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Stock head unit randomly powers off.

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Old May 25, 2015 | 01:58 PM
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Default Stock head unit randomly powers off.

I'm not to concerned about the head unit as I'm in process of replacing it anyway but basically it will randomly shut off, clock dies, no sound, ect. I at first thought it was the head unit itself just because its very old but I wanted to get second opinions because if there's a wiring issue that may be present that may be an issue for my new head unit.

When it powers off, and it comes back, I don't lose my time, I dont have to reset the clock, so its getting power from somewhere to retain that memory which is why I dont think its a bad connection and just a head unit issue, does anyone say differently?

If I need to check the wiring, is there any diagram I can find showing how the stereo wires and run?
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Old May 25, 2015 | 02:14 PM
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next time it does it see if your power windows stop working while it's happening.

there are a series of solder joints on the BCM that are known to crack and cause the headunit to randomly cut off and on, sometimes for a few seconds sometimes for several minutes and most of the time the power windows also stop working while the radio is out.
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Old May 25, 2015 | 05:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Daniel Richards
next time it does it see if your power windows stop working while it's happening.

there are a series of solder joints on the BCM that are known to crack and cause the headunit to randomly cut off and on, sometimes for a few seconds sometimes for several minutes and most of the time the power windows also stop working while the radio is out.
I will check. Will those solder joints also cause the Head Unit to lose its time? Because it retains all clock info.

Edit: Also I should ask just incase - where is the BCM and solder joint located on this car?

Re Edit: I figured it out:
& https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...blems-fix.html

I'll just go ahead and do this anyway, will probably take all of 2 hours and will add some insurance..

Another thing I'd like to note is that my Security light is ALWAYS on. Bought it this way but it hasnt prevented me from starting the car. Any idea whats causing that?

Last edited by Need4Camaro; May 25, 2015 at 05:40 PM.
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Old May 25, 2015 | 05:54 PM
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just an FYI, the solder joints control the RAP, which is basically the switched input, not the constant power from the battery that retains the clock and CD memory.
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Old May 25, 2015 | 06:44 PM
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Originally Posted by Daniel Richards
just an FYI, the solder joints control the RAP, which is basically the switched input, not the constant power from the battery that retains the clock and CD memory.
Oh. then yeah Im about 90% sure this is my issue.

I'm thinking of taking a risk and attempting to fix it tonight.
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Old May 25, 2015 | 08:31 PM
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Originally Posted by Need4Camaro
Oh. then yeah Im about 90% sure this is my issue.

I'm thinking of taking a risk and attempting to fix it tonight.
I'm about 99.999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% sure it's your issue, when mine first started doing it only the radio would cut off and only for a few seconds eventually it got worse and the windows started doing it too so I finally got in there and did it and all the problems went away.

Last edited by Daniel Richards; Jun 1, 2015 at 08:39 PM.
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Old Jun 1, 2015 | 02:03 AM
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I want to shoot myself right now. I did this fix and now my coolant gauge no longer works and my HVAC controls no longer lights up at night. I guess I need a new BCM now.

Just wondering. replacing the BCM... Will it require that my car get a new ignition switch for a new key for VATS or what?
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Old Jun 1, 2015 | 07:36 PM
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Considering that the BCM has nothing to do with either the coolant gauge or the HVAC lighting, I think replacing the BCM would be rather pointless.
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Old Jun 1, 2015 | 09:34 PM
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Originally Posted by WhiteBird00
Considering that the BCM has nothing to do with either the coolant gauge or the HVAC lighting, I think replacing the BCM would be rather pointless.
Yeah but its odd that it stopped working right after I did that fix. Now whats even odder is that on my way to work this morning, about 50 miles down the highway .. my coolant gauge just sprung to life like nothing ever happened and has been working for the remainder of the day.. What happened?
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Old Jun 1, 2015 | 11:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Need4Camaro
Yeah but its odd that it stopped working right after I did that fix. Now whats even odder is that on my way to work this morning, about 50 miles down the highway .. my coolant gauge just sprung to life like nothing ever happened and has been working for the remainder of the day.. What happened?
things sometimes happen, it's pure chance, like I had my firebird up on jack stands for 3 days replacing the steering rack (ran into lots of issues and everytime i did the parts stores where already closed) and when I finally got it back on the ground I fire it up and it stalls out on me and ends up being a dead fuel pump.
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Old Jun 3, 2015 | 07:38 AM
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Originally Posted by Daniel Richards
things sometimes happen, it's pure chance, like I had my firebird up on jack stands for 3 days replacing the steering rack (ran into lots of issues and everytime i did the parts stores where already closed) and when I finally got it back on the ground I fire it up and it stalls out on me and ends up being a dead fuel pump.
I ended up replacing my entire fuel pump assembly and evap system a few months ago because the charcoal canister went bad and it required dropping the tank so I said replace the fuel pump aswell even though my stock one was working perfectly fine.. I actually noticed a significant gas mileage increase with that aswell. Im getting about 27 on the highway now.
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