My grand am has been having issues with the antitheft security system.
I found this website which has an amazing amount of detail regarding this problem:
However, it seems to be tailored more towards the anti-theft system preventing the car from turning on.
The issue my grand am is having is that it turns off while running and the security light turns on.
The issue seems to be time-dependent somehow. If I leave the car off overnight, I can start it fine as usual and it will keep driving for ~30-60mins.
After which the antitheft system starts acting up and the fuel is cutoff to the engine.
When this happens, I am able to restart the car by doing the following steps:
1. Turn the key to OFF
2. Wait 10 seconds.
3. Try to start the car (won't start, security system still activated)
4. Turn the key back to OFF
5. Wait 10 seconds.
6. Start the car (Car begins working again)
However, using the above steps will only allow the car to drive for a few extra minutes, upon which I need to repeat the above steps again.
In the website I linked above, I tried to disable this anti-theft system by cutting the yellow wire while the car was running. This wire is located behind the radio compartment and travels to the BCM behind the glovebox. After cutting this wire, the SECURITY light stayed solidly lit, indicating that the system was disabled "correctly" (according to the instructions on the website).
However, I am very confused as this did not fix the problem with the security system cutting off the fuel going to the engine. Very weird...
Is there anyone who has experienced this problem with the anti-theft security system before? I have seen many people have issues with the ingition-lock cylinder having a bad chip and preventing the car from starting, my car starts fine, the issue is that it turns the car off while running somehow. Even after the security system has been disabled. In fact, replacing the ignition-cylinder was the first part that I tried to replace after cutting the yellow wire did not work.
I postulate that since this issue seems to be time-dependent, it may have something to do with a capacitor charging up and not correctly discharging somewhere on the BCM. I took off the BCM from behind the glovebox to inspect it, and found only very minimal corrosion on the plastic housing the connectors plug into. I did my best to clean this and the issue was not fixed. Opening the BCM and looking inside, there were also not any glaring signs of failed components (burnt caps/resistors, corrosion etc).
As it currently stands, I've given up and taken the car down to the dealership to have it professionally serviced. It seems like the issue is the BCM being faulty as far as I can tell, which if it is, a new one needs to be programmed by the dealership itself. However, I would very much appreciate any information that may help them expedite the repair and minimize the cost of doing so.
I found this website which has an amazing amount of detail regarding this problem:
Grand Am Passlock Security System Repair
How to repair the 2002 Pontiac Grand Am Security System
www.bergerweb.net
However, it seems to be tailored more towards the anti-theft system preventing the car from turning on.
The issue my grand am is having is that it turns off while running and the security light turns on.
The issue seems to be time-dependent somehow. If I leave the car off overnight, I can start it fine as usual and it will keep driving for ~30-60mins.
After which the antitheft system starts acting up and the fuel is cutoff to the engine.
When this happens, I am able to restart the car by doing the following steps:
1. Turn the key to OFF
2. Wait 10 seconds.
3. Try to start the car (won't start, security system still activated)
4. Turn the key back to OFF
5. Wait 10 seconds.
6. Start the car (Car begins working again)
However, using the above steps will only allow the car to drive for a few extra minutes, upon which I need to repeat the above steps again.
In the website I linked above, I tried to disable this anti-theft system by cutting the yellow wire while the car was running. This wire is located behind the radio compartment and travels to the BCM behind the glovebox. After cutting this wire, the SECURITY light stayed solidly lit, indicating that the system was disabled "correctly" (according to the instructions on the website).
However, I am very confused as this did not fix the problem with the security system cutting off the fuel going to the engine. Very weird...
Is there anyone who has experienced this problem with the anti-theft security system before? I have seen many people have issues with the ingition-lock cylinder having a bad chip and preventing the car from starting, my car starts fine, the issue is that it turns the car off while running somehow. Even after the security system has been disabled. In fact, replacing the ignition-cylinder was the first part that I tried to replace after cutting the yellow wire did not work.
I postulate that since this issue seems to be time-dependent, it may have something to do with a capacitor charging up and not correctly discharging somewhere on the BCM. I took off the BCM from behind the glovebox to inspect it, and found only very minimal corrosion on the plastic housing the connectors plug into. I did my best to clean this and the issue was not fixed. Opening the BCM and looking inside, there were also not any glaring signs of failed components (burnt caps/resistors, corrosion etc).
As it currently stands, I've given up and taken the car down to the dealership to have it professionally serviced. It seems like the issue is the BCM being faulty as far as I can tell, which if it is, a new one needs to be programmed by the dealership itself. However, I would very much appreciate any information that may help them expedite the repair and minimize the cost of doing so.
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