I have a 2002 Monte Carlo SS with 143,000 miles on it.

The problem I have I believe to be electrical, I don't know where to start or how to fix it. I also do know that it is not the fuse. There is a fuse that controls all things broken right now, but it didn't solve my problem by replacing it.

Temperature does play a role, but of late it has been pretty consistent regardless if it is 65 or 45 degrees outside. The items affected are the Cruise control, the HVAC controls (no fan, heat, A/C, etc.), the dimming mirror and the driver information center (DIC) with compass and out side temp. This is what I have noticed, there may be more.

When I start the car, the DIC doesn't come on, the fan won't blow and the cruise control light is either blinking or on, but no cruise. After 5-30 min, the DIC come on, as if the car was just started, lighting up everything and going to compass/temp (basically it turns on and works like normal, just awhile after the car was actually turned on). By playing with the fan speed, moving from 1 to 5, I can get it to come on at that point, and then once the fan works, I can tap my break and get the cruise to work!!!! How ever the cruise might last a minute and shut off (the cruise light starts to blink again) and I wait a few minutes and repeat the same process with the fan, or it may last all the way to Chicago (4 hour drive for me) working perfectly.

Once the DIC is on, it stays on until the next time the car shuts off, and the fan will go in spurts. Sometimes working consistently, and other times working when it feels like it.

If you have any solutions, please let me know, we will be getting snow soon and the thought of no fan and no heat doesn’t sit well with me!!!

Doug

 

Just guessing, it's your BCM, or body control module. EVERYTHING in these cars are controlled by computer, right down to the kights.The light switches tell the computer (BCM) to turn the lights on. When my BCM went out on my '01 SS LE, things flickered and clicked.
The fan MIGHT be a broken resistor block on the heater box, way up there. But if your fan works at all, it's not that. I think it's the BCM.

 

i must agree with rockn...make sure the plugs to your bcm are all secure

 

I will be honest, I am not to mechanically incline. Changing oil and rotating tires is about as deep into car maintenance as I get. Where is the BCM?

Also, I asked my uncle who just retired from GM, and he said I might have a ground that is out/broken. Any ideas how to look into that?

 

my 03 is doing the same thing, and i've been told by 2 different shops that it might be my ignition switch. but thats with out them testing to see whats wrong with it. and today my step dad, hooked a scan tool up to my car and that said it too. so im just wondering, if you have found out what was really wrong with your car. and i had my bcm replace a year or 2 ago because that went out and when it went out it wasn't doing anything like it is now. because when that went out, my doors would lock and lock when ever they wanted too and my trunk would pop open all by its self all the time even with the car shut off. so any help would be awsome, because im leaning towards the ignition switch being bad.

 

so did you ever find out what that problem was?

 

anything??

 

Sure, it could be the ignition switch or a bad ground or a lot of other things but my best bet is the BCM because of the multitude of problems.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to the potential gremlins in a failing BCM. All kinds of weird and crazy things will occur with the car's options.

I would suggest paying a QUALIFIED* shop that deals with NOTHING but auto electrical systems to take a look at your problems. Shouldn't cost more than fifty bucks to analyze the system. If they can't, I wouldn't pay them. The Stealer will charge $100 and probably end up telling you that it is the BCM.

Don't buy one from them.

 

my bcm went out a year or so ago, and i replaced it when it went out before. and when it went out that time, none of the stuff that is happening with my car now happened then. because when the bcm went out the doors would lock and lock them selfs when ever it felt like it with the car on or off and the trunk would pop its self when ever too, with the car on or off as well. so im almost 100% sure its not the bcm.

 

Well, that's kind of what I was alluding to, Justin. Depending on where the problem is within the BCM (if it is the BCM) the symptoms can be very different.

I'm not excluding other electrical possibilities but the best solution (and the most expensive) would be to take it to a stealer and have them run an analysis.

Also, I would search other car forums. I've seen many mentions of the ignition switch and I'm sure that one can find similar problems and hopefully a solution. Unfortunately, in too many cases you will find that suggestions are taken but when a solution is found, the questioner never reports back to the forum to let the rest of us know.