aerojt

iTrader: (4)

Well I'm waiting for the call to see what is going on with my car.

The "ASR Off" light has been on for years and I'm finally ready to pay somebody to look through the system. I've checked almost everything that I know to, so maybe the dealership can tell me some good news.

Fingers crossed...

I still have ABS, Cruise, and the car runs great. I'm really hoping for a frayed wire or bad wheel speed sensor. I'll report back for the record.

-JT

aerojt

iTrader: (4)

Well after working on it off and on yesterday, they found out it has a C0238 fault code.

From what I have gathered over the years, the system always runs a test when you start the car. So the issue has basically been there for like 4 years.

I took it back in today and the plan is they are going to check wires/pins with an ohm meter and see what is what. No clue what they are going to find, I"m really hoping it is something stupid like a broken wire, speed sensor, or something like that.

aerojt

iTrader: (4)

Well apparently the EBCM is what the problem is.

The dealership says they can get it but the price is $1081... What I'm curious about is this a 1998 Camaro only part, or will a 99-02 unit work as well.

Also, is this just the black plastic part that is bolted to the big metal brake line junction near the front driver side of the engine? Just trying to get an idea what to look for and what to change out. I really think I can mess with this for less than $1k and figure it out with used parts or something else. From what I can gather these are not serviceable and just need replaced.

demonspeed

iTrader: (7)

Yikes... moving to maintenance and repairs section in hopes someone might provide some help!

chrysler kid

iTrader: (14)

It is 1998 specific.

Do not replace the bcm as it is not the primary fault in the system. The bcm being fault would mean your car would not start and keyless entry wouldn't work

I would check your sensors on the rear end and replace any corroded ones.

The only 1998 vehicle I would pay $1k to fix an arbitrary traction control system on would be a 1998 ws6 formula 1le and they didn't even come with them. To pay 1k for something you turn off seems rediculous

The black canister next to the big silver one is the TCS asr module. If the system or bcm was faulty your cruise control would not work. On the 98 cars there are two throttle cables and the one coming out of the box is for cruise control

So if your cruise works there is a fault in the computer measuring the rear wheel speed to apply brakes for the traction control

The big black think you are referencing is the abs block for your brakes. The TCS asr module is a black canister behind the battery. None of my 1998 cars ever had traction control I believe they only came on Ss cars

demonspeed

iTrader: (7)

This is a good point. I'd consider just having it tuned out. You could likely just pick up a throttle cable setup from a non-ASR/TCS car so as to junk that motor and extra cable from the passenger strut tower.

jsteele90

iTrader: (13)

yep just ditch the asr/tcs bs. get a cable from a non asr/tcs Fbody. saves weight and looks better.

chrysler kid

iTrader: (14)

Yeah just checked and none of my 98 cars had asr or TCS. Make sure your foglights work, you might have plugged in your TCS wiring into the fog light switch which would also throw that code

aerojt

iTrader: (4)

Thanks for the insight. Not to worry, I'm not spending $1k on this, I agree on not needing it, turning it off all the time, etc.

The dealership gave me the printout of the procedure they followed and it was fairly lengthy. Came down to a fault in the EBCM, which from what I found is a Bosch 5.3 model.

I found a few companys online that rebuild these and fix the manufacturing issues that occur due to heat and vibration. I'm going to try this route first, it is pretty cheap and the guy I found who does it is very knowledgeable. I'll report back his findings soon.. Thanks again for the info!

aerojt

iTrader: (4)

Those two plugs don't interchange behind there. My fog lights work and the asr light on the switch is off..

chrysler kid

iTrader: (14)

Maybe you should turn the asr switch to on then?

Why did you post on this forum if you were going to do what the dealer told you?

aerojt

iTrader: (4)

haha - thanks.
The switch is spring loaded, not really an on/off type switch like the fog lights are. Just fyi..

I didn't post here for advice this time, I did in the past and found nobody really had a solution. I have seen other posts though where people had the same light on their dashboard, so I figured I'd offer what I have gone through just in case they need the assistance like I did in the past.

Technically not really doing what the dealer wants anyways. They are wanting to replace the module with a new GM unit for $1,000, charge $189 for labor and another $89 for a brake bleed. I am going to send mine away to one of the many websites that repairs the units for around $99. The dealership was basically used to diagnose the problem so now hopefully I should be able to remedy the issue on my own.

If you are somebody though who would like the unit replaced and not just repaired, Amazon has it for much cheaper than dealership list price, like most of their AC Delco parts. Here is the link for anybody else: