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Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon Electrical Problems

671 messages,  Last post on May 09, 2013 at 1:10 PM

You are in the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon Forum.

What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Electrical, Truck

Messages Page 66 of 68

#647 of 671 Re: Drivers power window, door locks stopped working [higgsriggs] by snaproll1

May 06, 2012 (7:13 am)

Replying to: higgsriggs (May 06, 2012 6:09 am)
One thing to try that has worked for some folks, is just disconnect the battery and leave the truck overnight. That has worked for some folks. The other is of course removing and replacing the window module in the driver's door. If neither of these easy fixes work, then you are just shooting in the dark, replacing the window module, checking bad grounds, kinked wiring lose of burned fuse blocks.
 
Also the heads go bad, the alternator is undersized, the blower motor and resistor fries, the CD player fails, the list goes on. Your best bet is to sell the thing before you sink more money into it.
 
It really is a shame because the truck is a nice concept. It really would have been nice if GM had engineered it like a vehicle rather than money maker for their service department.

#648 of 671 Re: Drivers power window, door locks stopped working [snaproll1] by higgsriggs

May 09, 2012 (6:24 pm)

Replying to: snaproll1 (May 06, 2012 7:13 am)
Thanks Snaproll I have gone through the heater, resistor and alternator problems already. I will try what you have listed cause I am not ready to part with it just yet. it is a nice truck and I only have 150K on it so far. Thanks for your advise and will get back to you if any of these work.

#649 of 671 Re: Drivers power window, door locks stopped working [higgsriggs] by bitsmasher

May 10, 2012 (5:32 am)

Replying to: higgsriggs (May 09, 2012 6:24 pm)
Hi Higgs,
I had tried that solution but there was too much magic involved to answer the question why it should have worked - didn't work for me. Check out my post #638 - this worked and the answer was a weak fuse clip in the fuse box. You may consider running a hot 12v line with an inline fuse direct to the drivers door switch to bypass the faulty connector. In any event, let us know how you make out.
 
Good luck!

#650 of 671 Re: Drivers power window, door locks stopped working [bitsmasher] by snaproll1

May 10, 2012 (9:48 am)

Replying to: bitsmasher (May 10, 2012 5:32 am)
"...there was too much magic involved to answer the question..."
 
This is absolutely true. There is absolutely nothing that you can count on except that GM has no solution except to throw expensive darts at the replacement dart board.
 
I've been active on this thread since there were about 50 posts, that was 600 posts ago. There have been many proposed causes and possible solutions. Some work, some don't, some work for a while. I can tell you though, there is nothing conclusive as to cause or repair. My guess it that there are multiple possible causes. Maybe it's a pinched wire or bad ground, and in amongst replacing the BCM the Chevy ape manages to bump the wire and it works and they declare the bad BCM is the $400 dollar magic bullet. Then two days later you hit a bump, the window goes out, you bring it back, they give you the song and dance that the BCM was "bad anyway", and replace something else. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't. Maybe a voltage spike from the bad wire or defective fuse block burns the window module but the wire unkinks because it warms up and the obvious problem was the window module not the BCM... until it turns cold and the wire gets stiff...
 
I really liked the truck, no question about it, but... trust me, it is NOT worth chasing. You are much better off selling the truck and getting something else... unless you don't mind a window you can't roll up in the winter, or a five cylinder engine that has no compression because of the defective head, or tail lights that may not work, or a CD player that can't play CDs or... you get the idea. It's a personal choice... my money, I hate to say it, went to Toyota. I wish it hadn't but I've given away enough of my money (and Obama has too), to a company that does not support their products.
 
GM=

#651 of 671 Re: Drivers power window, door locks stopped working [higgsriggs] by den052

May 20, 2012 (11:08 am)

Replying to: higgsriggs (May 09, 2012 6:24 pm)
My module has been working for over 2 years now. I removed the door module and used dielectric grease on the connectors. Replugged them in and worked fine. Also I ran into an issue with a 2006 Gmc Envoy. The door module caught fire and burned a spot on the board. Door locks were inoperative and the drivers window inop. Other windows would work by themselves. Installed a new module and took it to be reprogrammed. Software wouldn't recognize the door module to be programmed. They found a POWER fuse for the module burned out caused by the fire. Reinstalled a new fuse and then reprogrammed the module with no problem. Therefore as an observation; If you somehow lose power to the door module, these things will occur also. Be aware that this module has a power source and to troubleshoot that before replacing the module.
Dennis Tomlinson
Licensed ASE technician with electrical troubleshooting skills.

#652 of 671 Re: Drivers power window, door locks stopped working [den052] by snaproll1

May 21, 2012 (5:17 am)

Replying to: den052 (May 20, 2012 11:08 am)
Dennis I think you are right on target. or at least on the trail for one problem. Both times the window module was involved in my truck. The first time it would correct itself when I disconnected and reconnected the window module. The GM service guys emphatically told me the window module has nothing to do with it as they replaced the $400 dollar BCM... and the window unit failed again the next day. Then they replaced the battery and called it 'solved'. Two years later when it failed again, the competent techs that I took it to replaced the window module and it was fixed.
 
I remember them saying that there was something odd about the circuitry with the module, like the driver's window was on a separate power run or something. In any event, they trailed it down to power coming into the module and nothing coming out. I guess there is some sort of circuit chip in the module that directs power. Perhaps power surges, or more likely low voltage causes it to fly or flake out, draining the battery and malfunctioning.
 
It's an expensive piece to replace, something like over $300 bucks, but I'd be worried about trying to get one second hand or from a junk yard because there is no telling if that piece is bad.
 
After all these years you'd think GM would have a definite solution. It's a shame because the Colorado is a good concept for a small truck. It's just a shame GM does not support their products as much as Obama's reelection funds.

#653 of 671 Re: Drivers power window, door locks stopped working [snaproll1] by den052

May 21, 2012 (7:09 am)

Replying to: snaproll1 (May 21, 2012 5:17 am)
The door modules can be bought on GMpartsdirect.com for cheaper. They also can be found on Ebay or Amazon for a little over $100. As far as calling the computers faulty (ECM, BCM etc.), it is almost never that they are actually bad. 95% of them returned to the factory for rebuilding or reconditioning are found with nothing wrong. Technicians are too quick to replace them when they don't know or don't troubleshoot the system enough. In todays cars, with all the connections and electronics, it is fairly common to have a wiring connection failure or wiring problem. My module problems were fixed with a little dielectric grease. It had stopped functioning 2-3 times before I removed it and cleaned the contacts with electrical cleaner and put grease on them. So far so GOOD. I can disconnect the battery and re-connect it till I am blue in the face and there are no issues except resetting the clock on the radio!!!!!

#654 of 671 05 Colorado power Window problems passenger side by warchild1

May 28, 2012 (1:15 pm)

I resently began experiencing problems with the passenger power window. It seemed the motor was going bad, if I was to push the back of glass down the motor would labor to roll window up or down. So I took the window motor out and disassembled the motor from gear assembly. I cleaned out the debris from both sides using a electrical cleaner. I then lightly sanded the copper armature where the brushes contact. Then on the brushes side I removed the spring holding the brushes and removed the plastic notch (that was holding the wire attached to the brush) that notch was not allowing the brush to make good contact with armature. The window did need a new motor, but for now it will work till I can buy another one. I this helps anyone else out there then it was worth it.

#655 of 671 Re: 05 Colorado power Window problems passenger side [warchild1] by gthfish

May 31, 2012 (5:33 pm)

Replying to: warchild1 (May 28, 2012 1:15 pm)
Aloha warchild1,
After reading your post, I couldn't believe that I had exactly the same problem,
the motor would struggle to drive the window up or down and that's on days when the motor wanted to run. On bad days you would only hear a clicking sound when the the switch was used in any direction. Anyways, I did what you did, cleaned motor as much as I could, put everything back in their place, and it worked!
I am so happy, I have been dealing with this problem for over a year and your post hit the jackpot.
Thank, gthfish

#656 of 671 Re: 05 Colorado power Window problems passenger side [gthfish] by gmcustsvcsarah

Jun 01, 2012 (5:56 am)

Replying to: gthfish (May 31, 2012 5:33 pm)
Good morning gthfish and warchild1,
 
I'm so glad to see that you've been able to find a way to solve the issues you had been having with your power windows, especially with the hot summer months on their way!
 
Wishing you many happy and cool miles,
Sarah
GM Customer Service

Messages Page 66 of 68

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