Shut off for radio and power windows

**bberretta** · 09-26-2011, 02:16 PM

Here's what I'm looking for:
What is it that controls the power so that it stays on (for the radio and power windows) until you open the door?

My problem is that occasionally my radio will go off and during that time the windows will not roll up or down. Any help will be greatly appreciated! (Also, anyone who can point me to wiring diagrams will also be appreciated!)

**mike171562** · 09-26-2011, 02:20 PM

this is a common problem with the BCM (Body Control Module) its located under the passenger side dash. There is a glob of solder on a circuit board that gets stressed and breaks, the fix is to take it out and hold a solder gun on it until the solder gets hot, its not too difficult to do. Search around for "BCM Fix" for a write up on it.

**bberretta** · 09-26-2011, 03:58 PM

Thanks for the help! I've already got the cover off (doing the AutoTrix window fix) so I'll take care of that while I'm at it.

**bberretta** · 09-27-2011, 07:36 PM

Thank's Mike, found a tutorial here: How To Fix Intermittent Windows, Radio and Locks

Literally took about 15 minutes to do the fix.

**mike171562** · 09-28-2011, 01:46 PM

np, the hardest part is pulling the module out of those damn clips

**bberretta** · 09-28-2011, 07:27 PM

No joke! I was cussing those clips until I shoved the screwdriver in there just right and it popped out.

**stopherZ** · 10-11-2011, 02:47 PM

Man getting that module out was a pain, but thanks for posting. I've been dealing with the intermittent radio for like six months... thought it was the head unit.

**bberretta** · 10-13-2011, 09:58 AM

I thought the same thing and was PISSED because the Kenwood DoubleDIN I installed last year wasn't cheap! Honestly, I am horrible at soldering and I did it without screwing it up any worse- that's saying a lot!

**smokin joe** · 08-02-2012, 05:50 PM

Thanks so much for this information. My car does the same thing and it drives me absolutely INSANE.

**SuperSSguy** · 08-02-2012, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by smokin joe

Thanks so much for this information. My car does the same thing and it drives me absolutely INSANE.

What does it do exactly? When im in my car engine off i can listen to radio and work my windows do you guys mean that it just shuts off automatically w/o touching key?

**Firebirdjones** · 08-03-2012, 10:10 AM

I think their intermittent radio issues are while they are driving (car running).

The feature you are talking about is supposed to do that. You can turn the car off and radio and door lock/window switches will still work for a time. It's on a timer. At some point after about 5 mintues it shuts down,,,and even turns off your dome lights if you left them on.

Great feature to have to keep from killing the battery overnight if you left something on. It's also an important feature so that after you lock your car up,,,,someone can't reach in and simply push your door lock button and open your car. That's really the main purpose of it, shutting the power down to the switches.

If the radio shutting down while sitting in the car is a problem,,,,just simply turn the key backwards in accessory position and listen to the radio

**Smittro** · 08-03-2012, 04:16 PM

Originally Posted by Firebirdjones

I think their intermittent radio issues are while they are driving (car running).

The feature you are talking about is supposed to do that. You can turn the car off and radio and door lock/window switches will still work for a time. It's on a timer. At some point after about 5 mintues it shuts down,,,and even turns off your dome lights if you left them on.

Great feature to have to keep from killing the battery overnight if you left something on. It's also an important feature so that after you lock your car up,,,,someone can't reach in and simply push your door lock button and open your car. That's really the main purpose of it, shutting the power down to the switches.

If the radio shutting down while sitting in the car is a problem,,,,just simply turn the key backwards in accessory position and listen to the radio

This is correct..
I'll add that if you leave this condition unrepaired you can also look to having to eventually replace the wiper pulse board as well..
Ask me how I know..

**RagTop** · 04-06-2013, 01:30 PM

I just pulled the circuit board and soldered the five joints in a "T" shape at the back of the board. Good news and bad news. I plugged the board into the circuit outside the box to see if the fix worked and the radio and the windows work like a charm. Unfortunately, the ignition no longer works. Dead as a doornail. Anyone have any ideas what may have caused this?

**KMdef9** · 04-09-2013, 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by RagTop

I just pulled the circuit board and soldered the five joints in a "T" shape at the back of the board. Good news and bad news. I plugged the board into the circuit outside the box to see if the fix worked and the radio and the windows work like a charm. Unfortunately, the ignition no longer works. Dead as a doornail. Anyone have any ideas what may have caused this?

Blown fuse could.

**RagTop** · 04-15-2013, 08:09 AM

Just an update. I gave up on the "fix" and decided to turn it over to an auto electric shop. They wanted me to reassemble the BCM prior to having it towed in to them so they could trouble shoot the problem (and so they could charge me for the cost of removing the part from the car no doubt). I put the board in the box and battled to get the BCM back into that user friendly bracket, and, bingo, the whole thing started working as intended. Radio, power windows, ignition, the whole ball of wax. The fix does work. I'm still wondering why the board seemed to work outside the box for the radio and the windows but not for the ignition. Maybe a mystery that we poor mortals are not meant to know, but it's clear that there is no ground in the box for that board. It is just a piece of plastic. And there doesn't appear to be any electricals in the bracket (but who really knows given its location). Anyway, it's fixed and I'm happy. Deus ex machina, I suppose. The Chevrolet god has spoken and relieved my pain. BTW, with so many Camaro owners, and other GM owners, having the same problem with the same part stemming from poor manufacturing quality of the PC boards (e.g. learn how to solder), why hasn't GM stepped up to the cost of repairing these things? Somebody said it wasn't safety related and, therefore, not a recallable issue, but I would point out that Ford recalled a ton of cars for poor clear coat back in the 80s and that the BCM controls lots of safety related items like door locks and remote entry systems. So, a big

to GM for lousy QC and for lousy customer service.

**Firebirdjones** · 04-15-2013, 08:43 AM

I'd say GM doesn't do a recall because these cars are now 10-15 years old, so you'll have a hard time trying to get them to eat anything on these cars now.

When they were new the BCM wasn't all that much of an issue. It's age and usage that takes it's toll, usually well past the 3/36,000 warranty before any issue occured. Lets face it, cars (and that's any brand) aren't built to last more than a few years, and are built under the assumption that people will trade them in after 5-7 years. So when you buy a used car now second hand, it's hard telling what kind of life it's had. A used car is just that.

I've heard of the issue happening, but I wouldn't say it's wide spread. I think it has more to do with the fact that when someone has an issue it's all over the internet, but when something goes right for someone, no one speaks up.

I can honestly say I've had 4 4th gens, driven them all well over 100,000 miles and have owned a couple of them nearly 10 years and I've never had the BCM issue with any of them.

Glad you got it worked out though, I know it can be a pain to deal with.

**RagTop** · 04-22-2013, 07:55 AM

While I commend your desire to make GM look like a good guy in this, solder joints don't get cold over time. They are either acceptable hot joints the second they are soldered or they are not. While the board might function with the cold joint for a limited period, it will eventually fail in use. They are easy to visual on post solder inspection because they look dull immediately after the process. These problems all stem from poor processing in, what I am assuming, is a GM supplier's facility. Having been in the business of building communication spacecraft, I can assure you that cold solder joints can be detected at the point of manufacture and can be found by any competent inspector either prior to shipment of upon receipt by the end user. You just have to care enough to look. I'm glad you have had such good luck with the BCMs in your four fourth gen F-bodies, but you don't have to look any further than this thread to assess that, from a larger population, there is a problem here. Additionally, since the BCM is a vital part of the operation of these cars, it isn't a trivial "Oh well" matter. It's crappy QC and QA practices that will define the eventual life of these cars. When their value dips low enough as used vehicles, many of these quality issues will be too expensive to fix and the cars will be off to the junkyard as a result. I'm dedicated to old cars as a hobby. I have had two 69 Mustangs and a 69 427 Vette recently and it would have been a tragedy if any of those great 44 year old vehicles had died as a result of lousy QC when they were 10 or 15 years out of the factory. I love the cars, not the manufacturers. BTW, this isn't the expectation of somebody who bought an old car used. I have owned this great car since original delivery in 2000 from the Chevy dealer and have put up with this problem for a number of years before it became annoying enough to fix it.

**Firebirdjones** · 04-22-2013, 08:30 AM

I understand where you're coming from. Unfortunately bad QC, laziness, or just the fact that people don't care or don't put pride in their work is the type of society we all live in now. Everything is subbed out to places like China, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico etc. where you get cheap labor and as a result, cheaply made product....We don't take pride in much of anything anymore and it's been turning that direction since the 70's. I see it more and more in the kids today. I hate to think what this country is going to be like in another 20-30 years when these kids grow up and start working and/or running things. God helps us.

That's why I say it's not really a GM issue, because it's a problem with nearly anything you buy. I too am an avid classic car collector and it's also what I do for a living. Back when cars were actually made right here in the USA. Even QC back then was lackluster but thankfully the cars were so simple then that they sometimes outlast their owners. Not true with todays iron,, or I should say mostly plastic now

**bberretta** · 04-23-2013, 09:35 PM

I have to agree with Firebirdjones- every car has its own set of problems and this just happens to be one of ours. Whoever they outsourced the BCM to obviously wasn't the best when it came to quality control (much like whoever they had make the gears in the headlight motors, tail light seals, TA running lights, center console arm rest, power window wiring, rear ends, and so forth.) It's just something we have to deal with when it comes to these cars, whether we like it or not. Quality control in American cars is what makes us the butt of automotive jokes (especially when it comes to the cheap, plastic crap interior we call luxurious) which I can hopefully will improve.