Let me first give you the basic info of my car:

Make: Chevrolet
Model: Cobalt
Package: Base
Year: 2005

Upgrades:
Aftermarket Radio - 3 Amplifiers
Aftermarket Speakers - All
Aftermarket Alarm
Power Windows
Power Locks

Problems:

Power Steering is disabled (does not work), Wipers do not respond, HVAC turns on but does not allow for switching of fans or temp (only blows outside air temp), DIC buttons do not respond (DIC Responds to things such as low fuel, and check oil soon)

Things I Have Tried:

Replacement of all fuses (including special fuses such as the 60 amp under hood ones)
Removal of all aftermarket and upgrade electronics (wire gophering the entire way to make sure for shorts and improper grounding)



Anyone have any ideas? I know that many of us have had problems with the power steering motor going out, but I haven't seen anyone encounter the other effects as well at the same time.

Thank you all in advance for any help you can give me.

 

Sounds like a nasty short to ground.

Have you ever touched the battery cables backwards? That will fry a lot of stuff too.

 

did you buy new or used?
Check fluid levels on power steering...
Switch is probably bad with wipers, switch out the entire wiper arm on steering column.
Blower motor and or actuator are bad on HVAC also resistor maybe.... Use some dye to check for leaks in ac system also....
as for DIC no idea......
before you ever started replacing any relays o fuses you should have taken a multimeter to them. Its easy to tell if they work or not.....

 

I hope to god your kidding.... Cobalts/G5s dont have hydraulic power steering, they use an electric assist which is an electric motor attached to the steering column.

It sounds like a issue with the BCM. Look for corroded wires or connectors and grounding issues, it defiantly sounds like a module is whacked.

 

Bought new with only 3 - 10 miles on it. Car has never been in a crash, but has popped the tire from a bad parking job (please don't ask).

Never, I also have always had the aftermarket or upgrades done by people with advanced electrical knowledge and experience, and I'm one of those guys that gets yelled at for watching technitions and mechanics do their jobs.

I replaced all of the fuses, but in my doing so I may have missed a couple, I will check this over and see if it's one I missed. This is controlled on the passanger side panel, correct?

I did check them all with a multimeter, but as a double check I switched them out to double check as I only know how to use a multimeter as far as to make it "chirp" if it notices power.



Might this be something that happens when the power steering motor fails by shorting and since it's still connected the other problems continue? or could the entire column have failed?

Again thank you in advance for your help.

 

Your BCM is fried. Modern BCM's do not respond well to aftermarket power windows and locks and the such. It's not like older cars where it's just a switch and power. Every function of the Cobalt is controlled by a module, and if you take power from somewhere that you aren't supposed to, you mess up the module.

 

Double check your I/P ign fuse under the hood it supplies the feed to everything you stated isnt working
from there that fuse is feed from the crank run relay check for voltage there with a meter or pulling the relay and inspect the pins on it to see if they are burnt ,it could also not be seated properly ,loose from wheel hoping etc ,

 

Coblasts, you are a god among men!

I went and checked that fuse right after I read your post and inspected the fuse very closely and found a hairline break. It was enough of a break to stop the instruments from working, but not enough of a break for my multimeter to sense power. But now here's the twist. I swapped the fuse out for a new one and the power steering turns with ease, heater warms the car quick, and the DIC recognizes the buttons again, while the wipers do their job. BUT! it refuses to shift out of park. I hear a click coming from the steering column when I press the button on the automatic transmission shifter, but it refuses to move from park. Got any more of that wisdom you can bestow upon me? Thanks again in advance!

 

Do you have your foot on the brake? That's necessary to shift out of park. If you do and it still won't move, check to see if your brake lights are working.

Also consider the reasons why that fuse blew in the first place. You might have too much of your aftermarket equipment on a single circuit.

 

I removed all of the aftermarket stuff from the car so this shouldn't be a problem. I'm also going to set up the after market stuff with relays as someone had shown within the forums in a different post to seperate them from the OEM things. The window and locks are OEM, just added after the car was purchased (the car was manual everything) and I'll see what I can do about keeping those with the after market things. But this still is making me uneasy as this is the only thing keeping me from driving my car, and it's a fun car to ride in.

 

Thank you all for your help with these problems. I just wanted to give an update and close this thread as all the problems were worked out.

The reason the Shifter would not move out of park is there was a hairline break in the stop light fuse. After switching this fuse and the other that Coblast had mention, my Cobalt is as frisky as ever.

Thank you all again for your great help!

 

This is why you test fuses with a high power test lamp, and not a meter. $.02

 

I effin love this site. I had the same problem as the OP... Cursed my car for a good three hours then finally calmed down enough to search my problem. Found the answer here and now I dont have to let some jabroni touch my car. CSS FTW... btw proper use of the search button works wonders

 

You're prevented from shifting out of park if your tail light fuse is blown? Who would have known.

And its a bit sad that someone mentioned power steering fluid. Makes me wonder about some people.