Electrical issues

[Tazman3212]

owner before me said that on the passenger side door, all the electrical started going back. wasnt instant it was gradually. like locks stopped working, then the window then the mirror quit aswell. if it was instant it would have been a fuse, but just incase, i checked anyway and none are blown. my guess is that there is corrosion in one of the main wires that sends power to the whole door but i dont know anything about electrical to trouble shoot. Been hunting around for a while on google and havent really heard anyone thats had the same issue. soooo should i tear apart the panel and look for corrosion on the wires, or should i go deeper into the dash and look there? what should i do and where should i start?!?!?! PLEASE HELP ME! SUMMER IS COMING AND ONLY MY DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW WORKS! (the back window motors are blown aswell.... stupid GM )

[Backhoe]

Sounds like the electrical connector for the door from the harness is working itself out. Pop the boot and get a look at it at the pass-through from the front where it goes to the harness. It may be corrosion inside the connector if it appears it's still connected.

Not sure of your year, but that's where I would start.

[Tazman3212]

its a 2000, still learning about these because before i bought it i had no clue they existed.. or the problems id endure. but ill take a look. but to get to that i just have to get the door panel off and check the harness and anything around it? or is that not where its at?

[Tazman3212]

and i apologize that this is not in the right section... i didnt see it until after the posting was finished.. my bad..

[Backhoe]

Find a cheap circuit tester and you should be able to track down the problem. You could easily make one as well. Drty/loose/corroded/broken connectors, broken, frayed wires, are the usual suspects. Pulling the panel will make it easier and you will be able to get a good light on it, but it sounds like all functions have stopped? Are there lights in the doors? Is everything dead? There should be a clip connector which would enable someone to remove the door completely, if they were so inclined, near the hinge area. Sound like the culprit to me. Maybe the door has been off before, and the clip never got locked in or it's busted.

[DaMaroon]

That many circuits I'd look at the ground for the door. Would expect wire(s) from the door back to the chassis.

[gweg_b]

Lift up your carpet behind the driver's seat - you might find that it's a bit damp.

I don't remember exactly, as it has been a few years for me, but in the wire channel that runs behind your driver seat, there should be a set of tan wires. If you follow them, you should reach a point where they are spliced with other wires. There (if it is damp under your carpet) you should notice that the wires are corroded.

Cutting those wires back, resoldering, and sealing them up should fix the issues with your door locks and windows.

Sorry for being vague. My Bonneville is at home right now, and I'm at work, so I can't really look at the moment.


Oh wait, here you go:

• Passenger front and both rear door windows & locks don’t work
  • Problem: You notice that the passenger front window, and both rear windows don’t work, along with the door locks.
    Solution: Whether you know it now or not, you have some water leaks, allowing water to get under your carpet, and its corroding the wiring. Thankfully, this is a rather simple fix if you have any electronic/soldering knowledge.
    The windows and door locks data runs on a serial bus line that goes from each door module to each other. There is a splice pack under the driver seat that connects these wires. It gets wet and corrodes.
    • 1. Remove the driver seat bolts with a T47 Torx bit. You’ll need to remove those plastic covers. Two bolts in front, two in the back. Disconnect the wiring and remove from the car.
      2. Lift up the carpet and notice standing water, or signs of previous water.
      3. There is some wiring that runs directly under the driver seat. Remove the wire loom from that 1ft section. Carefully cut away the wire wrap from the wires to expose the wires.
      4. You’ll see 4 tan wires that look like they have black duct tape wrapped around them, cut away this wrap as well. You should find a splice pack that looks like this (complete with corrosion): http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv11 ... G_7787.jpg
      5. Cut out the splice pack and save it to show your friends.
      6. Cut back the 4 tan wires until it is fresh and clean. Black wiring is not good, cut back as much as necessary, it could be wicked up into that wire a few inches, or a few feet, depending on how long the problem has existed.
      7. Solder a new wire in its place. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Any gauge wire will work as long as it’s somewhat similar to the existing wire. All you are doing is reconnecting the 4 door modules so they can communicate again. Be sure to use heat shrink tubing to keep the water out. http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv11 ... G_7788.jpg
      8. Rewrap the area with wire wrap (electrical tape), and put the wire loom back on
      9. Reinstall the seat.
      10. FIX YOUR LEAKS! Check the links in the “Water leaks” section of this document.
    Estimated Cost: FREE, just some simple supplies and time

That should help you out.

[Tazman3212]

Okay here's what I did. I took off the front passenger side panel and dug up the door module... Now from my understanding.. This door module has 4 plugs, in it. The relay and then 3 others that I'm not sure of the function. I get power from the relay harness that connects to the module, but when I go to use the power options (windows locks mirror) nothing happens. This module supposedly controls the rest of the passenger door windows and locks aswell.. Or am I wrong and there's a seperate module in every door? Soo is it possible (anything is possible with GM..) but what are the odds that the module is bad? How an I test it? I took it apart, looked at the circuit board, nothing looked fried or unusual, but it could be one of the capacitors or something else, idk.. I tested the harness that connects to the window motor, with a meter, and there was no power going to that but once again there's power (12v) at the relay harness before it's connected to the module.. I also checked for corrosion and missing pins, it all was clean, no water or water marks inside the door or anywhere else, but before I tear apart Bonnie's carpet and stuff I'm going to just replace the module then go from there unless anyone else has a solution based in my inquiry.??

[Tazman3212]

Lift up your carpet behind the driver's seat - you might find that it's a bit damp.

I don't remember exactly, as it has been a few years for me, but in the wire channel that runs behind your driver seat, there should be a set of tan wires. If you follow them, you should reach a point where they are spliced with other wires. There (if it is damp under your carpet) you should notice that the wires are corroded.

Cutting those wires back, resoldering, and sealing them up should fix the issues with your door locks and windows.

Sorry for being vague. My Bonneville is at home right now, and I'm at work, so I can't really look at the moment.


Oh wait, here you go:

• Passenger front and both rear door windows & locks don’t work
  • Problem: You notice that the passenger front window, and both rear windows don’t work, along with the door locks.
    Solution: Whether you know it now or not, you have some water leaks, allowing water to get under your carpet, and its corroding the wiring. Thankfully, this is a rather simple fix if you have any electronic/soldering knowledge.
    The windows and door locks data runs on a serial bus line that goes from each door module to each other. There is a splice pack under the driver seat that connects these wires. It gets wet and corrodes.
    • 1. Remove the driver seat bolts with a T47 Torx bit. You’ll need to remove those plastic covers. Two bolts in front, two in the back. Disconnect the wiring and remove from the car.
      2. Lift up the carpet and notice standing water, or signs of previous water.
      3. There is some wiring that runs directly under the driver seat. Remove the wire loom from that 1ft section. Carefully cut away the wire wrap from the wires to expose the wires.
      4. You’ll see 4 tan wires that look like they have black duct tape wrapped around them, cut away this wrap as well. You should find a splice pack that looks like this (complete with corrosion): http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv11 ... G_7787.jpg
      5. Cut out the splice pack and save it to show your friends.
      6. Cut back the 4 tan wires until it is fresh and clean. Black wiring is not good, cut back as much as necessary, it could be wicked up into that wire a few inches, or a few feet, depending on how long the problem has existed.
      7. Solder a new wire in its place. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Any gauge wire will work as long as it’s somewhat similar to the existing wire. All you are doing is reconnecting the 4 door modules so they can communicate again. Be sure to use heat shrink tubing to keep the water out. http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv11 ... G_7788.jpg
      8. Rewrap the area with wire wrap (electrical tape), and put the wire loom back on
      9. Reinstall the seat.
      10. FIX YOUR LEAKS! Check the links in the “Water leaks” section of this document.
    Estimated Cost: FREE, just some simple supplies and time

That should help you out.

Actually.. This is what I did.. I said hell with the module, and then a little bit ago I took off my seat, and lifted up the carpet and it was soaked... Like the foam was just soiled, and that's all the farther I got because it was getting late, so tomorrow ima look for that connector. So far everything is adding up, and going well for my trouble shooting, so hopefully when I tear inyk that ripped conduit then I'll find those wires. Thanks so much to everyone for the help and if that's the issue then god bless everyone for the help! I'll get back to you all about this tomorrow when I tear it back apart

[Tazman3212]

Lift up your carpet behind the driver's seat - you might find that it's a bit damp.

I don't remember exactly, as it has been a few years for me, but in the wire channel that runs behind your driver seat, there should be a set of tan wires. If you follow them, you should reach a point where they are spliced with other wires. There (if it is damp under your carpet) you should notice that the wires are corroded.

Cutting those wires back, resoldering, and sealing them up should fix the issues with your door locks and windows.

Sorry for being vague. My Bonneville is at home right now, and I'm at work, so I can't really look at the moment.


Oh wait, here you go:

• Passenger front and both rear door windows & locks don’t work
  • Problem: You notice that the passenger front window, and both rear windows don’t work, along with the door locks.
    Solution: Whether you know it now or not, you have some water leaks, allowing water to get under your carpet, and its corroding the wiring. Thankfully, this is a rather simple fix if you have any electronic/soldering knowledge.
    The windows and door locks data runs on a serial bus line that goes from each door module to each other. There is a splice pack under the driver seat that connects these wires. It gets wet and corrodes.
    • 1. Remove the driver seat bolts with a T47 Torx bit. You’ll need to remove those plastic covers. Two bolts in front, two in the back. Disconnect the wiring and remove from the car.
      2. Lift up the carpet and notice standing water, or signs of previous water.
      3. There is some wiring that runs directly under the driver seat. Remove the wire loom from that 1ft section. Carefully cut away the wire wrap from the wires to expose the wires.
      4. You’ll see 4 tan wires that look like they have black duct tape wrapped around them, cut away this wrap as well. You should find a splice pack that looks like this (complete with corrosion): http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv11 ... G_7787.jpg
      5. Cut out the splice pack and save it to show your friends.
      6. Cut back the 4 tan wires until it is fresh and clean. Black wiring is not good, cut back as much as necessary, it could be wicked up into that wire a few inches, or a few feet, depending on how long the problem has existed.
      7. Solder a new wire in its place. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Any gauge wire will work as long as it’s somewhat similar to the existing wire. All you are doing is reconnecting the 4 door modules so they can communicate again. Be sure to use heat shrink tubing to keep the water out. http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv11 ... G_7788.jpg
      8. Rewrap the area with wire wrap (electrical tape), and put the wire loom back on
      9. Reinstall the seat.
      10. FIX YOUR LEAKS! Check the links in the “Water leaks” section of this document.
    Estimated Cost: FREE, just some simple supplies and time

That should help you out.

Actually.. This is what I did.. I said hell with the module, and then a little bit ago I took off my seat, and lifted up the carpet and it was soaked... Like the foam was just soiled, and that's all the farther I got because it was getting late, so tomorrow ima look for that connector. So far everything is adding up, and going well for my trouble shooting, so hopefully when I tear inyk that ripped conduit then I'll find those wires. Thanks so much to everyone for the help and if that's the issue then god bless everyone for the help! I'll get back to you all about this tomorrow when I tear it back apart

[gweg_b]

Hope it works out for you!

I fought with this problem for about a month (4 years ago - happened during the hottest time of the summer, too), until my brother (who work for a dealership at the time) found a GM bulletin on this exact problem. Usually when the windows and locks stop working, it's this exact issue.

The next thing you'll want to do is tackle the leaks before they cause more serious issues (like corroding your battery terminals and cables - I know, as I had this happen to me last fall). More information can be found here:

2000+ Common Problems & Solutions (updated 5.11.11)

Again, good luck!

[Tazman3212]

It worked!!! Somewhat... Did exactly what you guys said, spent 3 bucks for a bunch if butt connectors, and cut away the corrosion. And splices the wires together, shoved Vaseline in the ends of the butts for a sealer for reassurance that water won't get in there, ten taped those two wires, then taped it to the bundle of wires, then showe it all back Into the ripped conduit, and taped it again. Hopefully that won't ever corrode again.. My passenger door works perfectly, better than it ever has. I just still don't have power to my rear doors.. I know the window motor assembly's are bad and I need to replace those but te locks don't work either.. Any ideas on what to do next for the rear locks?

[gweg_b]

Glad you got it working!

Unfortunately, I'm not sure what you need to do with the rear locks, other than testing that they are getting power. I don't know much about them (never had to mess with them). After a while, my driver door would no longer lock or unlock, and after a lot of testing and replacing parts, I found out the driver window/mirror switch was going bad, and that affected it. So, it's possible you could have bad switches.

Others might be able to give you more ideas. I'm not very good with troubleshooting cars - what I know has come from what the guys here have taught me!