smoke14scc

well now my car is doing it at startup, so i shut it off to reset the computer and it wont restart..i replaced the battery 3 weeks ago so thats not the problem. ive had a dealership and a gm master mechanic look at it and neither of them can find the problem.. im so tired of dumping money into this stupid car to try and find a solution to the problem. maybe if GM would actually stand behind their product and take the time to figure out whats wrong with these cars we could get it fixed... but obviously they dont give a s@#t!!!!

Dave1515

This just started happening to my car about a month ago. There would be two ringing noises and then all the needles in my spedo would drop to zero and then the yellow security light would come on and it would say low fuel and power steering loss, although there would still be power steering and then the needles would bounce back and everything was fine except the sercurity light would stay on. When I would turn the car off and back on, everything would be fine. Now today I was backing out of my driveway and it happened except this time my power steering did turn off. So I turned my car off and back on and the power steering still wasnt working, so I tried turning it off and on again. When I did it the second the power steering was back and nothing was wrong. Did the ground wire work for anyone?? Anyone find a solution??

Dave1515

My car is also a 2006 SS/SC

Dave104

Hey everyone,

Hopefully I can help with the current dilemma we all seem to be facing. I own a 2005 2.2L Auto and continue to have the same issues experienced by most even after the local Chevy house replaced the Transmission Control Module and the power steering due to a recall.

My issues continue to be the following:
1. Loss of power steering (I was on the highway when this first happened in Oct 2011)
2. Speedometer bouncing around
3. Tachometer bouncing around
4. Temp gauge reading outside temp and "---"
5. Clicking sound in my shifter. Like when you press the break to shift out of park.
6. CEL
7. Hard shifting
8. Reduced engine power
9. Intense bogging and stalls at times
After letting the car sit for a while the issues go away but in time they return.

When this first happened in Oct 2011 I took my car to the local Chevy house and they replaced the power steering due a recall on it and then later the TCM because the issues persisted. They also stated they couldn't duplicate the issues. Roughly cost me $475 parts and labor...bullshit honestly. I thought this fixed the problem because it hasn't had any issues until yesterday. I was leaving for Christmas with the family when I lost power steering and the above list rolled out once again. Best part is the warranty on the TCM is only 12 months so if I want to put another band-aid on it it'll be another $450.

I'm pretty sure our main cause is the TCM shorting out by making contact with the positive battery terminal at the fuse box. I remember back in 2011 reading anything and everything i could find in various forums on the issue but I cannot find the one I'm thinking of to reference for you all.

I would like to know if anyone has successfully found a fix for this or if they just continue to deal with it. Comment #10 by Danny_Cin looks promising but i would like to open up discussions before buying a product.

Also I would like Sarah from GM services who has commented on here before to help find us a solution. It sucks going 70mph on the highway and you lose power steering as well as all your gauges. That's a lawsuit in the making.

Currently i cant do any work on my car because one its the holidays and also its snowing in Texas...but once i can pop the hood I'll try/do what i can. let me know what you guys are thinking.

Thanks,
Dave

Dave104

Can you upload pics of this kit installed on your Chevy and also separate pictures of the locations of where you previously mounted the 3' amp wire. Thanks

Dave104

Do you have any updates since your last post? are you experiencing the same issues as seen in the video you posted? Thanks

Dave104

Are you still having issues? Have you found a fix?

Dave104

Has GM found the main cause and/or provided a solid solution for what many of us are experiencing?

Dave104

Are you still having issues? Have you found a fix?

Dave104

If I remember correctly these forums use to be a bit more "lively" when I was an active member lol...I'm guessing it's just the holidays. Hopefully someone will chime in soon.

As far as an update, I'm just getting back into town and of course the car starts up fine...great. The CEL is off so my plans of slowly making it to AutoZone to get the list of codes being thrown is out the window. Looks like I have a ticking time bomb for now but I'll post any info/sites I find that have relevant info for future troubleshoots/searchers.

insylem

Double thread auto merge fail?

Penny07SS

I have a 07 Cobalt SS and its turbo charged, and I'm having similar problems with my speedometer not working properly but it doesn't do it all the time and all throughout the winter months it ran fine with no problems. When it happens, first my speedo will fluctuate like crazy and if it does it long enough "power steering" will show in my DIC and I will lose radio volume, and everything in my DIC except mileage, Oil Life, and Coolant Temp. but I will get power back also while I'm driving and I will repeat the cycle again, I noticed today when the speedo does it most is if I have it in gear the it will drop but when I take it out of gear without using the clutch the speedo comes back I use the clutch to put it back into gear and it drops again. Does anyone have any advice?? PCM? Speed Sensor? Bad Ground? I have no idea.

microgab

I had the problem where the car wouldnt even crank, and i had power steering and low fuel in my DIC. I noticed that when it rained, i was opening my trunk and quite a bit of water was dropping from the tail light into my trunk where the battery is. Now i am careful and didnt happened for a while

kmcdonnell10

I had this exact same problem. Driving into work my gauges went out, and a little later, my power steering. I had noticed that the power steering motor and the instrument cluster wire to the power steering control module (small black box attached to the gear housing). I was able to find the gear, gear housing, new motor, and steering module on ebay motors for 100 bucks. When i replaced that on the column everything worked perfectly. A little cheapers to buy this than the whole column.

Here is the link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Power-Steering-Motor-Chevrolet-Cobalt-05-06-07-08-09-10-GM-19257876-25784769-/221234873086?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3ACobalt%7CSubmodel%3ASS&hash=item3382a042fe&vxp=mtr#ht_1198wt_837
hope this helps.

Dave104

I believe I have found a solid solution to the issues most of us have been experiencing. After applying the fix my car started up just fine and was drivable. It has been over a week and so far no problems. The car feels like its running a lot smoother. I have moved a main ground connection located under the driver side headlight to the ECM mounting bracket. See my write up and pictures below. I know this looks long-winded but it’s been 3 years in the making and I basically want to provide people all the info I have. I really hope this helps because I truly understand the frustration this is causing people.


Background regarding the issues/problem:
In October of 2011, I loss power steering, my gauges didn't function, and my transmission was shifting abnormally. I took it in to the local Chevy dealership and they concluded the transmission control module (TCM) had gone bad due to electrical issues. At the same time they also replaced the power steering due to the recall and chalked up my problem to be from a combination of the two. This did fix the problem for about 3 weeks and I had to return to the dealership. Since the TCM was under warranty they replaced it but could not give me a straight answer on why this was happening. This new TCM lasted me a little over a year. It was around Christmas and couldn't really do much because of the holidays. The car sat for a few days until I returned home but when I cranked up the car, the problems were gone. Between then and now the issues would come and go. I began noticing that when there would be large temperature shifts in the weather the problems would start up. I’m not 100% confident on the correlation but it as a good crystal ball on when **** would hit the fan. About 3 months ago was when even after letting it sit, it wouldn’t “reset”. I ended up driving it to a different dealership (I had moved since then) and they said the car wasn’t producing the proper voltage to maintain the electrical system. They replaced my transmission coolant lines because I had a leak from the hard shifting of the transmission and I replaced the battery myself. This worked and the car ran great. The issues subsided even through weather changes. It was a week ago when it all happened again. Even after sitting a few days no luck. I knew it was electrical by this point in the game and after reading on here and other forums it could be a grounding issue, battery issue, alternator issue, power steering issue, or ABS issue. My dad came in over the weekend and from my previous repairs we concluded it had to be a grounding issue or alternator issue or both.


Parts I removed to get to areas in question:
1) Headlights – access the ground location and help remove my cold air intake
2) Intake – access wiring underneath as well as inspect alternator/serpentine belt
3) Passenger side front tire – to access alternator/serpentine belt
4) Plastic underskirt (not the wheel well) - to access alternator/serpentine belt
5) ˝” Coolant vacuum line that runs across the engine to the coolant tank. It sits right in front of the fuse box– it’s just in the way of everything and can be disconnect at the coolant tank
6) Emissions Control Module (ECM), Transmission Control Module (TCM), and Wiring Harness Bracket - access wiring underneath


My procedure:
1) Disconnected the battery.
2) We removed the serpentine belt which can be accessed by removing the passenger side front wheel and the plastic underskirt of the car. As expected it needed to be replaced. We also disconnected the alternator to have it tested at AutoZone. We found out from AutoZone it did not need to be replaced so we remounted it along with a new belt.
3) We then inspected the wiring. We found it to be much easier to do this if the ECM, TCM, and Wiring Harness Bracket was removed. The bracket is held in place at four points. To remove you will need to first disconnect the electrical connections and remove the ECM and TCM. They should slide up and out. You then loosen the two bolts the bracket is “sitting” on. Please note this is the location you will be relocating the grounding connection, see pictures below. You will also pop off foil-thin, washer-like brackets with a flathead screw driver at two locations. When you look on the driver side of the bracket you’ll clearly see the “thin washers” I am talking about. You will then unclip and lift up on the fuse box, pulling out the bracket. It takes some maneuvering but it will come out. See the link above or the pictures below if you are lost.
4) My dad then followed the wiring from the alternator to the fuse box, checking for pinched/cut wires while I started at the fuse box and worked outward. We didn’t find any issues with the wires and you can see from the pictures we re-taped several areas were wires had pervious been exposed out of the plastic casing as well as wires near the breaking/steering components. What was concerning was the grounding connection to the frame under the driver side headlight.
5) For me connection was not tight nor flush with the body. We felt this truly could be the problem and the easiest/safest location to move it too was the lower bolt that holds the ECM bracket in place, see pictures below. This location is out of the way of other electrical components and would be flat against the frame of the car. It was also close to the original grounding location so you don’t have to modify the length of the ground.
6) After verifying the wiring and re-tapping, we then check the under the fuse box to insure there were solid connections to the fuses. We saw no issues here.
7) We then reinstalled the Wiring Harness Bracket insuring the ground was against the frame. We then reinstalling the rest of the removed parts.
8) I reconnected the battery and tried starting the car fingers crossed It turned over no problem. I then drove it around and had no issues.

We started around 10am and finished by 7pm. This includes lunch, trip to AutoZone, and beer time.

Parts I have replaced since the issue began:
1) 1st TCM – ~$475 parts and labor
2) 2nd TCM – No Charge
3) Power Steering – GM Recall
4) Battery – ~$125
5) Transmission Coolant Lines – ~$75 parts and labor
6) Serpentine belt – ~$20

Please let me know if you have any questions or need clarifications. I will respond as soon as I get a notification.

Also if this truly doesn't fix the problem and the issues return, I will repost letting everyone know but I really think this is the underlining issue.

Best of luck.


Emissions Control Module (ECM), Transmission Control Module (TCM), and Wiring Harness Bracket


Work in progress. The bracket is still in place but the other parts have been removed to get to the areas in question. See above for that list.


Original ground location. Even from this angle you can see the gap that would be present because of the base of the bolt.


Relocated ground connection can be seen on the lower bolt. The bracket can be seen at the top of the picture. Looking at the bracket connection slots you can see how it "sits" on the bolts.


Re-taped areas


Re-taped areas


Re-taped areas


Re-taped areas close to breaking/steering components


Re-taped areas close to breaking/steering components

insylem

Wow
I was wondering if the Ignition recall had/has anything to do with it.
https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/gene...recall-306963/

Dave104

I thought the same thing but my engine never completely shutoff while driving. I'm going to wait a few weeks before going in for the recall. I want to make sure this ground swap works.

stonevampire

So did moveing the main ground fix the problem.

Dave104

I haven't had an issue since I moved the ground.

I'm still going to get the ignition recall taken care of soon just waiting for the dealership to call back to schedule it.

ROADKONE

Just had this happen to me... Haven't even had the car for 6 months... Also a 2006 SS/SC.

TeQTonySunshine

Yep same hear i just got my car from a buy here pay here. I would really like to keep my Cobalt but , with these BCM,PCM,ECM going hair wire will that cause our cars to shut off on it's own? if so i don't wanna die at a young age i am only 30. but I do have a 2nd car if need be i can drive until the Cobalt is fixed. I might go to a local chevy dealer and have them do a 128 car inspection on it. and also see if i have any open recalls I hope so and it don't cost me a nothing. since i am going to be paying payment on this.

TeQTonySunshine

Ooops Sorry my Car is a 2006 Cobalt SS Supercharged.

TeQTonySunshine

Okay i think i figured out my problem

i am new to anything above 1996 year models and definitely new to domestic new engineering,

I saw the headlights was a quite hazzy looking so i decided to take water hose and clean the head lights apparently we have Computers in the engine bay that is a news flash to me.

I had no clue their was computers not far from the driver side as i am spraying the hose on the car. So that begin said that is when my car started to have some ecu issues. So that begin said we must drive careful in rainy weather conditions and when washing our cars we gotta be careful and never with the Hood open.

This is a valueable lesson learned by a novice in newer vehicles so yeah I am keeping Tony SunShine lol have no choice As is Warranty.

So the best advice and suggestions i can give us if it does that when it's wet make sure no water gets in our trucks or engine comparements this new computers are very sensentive.

The Symptoms was EPS shut off, Gauges Freaking out Fuel gauge saying low fuel, and Mph gauge not working, and Rpm gauge bounce between 0 to 1k rpms. and the engine hard to start so be very careful with water around your ECM.

Good luck guys.

TeQTonySunshine

grr typo I meant TCM or what are all them Computers bunched beside each other.

TeQTonySunshine

lol and i thought my problems was fixed it did it again. i don't got the door fod remote only the key would that cause the anti-thief thing to kick in?

if so it always going off on me because every time i try to unlock and open the door i gotta hurt up and put the clutch down and turn the key on for it to stop honking anyway to disable that stupid alarm completely because killing my vibe of just having this car 3 days now.

the symptoms what is does the security orange light comes on when i push in the clutch it tells me in the window Low Fuel,Power Steering. and its rough to start it.

is their a trick for it stop talking to me? or if the car didn't come with a FoB i am screwed?

It sucks i am locked out of driving my car because once it does that the power steering don't work, fuel gauge shows empty, mph gauge don't work, and rpm gauge bounces between 0 to 1k. and only the boost gauge works.