Over the past month my '03 SS would intermittently crank(no spark or fuel), but not start, also the security message would appear in the message center. On the advice of a mechanic friend I purchased a new BCM and replaced it today. With the new BCM installed the car will no longer crank, the security message still displays on the dash, and in addition the radio now displays 12:00 LOCKED along with a strange ticking noise coming from somewhere behind the dashboard.

Any help diagnosing and fixing this problem would be much appreciated, even if the answer is towing it to a dealer... I need to hear it as much as it hurts.

And, if I may just rant for a moment; I've owned nothing but GM products my entire life and with the exception of 1 Pontiac Grand Prix all of my cars have been Monte Carlos. It sickens me to think that my '96 LS with 200K on the clock has never once let me down, (it even limped me home after the rear quarter panel was crushed by a little old lady in a crown vic) meanwhile my '03 SS with fewer than 60K has been nothing but trouble for the last year or so.

 

The BCM diagnosis may not have been the right one. Was there a lot of electrical problems besides it not starting? Normally when you have a will not start issue + the security light it means the passlock system (which sadly is common on our cars).

Getting it to a dealer to fix the passlock system should work? And if it does, I hope that BCM wasn't too costly to repair...

Don't give up on this 6th gen, mine is 9 years old and over 160K miles and I haven't had any discouraging things (besides the tranny) happen to me.

 

I replaced the BCM (Body Control Module?), which as I understand it is a different piece of hardware from the PCM. The car had no electrical issues prior to about a month ago when it would go through periods of not starting.

 

Passlock ≠ PCM

the reason I brought up the electrical issues, was because if it wasn't having any other electrical issues then it shouldn't have been the BCM, because when those go bad the car starts to act all sorts of funny.

I stand by passlock since the security light came on.

 

What is the remedy if it is a Passlock issue?

 

After replacing the BCM was the BCM setup procedure performed along with a vehicle theft deterrent system relearn?? A GM Tech2 scan tool is needed for these procedures.

 

Towing the car out to the local gm dealership tomorrow night.. heres hoping I have her back by memorial day.

 

I am having some similar issues with a 2001 Monte I am working on right now. Can any one tell me where the BCM is located at on this car? I am pretty sure that is the problem, the car alarm goes off when trying to start it. The locks don't work, the radio flashes, but still plays, the dash goes crazy, and everything flashes. It's like it's possessed or something. lol. I am plan on removing it tomorrow morning to go order the new one, but I have no clue where it is or where to start looking.

 

The BCM is a black plastic box with 3 plugs attached to it. It is located in the area above the parking brake pedal.

 

It's not hard at all to get out once you know what you're looking for. If I remember correctly 2 of the plugs are pink and 1 is blue/black.

How common of a problem is this for these cars?