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Multiple Issues Recently

CenFL Avalanche

Full Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2014
Messages
171
All of a sudden, I am experiencing multiple electrical gremlins with my 2007 Avy Z71.  About a month ago, the cruise control began working intermittently and also impacting my travel trailer brake activation (brake would stay on after a stop even with your foot released from the pedal). 
I replaced the brake switch with an aftermarket one last weekend, but the cruise control still goes in and out.  I haven't retested the brakes.  I called the Prodigy P2 brake controller manufacturer about the situation, and he said to check the voltage to the brake controller without the brakes applied (should be zero).  I did the check, and found about one-quarter to half a volt fluctuation without brakes applied.  Since this is the case, he said get an OEM version from Chevy. 
Fast forward to yesterday and my left rear TPMS fail light comes on.  Then, this morning, the antiskid light appears.  Sounds like a may need to visit the dealer for a thorough electrical scan.  In the meantime, I've disconnected the battery hoping to clear out the gremlins.  Any idea what could be causing multiple issues like this to begin appearing?


Thanks  ???

 
Yesterday, I had the TPMS replaced so that dash light is gone.  :cool:  The anti skid light also disappeared on the way to have the TPMS replaced.  :E:

I picked up a new OEM brake switch from the local Chevrolet dealer which was $3 less than the aftermarket version I bought.  After installation this morning and some driving, the cruise control hasn't gone off again.  I need to tow my trailer on Tuesday, so hopefully the new OEM switch also corrects the trailer braking issues.  (y)
 
I'm going to cross post in here. If it's out of line, let me know..

So, I am having multiple issues as well.

So a little more history on my 2004 1500. I'm the second owner and got he vehicle in 2005. I had some issues with the air bag (error message). I took it to the dealer and they replaced the air bag. About a week later it came back, and I took it back to the dealer and they replaced another part, and I can't remember what it was at this point. They didn't cover it under the warranty on either trip so the this was costly enough that when the error message came back, I just live with the fact that the airbag is probably not going to deploy. Also a couple of years back my speedometer started acting up until it gave out. I suspect the stepper motors in the dash board could be the fix for that, but really didn't/don't feel like pulling the dash out of the truck. However, I may be heading that direction very soon. ( Garmin is my speedometer now.)

I also have intermittent problems with the interior lights dimming and brightening on their own. This really isn't an issue if you are not looking for the speed in the dashboard. However, the electrical problems are continuing. and here is my cross post portion of this message.

So several months back I started experiencing dead batteries if the truck sat for a few days. I had a warrantied battery in it from Autozone. (one they gave me to replace a prior failure.) So I assumed that it was the battery again. Pulled it and took it into Autozone thinking they would replace. Well they threw it on the charger and it took a charge so the sent me out with my old battery. The problem continued to get worse and then the interior lights started wigging out. I then decided the voltage regulator must be bad. I had already measured the voltage from the Alternator and it was 12.5 to 12.8.. It would go higher if I increased the RPM's.
So, I replaced the Alternator, as the voltage regulator is internal to the Alternator.
Problem got better!

A few weeks later the problem came back. So I decided I should have replaced the battery at the same time. So I went to Interstate and bought a better quality battery.

Problem got better, and was better for 3 months.

Problem came back. So now I have been pulling fuses from the systems not needed for the truck to run. My problem area's in the fuses appear to be the sunroof and the RR HVAC. The sunroof definitely has an issue, as it will not open.

So, that bring me back to the beginning. I was thinking something was going on the the ignition switch and something not turning off, and perhaps that was what was draining the battery. Now that I know there is a short in the sunroof electrical, I suspect that to be a contributor, but the battery will still die in a few days even with the fuse pulled. I guess the short could be on the positive side of the circuitry. I've just started trying to identify the wiring harness that goes to the center console and the overhead. I want to check the sunroof motor, and the wiring harness for the consoles, but do you think I could still have a problem with the electrical due to the ignition switch?
 
Anything is possible...  The relay for the sunroof should be along the passenger side kick panel up into the dash. My truck does not have one but in the pictures I have seen if you pull off the end panel on the passenger side you will see a bunch of wire connectors. I believe the relay is behind there in the harness somewhere. Might be easier to check by pulling out the glove compartment.

In my truck though I had to loosen the center console to get the glove compartment out because I had to pull the whole bottom piece out because the glove compartment door was rivited to the panel and didn't separate from it when I removed the screws.

I wonder if you didn't get a critter in the engine compartment that chewed on some wires...

Are there any after market parts added such as a security system?
Is is possible your truck was in New Orleans during the flood?

Rodney
 
Wow,, New Orleans. I have more hope for my Avalanche than that... NO offense Nawleans.

I've look at the wiring in the engine compartment and don't see any damage. I do like the relay that you are speaking of cause a sticking relay could cause the drainage of the battery and the sunroof to now work. I will check that out.. Thanks.
 
Like I said, mine does not have the relay in it as far as I can tell. I looked for it because that circuit is the ONLY RAP circuit in the 2003 trucks. You have to otherwise get the RAP signal from the databus...

The RAP is the feed for the Stereo that stays on after you pull the keys out for 10 minutes or until you open the door.

I was going to use the relay to feed some equipment but since I couldn't find it I checked the BCM that fed it and that was enabled so I put a fuse on the line and feed it to a relay that I use to power equipment.

Rodney
 
So, my quest to find my electrical problem has continued. At times it seems like I have it, and then it comes back. Replacing the sunroof relay seemed to have gotten me there, but then it came back. I put some extenders on the battery terminal, hoping to have a better spot for jumping it, when it occurs. I flew out the next day and came back a week later and the thing started. Usually it doesn't last past 4 days. I know I have intrinsic leak of current, and have pulled some fuses is search of the culprit. I had the codes read last night and wish I would have done this a long time ago.. I have a few codes saying there are open or shorted circuits, in my 4 wheel system.
 
So, to continue on my saga, The tumbler for the ignition locked up and the key would not come out while I was at work. It was still turning so I was able to shut the thing off, but I didn't want the battery to die while I was in work, so I pulled the battery cables. At lunch I was able to change out the Tumbler, I decided since I had the dash partially torn apart that I might as well fix the speedometer th :welcome:at hasn't worked in some time. So I ordered the motors and successfully installed them. The speedo was working ,but a couple of lights were burned out and I couldn't see the speedometer at night, so I ordered up some blue LEDs.. It wasn't too bad, other than the few that I didn't get lucky and have the polarity correct. Pulled it out and turned those around and when I went out for the test ride, the speedometer wasn't working again. So I decided to swap the motors with the Tach. did that and the tach still works, but the speedo still does not.It appears I melted one of the pads where the traces come in on the PCB.  What I need now is a schematic showing the pinouts of the speedometer so I can by pass the trace. Does anybody have that? I have poked around on the site for a couple of days now and have not found one..                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
 
By pinouts I assume you mean the signals on the cluster connectors?  If so I don't think that will do you much good.  All of the data going into the cluster is encoded on a serial data stream.  The cluster then decodes the data and then drives the gauge motors as required.  What you need is a schematic of the cluster so you know where the motor drive signal is sourced so you can then run a jumper wire from there to your motor.  Unfortunately I've never seen a cluster schematic.
 
Do yourself a favor and look at a shop like Dash Doctor. You are likely going to ruin your cluster if you continue to work on it. Atleast if Dash Doctor does the job he gives lifetime warranties. He rebuild my cluster, installed all new blue LED's, replaced a couple bad capacitors and was totally done with it in less than 2 hours and It cost me $150. I had already spent about 5 hours messing with stuff on it, replacing a couple motors and replacing all of the bulbs with LED's that just were not quite right.  Well worth the money if you ask me... It has been probably 2 years since I had my cluster done and has worked great.

If you continue to try repairing this you are likely to do as I did with another cluster and roach it beyond being able to be repaired requiring a new Cluster. My local junk yard charged me $250 for one...  Which I removed the motors from and used in mine.  I do still have this cluster although I am planning on building a test display with it after I reinstall new motors, gauge face and needles..
 
You mean after you have dash doctor put all those parts in, right? I appreciate the recommendation. Now, does anybody have the info I am seeking. If I can do a simple repair on a circuit board then I don't deserve to be in the line of work I am in. I'm into this for about thirty bucks at this point, and am one wire away from it working again, If I send it to anybody they are only going to charge me extra cause one of pads came loose. I may have it repaired by the time I get the schematics. I'm fixing to pull the motor back off and get a magnifier and trace the line myself. It would be so much easier to run a wire.. Thanks for any help and suggestions. My cluster is more functional now than it has been in 5 years, so I am making progress.
 
I replaced my battery cables and that helped my electrical system a lot. It's hard to see the negative cable at the block to check for corrosion. When I removed it, it was very green. Can't help with the speedo, sorry.
 
enoniam said:
By pinouts I assume you mean the signals on the cluster connectors?  If so I don't think that will do you much good.  All of the data going into the cluster is encoded on a serial data stream.  The cluster then decodes the data and then drives the gauge motors as required.  What you need is a schematic of the cluster so you know where the motor drive signal is sourced so you can then run a jumper wire from there to your motor.  Unfortunately I've never seen a cluster schematic.

Yes, that is what I need, a schematic of the cluster. I pulled one of the old motors apart. All there is to them is 2 inductors and 2 gears. The inductors measure about 280 ohms with some slightly higher. Now I am curious why theses motors are failing? Is it mechanical due to the gears wearing out or getting debris in them, or is it electrical , and do those inductors need to be matched or a certain value?
 
Not sure why you are spending hours on this...

Your into it for far more than $30 and your going to spend much more than the ~$150 to have someone like dashdr go through it and fix it for you. Think of how much you make per hour and how many hours that you have already spent on this... That would be a more reasonable cost.

Your going to struggle with this for quite a while because you don't have experience with this particular item. There are no publicly available schematics for it and your likely going to mess it up more than you already have.

Guys like dashdr do this for a large portion of their living and can buzz through your cluster in far less time than you can.

Good luck with it, it appears no mater what anyone says your going to continue until you either stumble across fixing it or you totally trash it and end up spending more for a different one..

As to the motors... The quality of the motors was suspect but was upgraded through 2 more revisions after the ones you have now. The new ones I was told are digital and will outlive the truck even if it were new.  Haven't had one apart to see the difference.

 
Hey, I totally get what your saying. Part of it is my stubbornness, and part of it, is I know I can fix it. Plus I pay a hefty child support bill that hasn't gone down in spite of moving to the tax happy Oregon.. So, I would have to have 150 dollars I wanted to part with. I am pretty sure in all this I have finally got ride of my intrinsic drain to the battery. Also, from where I am sitting.. I haven't done any more damage to the cluster, in fact it bright as heck now. The tack quit, and that could be the motor still. The speedometer hasn't worked in years. So, as to the how much I make an hour, I could pay for it in a few hours. It's the principle of the thing. I am curious about these digital motors you speak of. You do know that analog and digital electronics are different, and I am not saying it can't be done, but you would need an A to D converter.. Which I guess wouldn't be too difficult, But I would love to know a part number or website where I can check this stuff out. I have a line on 2 instrument clusters at the moment. One of them for 50 bucks,, ,And I know, I can't trust them, and Dash Doctor is just an awesome fella, but fixing things is what I do, at this point, it isn't about economics. If it was I would get rid of the Avalanche all together.
 
Well I am done with this thread... Done all I can for you... 

I know all too well the child support racket... At one point in time I was paying $300 a week and the IRS was getting $400 a week from me... Problem was I was making $800 a week at the time. Lost house, car, sanity... Ended up living in a buddies basement for over a year until I got some relief by picking up a second job. Then quit that second job when I got a new one... Although I worked 3 full time jobs for about 5 weeks... Got some stuff taken care of that month for sure...  (Took vacation on one of the jobs so technically I was still working there but only physically worked two jobs. one I was in training for a part time job, the other I was delivering pizzas for 36+ hours a week)

I have since either worked a part time job or been going to school. Luckily kids are 21 and 24 now so no more support for me... But still paying for my college out of pocket for last 7 classes...

I can fix a lot of things myself too, I can write programs to do just about anything anyone else has written a program for as well but at some point you have to figure out what your time is worth and let someone else take care of it for you so you can spend your time on something more productive. That is unless you plan on taking up fixing clusters...

 
Well, you can relate then, so I am not sure why you have taken such a condescending tone. At one point I was paying 1497 a month in child support. And when it came to trial, I had to appear by phone from Israel. I've learned to accept that, and I know I have an 800 dollar a month raise coming in 2 years. My hobbies include riding my motorcycle, which is relatively in expensive, once the bike is paid for and fully upgraded, which for the most part mine is. My other hobbies are playing music, and fixing things associated with that. Do I think I am going to become a  Luthier? No, but do I enjoy playing something I have saved from the junk pile at Goodwill.. Absolutely. I guess  I could give up my hobbies and work more jobs, but then it would be no different than why I wanted out of the job that kept me traveling 80 percent of the time. When you do that, all your relationships suffer, and you are never around the things you enjoy. I had my sights set on retirement, once the youngest is paid off, but that was disrupted by a lay off. The new job I have doesn't pay as well, but I don't have to travel, and it's more rewarding in accomplishments that I am and can make. So with that all said, I am sure you and I have gotten off on the wrong foot. Believe me I can google with the best of them, so what I wanted from this group was the info, and comrade , cause you know misery enjoys company. I'm pretty much done with this thread myself. I still would like to be able to look back at prior posts so I can get information there, cause I am sure I will have more problems down the road.
 
Well, my sage continues. I found my parisitic drain, which is awesome. The vehichle had an interlock installed in it when my ex was driving it. When the technician removed it, he just cut the wires off, and threw a bit of electrical tape on it. It was coming apart and it was right up in the steering column. So, my latest issue is my theft deterrent module has been kicking in intermittently. It's done it 3 times now. I've made sure all the connectors on the steering column are fully seated, Each time it resets by the next time I try to start it.. Like  a few hours later. I also had been having issues with the blower for my heated, and some of the speeds didn't work, but it quite working all together now. So, I have the motor and the resistor pack out of it. If I put 12volts to the motor it spins. I've tried ohming out the resistor pack, but with the relay part in it, I'm not getting any steady reading. (is it possible to tell for sure the resistor pack is bad?) And then that bring me to my next question. Do you guys think it's possible my issues could be related to the BCM, since all of these problems I have been having go through that module?
 
Pull out the blower motor module and see if it is burnt.
 
It has some corrosion on it but not burnt. Do you mean the resistor pack, or the controller in the console with the adjustments>
 
Yup the module the fan plugs into, it controls fan speed and has battery power(constant hot)
 
So, my parasitic drain that I thought I had gotten rid of about  a month ago, is either back, or something else is going on. I can even get into the AV right now. My only entry is with remote, and it's so dead it won't let me in, even with the jump pack. I have the charger on it now.... Going to look and see where the door openers are controlled from, but my guess is the BCM.
 
It may well be the fan module may be shorting the 12-volt constant wire.

That 12 volt constant wire has constant battery power whether or not the AV is turned on or not.
 
Both of the connectors on the back of the heater control module look normal. No melted wires, no charring. Do you guys know if when the BCM goes bad, is it intermittent and multiple problems or do they just fail? From what I've read of gauges freaking out and then working after a restart, it sounds like they could be intermittent?
 
I never meant to be condescending. I just know from my own experiences that sometimes when you dive in over your head you drown...

Or by trying to save money on something you end up costing yourself more money in the long run. Just trying to point out at some point you have to decide which battles are worth your taking on and which your better off letting someone else take care of.  When I took my cluster in to be repaired I had already spent over 6 or more hours on it and still didn't work right. I attempted to fix another cluster for a different vehicle and lifted a couple traces on the board, tried to jumper them and nothing worked. Ended up buying a different one for $200 after spending 8 hours trying to recover that one.  I was lucky on my truck cluster that it only cost me a standard rebuilt cost. After I already had $300 tied into buying parts and a different cluster. (Didn't end up using the other cluster because I wanted the mileage to be correct. Still have the old cluster but stripped it of its parts and have no idea if it actually still works.)

probably could be talked out of it but it doesn't have any lights or motors mounted on it...
 
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