Any tips on replacing the steering wheel position sensor?
 

I've been seeing DTC codes 1287 and 1288, steering wheel position sensor errors, for several weeks now which disables the active handling. First thing I did was clean the grounds on the front frame rails and reseat the EBCM and SWPS connectors, but that didn't work. With the help of search function and Bill Curlee's post in http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1650217|this thread I've determined my steering wheel postion sensor is bad.

I stuck probes from my multimeter in the back side of the connector and found that the sensor is getting +5v on the orange/black and ground on the gray, but the two signal wires, pin 5 and 6, show dead spots (sudden drops to .5v) as I turn the wheel.

The shop manuals outline the proceedure to remove the steering column and replace the sensor, but several posts linked to http://www.ddisoftware.com/c5-procs/ as having an easier way to change it out. Unfortunately that link is no longer working. Any one have any advice on the best way to do this?

Also, from what I've read it seems for my '01 the sensor is GM PART # 88965543 which lists at $70. Just want to make sure that's correct as it just comes up as Sensor on GMpartsdirect.com.

Thanks!
:cheers:

i'd suggest using gmpartshouse.com , Gene always is up on current part numbers

i had the same link

I take it you have not done extensive aligment or replace/remove steering box. The voltage you need to check is the light blue wire in the middle of the sensor harness. it should be about 2.4-2.6V if not then learch the forum for that fix.

Mine failed a couple of years ago. I bought the sensor then had the dealer put it in. They only charged me $175 to do it. It was worth it too me just for the sake of the effort and the air-bag. If they had set it off, it was on their money to fix it. Yes, you can do it yourself too if you are careful.

I did this on my '99 Coupe a couple years back.

The trick here is that there is actually enough slack in the
wiring harness that you don't have to disconnect any wires.
This essentially solves the airbag issue.

Here's the Reader's Digest version:
- Set the steering wheel straight, so that the front wheels are
straight, and try hard not to turn it during the whole process.
- Disconnect the wire from the sensor.
- Disconnect the topmost U-joint under the hood (probably
the "hardest" part)
- Pull the knee bolster and its support bracket
- Get the new steering sensor - leave the pin in it!!
- Remove the 4 bolts that hold the steering column to the car.
- Pull the column into the car just enough to clear the sensor.
Rest it on the crossmember under the dash, but don't pinch
any wires.
- Swap in the new sensor - note alignment when removing the
old sensor - leave the pin in the new sensor!! :)
- It helps to have a helper slide the column back in while you
reconnect the U-joint under the hood, but I did this myself
with several back-and-forths. Watch for pinching wires.
- Reassemble.
- Pull the pin in the new sensor. :D

Thanks for the tips SilvaDragon! I just ordered the new sensor this past weekend and hopefully we be installing it this coming weekend. I'll try to take some pics and let you all know how it went.

let us know how it works out for you...

eagerly awaiting photos! I think I need to do this also...:ack:

I'll get the photos up this weekend. I replaced the sensor a couple of weeks ago and all has been fine since. I ended up pulling out the whole steering column as I had a tough time sliding the old sensor off. It really wasn't hard to just remove the whole column, although if the sensor hadn't been stuck on it wouldn't have been necessary.

:toetap:

Here is the shop manual version: (not sure that I would tackle this myself)

SMU - Revised Steering Wheel Position Sensor or Steering Shaft Lower Bearing Replacement Procedure and Steering Wheel Position Sensor Centering Procedure #03-02-36-002 - (Jul 30, 2003)
Revised Steering Wheel Position Sensor or Steering Shaft Lower Bearing Replacement Procedure and Steering Wheel Position Sensor Centering Procedure
1998-2003 Buick LeSabre, Park Avenue

1998-2003 Cadillac DeVille, Seville

2003 Cadillac CTS

1998-2003 Chevrolet Corvette

1998 Oldsmobile Achieva

1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue

1998-2003 Oldsmobile Aurora

1999-2003 Oldsmobile Alero

1998-2003 Pontiac Bonneville, Grand Am

1998-2000 Chevrolet C/K Pickup Models

1998-2003 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe

1999-2003 Chevrolet Silverado

2002-2003 Chevrolet Avalanche

1998-1999 GMC Suburban

1998-2000 GMC C/K Pickup Models

1998-2003 GMC Yukon

1999-2003 GMC Sierra

2000-2003 GMC Yukon Denali, Yukon XL

2003 GMC Sierra Denali

This bulletin is being issued to revise the Steering Wheel Position Sensor or Steering Shaft Lower Bearing Replacement procedure in the Variable Effort Steering (1998-2001 model years) or Steering Wheel and Column (2002-2003 model years) and add the Steering Wheel Position Sensor Centering procedure in the Steering Wheel and Column sub-sections of the Service Manual. Please replace the current information in the Service Manual with the following information.

The following information has been updated within SI. If you are using a paper version of this Service Manual, please make a reference to this bulletin on the affected page.

Steering Wheel Position Sensor or Steering Shaft Lower Bearing Replacement
Removal Procedure




Caution
Refer to SIR Caution in Cautions and Notices.


Disable the SIR system. Refer to SIR Disabling and Enabling Zone 3 in SIR.
Remove the steering column from the vehicle. Refer to Steering Column Replacement.
Remove the following from the steering shaft:
steering shaft seal (7)
sensor retainer (6)
steering wheel position sensor (5), refer to Steering Wheel Position Sensor Centering.
2 lower spring retainers (4)
lower bearing spring (3)
lower bearing seat (2)
adapter and bearing assembly (1)
Installation Procedure



Install the following onto the steering shaft:
adapter and bearing assembly (1)
lower bearing seat (2)
lower bearing spring (3)
2 lower spring retainers (4)
steering wheel position sensor (5) refer to Steering Wheel Position Sensor Centering.
sensor retainer (6)
steering shaft seal (7)
Enable the SIR system. Refer to in SIR.
Install the steering column to the vehicle. Refer to Steering Column Replacement.
Enable the SIR system. Refer to SIR Disabling and Enabling Zone 3 in SIR.
Steering Wheel Position Sensor Centering
Removal Procedure

Important
Identify the type of steering wheel position sensor from the illustrations below BEFORE removing the sensor from the steering column. Once you have identified the steering wheel position sensor, follow the instructions listed in the removal procedure.


Verify the type of steering wheel position sensor.



From the technicians point of view, the FRONT of the sensor (1) connector will be on the right.

Important
If reusing the existing sensor, you do not have to align the sensor before removal. Centering is not required when it is time to reinstall.


Remove the connector from the sensor.
Remove the sensor (1) from the adapter and bearing assembly.
To install the sensor, proceed to step 1 in the installation section.



From the technicians point of view, the FRONT of the sensor will have:
A foam ring (2)
A pin hole (1) for centering the pin (note location of the pin hole)
A flush rotor flange cuff (4)

Important
If reusing the existing sensor, you must make an alignment mark on the rotor flange cuff (3) before removing the sensor. Failure to do so will cause misalignment when installing the sensor. A new sensor will be required if misaligned.


Make an alignment mark on the flush rotor flange cuff (3).
Remove the connector from the sensor.
Remove the sensor from the adapter and bearing assembly.
To install the sensor, proceed to step 5 in the installation section.



From the technicians point of view, the FRONT of the sensor will have:
A raised rotor flange cuff (3)
An alignment mark (2) on the rotor flange cuff (3) for installation
A pin hole (1) for the centering pin (note location of the pin hole)
Remove the connector from the sensor.
Remove the sensor from the adapter and bearing assembly.
To install the sensor, proceed to step 9 in the installation section.



From the technicians point of view, the FRONT of the sensor will have:
A raised rotor flange cuff (3)
An alignment mark (2) on the rotor flange cuff (3) for installation
A pin hole (1) for the centering pin (note location of the pin hole)
A sensor clip in FRONT of the sensor
Remove the connector from the sensor.
Remove the sensor clip from the sensor.
Remove the sensor from the adapter and bearing assembly.
To install the sensor, proceed to step 13 in the installation section.



From the technicians point of view, the FRONT of the sensor will have:
A flush rotor flange cuff (3)
A pin hole (1) for the centering pin (note location of the pin hole)
An alignment mark (2) on the flush rotor flange cuff (3) for installation
Remove the connector from the sensor.
Remove the sensor from the adapter and bearing assembly.
To install the sensor, proceed to step 17 in the installation section.



From the technicians point of view, the FRONT of the sensor will have:
A flush rotor flange cuff (4)
A pin hole (2) for the centering pin (note location of the pin hole)
An alignment mark (3) on the flush rotor flange cuff (4) for installation
A foam ring (1)
Remove the connector from the sensor.
Remove the sensor from the adapter and bearing assembly.
To install the sensor, proceed to step 21 in the installation section.
Installation Procedure




Important
If reusing the existing sensor, no centering of the sensor is required.


If installing a new sensor, it will come with a pin installed in the sensor. Do not remove the pin until the sensor is seated.
From the technicians point of view, the FRONT of the sensor (1) connector will be on your right. From the technicians point of view, the BACK of the sensor (2) connector will be on your left.
Looking at the FRONT of the sensor, align the sensor with the steering shaft and install into the adapter and bearing assembly.
Install the connector to the sensor.



From the technicians point of view, the FRONT of the sensor will have:
A foam ring (4)
A pin hole (7) for the centering pin (note location of the pin hole)
A flushed rotor flange cuff (6)
An alignment mark (5) for installation
From the technicians point of view, the BACK of the sensor will have:
Double D flats (1)
A foam ring (3)
An alignment tab (2) for installing into the adapter and bearing assembly.
A view of the inside of the connector

Important
If reusing the existing sensor, you must align the marks on the flush rotor flange cuff before installation. The alignment mark must stay aligned until the sensor is seated into the adapter and bearing assembly.

If installing a new sensor, it will come with a pin installed in the sensor. Do not remove the pin until the sensor is seated. If the new sensor did not come with a pin installed, you must reorder a new sensor.


Looking at the FRONT of the sensor, align the sensor with the steering shaft and install into the adapter and bearing assembly.
Install the connector to the sensor.



From the technicians point of view, the FRONT of the sensor will have:
A pin hole (3) for the centering pin (note location of the pin hole)
A raised rotor flange cuff (5)
An alignment mark (4) for installation
From the technicians point of view, the BACK of the sensor will have:
Double D flats (1)
An alignment tab (2) for installing into the adapter and bearing assembly.

Important
If reusing the existing sensor, you must align the marks on the raised rotor flange cuff before installation. The alignment mark must stay aligned until the sensor is seated into the adapter and bearing assembly.

If installing a new sensor, it will come with a pin installed in the sensor. Do not remove the pin until the sensor is seated. If the new sensor did not come with a pin installed, you must reorder a new sensor.


Looking at the FRONT of the sensor, align the sensor with the steering shaft and install into the adapter and bearing assembly.
Install the connector to the sensor.



From the technicians point of view, the FRONT of the sensor will have:
A pin hole (2) for the centering pin (note location of the pin hole)
A raised rotor flange cuff (4)
An alignment mark (3) for installation
From the technicians point of view, the BACK of the sensor will have an alignment tab (1) for installation. This sensor does not have double D flats.

Important
If reusing the existing sensor, you must align the marks on the raised rotor flange cuff before installation. The alignment mark must stay aligned until the sensor is seated into the adapter and bearing assembly.

If installing a new sensor, it will come with a pin installed in the sensor. Do not remove the pin until the sensor is seated. If the new sensor did not come with a pin installed, you must reorder a new sensor.


Looking at the FRONT of the sensor, align the sensor with the steering shaft and install into the adapter and bearing assembly.
Install the connector to the sensor.



From the technicians point of view, the FRONT of the sensor will have:
A pin hole (2) for the centering pin (note location of the pin hole)
A flush rotor flange cuff (4)
An alignment mark (3) for installation
From the technicians point of view, the BACK of the sensor will have an alignment tab (1) for installation. This sensor does not have double D flats.

Important
If reusing the existing sensor, you must align the marks on the flush rotor flange cuff before installation. The alignment mark must stay aligned until the sensor is seated into the adapter and bearing assembly.

If installing a new sensor, it will come with a pin installed in the sensor. Do not remove the pin until the sensor is seated. If the new sensor did not come with a pin installed, you must reorder a new sensor.


Looking at the FRONT of the sensor, align the sensor with the steering shaft and install into the adapter and bearing assembly.
Install the connector to the sensor.



From the technicians point of view, the FRONT of the sensor will have:
A pin hole (3) for the centering pin (note location of the pin hole)
A flush rotor flange cuff (5)
An alignment mark (4) for installation
A foam ring (6)
From the technicians point of view, the BACK of the sensor will have:
Double D flats (1)
An alignment tab (2) for installing into the adapter and bearing assembly.

Important
If reusing the existing sensor, you must align the marks on the flush rotor flange cuff before installation. The alignment mark must stay aligned until the sensor is seated into the adapter and bearing assembly.

If installing a new sensor, it will come with a pin installed in the sensor. Do not remove the pin until the sensor is seated. If the new sensor did not come with a pin installed, you must reorder a new sensor.


Looking at the FRONT of the sensor, align the sensor with the steering shaft and install into the adapter and bearing assembly.
Install the connector to the sensor.

:lurk:

Thanks Oldvetter, a picture is worth 1,000 words:lol:

:lurk:

OK, I've finally got my pics online! I'm no expert and this is only a rough summary of what i did (or at least what I remember doing), but I hope some will find this useful. Having the GM service manuals handy is always good.

First thing to do is loosen (but don't remove) the bolt that connects the upper steering shaft with the steering column. I found it was a lot easier to get at the bolt by disconnecting the rubber hose going to the AIR tube on the exhaust headers.

http://www.malachiarts.org/~mathia/p...sconnect-s.jpg

You can see the upper steering shaft with the blue "Notice" sticker. Here is a pic of the upper joint with the bolt that will be loosened. It's just below the right most ignition coil.

http://www.malachiarts.org/~mathia/p...ft-top01-s.jpg

In the above pic the wheel is turned straight ahead. In this position the bolt head is at an angle you can't get at. Turn the wheel about 90 degrees to the left (IIRC) and you'll have the bolt head pointing up. Like this I was able to use a couple of extensions together to get a socket on there and be able to swing the ratchet.

http://www.malachiarts.org/~mathia/p...ft-top02-s.jpg

Make sure you just loosen the bolt. You want to have the wheel pointing straight ahead when you install the sensor. Once you get it loose, turn the steering wheel to straight ahead and then remove the bolt by hand. This is where removing the AIR tube hose really helps, but it's still kind of a pain.

Now with the steering shaft disconnected from the steering column you can unbolt the steering column. There are four bolt that hold it in place. To get at the upper ones you need to remove the knee bolster. With that out, you can see the upper two nuts.

http://www.malachiarts.org/~mathia/p...per-bolt-s.jpg

And here are the lower ones.

http://www.malachiarts.org/~mathia/p...wer-bolt-s.jpg

Well, actually you can only see one of them in the pic. You can also see the sensor here. It is behind the green ring. On its left you can see the connector for it. Remove the connector and all for bolts. There are also some ties that secure the wiring harnesses to the steering column. Undo the ties to create some slack in the wiring. You can now pull the steering column away from the firewall and fully disengage it from the steering shaft.

http://www.malachiarts.org/~mathia/p...mn-out01-s.jpg

In theory, at this point you should be able to slide the steering sensor off the end of the column. Mine was really stuck on there so I ended up pulling the column out of the car to get a better grip on it.

If you're removing the column that means you have to disconnect the air bag. The GM service manuals state that the air bag holds about 15 seconds worth of charge so that the air bags can deploy even if the battery is disconnected. To avoid possibly having the air bag deploy you must disconnect the battery and then pull the fuse for the air bags. (I forget which on it is now, I'll post it later).

Once you're certain the air bags have no power and are fully discharged, disconnect all the wiring connectors on the steering column. I must say I hate automotive electrical connectors, unplugging them in particular. These have a little locking piece you've got to push out with a small flat head screw driver before you can pull them a part. Once they are all undone you are now free to pull the whole column out.

http://www.malachiarts.org/~mathia/p...mn-out02-s.jpg

Slide the sensor off and put on the new one. The new one has a black pin in it to keep it from moving out of the centered position. Don't remove that pin until the sensor is on the shaft, otherwise it won't give the right voltage on center. Here you can see the pin.

http://www.malachiarts.org/~mathia/p...nsor-new-s.jpg

With the new sensor on slide the steering shaft back through the firewall. This is a little tricky because there is a rubber grommet and a seal the column goes through. If your not careful (like me) you can push the grommet out of the firewall. It's a bit of a pain to shove it back in. I recommend having a second set of hands hold the grommet in place from the engine compartment side.

Then bolt the column in the car and plug in all the connectors. Put the upper steering shaft bolt back in by hand. Turn the wheel so you can access the bolt with a socket and tighten it. I think that's it. It's been a couple months since I did this and active handling has been working fine since.
:cheers:

Good pics.

The one recommendation I would make is once the new sensor is on the column, don't pull that pin until the column is back in the car or if you do pull the pin, don't let the wteering wheel rotate.

I just did this job 2 weeks ago and I also pulled the whole column out of the car, it's just less hastle.

great write-up. That looks easy enough....:thumbs:

Does anyone know the part number for the sensor?

I think there are two different versions of the sensor. My 2001 used GM part # 88965543. I think some of the early year C5s use a different sensor that costs a lot more and has a six wire connector.

anyone know what fuse to pull?

A word of caution for you guys.

It is really important not to rotate the steering wheel during this process. Doing so may result in destruction of the airbag coil.

Why?

Because the airbag coil is only designed to allow the wheel to rotate from lock to lock. It actually has a coil of wire in it. The coiled wire will only allow limited rotation.

So, of you accidentally rotate the wheel one turn to the left and reinstall the column that way the result will be destruction of the airbag coil next time you make a left turn and the airbag coilwire runs out of travel. Spinning the steering wheel with the steering shaft disconnected would be nearly instant death for the airbag coil.

If you do accidentally rotate the wheel and are uncertain if it is in the right spot, you can save yourself by removing the airbag coil and following the procedure to manually recenter it. :thumbs:

How is the sensor held in place - are those locking tabs (to hold the sensor to the green ring)?

P.S. -
Great photos and info - Thanks for posting.

Yes nice write up, I anticipate having to do this soon. So I have subscribed to this thread and will report back how it goes as well. I have an 01 and am getting an intermittent Service Active Handling, Traction Control with ABS light......codes are constantly 1287,88.

:cheers:

I ordered my new sensor last week from Gene. I should get it this week and hopefully I can perform the transplant this weekend.

Hmm, I think the green part does have tabs, though I don't really remember. I remember that the sensor was a pretty tight fit, so maybe it could be just held on with friction. I opted to remove the whole column because of the amount of force I needed to slide off the sensor. If there were tabs holding the sensor to the green part they weren't any problem to undo.

Also, if you have a column lock bypass you might want to remove it so that the column is locked when you replace the sensor to avoid any possibilty of the wheel getting turned around while handling the steering column.

Good idea!

What fuse needs to be pulled for the airbag?

Great Success!!!
 

Well, I replaced the steering sensor yesterday and took the car for a test drive. The ever-present "service active handling" message did not appear this time. I'll call the swap a successful fix!:cheers:

I followed the instructions in this thread by Mathia (thanks!) and they were right-on. Here are some info I'll contribute:

1. Before doing anything, I un-installed my column lock bypass to allow the wheel to lock in position when I wanted it to. After testing the column lock, I proceded with Mathia's steps.

2. To get at the steering shaft nut (you can't turn the bolt head, sorry Mathia), you'll need a swivel socket and about 10" of extension. You can get at the nut from the topside or from the side...I removed the black plastic wheel well cover behind the LF wheel (in front of the side cove) and you can easily see the target nut. You don't have to remove the wheel to accomplish this. This was a discovery because the steering bolt dropped down and I could not find it:smash: so I had to go searching and removed the wheel well cover and found the bolt.

3. The fuse to pull that disables the airbag is #16 in the fuse box in the passenger foot well.

4. To get at the steering column components inside, you have to remove the interior panel below the steering wheel. This is described elsewhere for installing the column lock bypass among other things. Just search the forum and you'll find the directions in many places.

5. When removing the metal knee bolster (has white foam on it), you also have to remove the horizontal black plastic panel that has the footwell light. It has typical interior panel push-on fasteners and one metal ring fastener similar to what holds brake rotors on the studs. Getting that off was the most difficult part of the job...:crazy:

6. I completely removed the steering column to see how the sensor was held in place. It isn't difficult and makes things a lot easier.

7. When sliding the steering column back through the fire wall, I don't see how you can prevent knocking the grommet off of the seal. Thats fine. Just slide it back on the shaft after it comes through the fire wall. After you slide the steering column onto the steering shaft, the grommet can be snapped back onto the fire wall.

8. After everthing was back together, I re-installed my column lock bypass. It gave me some typical trouble on the DIC. After pulling fuse #23 and #25 a few times, it was OK.

If you have any questions, please ask. If you can turn a socket wrench with an extension, you can accomplish the sensor replacement. It wasn't bad at all. It took me (without a helper) about 4 hours and therefore, I saved a few hundred dollars and gained the sense of accomplishment and brought me closer to my toy car.:cool:

Does the sensor snap into the green ring...what is the green ring for...also was it hard to slide off the end of the shaft?
Thanks

The white sensor snaps in and out of the green ring very easily. I don't know what the green ring is for.

I am thinking I will simply slide the shaft out enough to try and pull off the sensor...is the sensor easily slid off of the shaft....do you unsnap it from the green ring first or does the whole thing come off as one unit?

the green ring stays on the shaft. My sensor easily slid off the shaft after unclipping it from the green ring. I removed the whole column because I couldn't see exactly how the sinsor was clipped on. If you have the column slid back enough to slide the sensor off, you're 2 minutes away from removing the entire column. Just unclip the electrical plugs and bring that baby out and get a good look at what you're doing.

OK so I followed this procedure and want to make sure I didn't hose anything up.

Disconnected the SWPS connector.
Switched the Key to ON

Used my Digital Multimeter and followed the instructions above.

Using the Meter Leads read 5vdc across Grey to Orange/blk wire....check good!

read from orange/blk wire to light green wire....nothing 0 vdc.

same when reading from orange/blk wire to light blue wires.....0 vdc

next question is since the blue and green wire go directly to EBCM...is whether or not the connection is bad at the EBCM or is the EBCM bad?????

Thanks

I figured out that I needed the connector hooked up to the sensor to the blue and green wires....the grey one is vdc switched.

Anyway with a paper clip inserted into the back of the connector (blue wire) while hooked up to the sensor. I rotated the steering wheel left and right and could never get the 2.5vdc with the steering wheel centered and the tires straight ahead....pretty conviced the sensor has bit the dust. I will report back later when I install a new sensor.

I'll be replacing my SWPS in a week or so, once it comes in from gmpartshouse.com (Awesome service!!).

So, here's my question: We're all very aware that you DON'T remove that alignment pin until the senor is installed on the column assembly.

But.....I've read every thread and I have not seen anyone say when it's safe to remove the dang thing. Is it an issue, or is it obvious? Or...you simply don't remove it?!!

Does the pin go into the hole in the bracket between the two mounting bolt holes?

i kinda ran into this as well! it'll be obvious as soon as you try to put the steering column back through the firewall ;) The pin will be between the sensor and the firewall. Once you have the sensor installed on the steering shaft you can remove the pin...there's really no other way to do this.

Good luck!!! I just did this myself and you can see where it got ME (http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1965416)

yelloh--
Thanks for the info. I kinda figgered that since nobody has mentioned this pin removal issue (after being so specific about NOT removing the pin before installing the SWPS on the column) that it must be a no-brainer. I'll have a look at your thread.

Hey, I know Aldie! I lived in Alexandria until 2003, and have a pal who currently lives in Aldie. Nice country.

Tracy

I haven't posted any technical information to this forum in.......6 years or so. I used to be a constant presence here in the early days of the C5, when I got my 2000 FRC (arguing with Jim Hall about the merits of his original TRIK intake system) , but once I got my 2003 Z, I was basically done with doing any serious mods and kinda drifted away.....discovered race bikes.....gone. At some point you get tired of oil threads, tire monitor threads, cat-back threads, cold-air intake threads (!!) wax threads, Optima battery threads, loose seat track threads, gas gage threads, tacky overdone modification threads......

But anyway, I just changed my sensor out after receiving the ususal 1287 and 1288 DIC messages that anyone reading this thread has seen, and here are my tips. The job took me about 4 hours (working and watching the wall-mount TV in the garage) but I could do it in 90 minutes now that I know exactly what to do and what the nut sizes are. It's technically very simple, but a real pain-in-the-ass as far as working under the dash area.

1. In my opinion, you should make it easy on yourself and remove the left front wheel and the black plastic access panel that is just behind it. That panel is held on by 8 or 9 sheetmetal screws that take a 7mm socket. It only takes minute to remove this panel, and it provides easy access to the otherwise extremely difficult-to-reach steering shaft bolt/nut. You'll drop the nut or the bolt and have to remove this panel anyway to find it, so do it now. You know how to remove a dang wheel, and you know how to unscrew a handful of sheetmetal screws, so do it!! You can see the head of the bolt thru the wheelwell in this picture.

Attachment 48164373

2. The nut gets removed with a 15mm socket. You don't have to hold the head of the bolt, as it has a locking tang that prevents it from turning. You can see this tang in the above photo. You have to turn the steering wheel to get the nut pointing at you for easy removal.

3. If you have Column Lock Bypass, you MUST reverse it to prevent a horrible disaster of having the wheel turned when it's disconnected from the car. Horrible. :nono: The reversal 's easy to do, since you have to remove all the dashboard stuff anyway, which allows ultra-easy access to the CLB connector. The reversal method is to turn the key to On, remove fuse 25, remove the CLB, reattach the original Column Lock connector, reinstall fuse 25, turn key Off and remove it. You should hear the lock do it's little buzz noise (you probably forgot what it sounded like). But wait until you do the two steps I've listed belowto make it super easy on yourself. Pull fuse 16 (airbag) while you're in the fuse block. In fact, do it early in the process to be safe. I'm not going into the airbag disarming procedure here, but you've been warned.

4. This has not been clearly mentioned in this thread so far: After you remove the knee bolster panel, you then have to remove the black plastic "tray" that is under the column. This tray contains the footwell light. To remove, you pull down gently on the front corners to extract the plastic trim fasteners holding those corners in place. It's easy to do, just pull straight down gently and firmly. Then, there is a third fastener in the back, and it's one of those flat metal retainers, very similar to what holds a brake rotor onto one wheel stud. I stuck a VERY large screwdriver between the plastic tray and the metal above it and twisted the screwdriver to force the clip down the stud a little ways. Then once it was a little loose, I could grab it with a needlenose and twist it off. This is a really dumb place for such a fastener, and as Indy300 has already mentioned, it's about the hardest thing to this whole job! :mad: The light unclips from behind and goes downward thru the tray. You can then manuver it out of the tray and get the tray completely out of your way. Or leave the the light in place and the tray on the floor, your choice.

5. Now you have to remove the metal frame that holds the white styrofoam plastic knee bolster thingy. The column will not move rearward far enough or come out of the car without removing this thing. This is quickly done by removing the two small black screws on each side with the same 7mm socket you used to remove that wheelwell panel. The bolster drops out of the way and stays attached to the wires that are clipped to it, like this:

Attachment 48164374

6. Now you can easily do the CLB reversal job with this stuff out of the way.

7. I recommend that you plan on taking the entire column out. It is MUCH easier to replace the sensor with the column out of the car. The sensor is a very tight fit to the steering shaft (by design) and would really be difficult to get it of the bottom of the shaft when it's in the car, IMO. All you have to do is detach the 5 or 6 electrical connectors (including the sensor connector down at the firewall) before you go to remove the column. Trust me on this--remove the connectors now so you can easily remove the entire wheel/column assembly when you get it unbolted.

8. The four nuts that hold the column in place are a 13mm socket. Remove the firewall nuts first, then one of the upper nuts, and then remove the final upper nut while you keep the column from dropping with your other hand. It's no heavy and won't come crashing down, but you'll want to support it.

9. Set a towel on the concrete so when you remove the column, you can set it down on the wheel without damaging anything.

10 After you get that last upper nut off, the whole column comes right out if you've gotten all the electrical connectors detached. Nothing to it. Super easy. Don't scratch your car with the end of the shaft as you triumphantly carry your column assembly to the towel!!

11. Replacing the sensor takes about 30 seconds.

As removed from car, looking at the dust seal:

Attachment 48164375

Dust seal is easily removed, showing sensor:

Attachment 48164376

Sensor is held very snugly on the shaft by those many copper fingers that can be seen in the inside diameter, and by the green housing. This snug fit is why many of us are advising you to remove the column instead of working under the dash. You just lift a retainer tab or two on the green housing and it wiggles right up and off.

Attachment 48164377

Pop the new sensor in. You'll know where it goes, so don't worry about screwing this up. It's ultra-obvious. Foolproof.

Attachment 48164378

Now remove the pin. It's totally safe to do so at this point. It just pulls out with a little twist. Voila! Toss the famous pin in the trash....it's done its job.

Attachment 48164379

Pop the dust seal back on and you're done with this operation.

Attachment 48164380

12. So, now you put the column back in the car. You WILL dislodge the big grommet in the firewall, but don't worry about that at all. Use one of the upper nuts to loosely hold the column in place while you worry about getting the shaft joint to engage with the lower shaft stuff that's still in the car. It's easy, but a PITA. A second pair of hands would be great as you feed the shaft thru the firewall, but not mandatory.

13. Once you have the grommet on the shaft and that joint reengaged, loosely install the other three nuts that hold the column in place. Now you can get that grommet back into the firewall, all lined up. It just pushes in, nice and snug. I used a wood paint stirrer to work it all around from various directions, because even with the wheelwell opened up it's still difficult to get to. And THAT is why I think you should remove the wheel and the panel, as it's very difficult to see and reach from above. To me, that means it's very difficult to properly get it back in place.

14. At this point, it's a reversal of your work. If you damaged that damn tray retainer to get it off, you can either bend it back into shape, or use a washer with a piece of tubing on that stud to hold the tray in place. I straightened and salvaged the retainer, no problem, and the two front trim clips can be reused, no problem.

15. The shaft bolt likes to drop out of place when you turn the wheel to get the threads facing you to put the nut on. Ask me how I know. :cry I used some duct tape to hold that bolt in place when I turned the wheel 180 degrees to get the nut on.

16. Don't go wild with tightening that shaft nut or the 4 nuts under the dash. They don't need to be some high torque value, just "tight". I didn't bother to look up the torque values in my manual because I noted during disassemby that they weren't very tight to begin with.

That's about it as far at my tips on doing this job. Follow the excellent information that is posted above me and use my added info, and you'll have no problems. When I was done, I fired the car up, had zero DIC messages and drove away to go slide around some corners with Active Handling back in action!!

wow there's tons of awesome info here. i have been experiencing code 1286, "steering sensor bias malfunction". would this code require the same fix as shown in this thread?

I certain don't know for sure, but odds are that this fix will solve it. And for $60 and 3 hours of your time.....well worth trying. Good luck.

Most lkely it is the SWPS .... if it isn't, it is your EBCM. Is the C1286 the ONLY code you've been getting?? If so, 95 percent chance replacing the SWPS will fix the problem.

:cheers:

does anyone have the part number for the SWPS? the one up top didnt give me anything.

i looked thru the catalogs on gmpartshouse but i couldnt find it. it's for a 2000 if that matters.

thanks.

Great write up guys

I've had the 1287 for a while now and I know I'm going to have to bite the bullet soon

Thanks again:thumbs: :cheers:

For a 2000 it is part number 26058286 - same part for both Tilt/only and Tilt/Telescoping columns.

:cheers:

thank you!

:cheers:

it looks like there's a lot of related parts with it, should i replace anything else while i'm in there?

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...layCatalogid=0

Nope. There is nothing else associated with it.

Wait....I take that back. If you DON'T already have a Column Lock Bypass installed, now would be an ideal time to do it :thumbs: (during the reinstallation half of the job, of course!).

can a used sensor be installed?
 

Does this mean utilizing a used sensor already removed from the column will not work.

Can a used sensor be recentered?
Due to price of the pre 01 sensor over $280 list,considering a used sensor.

I am going to have to replace my SWPS too; thanks for all the great information and pictures you all have provided. :thumbs: I am I understanding everyone correctly that if I disconnect the battery and pull the fuse to the air bag I don't have to worry about the air bag deploying during the removal and installation procedures?

:lurk:

****UPATE*** FOR THOSE WITH TELESCOPIC STEERING WHEEL****

Having the telescopic steering wheel makes this job a MAJOR PITA!!! The motor for the telescopic steering wheel is bolted along with the back two steering wheel column bolts. These two bolts hold the motor to the steering wheel ALONG with a small hex head bolt. The problem with this is the motor is fairly big and it WON'T EASILY allow you to pull the steering column out due to a clearance issue with the bracket that holds on the adjuster for the telescopic wheel. :crazy: That bracket hits the black frame bar and causes a clearence issue with the front two steering column bolts! What I had to do was unbolt the hex head bolt and pull the telescopic motor towards the front and let it hang. Then when getting the steering wheel out, you have to turn it at an angle and watch carefully and help guide out the motor. Two people would make that part ALOT easier but not necessary.


Installing it is an even bigger PITA!! I removed the assembly with the telescopic motor/rear steering wheel bracket facing towards the drivers side. GUIDE IT BACK IN THE SAME WAY!!! Make sure when you guide the telescopic motor back into the car that its facing the drivers side foot well....if not, you'll never get it on from what I saw. Keep an eye on the motor as your guiding the steering wheel back into position and line it up with the two rear bolts.

When I put the steering wheel back in, and got the steering wheel rear bracket onto the two rear bolt holes, I slid the motor back on as well. I'm STILL working with this because I can't line up the steering wheel with the outer shaft (gonna wait for some help on that as I don't see how you guys did it by yourselves :lol: ) I'm going to try to get the hex bolt back in there but if I can't I'm not going to worry about it because the two rear bolts will hold it firmly in place. I'll post pics a little later to show this better. :cheers:

Just did this... lots o fun I'll tell ya. I took the advice and pulled the front tire and access panel which made it a sinch! Definitely recommend it. Only took 1.5 hours or so.

Awesome thread and great info. I just did this in my 04 Z06 (mine for another week anyways) and the damn 1288 code is gone! Thanks for all the advice! I did manage to do it without pulling the column from the car. 2 hours with a 20 minute delay of a lost dog paying me a visit in the garage, I took her home and got back to work.

Cobra4b and I replaced mine last Sunday, took 7 hours :ack: Would have been fairly easy but the telescoping steering wheel mechanism added greatly to the PIA factor.

^ Haha... yeah... the telescoping column is a huge PITA... no way to do it w/o 2 people. Noting a little creative dremel use couldn't handle.

PMing you.

I had the dealership change mine last week. :thumbs: $315 (parts and labor). No more codes. :hurray:

^ That's not too bad considering what all it took Mark and I to do his. Do you have a power telescoping column?

This is really the fix for the C1288 and C1287. I got those codes, did some research here and in my service manual and figured I needed a SWPS. I didnt feel like doing it myself since i've been pretty busy at work and took it in to the dealership (who I trust and generally does a good job). The diagnosed this problem as needing a new EBCM.

On that diagnosis I ordered and installed a new EBCM (dealer quoted me $2k - got one from one of our sponsors for +/- $800 and installed it quickly). and the codes came back!! :smash::smash:

see thread here:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...ode-c1288.html

Anyhow, I stopped a a dealership on the way home and picked up a SWPS for $71 including tax, and using this post and the serivce manuals I did the job in about 2hrs taking my time.

All the codes have cleared and nothing has reset!! :party:\


a few things I did differently than this post (2002 z06 non-telescoping wheel):

1. I was able to get my hand under the AIR tube to loosen and remove the nut and pin from the steering shaft after I had loosed in with the hweel turned @ 90*. (i'e' i tuned the wheel to access the nut with 2 12" extensions and a swivel but did not remove the nut, then turned the steering wheel to put the wheels staight again and simply removed the bolt with my fingertips (same with the pin). without dropping them.. Also, using 2 people I was able to get the steering shaft back in without knocking the boot out.. went slowly and carefully..

however, i dropped a socket down in the fender by mistake and ended up taking the wheel off and the fender access panel off anyways.. oh well.. anyhow it can be done without doing that.. just dont drop anything down there!!

Pix of the dissected SWPS will be in teh thread linked above!


thanks a lot guys!! :cheers:

I did this today on my 01 with telescoping wheel. What a PITA! It took me about 4 hours. I removed the column from the car. It seemed like every bit of this job challenged me. For those with telescoping wheels, I would suggest having the dealer do it. If they would do it for $200 in labor, that would be a good deal IMHO.

This fixed my problem! Thanks for the write-up!

I checked the voltage on pins 5 and 6 and it showed 2.4V and 4.9V respectively. Does that mean my sensor is bad?

I read a post from BC who said the two voltage should be the same.

But then I also read a couple other posts that said if the blue wire (pin 6) is 4.9, then remove the steering bolt and turn the wheel 360 degrees to the left.

I've never had any work done except a wheel alignment a few months ago.

Well this weekend I decided to change the sensor. It worked!! No more annoying Service TC warnings.

I got access to the steering bolt from the driver side after removing the wheel and fender piece (9-7mm bolts). That gave extremely easy access to the steering bolt. You just need to rotate the steering wheel slightly to see the nut end.

In the interior, the knee pad covering can easily be remove if you first loosen the center console (3 screw on the dash and 4 nuts on the armrest. You don't have to remove the entire armrest, just loosen it slightly so that you can pull the console piece back about one inch. That allowed easy removal of the knee bolstering piece.

I also took out the entire steering after taping the steering wheel in a straight position (afraid I might move it). Worked beautifully. The sensor was really tight and there is no way I can get that sensor out without removing the steering column.

As for reassembly, I was able to put the column back without knocking the gommet off. Aligning it to the nut took no more than 5 min.

Overall, pretty easy procedure if you go through this entire thread. My local dealers were quoting anywhere from 275-600 for labor alone. The fact that I was able to fix this by myself . . .Priceless!!!

This thread helped me today.

I have to replace my steering position sensor in my 97 coupe. Unbelievable, the 00+ sensors are only ~$80, but for my 97, the stupid thing costs over $300!!!!!

>>>Unbelievable, the 00+ sensors are only ~$80, but for my 97, the stupid thing costs over $300!!!!! <<<

Huh? Are you sure? Does that $300 include INSTALLATION, perhaps? :eek:

No, that's the price of the sensor itself, at the only place I could find it - gmpartshouse.com

Look up the exact same part for an 00-04, and it's $80.

Wow, that's really surprising. Hopefully someone will chime in and tell you that the 00-04 item will properly work in your 97. Or confirm the bad news about the $300 version....

And gmpartshouse is totally great, IMO. I've bought lots of items from them, including my $80 SP sensor.

I've got a 06 Z06 and need to replace mine. Is it the same or have they moved it up under the wheel? Thanx for any info on this.Couldn't find anything in C6 section.

The C5 sensors are on the column down near the fire wall. The C6 sensors are up further on the column.

Attachment 48155335

Attachment 48155336

BC

It is up under the dash on a C6?

My car starting throwing the 1277 and 1278 codes this morning. Thanks to all who have posted detailed write up and pictures! :thumbs:

Looks like I have my next project picked out for me and thanks to the forum I will be able to do it myself! :cheers:

Well I just did an R&R in about 2 and a half hours. Would have been less if my neck didn't hurt so bad from being upside down trying to get that damn pressure washer thing off that black panel past the knee bolster.

Point of advice though, you do have to loosen the radio bezel to get the knee bolster out. That was something missed in the write ups. Also it really is super easy just pulling the whole column out of the car. You'll need a decent amount of extension on your socket to get to the back 2 bolts as well as getting to the bolt that holds the shaft to the rest of it. Pulling the tire and the acess panel makes life much easier. If you still have a steering wheel lock I recomend you pull the bolt that way and lock the steering wheel. There is no turning the wheel involved and you can pull the nut and bolt by hand once it's loose, and that takes about half a turn!

All of this thread had great info, and saved me about $400! Thanks to all who contributed.

Telescopic steering wheel
 

Okay so I'm days away from selling my car and I got the C1287 code anytime I move the steering wheel left or right (from center) So it looks like I'm going to try and do this myself.

From the people who have done this on a telescopic steering wheel... is it next to impossible with just one person? Is it really worth the labor to have a dealership do it?

I'm pretty technical and familiar with the bottom dash tear-down as I had to get to the HVAC actuator to reindex it a couple years ago.

I'm about to order the part but wanted a better idea of what I'm getting myself into. I only have a few days to complete it (evenings after work) Thanks!

I'd do it yourself.Sounds like you know what your doing.Most dealerships don't have a clue. I'm gona do mine.I'm done trying to get the 80.00 part under the recall.

I found an extremely easy way to remove the column (even with the telescopic steering wheel) Remove the two posts that the 1/2" steering column nuts screwed onto. I think I used a 5mm socket. After those two posts were removed, the entire column pulled out with NO resistance at all... literally just popped right out of the firewall! The photos are post-removal but screwed them back in to show what I was talking about.

Entire breakdown was about 40 mins... hope the install goes just as fast! Thanks for the great writeups... though you might want to add the step to remove those two screw posts.. it made it from a PIA to Piece of cake!

Attachment 48154894
Attachment 48154895
Attachment 48154896
Attachment 48154897

Went to Gene's yesterday and purchased a Steering Wheel Position Sensor for my '04 Coupe w/telescopic steering. I had been getting a Traction control code #1288 every time I drove the car along with the "service active handling soon " message, then disables TC & Active Handling, even on short trips. Got tired of constantly clearing the code, sometimes several times a day,

Followed advice of this thread and all went well (except the weather - 90 degrees and HUMID). I found that there was a heavy black square tube across the opening (about 1 1/8 inch dia.) and found no mention above about removing it, Did remove the stud posts as advised that held the upper portion of the steering wheel mounting bracket. YES, the biggest PITA was the press on washer that held the lowest body panel under the steering wheel. Also, did remove the front left tire and inspection panel to get at the steering shaft bolt/nut - made it real easy - good advise. I cleaned out my two "udder" drains while I was in there too.

Found I had to rotate the column assembly while extracting because of the telescopic mechanism pieces down by the sensor and above the lower bracket. Rotated it back in too, not too bad. I too used duct tape to prevent the steering wheel from turning.

One test drive today about 15 miles and no code yet, seems like a winner!

Without this thread I would not have done this repair - thanks to all that contributed their knowledge, experience and pictures.

BTW - I'm 6 ft. 1 inch, 230 pounds, large in upper body. For you big guys, it wasn't too bad, a little tight at times but you'll live.

Huh? What opening? Where?

Describe this heavy black steel tube a bit more. I don't recall such a bar, but it's been two years since I did this little repair.

Removing those stud posts is a clever idea that Luweegy gave us, but I didn't do that (didn't think of it, damn!) and had no problems.

This was the bar that the electrical connectors were attached to, also the lowest body panel push in holders went into this bar. It formed the bottom portion of the "box" opening where the column had to be pulled out from. When upper bracket was unbolted, column came down and rested on this tube. It was a structural component of the dash. Now that I know first hand about it, I can see it in a picture above that shows the electrical connectors. The picture where he shows putting a socket on the screw post, behind the connectors. The picture preceding that one also shows more of the bar. Thread post #70.

Hmmm....I see what you're talking about, but I didn't have to remove it. Once the two firewall and two stud post nuts were removed (and all the connectors), my column was totally free to come out. Maybe "telescopic" cars have to do that step, but it doesn't look like maestro300 (post # 70) did it either.

Oh...and my best advice from my post was to get that towel laid down on your concrete BEFORE you pull the column out, unless you have grass nearby! :thumbs:

Anyhoo, congrats on your repair. Nice to have those worrisome DIC codes out of your face, huh?

Sure is, I'm coming up on a state inspection soon and clearing the codes will cause a failure, in addition, just constantly erasing is a PITA.

I didn't remove that bar, just worked around it by rotating the whole assembly.

I have the $78.03 version, part number 88965543, purchased from Gene at http://www.gmpartshouseusa.com/

Have you had the ABS module DIC codes (I forgot the code number) yet? That's an easy one, too. You remove the electronic box from the ABS hydraulics module and send it to ABSFIXER.com. After a mere $150, you have it back in a few days, plug back in and go, guaranteed forever. Or....you could buy a new brainbox from GM for about a bazilion dollars.

Good to know, haven't got that yet, If you find the code or a link/thread for doing it, please pass it along to me. I keep a book of these repair post for future reference, it has come in handy many times - this thread is a good example. I should make a special section for Bill Curlee alone, his stuff is too valuable to be unsaved.

I think the ABS module problem crops up as 1214. There are dozens of threads here about ABS DIC problems, and several mention ABSFIXER.COM. This outfit repairs several of the very expensive modules that control our cars, as do many other Interweb vendors, so don't buy new. In talking to Brandon at ABSFIXER, he told me that these failures on the expensive modules are ALWAYS from the same thing...one little cheap resistor or transitor or connector or some other little whatnot. They know what all the failures are and how to quickly open these magic boxes up and replace the damn little failed whatnot for pennies...and done! the $150 for the ABS module work is all labor time, overhead and profit, and I don't mind at all! The good news is that everything that can go wrong with a C5 has already happened, and is heavily discussed on good 'ol CorvetteForum.

My last go-round was a door control module that wouldn't unlock the driver's door, but would lock it just fine. Strange, huh? Turns out it was the "unlock" solenoid, one of several identical solenoids used in both DCMs and throughout our cars (and lots of other Chevrolets) for all sorts of heavy amperage duties all over the car (think "trunk unlock", think "gascap open"....same solenoids, probably located in the BCM...dunno). Anyway, the DCM itself costs about $800, but the solenoid is $1.98 if you can find it at a supply house or on the Interweb and can solder it in place on the circuit board (here it is http://pewa.panasonic.com/pcsd/produ...ech_eng_js.pdf ) . In my case, I actually cut into the solenoid and carefully cleaned the contact points with ultrafine wet/dry paper. A year later it works perfectly for zero dollars. This is NOT a DIC code issue, so how did I learn about this small component? On CorvetteForum, where some member did the very same thing a year or two ago. A quick search of DCM threads and I had my answer. Fantastic resource we have at our fingertips, huh?

Right - none better.
I've put about 400 miles (short trip) and some local miles and my problem has not appeared, so it looks like, for me, the SWPS was the cure for my TC #1288 code. - glad that's done with.

Reworked Steering Wheel Position Sensor
 

First thank you everyone for this great thread. Without it I might not have attempted to pull my steering wheel and get to the Steering Wheel Position Sensor.

I pulled the sensor off of the steering column by following this thread. Then while ohming out pins 1 to 6 and pins 2 to 6 I found my sensor was faulty. While searching online for a replacement I kept playing with it, going way past the normal range. Also used a better ohm meter with a fixed range so the meter wouldn't hunt. After 1 week of playing the sensor was working fine and would not short or open. So I put it back in. And its been working since May 2010. To put it back together I set it to get the same ohm reading from pins 1 to 6 and pins 2 to 6. Then aligned it to the shaft and slid it up until it clipped into place. There was a tab on the sensor that fits into a slot on the steering wheel shaft and keeps it aligned. I doubt that anyone's sensor is slipping relative to the shaft. Align the tab to the slot prior to putting the sensor on the shaft.

WARNING: Only rotate the sensor past the normal range while off of the steering wheel shaft. Do not rotate the steering wheel or you risk breaking the air bag coil.

Notes; I have a 1998 C5 Convertible. < 45K mi. Was getting error codes DTC C1288 Steering Wheel Sensor Circuit Malfunction and DTC C1287 Steering Sensor Rate Malfunction. That caused Active Handling to be disabled and my check engine light to light up.

Also note that it took me a long time to reconnect the steering wheel. I had to put the steering column all the way in and install the two front bolts to hold it up at the correct angle. Then loosen the steering shaft at the rack and pinion to slide the connecting link forward. Only then could I get the shafts to slide back together. That little bit of tilt was a killer. I also used a long screw driver and a hammer to spread the U nut apart.

Lastly I lashed my wheel to the column to keep it from turning, as I wasn't the one who took out the column lock. I don't think I needed to do that as it wasn't too hard to keep the steering wheel from turning. Just don't turn the wheel relative to the column.

Thanks again to everyone for this thread. Hope others might be able to save some money and get their sensors to work again too.

Just a note not discussed in the disassembly...the knee bolster removal: there are four screws, 2 under the dash(easily seen) and 2 up top(one is behind the deck lid button left of steering wheel- merely pry it out to reveal the screw ) and the other is behind the small air hole just to the left of the ignition switch..pry it off too to reveal the screw. As mentioned earlier, the radio bezel must be loosened too. The nuts for this are under the traction control button(pry off) and there are also 2 screws in the ashtray, 1 visible and the other behind the ashtray itself(pull-out). You must also loosen and remove the two nuts in the armrest. Open the lid and the two are under 2 black tabs toward the back. Pretty easy job...1.5 hours and you have it licked. Make sure you are loosening the 15mm side of the steering bolt .. stupid me spent 20min trying to loosen the 1/2" side... live and learn I guess. Good Luck!

did this replacement in lessthan 2 hours what a great forum for all there little tricks, dealer wanted 600 + plus parts for this fix

anyone have a pic of the steering lock bypass? im not sure if i have this or not and would like to know before i start this...sucks cuz im a little paranoid to drive the car in fear of the brakes or traction system locking up...someone said they were on the highway doing 70 and the tcs activated the front drivers side brake and he almost crashed. ??? sucks cuz i dont have many days left to drive her before it gets too cold out and maybe snow

Hate to dig up an old thread, But here is a new twist.

This is what it should look like.....

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q...5/38b8071b.jpg


This is what I found.......have no idea what happened. The sad part is, the SWPS that was on the car is still probably good, but I can't return the one I already bought to replace it.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q...5/1e67d1a8.jpg

so in that pic that green ring is broken near the top???(the one installed)

Yep, broken completely off.

88965543. Can someone please verify this is the right part number for my 04 zo6. Thanks

That's the part number that worked on my 2003 Z06, so I think you can assume it's good (00-04). That number has been referenced several times in this post. Also, see posts 1, 18, and 59-62.

I did this yesterday by following the instructions here. Thanks to everyone that took the time to post up the instructions.:cheers:

:cheers:

Just did the replacement of the SWPS this morning. Took about 2hrs to complete. The worst part is getting the column out and back into the car without damaging the interior.

With the help of this thread it was an easy process of replacing the SWPS.

Gary

Steering column lock
 

I have checked all the forums and I don't see anything about a Steering column lock problem. Today I got a warning on my info center to service steering column lock. Any help out there?

Thanks for the info Byron.

no more SES and dic codes for me. thanks to the help of you guys. i did remove the wheel and asses panel (no brainer) and i did remove the colunm. only part i had trouble with was getting the steering shaft back into the female shaft in the engine compartment. i couldnt have done it without the help of my wife. its just impossible to get the shafts lined up and push the steering shaft into place from inside the car. thanks again guys ,helped my 1287 and 1288 codes.

DISCONTINUED by GM - How Handy!!
 

I've been reading thru posts on this Steering Wheel Position Sensor for a while because my Active Handling System keeps becoming active when I take a corner unless I de-activate it and I get the warnings to Service Active Handling Soon. Looking at my DIC codes, I get the codes:

28-TCS - Traction Control System
H C1286 Steering Sensor Bias Malfunction
H C1287 Steering Sensor Rate Malfunction

I just discovered that this part is now discontinued by GM. Anyone happen to know where I can locate one of these GM Unicorns...?? After ordering two of these and paying for them online: Corvette Parts Worldwide.com and Corvette Specialties of California - they both informed me, as did 3 local Chevrolet dealers, that the part was now DISCONTINUED by GM!!

Corvette recycling in Utah. They should have it.Talk to Jason. Gm has discontinued a bunch of things for the C5. :toetap:

Does anyone know if the steering wheel position sensor for the 01-04 C5 is compatible with a 99?

Bump...anyone know if sensors are interchangeable between early and late C5s?
Thanks!

Sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread, without the detailed instructions and pics, i likely would not have attempted it. Overall, it was extremely easy to do and solved my c1287 and c1288 dic codes.