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Crazy Electrical issues

Exile

Exile

New member
Hey guys,
Another issue I need help on with this dam car. The story goes like this, from the beginning.... two weeks ago the ABS light started illuminating while driving. Figured it was another wheel speed sensor going out. Sometimes the ABS activates while going around corners. Not too big of an issue, I wasn't too concerned. But then it got cold all the sudden outside (related? idk). Car was fine all day Thursday, drove it to work and back. Thursday night it dropped to 32ºF and snowed a lil. It has also been raining everyday here for the last week (water finally got into something?). Friday I go to start the car for the first time in the evening WITH remote start, it doesn't start; crank, half start-dies,crank and stops. Got in, cranked with key twice and it started. But now the ABS, shift indicator, Low Trac, TCS Off, and radio LCD are blinking mad. I had to use another car, couldnt take a chance on it stalling on me. BUT... To save this from being an essay, I just made a video to show what its doing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oet3uNj2wOE
 


Help would be appreciated, if you guys have any guesses...

Gonna call the shop that installed the remote/alarm system back in 2009 and see if they're familiar. That was something the previous owner did just before I got the car...spent nearly $400 on it, I would think it'd last longer than 5 years. Has a Clifford Matrix RS2.1 system.
 
only thing i can think of is to have the abs scanned at a shop, never seen a car flash the abs or track off light before.

could be a bad ebcm.
 
Yea I'll take it to get the abs scanned.
I don't understand why my Clifford went haywire all the sudden.
I forgot to mention it tried to start itself this morning, with NO interaction with the remote o.O
While driving it seems to normalize except at every complete stop the locks go ape.
 
I had locks going ape before on a previous car. Turned out to be a battery issue. Replaced it and problem was gone. Maybe the wire harness for the speed sensor is frayed and shorting out.
 


My battery is 2months old. There is some corrosion on the negative side of the wire harness, I got most of it cleaned off. Rest is deep, is it hard to replace this end of the harness?
Plan to get it into the shop that installed the system sometime this week when I can. Alarm system seems completely dead. Doesn't chime or anything anymore.

But do you guys know what component/connector this is? Is it part of the Remote start? Sounds like a relay, but for what?

My shift indicator/tcs light flashes at the same pace as the ticks. ALSO, when you turn on the marker lights or headlights, it stops ticking.
Not sure if this is a cause or a symptom of the RS.
 
Has connections going into it
IMG_20140519_195318_149.jpg
 
I'm not familiar with the ebcm... reading up on it now.
Do you think this is the culprit or just a side effect of the RS/alarm system?
Is it expensive/difficult to replace and rule out?
 


Scottydoggs said:
damn i knew i'd seen this thread before but man was it was hard to find lol http://www.grandprixforums.net/threads/52356-How-To-(Un)Install-EBCM
Click to expand...
Your effort is appreciated sir.
So you can drive w/o the ebcm?!
And do you AND/or anyone else definitely think its gone bad? Seems like sending it off to get fixed is $100-200. The abs light was on about a 1.5 weeks before my RS/alarm went ape sh*t... so I suppose there's a GOOD chance I'm dealing with two issues, sigh.
 
id have it scanned to see what codes its got. before shipping it off.

the good part is module master will test it and send it back if its working. at least thats what ive read.

and the thread says you can drive the car, no abs or tc of course.
 
Scottydoggs said:
id have it scanned to see what codes its got. before shipping it off.

the good part is module master will test it and send it back if its working. at least thats what ive read.

and the thread says you can drive the car, no abs or tc of course.
Click to expand...

Yep Ill get it scanned sometime this week too... luckily that will be free.
Dam car can't be happy with its all new suspension and exhaust can it... two $$$ problems at once. GRR.
 
Finally got it scanned. Seems like the BCM is completely not responding. Got a code:
p1573C - Loss of Electronic Brake Traction Control Module serial data.

On another note, the alarm is functional again it seems. Shop guy performed some crazy button combination on it and it reset.
Still fails to remote start, they think its a bad wire.

No change in any of the crazy light blinking/flashing tho. Locks still go off five times after shifting into drive. TCS ABS LOW TRAC still cycle thru every startup. DIC flashes 0.0 anytime I turn my headlights on.

My goto mechanic said bad BCM was the tipping point for him to sell his early 2000's suburban. That thought is sticking with me lol.... cause what's next? the PCM ?... uhg.
 


This sounds so much like a bad ground, anytime two unrelated components do something at the same time, the only thing connecting them is the ground.

I've had a fuel pump ground supply be good one minute, and bad the next. Then when checking the ground with a power probe III, the ground light would flash at the exact same time the abs pump made a clicking noise. Both circuits shared the same ground which was bad. A new ground wire fixed that issue. Did you clean your grounds? One is 5 inches from the neg batt terminal, you could do the engine ground which is on a bell housing bolt up front. I like cleaning frame grounds with a angle die grinder and a scotch brite pad, using it on the ring terminal and to take paint off the frame around the bolt area so there's more surface area, cover it with grease and reinstall.
 
That was actually one of TWO solutions found on an automotive database my mechanic uses. It listed two grounds as probable cause.
I haven't looked at them, didn't know where all of them were.
But I couldn't even connect to the BCM with the Genysis 5 to test or read codes. The relay of the BCM or at least near it still is going crazy when you turn the ignition on.
 
Well grounds is an easy place to start. They get rusty. The way I mentioned cleaning them makes it better than how it came.
 
Got my EBCM module removed. The four/five indicators have quit flickering and now are just solid (abs & tcs off)...which I call an improvement lol. Shift indicator, low trac, clock aren't flickering with it removed.

Now just to decide on who I'm shipping it to for repairs. Modulemaster is likely but there's a few on ebay for $60 less or so. Might try to find someone local to Chicago, idk if any of you know someone perhaps ??


And 02Navy, I did check the big ground by the battery. Didn't remove it, but its not lose or anything. There's one infront of the radiator that seems ok too. Any others I should locate?

02NavyBlue said:
Well grounds is an easy place to start. They get rusty. The way I mentioned cleaning them makes it better than how it came.
Click to expand...
 
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