Steering Column Lock - Solution???

[harlyman]

Well as soon as I did what I wrote, I never had an other issue. It would be the worst thing to get stuck in some parking lot somewhere with this prob. I was lucky it happened in my driveway. Let me know how you make out.

 

[Red Vette]

Actually there were two recalls for the column lock. On my 02 coupe, had the first one done, then 6 months later it locked up in the garage. Towed to Chevy dealer (40 miles from house) and they did the second recall. GM picked up both the tow fee ($180) and the repair. Soon as I got it home, called Corvettes of Houston, got the CLB from them and installed it immediately. Have not had a problem since (knock on wood). One of the corvette magazines said that if you have a C5 susceptible to the column lock issue, you are in one of three catagories: The column lock issue has occurred, the column lock issue will occur, or three, you installed the CLB device. Apparently the fuel cut off is also taken care of with the CLB. I know my battery was okay when the column locked up and it was okay 4 years later when C4C5 specialist tested it at Fun Fest, so the problem occurs even with a good battery.
Barrett

 

[cactuseater]

Yep. I agree! My CCA is a brand new 875. At 30 degrees F is 700. Voltage is 14+ Intermittently I get the lockout. Makes me nuts. The starter on these things draws a bunch of power from the battery, and if the voltage is low to begin with you're hosed until you can get to a charger. Can;t wait to get the CLB - just ordered it today should be here this week I am amazed that GM does not fix this problem. Then again, it's no surprise. The Chevy dealer ran my VIN and showed no recalls on my car OR all had been performed. A sticker on my left fender well under the hood shows the original recall on this being completed years ago. Talk to you all after the install!

 

[cactuseater]

It worked! Funny thing is the morning I was going to do the install I got the column lock again. This put it to the test. Installed the module as per instructions from Corvettes of Houston and it's been trouble free now for three days....the max it's gone with out the snafu has been 4 days. So I'll wait a week or two just to make sure.


Also replaced the "new" battery I bought by returning it for a refund and buying an Optima Red Top, went with a 35 rather than a 25 for more CCA's. Fits perfectly. Hopefully this is the end of being scared to turn off the car when more than a mile from home.

 

[c4c5specialist]

HI there,
GM wont fix the problem????

Seriously, out of over 400 c5 that I have repaired, 9 have come back for an issue with the relay package. 29 came back with battery problems. Over 300 had battery issues to begin with.

Lets be very clear, I have been taught how the system works, I know what it takes to make this system work or fail and GM DID FIX THE PROBLEM.

Its just unfortunate that so many people think they didnt.

Sheesh, I fixed 7 at Funfest last year, JUST by replacing batteries.

Allthebest, c4c5

 

[Red Vette]

Paul, I see that you are on-line and hopefully you can answer a question fairly soon. I am checking my Column Lock (no problem yet) on my 2002. The connector has white, purple green and black wires on the BCM side of the connector and orange, green, black and purple on the steering column side of the connector. From what I have read, this means that GM installed a relay under the BCM, but did not install the K harness. I assume that if I by-pass it, then install the Column By-Pass unit from Corvettes of Houston, I should be okay. However, you suggest not to install the by-pass unit. Because you know what you are talking about, should I assume that the GM fix is working correctly? I would hate to have the Column Lock issue occur sometime when I am in a remote area of the Colorado (or anyplace else). The battery currently is a Duralast 75 DLG with 875 amps CCA at 32 degrees F and 700 amps CCA. This may the wrong battery for this car. The solution is to keep the GM fix in the car, and istall the correct battery (Delco?). I am concerned because the K harness may not have been installed by GM, just the relay. What are your thoughts. I have the dash kick panel off, waiting for your advice.
Barrett

 

[cactuseater]

Well, it's March 6th and my steering column lock problem is GONE - thanks to Corvettes of Houston and the module I installed. Installation was about 20 minutes. Piece of cake, and a great product that solved a miserable problem. And my Vette had the so-called recall fixes completed. GM should be installing these, IMHO. I was getting this with a brand new 800 CCA battery as well. The way I look at it, if this has not happened to you yet, it will. COH has sold thousands of these things and I was skeptical at first as well, but it's been over 2 weeks and I am extremely happy this disabling and embarrassing problem is rectified.

 

[gonetobama13]

I have an 04 Vette along with a good extended warranty. So, when I got the message "Service Column Lock", I took it in to my local Chevy dealership. They diagnosed it as an internal failure in lock and replaced the steering column lock actuator. Now, one month later, I'm getting the same message. Although my battery is original equipment, they made no mention of this being the possible culprit. So, should I take my car back to the dealership and see if I need another actuator, or should I just go to my local Auto Zone and buy a battery? Which brings me to my next question - Optima or Auto Zone battery?

Thanks in advance.

John K.

 

[cactuseater]

I have an 04 Vette along with a good extended warranty. So, when I got the message "Service Column Lock", I took it in to my local Chevy dealership. They diagnosed it as an internal failure in lock and replaced the steering column lock actuator. Now, one month later, I'm getting the same message. Although my battery is original equipment, they made no mention of this being the possible culprit. So, should I take my car back to the dealership and see if I need another actuator, or should I just go to my local Auto Zone and buy a battery? Which brings me to my next question - Optima or Auto Zone battery?

Thanks in advance.

John K.

John:

Grab the Optima Red Top. I went with one group higher (35) for an extra 100 CCA. Also invest in the CLB from Corvette's of Houston and you'll never have to worry about being stuck somewhere again. It's been 5 weeks and 1100 miles since installation in my 2002 Z06 with no column lock problems again.

Best Regards....

Barry in AZ

 

[C5Volzfan]

I hate for my first post here to be a question, but that's what brought me to find this forum, so it's as good as any place to start.

I've had a '98 A4 since last June. Nice, well maintained, garage kept, low mileage, you know the story........our dream car. Once we found it and bought it, several folks, and I admit some on some of the forums, suggested that I install a CLB "just to be safe". I had no problems at the time, and the previous owner had not mentioned any. I purchased the CLB after driving the car about 4 months with no issues, and installed it. When I installed it, I found the recall "K harness", tie wrapped to the steering column. It WAS NOT connected. I removed it, and installed the CLB as instructions told me to do. I should add that the column did not lock, before, or after the CLB. Immediately after installing the CLB, I got the "Pull key, wait 10 seconds" message, with the fuel shutoff. I pulled the fuses, per the instructions, and it cleared it......at that time. But ever since, about once every 10 starts or so, I get that same message, with the fuel shutoff. I have never gotten the "Service Column Lock" message, ever......before or after the CLB.

I have cleaned the pellets on the keys........both keys I have.
I have changed the battery to an Optima Red Top.
I have found and cleaned the grounds in the footwells, and even ran a new, dedicated ground wire from the passenger footwell to the battery.
I am considering removing the CLB and hooking the wires back up as I found them before I installed the CLB, and see if it changes......but I am worried that I may end up stranded, or worse.

I still have the problem. It never fails to reset and start, but it is annoying, and unnerving to say the least. Can someone please tell me that this can be fixed? I have read pages and pages of posts on other forums.......on one seems to really have an answer. It looks like "C4C5specialist" has a handle on this. Please help me enjoy my dream car once again without this hanging over my head.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[c4c5specialist]

HI there,

Please post any diagnostic trouble codes in the IPC or the BCM or the PCM.

What is your battery terminals torqued to ????

Yes, I would remove the CLB and reconnect the ACTUATOR, NOT the harness with relay.

Allthebest, c4c5

 

[C5Volzfan]

Thanks for the quick response. I just checked the codes, and there are none, either IPC, PCM, or BCM. All read "no codes".

I do not have a torque wrench that I can get to the battery termimals, but they are tight.......I didn't wring them off, but they are tight.

Is removing the CLB the right thing to do? It seems to me it would be, since there were no problems before.

Thanks again for your help. Maybe this time I'm getting the right advice.

John

 

[c4c5specialist]

HI there,

MOST DEFINATELY REMOVE THE CLB.

Plug in the actuator and then reevaluate the concern.

REMEMBER THAT THE ONLY WAY TO CLEAR SERVICE COLUMN LOCK, is to disconnect the negative battery terminal for 3 mins and then reconnect.

if the fault is still there, the message will come back.

Allthebest, c4c5

 

[Toms007]

Paul, I certainly hope that you are going to talk about this issue at length at CruiseFest. I plan on video taping your presentation so we can share it, maybe on Vettetube. It should help quite a number of people.

 

[C5Volzfan]

HI there,

MOST DEFINATELY REMOVE THE CLB.

Plug in the actuator and then reevaluate the concern.

REMEMBER THAT THE ONLY WAY TO CLEAR SERVICE COLUMN LOCK, is to disconnect the negative battery terminal for 3 mins and then reconnect.

if the fault is still there, the message will come back.

Allthebest, c4c5

Thanks so much. I did just that this afternoon. We've been out since, and so far so good.......but I know that it will be a little while before I really can tell if it's made a change. I am very confident that this is THE fix............thanks so much. It even seemed to drive better tonight!

 

[c4c5specialist]

We will be covering steering column lock IN DEPTH at Cruisefest.

Allthebest, c4c5

 

[C5Volzfan]

HI there,

MOST DEFINATELY REMOVE THE CLB.

Plug in the actuator and then reevaluate the concern.

REMEMBER THAT THE ONLY WAY TO CLEAR SERVICE COLUMN LOCK, is to disconnect the negative battery terminal for 3 mins and then reconnect.

if the fault is still there, the message will come back.

Allthebest, c4c5

So far, so good. No issues all week, and we're heading out to Maggie Valley (Vettes in the Valley) later this morning, so there will be plenty of starts/stops the next few days. Based on recent history, if nothing happens during that period, then my mind will be eased significantly! Thanks again!

 

[cactuseater]

CLB Working Great!

Back again for another quick review on the Corvettes of Houston CLB. Installed and running with no issues - installation was back in February 2010. I got the lock up's all the time previous to installing the CLB. So far, not one since installation of that and the Optima Red Top. IU stop in again at the end of summer to let everyone know if it's still working properly.

 

[Toms007]

cactuseater....I just hope that you continue to not have problems. It is my understanding that by installing the CLB can cause problems with the BCM down the road? Have you watched the videos I took at our last CruiseFest, Early in June? C4C5specialists (Paul) explains, thoroughly, the causes and fixes.

Just a thought.

Link to videos in the first post here

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com...rformance/122487-c5-column-lock-debunked.html

 

[Rcurry23]

I am still having a problem with the steering lock. I just replaced the battery that was in my car when I bought it. It did not have the 120 Reserve that c4c5 reccomended. I put in an Interstate MT-78 which has 700cca and 120 reserve. The column lock unlocked as soon as I put it in, now two days later it is locked up again and I only hear clicks in the passenger footwell, just like it did the first time with the other battery. Whats going on, should I take the interstate back and get the AC Delco? Any advice? My Vette is locked up in the road in front of my house!!! The DIC only show 12.1 on the Battery and I charged it over night.