a service column lock messagein the DIC. If you do, disconnect the eliminator, disconnect the other connector to the SCL module (big black box that the eliminator plugs into, and using spray contact cleaner, clean both the modules pins and the connector that plugs into it. Now plug the cars connector back into the module, then plug the eliminator back into the module and start the car again. (again, we want the car to start and shut off without a service steering column lock message in the DIC even through the steering wheel is still in the locked position).
Now on to the actual steering column lock, we need to get in the unlocked position so we can abandon it in place. Un-tape the ribbon to connector wire points on the ribbon, and try to jump the lock motor out at the ribbon connector points for the connector wires. With luck, the problem is just a bad solder joint between the wires and ribbon, and with powder to ribbon points, the motor will fire to unlock.
And again, when you are trying to jump the lock motor unplugged connector at the ribbon solder points to unlock it, make sure that the steering wheel is in a relaxed position, and not the lock rod wedge tight up against the lock cam slots for it to bind the lock motors gears up instead.
If you have no joy of getting the lock motor to turn via power to the ribbon wire solder points (or down farther on the ribbon is it like like it has a break its trace wires), then you will have to pull the dash apart to pull the lock, remove the motor cover on the back of it, and move the lock rod to it unlock position; followed by putting the lock back together, back in the car, and them the steering column back together.
FYI, if you decide to just put in a new steering column lock in since you have the steering column this far apart, your more then welcome to do so, but still use the eliminator!!!! The steering column locks, even when brand new, do not last more than a few years until the gears start to bind up again, and put you back in the same mess.
If you have to pull the steering column apart to manually retract the lock pin since it you can not do so at the ribbon with 12V power, then here you go.
Flip it over, remove the back gear/motor cover, and you can move the rod on gears to the lower position on the center screw gears,
Then put the gear/motor cover back on, and put everything back into the car (with the OEM steering column lock connector not plugged in, but the eliminator plugged into the SCL module instead).
To add, if you list your location, may be one of use local to you to give you a hand with the problem without having to pull the steering column apart, since your really, really don't want to have to pull the steering column apart to have move the lock gear motors by hand!!!
Thank you my friend! I'm about to go after it, not looking forward to it but I guess it could be worse. I have no intention of replacing the lock etc, what I am wondering is if I can stab the pin and push it back out of the way of the plate? grind/cut/drill it off, or the tip off? Once I get to the snap ring that holds the plate on, I'm wondering if I can just get to work on the pin without having to remove that ring, pull the lock housing and take the lock apart ? ?
