Hi - haven't posted for a while. I apologize in advance for this probably- discussed- before issue. I have been trying to find a similar problem in other posts, but none seem to be really what I have going on...so...... Last week or so I had been having trouble starting my '06 Monte SS. It would be slow to start, but would eventually "catch" and run. Only thing appearing on dash was the engine icon until it started....But then there were strange messages appearing, like Automatic Light Control On, and Traction Control Off and others that I forget. Like things were changing themselves around - possessed !!!! Also the radio was setting itself off of XM and onto the AM band. Clock was at 12:00. The compass direction above outside temperature read CAL. I would change all these weird things back(well, not compass)...Next day I would try to start, and it all happened again. I made an appointment at my GM Dealer for this Monday. Didn't try to start for a few days. Today I went out to start it, and nothing at first- just the engine icon. Never did start, no turning over, but on third and fourth try, dash icons came on, and there were all sorts of electrical whirring noises for about one minute and a ticking sound, which continued after I turned key back to off....Radio works, but is back to AM....Clock at 12.


When this all first started, I thought it was probably time for a new battery, and then I was thinking starter or ignition, but on researching other posts here - I am thinking about this BCM. All very confusing! I don't think a new battery is going to help this situation !! Is this something that I should just have it towed to dealer , since I'm not going to be able to drive it there.( 60 miles away, but they are very good and not "sneaky" like some we read about - I really do trust them) or does this sound like something that a good certified local mechanic could deal with? I have read that if it is the BCM it would have to be reprogrammed by GM tech anyway. Any suggestions? or other ideas ? Or should putting in a new battery be a first step? All advice appreciated !

 

Sounds like a bad BCM, but don't rule out the battery. You might want to test it and/or replace it if it's old. Cold weather sucks the life out of batteries quickly, especially if they're week.

Anyone with a GM Tech 2 scanner can diagnose and program a BCM. If the BCM is bad a DTC like B1000 will show.

 

I would start with the battery, if its low enough it could cause all the electronics to reset which would set the clock to 12:00 and show CAL on the compass. Start there and check the ground connections, if not that then perhaps the bcm.

 

Thanks , Plumbob,for writing ! I decided to have AAA come to jumpstart it earlier this evening, (I supposedly have battery installation with my AAA premier membership, but then they told me not available where I live....boo hiss) . Anyway, it was jumped and ran for an hour to charge. No strange messages appeared. Just the usual "Ice possible, drive with care ". I shut it off and later restarted, BINGO, and nothing weird happening. So, here's hoping that it will start again Monday so I can at least get to the dealer for the appointment, where they will check out all this. I told them all about it when I scheduled. Also now on the list of things will be a new battery !!! The one I have in there is 2.5 years, but I'm not sure how good of a battery it was in terms of life - it was put in at Valvoline Oil Change. It may have been only a 3 year one.. ( Advance Auto wouldn't install one at the time, they looked it up and said it would take 45 minutes to do on that car, and they weren't allowed to take that time and amount of work for it, due to positioning and that bar which has to be loosened and a control box that has to be moved aside. ) Anyway... Hopefully, this will have a good ending, but if it is something more, that's okay! I'll come back and let you know how it turns out. Thanks again for helping this old lady !! Congrats on being the Car of the Month !!

 

Thank you also, Leprechaun93, for writing. I'm glad to see what you suggested - I feel better now about having gotten it jumped and then go from there...You were Car of the Month last month, I see !!

 

This is wierd timing but as leprechaun says start with the battery.
Just last week, I went to start my 06 SS , which had been sitting in my garage untouched since the first week of November. Keep in mind when I parked it all was fine. Anyhow I never noticed but I opened the door , hopped in put key in ignition and nothing. Wouldn't start, click I mean nothing. Looked around like wtf, noticed no lights, no power to nothing, key wouldn't come out of the switch.
Put volt meter on battery showed 1.4v lol. Tried charging over night, wouldn't even take a charge. Went and got a new battery, and yes changing the battery in a pain. A helper to hold the fuse block over out of the way makes things much easier btw. Hook all back up, as soon as positive cable connected, I hear the bcm and electronics communicate and all works. Even key will release from switch.
I guess sitting around will kill a weak battery, not to mention cold weather will aid in killing a already failing battery.
A side note those dam stock battery cable ends suck, why gm used those things are beyond me.

 

Yes, Aerocoupe86 - very odd timing ! Glad your situation turned out well. All is well now with RS...After I got it jumpstarted Saturday evening, I let it run, then again Sunday let it run. Monday morning, when I was to have had an appointment at my dealer 60 miles away, we had a snow/ice storm. I cancelled out, (chicken !!) just as well because there was an accident on the Interstate and both southbound lanes were shut down for several hours.. When I talked to the folks at the dealer to cancel, they said battery sounded most likely cause. and if so ,there was no damage done !!...Later in the day, I ventured out, and went to get the oil changed and new battery at another place. Starts like a tiger now! All the settings and so on are fine. The old battery was almost at end of life, ( not run down from non-use, I had been driving it daily through right before Christmas, as my Cutlass was in the shop for a while..).......I'll remember now to change batteries next time well before that! I don't drive it much in the winter, only when good weather predicted, but I plan to continue starting it up every day or so and running for a bit, just to be on safe side....


Thanks to everyone who replied !

 

Yea, I have no idea how the battery I took out was. There was a sticker on the side I think it saiid 5/14. I'm assuming that's when it was manufactured and if was installed around that time, it shouldn't have went bad at not quite 2 years old. But I have seen cells go bad so anything is possible. I know cold weather and extreme heat will cause a failing battery to rear its head. It hadn't been really cold in my parts but with sitting for 2 months not touched I suppose it's possible.
My wonder is if that xm and or on star could be sending signals back and forth causing some juice to be used up more than normal. I know even when tuned off the car has to have some power to keep things like radio and such in memory.

 

Aerocoupe86 wrote : My wonder is if that xm and or on star could be sending signals back and forth causing some juice to be used up


Yes, I wondered about that too....or even things like the receiver for the remote start and locks and so on.... Well, I learned a good lesson from this whole thing - not to let a battery go beyond maybe two years, and to be sure to start it up and run it more frequently when not in use !

 

YeP, or put a trickle charger if sitting over a week or 2