GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

ok, so I was installing a remote starter on a vibe yesterday. Got the starter to work very easily actually. I then hooked up the hatch release and that worked flawlessly also. It was starting to get late and I started working on the door locks. I misread the information and hooked up the lock wires as a positive pulse and zapola! Crap, cus cus and more cus. Now the door locks are stuck in the unlock position, the hatch lock continuously clicks and the dome light and gas gauge is inop. The door locks can not even be locked with the key or the manual knob on the door, they are STUCK! I checked all the fuses and they are all good. I then saw the "Integrated Relay Controller" next to the under dash fuse panel and pulled that out, that made the hatch lock stop clicking (along with the rear wire harnes in the kick panel). I then put it back in and just unplugged the rear harness. The car runs fine, and the remote starter works fine. If I take the remote starter out, the car will not turn over. Did I just blow a fuse somewhere that I missed, or did I do more damage? I am afraid I am in for a BIG dealership bill!HELP!!

arent there fuses under the hood as well as at the drivers legs did you check all those

yes, I did check those also. They are all fine too.

That's kinda odd. Were you using a doorlock interface, (basically a box with relays in it that has two purple wires, a blue, a green, a brown and a white), or were you triggering the doorlocks off the RS brain itself? And how do you mean "If I take the remote starter out". Are you disconnecting the RS brain? Did it require you to cut the car's starter wire? Does it start with the key if the RS is hooked up? What Remote Start system are you trying to use?

I am installing a bulldog remote starter system. When I hooked the remote starter system into the door lock and unlock wires I goofed and hooked up to positve so when I hit the unlock button on the remote starter control I hit it with a positive pulse instead of the negative pulse required by the car. As soon as I hit the unlock button (remote starter remote) and the hatch release started continuously clicking I knew what I had done wrong. No matter what I try, nothing brings the door locks out of their little coma. When I take the remote starter box out of the car the car will not crank at all. The lights and radio and heater blower ect all work but no crank. I did not cut any wires in the car at all. The only way the car will start and run is with the remote starter hooked up.

Well...the doorlocks sounds like a relay melted or something... which is unusual, even if you did pulse it with 12v. As for the car not cranking without the RS in place...i've NO idea how that could happen, especially if it didn't require you to cut the starter wire.

when the remote starter is hooked up, can you start the car like normal with the key in the ignition switch, or do you have to use the remote starter to start the car?If you disconnect the wires to one of the door lock solenoids, can you manually lock that door?

I can start the car with either the key or remote as long as the remote starter is hooked up. As far as the door locks go, even if I unplug the door lock wire harness at the kick panel (blue plug) I still cannot use the manual knob to lock the door, or even the key. Seems very strange to me.

If you can't even lock the door by using the knob, then sounds like you seriously effed something up...

Did the RS put 12v to the doorlocks, or did you test it with 12v? Did any fuses blow?The way it sounds, it's either constantly unlocking, or it siezed the solenoids doing the doorlocks...

The RS pulsed it with 12v I checked all fuses under hood and dash and did not see any bad ones. When I removed the "Integrated reley box" from under the dash the hatch lock quit clicking so I am thinking maybe I blew that. It is going to the dealer tomarrow. I guess I will find out what happened and will more than likely have to dig DEEP into the pocket book to fix it. Dam, all I wanted was remote start!!!

See what they tell you and let us know. I'm sure we can get your RS working correctly, but starting with a working car always helps!

Doesn't sound good. Did you try disconnecting the negative battery cable for a while? Basically let the entire electrical system go dead - might reset an IC that is messed up. It's a longshot, but it can't hurt and doesn't cost anything. Good luck.

I did not unhook the neg cable but I did the pos cable for about 30 minutes. I was thinking the same thing but still the same. It went to the dealer today to set up appointment. From the sound of the service guy he has seen it many many times before. He even asked if the hatch release kept clicking... (which it does) He said it would only take about a half hour to an hour so it must be something simple! It will probably be expensive either way! I will let you all know in the end.

Well, it went to the dealer last night and spent the night. He called me about 45 minutes after we dropped it off telling me that the "body controller" was shorted out and needed to be replaced. He said it is what controls the ground throughout the car. Now I understand how these different things went wacko. I told them seems how they would not have the part until today sometime to go ahead and finish hooking up the remote starter system. He said seems how I had most of it done and looked good it would probably only take an extra hour for that. So, tonight I will know what the bill will be. Hmmm.

In the future, NEVER work on the car's electrical system without disconnecting the negative battery cable!

But even then, once re-connected, zap!! Human error in a hook up will win over always. Costly leason and sucks but I have been there!

It was a dumb mistake, but it happens. Not everyone can remember to check everything. As long as it gets fixed, it's all good..

The Vibe is all better. The dealer replaced the body controller and finished hooking up the remote starter. Everything is all buttoned up and rolling like new again. The controller box is about 400.00 he said. Lesson learned; if you don't have the complete wire schematic of the car your working on, don't work on the electrical system!

so what is this "body controller" thing? Did you get to keep the broken one? whaqt does it look like, and where is it in the car?

He said it is under the dash. I did not get to keep the old one. Not sure what it looks like. He said it conrols the ground to all the curcuits in the car. Apparently what I hit the power locks with the positive voltage instead of the negative it required, it shorted out that controller causing numerous cuurcuits to fail. Kinda like a computer getting a surge or lightening strike. Some things fry some things don't.

The only ground-related things I can see under teh dash are the various Ground points...My suspicion is he blew grounpoint G201 somehow...it controls some of the door locks...it's located under the dash...

I didn't know what a body controller was either til I read this thread. So I googled it. Here is a link:http://www.uri.edu/personal2/loconnor/final.html "Another great advantage to computers in cars is multiplexing. This is a method that simplifies the wiring, preventing wires from getting out of control. Each module is controlling a small aspect of the car, and these modules are attached to the communications bus which can carry it wherever it needs to go. For example, when you hit the window button in your car the drivers door module sends that information to the bus, which gives it to the body controller which opens activates the windows motor. This is much more efficient then running wires from every switch and sensor to the part it controls."

Jahntassa and i were discussing this in depth on AIM tonight...We think, in the case of the Vibe, the body controller is actually the "multifunction alarm module." Couldn't find anything else that seemed to fit the profile...

Yeah, I believe the windows in the Vibe are reverse polarity, so no control module for them. The MAM (multifunction alarm module) apparently controls the doorlocks, which makes sense. On cars that have that 'Reverse polarity' system for the doorlocks, however, those directly drive the doorlock motors.We're guessing the MAM was fried..

I believe the "body controller" is otherwise known as the Body Control Module (or BCM). Most later model computer controlled vehicles have them. Usually a separate computer that controls things like locks, windows, domelights, etc etc. This would explain why all of those things didn't function once it was backfed with 12V.Sad lesson learned! Hopefully people take away from it....it doesn't take very much to get something wrong (esp if ur new to it) and the consequences can be devastating...bmoney

Quote, originally posted by HamiltonAudio »I believe the "body controller" is otherwise known as the Body Control Module (or BCM). Most later model computer controlled vehicles have them. Usually a separate computer that controls things like locks, windows, domelights, etc etc. This would explain why all of those things didn't function once it was backfed with 12V.bmoneyYes you are right! Most vehicles have BCMs now and in fact my Vette if the BCM goes bad or detects an issue, it throws codes to the DIC. You can lose locks, windows, key FOB functions, seat memories, loss of communications messages appear. For the Vibe, it is not called a BCM but like others referred a Mult Funct Alarm Module however it is the same. Upon my search the Vibe can give BCM codes denoted with a B#### and most likely your key less entry did not work if you have it. The procedure for Key Less Entry issues if all else fails, is to replace the MAM, which is the BCM for all intensive purposes. The dlr probably knows this and most GM vehicles call it a BCM so that is probably why he called it that.

Fortunately (well, sucks that the thing was fried) the body controller on the Vibe doesn't appear to do too much. Now, all of the things that GM's BCM are responsible for controlling, yikes! Even the chime for the lights/key/seat belt was built into the BCM on that Malibu I used to own. I can think of very few things that didn't interface with the BCM in some way or another.

Here is more of what the MAM on the Vibe controls:Door locks, key FOB, Dome Lights, Door Chime... So essentially a BCM (body functions) Some may think the controller under the drivers seat is a BCM, it actually is not but the AC/DC Power Outlet Control Module.

Quote, originally posted by MiVibe-ToolGuy »Some may think the controller under the passenger seat is a BCM, it actually is not but the AC/DC Power Outlet Control Module. You mean under the driver seat?

type-o