Passlock problem solved?

Guys my daughter has a 2003 Grand Am SE1 2.4 automatic (I know, sorry about her luck?) Well after going through literally thousands of forum posts all over the internet, I found alot of value in this forum. Well she started college this year about 2 hours away and her car has been acting up with the passlock plague for a couple of months. So this weekend I went there armed with the resistor and soldering iron to bypass this anti-theft deal because the 10 minute trick wasn't working anymore. Well I had great luck in successfully bypassing the issue at hand and the security light only comes on for the initial bulb check and stays off. Now for the issue... There is no longer any fuel present or any pressure at the fuel log in the engine bay. 1) Is there a way to verify the fuel pump is bad without dropping the tank or is there maybe something I missed while bypassing the passlock and the BCM or PCM has the fuel pump locked out? I believe that I hear the pump hum for about 2 seconds when I initially turn the key to the on position, but no pressure at the fuel log. When the passlock problems started, we had pressure at the fuel log and by a quick google search I found how to do the 10 minute thing with the key on. 2) If in fact we are experiencing both problems (passlock and bad fuel pump) then is it possible to remove fuel pump without dropping the fuel tank? I.e maybe a panel to remove to access the fuel pump? Any suggestions or solutions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you ahead of time,
Scot

Please can someone help me?
Thank you
Scot

how exactly did you bypass the pass lock?

if you had pressure prior to your pass lock bypass and now you don't chances are that you didn't do something right in the pass lock area. Passlock disables injectors not pump. Also if you hear pump running for 2 sec that is normal (it is called fuel pump priming)

The fuel pump is connected directly to a relay.

Look under the hood for the fusebox.

You have a relay there for the fuel pump.

12V from "hot in run and start" goes to fuse 48 (F/P inj, 15A)
which go to the relay, the relay then go straight to the fuel pump.

You could check if you can get a resistance reading between ground and the relay pin (you'll have to figure out which one however)

You could manually bylass the relay (beware of not shorting the pins for the coil, you could damage the PCM)

You could test the relay (or swap it with another one, if another of the same model is present and is not critical)

and so on...

I removed the neg batt cable then the glove box and kick panel under the BCM. Then I located the middle harness on the BCM and cut the yellow wire on A6 and soldered a 2.2K ohm resistor between the skinned place on B6 black wire and to the yellow going to the BCM harness and protected the connections with shrink tubing and electrical tape. Then I taped off the remaining yellow wire going to the ignition and replaced the neg. batt cable. The car didn't start right away but I wasn't expecting it would because the new value had to be taught to the BCM. So I did the 10 min thing with the key in the on position and the security light went out and now only comes on when you first turn on the key for a bulb check. But now there is no fuel pressure at the fuel log schrader port. I checked fuses and relays but I could swear I hear the pump hum for like two seconds when you first turn the key on and every time after that but still no gas or pressure at the schrader. Any insight?
Thanks so much,
Scot

Can anyone shed some light on what I am experiencing?

The pump should turn on for 2 seconds, then turn off until you try to crank.

If you mesured the pressure after the 2 seconds, and before or after your attempt to start then it might be normal.

A6 and B6 are the right wires.

The fuel pump is controlled by the PCM, which power it's pin 47 (dark green/white), which turn on the relay, which in turn turn on the fuel pump (by giving 12V to it, grey wire)

I would personally try to:
- verify the fuses
- swap the relay if possible
- see if you do get a 12V from the PCM at the relay while trying to crank
- mesure the resistance for the fuel pump at the relay connection (between the pin and ground, should be low)

If all tests appear good, I'ld bypass the relay, so you can see if you can get the fuel pump to work. Be carefull with this one, a wrong move could kill the PCM. it's not hard, I did it in the past to recover the gas before my brother's car went to the scapyard... you would be surprised to see how fast it flow!

I checked fuses and noticed the micro relay for the fuel pump in the fuse box under the hood. Also noticed that there are at least three or four just like it controlling various things. Would it be possible to just substitute it or swap it with another one just to eliminate this as a problem? I was wondering if maybe there was a "secret" panel above the fuel pump to access the the wiring without removal of the fuel tank? I've heard of a few cars that have it but I am unsure if this model does or not.
Thanks so much,
Scot

sure you can swap relay, just check what that relay do and see if it's a crucial relay for your tests.

As for the fuel pump access panel, I don't think there is one, however you might have access to the wiring from under the car, but maybe not...

The '03 didn't come with the 2.4L, either a 2.2L or 3.4L. But no problem as both Passlock systems are the same. If the BCM sees invalid key code data it sends an invalid password to the PCM which then disables the fuel injectors. The fuel pump circuit is not involved in theft deterrent. You can test the injector for pulse with a noid light or test light. With a scan tool you can command the fuel pump relay on/off to check circuit operation. A temporary wire by-pass at the relay would verify the pump operation. Keeping this simple, everything was o.k. before you modded the Passlock. Might be best to undo your mod and go back to square one.

I do not think that undoing the mod would change anything...

If the security light don't come up then it mean it should be fine...

The fuel pump is not part of the theif deterant stuff, only the injectors are shutdown...

That is what I was thinking because when it initially started acting up, I checked out the pressure and verified that it was in fact "getting" gas at the fuel log and realized that it had the injectors shut down due to the anti-theft. But over the course of this summer it kept getting worse and locking out the injectors more often until she called and said that the "10 min thingy" is not working any more. I really think the fuel pump went out after all of that trying to start over and over. But what gets me is that I think I hear the pump come on for a couple of seconds. but no pressure or fuel what so ever at the fuel log. Even with a clogged fuel filter some gas would have to be present there. The car ran fine when it did run and she drove it to work two weeks ago is when it wouldn't reset with the 10 minute key on deal.

pinch rubber fuel return line with pliers, see if you get pressure now when the fuel pump comes on for 2 sec. Also what are you using to check for fuel pressure, your finger or the professional fuel pressure tester with the correct adapter?

I am checking for pressure at the schrader port on the fuel log by pushing the schrader core in to see if there is gas present and under pressure. I am roughly two hours away from the car, but plan to go this weekend to fix it or if I have to remove gas tank to change fuel pump I have no choice but to drag it home. What would pinching the return line with pliers tell me if there is pressure then?
Thank you so much
Scot

I am checking for pressure at the schrader port on the fuel log by pushing the schrader core in to see if there is gas present and under pressure. I am roughly two hours away from the car, but plan to go this weekend to fix it or if I have to remove gas tank to change fuel pump I have no choice but to drag it home. What would pinching the return line with pliers tell me if there is pressure then?
Thank you so much
Scot


Bad fuel pressure regulator (not holding pressure)

This pressure regulator, would it be incorporated in the pump itself or where?

No usually the fuel regulator is mounted on the fuel rail for the injectors.

So bascially what I need to do next is locate the return fuel line at the fuel rail and pinch it off then turn the key on and check for pressure then. And if there is pressure there then all I would need to change is the fuel regulator?
Thanks
Scot

So bascially what I need to do next is locate the return fuel line at the fuel rail and pinch it off then turn the key on and check for pressure then. And if there is pressure there then all I would need to change is the fuel regulator?
Thanks
Scot


Use something between the jaws of the pliers and the rubber line so you don't damage the line. Then turn igntion key to on position wait for 3 sec, then off, then repeat the system several times to make sure lines are primed with fuel. Check for fuel pressure again.

Thanks so much. I'll see what happens. By the way how would I know if it is the return line? Would anyone have a schematic of the fuel system? Thanks for all the valuable info all.
Scot

when you are in front of your engine fuel comes in counterclockwise goes through injector rail which is like "U" shape but sideways. OK. try this go and stand by your FL wheel and look towards your injector rail, you won't be able to see much since it is under the upper plenum manifold and from that perspective fuel rail would look like U to you, now, how would you normally write letter "U" from that perspective? there where you begin is your inlet and where you end the line for letter "U" would be your outlet. And at the end you should see small barrel on the rail that is your FP regulator which is always on the return line. If this fails just Google fp regulator to find the picture so you know what you are looking for. Sorry if I overcomplicated.

No you didn't over complicate at all, and I am very appreciative for all of the help. I didn't get a chance to go to my daughters college this weekend to further diagnose the grand am. And I would like to go "fully armed" if you will, when I do go (preferably this weekend) So, if in fact it is the fuel regulator that is bad, do I need any special tools to change that out? And if it is not in fact the regulator but the pump itself, would I need any special tools to undo or replace any fuel line connections at the pump?
Thank you so much,
Scot

If it's the fuel pump... good luck. You need to remove the gas tank! To sum it up, jack the car, lower the tank, remove the pump from the tank (it fit from the top of the tank), install new one, put it back, lower car... of course I didn'T included the hose and wires disconnection :D

So hope that it's not that

No you didn't over complicate at all, and I am very appreciative for all of the help. I didn't get a chance to go to my daughters college this weekend to further diagnose the grand am. And I would like to go "fully armed" if you will, when I do go (preferably this weekend) So, if in fact it is the fuel regulator that is bad, do I need any special tools to change that out? And if it is not in fact the regulator but the pump itself, would I need any special tools to undo or replace any fuel line connections at the pump?
Thank you so much,
Scot



-no special tools really, but just in case go to auto zone and get one of those quick disconnect plastic sets (there is about 7-8 of them) DO NOT GET THE METAL ONE because in some cases you will not have enough room to use them. The plastic ones you can cut and shape to the size you need.

Other than that it is simple procedure there are two metal straps that holds tank in place. Use paper masking tape to label all the lines just in case. For an example: before disconnecting two lines label both sides with no.1 and move to other lines and label them with No 2 etc. then when you have to connect them you will know to connect 1 with 1, 2 with 2 etc.

but before you try anything just hit you gas tank with rubber mallet several times while someone is cranking see if that will help you start the engine.

-no special tools really, but just in case go to auto zone and get one of those quick disconnect plastic sets (there is about 7-8 of them) DO NOT GET THE METAL ONE because in some cases you will not have enough room to use them. The plastic ones you can cut and shape to the size you need.

Other than that it is simple procedure there are two metal straps that holds tank in place. Use paper masking tape to label all the lines just in case. For an example: before disconnecting two lines label both sides with no.1 and move to other lines and label them with No 2 etc. then when you have to connect them you will know to connect 1 with 1, 2 with 2 etc.

but before you try anything just hit you gas tank with rubber mallet several times while someone is cranking see if that will help you start the engine.

Thanks I believe I have enough ammo to tackle this thing. I'll keep you posted on what I find.
Thanks so much again,
Scot

Finally got the car home but now I'm leaning towards the passlock problem again instead of the fuel pump. How can I check the injectors to see if they are getting the "ground pulse" they need to fire. I am still not getting any fuel pressure on the fuel rail, it cranks up and runs for a moment with starting fluid, I hear the fuel pump hmmmm every time for 2-3 secs with the key switched to the on position, and I have put the resistor in the passlock system (no more security light ever on key switch cycle). However I did perform the resistor deal while it wasn't running at all, could this be my problem? Also I've eliminated fuel pump regulator by the vacuum test "it held a good vacuum". I believe the BCM or ECM may have the fuel pump and injectors locked out still due to the passlock issue. Any advise would be greatly appreciative.
Thanks
Scot

at this point I'ld try to get a code scanner and scan for all codes

If the fuel pump is running, you would have pressure at the schrader valve on the fuel rail (given that your pressure regulator is good). Also, look for a kinked fuel line from the tank to the fuel rail.

Another idea would be to find the power wires going to the fuel pump, and check for voltage as close to the tank as you can. You will have to do this while someone turns the key on though, as you only have a couple of seconds to check for the voltage before the pump turns off.

Okay this evening I reconnected the wires and took out the resistor reversing the process that bypasses the passlock altogether. When I first reconnected the batt neg cable and switched the key to the on position, the security light came on and stayed on until I switched the key to the start position after a good eleven minutes. Wouldn't crank; turned over and sputtered but wouldn't crank, so I switched the key to the off position and then back to the on position and the security light was flashing so I waited again ten minutes and the security light went out just prior to the ten minute wait; I'd say the light went off from flashing constantly anywhere between 8 to 9 mins after switching the ignition to the on position. I then awaited the full 10 to 11 mins and again it wouldn't crank up. This is my first Pontiac and I have always been a GM fan especially over F@RD, but this one makes me want to shoot it and it still has less than 100,000 miles on her.

seriously, have the code read...

The fact that the security light flash all the time show a defective passlock unit, so the bypass would be needed.

However you seems to also have another issue...

BTW, before doing the reset the battery must be full, else it might not goes well.