Apr 29, 2016, 04:23 PM
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LS1 Body Control Module Problems - The Fix
On The Tree
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 183
Likes: 0
From: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
I have been having the radio and power window problems for some time. I pulled my BCM board and the bottom connection of the "T" was the coldest solder joint I have ever seen. I resoldered all five of the joints on the "T" by heating them up and flowning some additional solder on them. I decided to plug the board into the harness before reassembling the whole thing to check if the fix worked. My radio and power windows worked just fine. Unfortunately my ignition won't work. Not a click or a buzz or anything. Could it be that it is not installed and not properly grounded? It is kaput. Help from one of you BCM wizzards, please. I'm trying to sell this car but it doesn't show so well if I can't start it.
Next day: I talked to a couple of local shops and they opined that the starting problem wasn't in the BCM circuit and that they would have to trouble shoot the starting problem separately. They said they wanted the BCM back in the car, so I went out in the driveway this morning and I re-installed the BCM board into it's bracket and plugged everything back in and tried to start the car. Bingo! It cranked right up and ran like a charm. For inexplicable reasons it didn't seem to like being out of its cozy little bracket when I tried to start it yesterday. Could it have been some sort of weird grounding issue or is it just that good old electrical "hoodoo that you do so well"? The radio and power window problems seem to be a thing of the past. The fix worked!!!
Next day: I talked to a couple of local shops and they opined that the starting problem wasn't in the BCM circuit and that they would have to trouble shoot the starting problem separately. They said they wanted the BCM back in the car, so I went out in the driveway this morning and I re-installed the BCM board into it's bracket and plugged everything back in and tried to start the car. Bingo! It cranked right up and ran like a charm. For inexplicable reasons it didn't seem to like being out of its cozy little bracket when I tried to start it yesterday. Could it have been some sort of weird grounding issue or is it just that good old electrical "hoodoo that you do so well"? The radio and power window problems seem to be a thing of the past. The fix worked!!!
Last edited by ragtop69; Apr 8, 2013 at 05:54 PM.
Thanks, guys! I've dealt with this for a few years, but hadn't bothered toinvestigate the cause or fix. I'll have to get a soldering iron and try this. Won't solve my stripped passenger window motor, unfortunately, but I might swap/clean out my A/C blower while I'm in there.
Teching In
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: so cal
This thread seems to cover issues my car has. It started a relay clicking that happens every 10 seconds or so, from the glove box area. The door locks no longer work, key fob does not work and when you open and close the door the alarm goes off. From what I am reading, I see there are faulty solder joints that affect some issues, but when the relays click, is that commonly a solder joint or do you need to replace the relay? In that case I will probably replace the BCM. thank you for your reply.
Teching In
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: so cal
It was listed many pages back, 9353691. I ordered one this morning from gmpartsdirect. I am going to take mine apart in and see if it can be fixed, otherwise I will replace wit the new one. Make sure it is the one you need as it is not returnable, if you go to their site you can do a search of your particular model to verify.
Good Luck.
Good Luck.
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,328
Likes: 344
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
Amazon also carries the same part. The prices are very similar but gmpartsdirect has a reputation for charging inflated shipping and handling so Amazon might end up being cheaper overall.
Teching In
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: so cal
I ended up paying about $201 with shipping and handling. The dealer wanted the full retail price of 340 for the part plus diagnosis and installation, somewhere in the range of 600 to 900... With all the detail from this thread I had it out with no issues in under 15 mins. I had one questionable solder joint which I fixed, but did not solve my problem ( door locks did not work, alarm sounding and relay clicking). From reading this entire thread, when the relays keep clicking, it is my guess one of the relays is bad and you need more than the solder fix. Anyway, when the new one comes I will pop it in and hope all my issues are gone. I have many older cars (pre computer) and I really don't see this car lasting 50 years, my guess is the electronics will constantly fail and it will be harder and harder to get the parts as time goes on.
Thanks again for all the input.
Thanks again for all the input.
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Any of you guys have tips on getting enough slack on the wiring in a 99 T/A to get room to splice some wires for DRL mods. I know where it is, how to get to it, and which wires I need but there seems to be a lot of tension on the harness and plugs. So much that I am worried that is I pull hard enough to get the BCM off of it's mount to move it around that I will mess something up. It is really tight in there! I'm trying to go through the radio area.
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,328
Likes: 344
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
Any of you guys have tips on getting enough slack on the wiring in a 99 T/A to get room to splice some wires for DRL mods. I know where it is, how to get to it, and which wires I need but there seems to be a lot of tension on the harness and plugs. So much that I am worried that is I pull hard enough to get the BCM off of it's mount to move it around that I will mess something up. It is really tight in there! I'm trying to go through the radio area.
Sorry, that post is confusing because the BCM has nothing to do with DRLs. What exactly are you trying to do? And perhaps you could start a new thread since it is unrelated to this thread. Or a search of the Stereo & Electronics section for "DRL" will get you lots of information about the DRL module and modifications.
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,328
Likes: 344
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
A search in the Stereo & Electronics section for "disable DRL" brought up dozens of threads.
I think this is what you're looking for:
Here is the thread: https://ls1tech.com/forums/stereo-el...ic-lights.html
BTW, the DRL/turn signal bulbs are not halogen, they're just ordinary incandescent 3157 bulbs. But they do generate a lot of heat in the enclosed space of that housing. An alternative is to replace them with 3157 LED bulbs. You'll have to either add load resistors or get an electronic turn signal flasher (so that they will flash properly) but the heat will be significantly reduced so that your sockets won't get damaged.
I think this is what you're looking for:
Originally Posted by WhiteBird00
There have been several hacks that people use to disable DRLs. Most of them have unwanted side effects. For example, some suggest unplugging the DRL module. This disables DRLs but also disables the automatic headlights, disables the brake warning light on the dash, and prevents the remote hatch release from working (on M6 cars).
The only way to disable DRLs without any side effects is to bypass the DRL module. The DRL module is a black box about the size of a pack of cigarettes mounted to the ductwork behind the radio. It has two connectors - an 8-pin black and an 8-pin blue. In the black connector you will find pairs of blue wires. The light blue with white is the left signal input from the T/S switch and the plain light blue is the DRL & T/S output to the left front light. Similarly, the dark blue with white is input for the right side and the plain dark blue is output to the right front light. You can't just disconnect them because you would lose turn signals. You need to cut (or remove from the connector) those four wires and connect the pairs together - light blue with white to light blue and dark blue with white to dark blue. This will retain the turn signal function and all other functions of the DRL module but eliminate the DRLs themselves.
This same bypass has been proposed by opening the DRL module then cuttting and soldering the traces inside. It achieves the same result but I prefer external, reversible modifications because they are easier to troubleshoot down the road.
The only way to disable DRLs without any side effects is to bypass the DRL module. The DRL module is a black box about the size of a pack of cigarettes mounted to the ductwork behind the radio. It has two connectors - an 8-pin black and an 8-pin blue. In the black connector you will find pairs of blue wires. The light blue with white is the left signal input from the T/S switch and the plain light blue is the DRL & T/S output to the left front light. Similarly, the dark blue with white is input for the right side and the plain dark blue is output to the right front light. You can't just disconnect them because you would lose turn signals. You need to cut (or remove from the connector) those four wires and connect the pairs together - light blue with white to light blue and dark blue with white to dark blue. This will retain the turn signal function and all other functions of the DRL module but eliminate the DRLs themselves.
This same bypass has been proposed by opening the DRL module then cuttting and soldering the traces inside. It achieves the same result but I prefer external, reversible modifications because they are easier to troubleshoot down the road.
BTW, the DRL/turn signal bulbs are not halogen, they're just ordinary incandescent 3157 bulbs. But they do generate a lot of heat in the enclosed space of that housing. An alternative is to replace them with 3157 LED bulbs. You'll have to either add load resistors or get an electronic turn signal flasher (so that they will flash properly) but the heat will be significantly reduced so that your sockets won't get damaged.
A search in the Stereo & Electronics section for "disable DRL" brought up dozens of threads.
I think this is what you're looking for:
Here is the thread: https://ls1tech.com/forums/stereo-el...ic-lights.html
BTW, the DRL/turn signal bulbs are not halogen, they're just ordinary incandescent 3157 bulbs. But they do generate a lot of heat in the enclosed space of that housing. An alternative is to replace them with 3157 LED bulbs. You'll have to either add load resistors or get an electronic turn signal flasher (so that they will flash properly) but the heat will be significantly reduced so that your sockets won't get damaged.
I think this is what you're looking for:
Here is the thread: https://ls1tech.com/forums/stereo-el...ic-lights.html
BTW, the DRL/turn signal bulbs are not halogen, they're just ordinary incandescent 3157 bulbs. But they do generate a lot of heat in the enclosed space of that housing. An alternative is to replace them with 3157 LED bulbs. You'll have to either add load resistors or get an electronic turn signal flasher (so that they will flash properly) but the heat will be significantly reduced so that your sockets won't get damaged.
And in my Camaro I just replaced the factory bulbs with LEDs from SuperBrightLEDs dot com and they worked just like factory(didn't flash any faster or slower). I didn't need any load resisters or an E-Flasher.
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 6,216
Likes: 236
From: Wichita KS / Rancho San Diego
I'm here in San Diego and as of yesterday, the cooling fans on my son's Firebird won't shut off after the car is turned off. He's also having the radio/window BCM issue. I doubt the fans have any tie-in to the BCM. Can anyone confirm that?
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,328
Likes: 344
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
The fans are not connected to the BCM in any way. They are powered by three relays in Junction Box #1 under the hood that are controlled by the PCM. Chances are that one or more of the relays has gone bad and is stuck in the closed position.
Teching In
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
From: Long Island, New York
I started a thread about my issue but figured I ask in here. I was having the radio/window punch the dash and it worked issue so I did the BCM fix. Everything worked. Now my drivers side window intermittently won't roll down. Some days it does. Some days it doesn't. So far when I do catch it on a day it rolls down, as long as I don't roll it all the way up it will continue working. When it works it works great and moves fast. Does this sound like I should resolder the BCM or like the window motor or regulator are on their way out?