Offroading now Trailblazer dead, keys stuck in ignition.

[Kuchar09]

Ok so I need your guy’s help. I was out wheelin today with the Michigan Tech 4x4 club and had a great time. I went through tons of mud, snow, over rocks and logs. All went great driving up to the cliff with the crew and had no problems until my Camshaft Position actuator threw a code, which I just replaced a few months ago. I cleared the code just to see if it would come back. Finally got done with all the rough stuff and was just driving down a closed road for the winter, drive around the closed road sign to get on the main road. There was a single thin tree/ twig (about 4 ft tall and flexible) I had to drive over and as I drive over it my car just shuts off all my gauges die then they come back on and I can’t start my car. We tried jumping it, checking all the fuses, unhooking the computer and computer to reset it, which is slightly hard since I have a backup battery under my dash hooked to my alarm system. Ended up checking by codes after all this and I was getting the cam shaft position actuator again and also something about coolant temp high voltage. When I turn the key I don’t even hear the starter slicking and as of my keys are stuck and my ignition as if the battery is dead, which it isn’t. No matter what I did I could not get key keys out so my door chimes go off as the door is open along with the dome lights along with my driver’s window down. Since I couldn’t get it into neutral due to key being stuck, they undid the linkage and put it in neutral to get it on a trailer. As of now my TB is sitting on a trailer at the Chevy dealer with key keys in it and a bag over my window. One last thing when they say the camshaft code they said that that could be stopping it from starting so they looked at it and the thing could turn at least 90 degrees maybe more. The plan is to go up there tomorrow and put the old camshaft position actuator in and see if it will start or something. While under there, there was some type of pump under the driver’s side along with a relay, it has two hoses that run up the engine. This pump was slight out of place with rocks wedged in there but looks undamaged, could this cause my problem? Is there and anything that that twig could have hit underneath that could have shut down my TB and stop it from starting?
Any help you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated so I don’t have to pay the dealership!! I replace my ignition control module last summer but sometime my windows still don’t want to roll down unless I flick the key like I’m going to start it. I have been having strange electrical issues like this with it throwing codes like crazy for no reason so maybe this is just too big of an issue for me.
http://forums.trailvoy.com/showthread.php?t=84549
Sorry for any unanswered questions you may have, it was a blizzard considering were getting 4-7 inches of snow even though it all just melted. Hopfully tomorrows a better day.

ADDED LINK: http://forums.trailvoy.com/showthread.php?t=86479

[The Roadie]

...drive around the closed road sign ...

I answered on the OS. Tell me more about this closed trail you were on?

[Diacom]

Ok so I need your guy’s help. I was out wheelin today with the Michigan Tech 4x4 club and had a great time. I went through tons of mud, snow, over rocks and logs. All went great driving up to the cliff with the crew and had no problems until my Camshaft Position actuator threw a code, which I just replaced a few months ago. I cleared the code just to see if it would come back. Finally got done with all the rough stuff and was just driving down a closed road for the winter, drive around the closed road sign to get on the main road. There was a single thin tree/ twig (about 4 ft tall and flexible) I had to drive over and as I drive over it my car just shuts off all my gauges die then they come back on and I can’t start my car. We tried jumping it, checking all the fuses, unhooking the computer and computer to reset it, which is slightly hard since I have a backup battery under my dash hooked to my alarm system. Ended up checking by codes after all this and I was getting the cam shaft position actuator again and also something about coolant temp high voltage. When I turn the key I don’t even hear the starter slicking and as of my keys are stuck and my ignition as if the battery is dead, which it isn’t. No matter what I did I could not get key keys out so my door chimes go off as the door is open along with the dome lights along with my driver’s window down. Since I couldn’t get it into neutral due to key being stuck, they undid the linkage and put it in neutral to get it on a trailer. As of now my TB is sitting on a trailer at the Chevy dealer with key keys in it and a bag over my window. One last thing when they say the camshaft code they said that that could be stopping it from starting so they looked at it and the thing could turn at least 90 degrees maybe more. The plan is to go up there tomorrow and put the old camshaft position actuator in and see if it will start or something. While under there, there was some type of pump under the driver’s side along with a relay, it has two hoses that run up the engine. This pump was slight out of place with rocks wedged in there but looks undamaged, could this cause my problem? Is there and anything that that twig could have hit underneath that could have shut down my TB and stop it from starting?
Any help you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated so I don’t have to pay the dealership!! I replace my ignition control module last summer but sometime my windows still don’t want to roll down unless I flick the key like I’m going to start it. I have been having strange electrical issues like this with it throwing codes like crazy for no reason so maybe this is just too big of an issue for me.
http://forums.trailvoy.com/showthread.php?t=84549
Sorry for any unanswered questions you may have, it was a blizzard considering were getting 4-7 inches of snow even though it all just melted. Hopfully tomorrows a better day.

ADDED LINK: http://forums.trailvoy.com/showthread.php?t=86479

Please, oh dear God please learn to hit return on occasion.

Oh, and it seems that 4ft tall flexible thin tree/twig thingy knew exactly how to disable your vehicle in a such a way that when you drove over it, you would not be able to fix said such issue.

[Kuchar09]

I had a long day and was slightly stressed and tired while typing that, I also doubt that the twig/ tree had anything to do with my issues. I am leaning toward the ignition switch even thought it was replaced less than a year ago, if anyone feels like helping I guess this would be the place to give your help.http://forums.trailvoy.com/showthread.php?t=86479
But here is some pictures! I didn't take as many as I would have liked but oh well.

Pictures http://imgur.com/a/iTUaB
Video 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UamCelnItBY&feature=channel_video_title
Video 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysjKnQg_LiE&feature=channel_video_title
Video 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVAh6HLF9QM&feature=channel_video_title

Too bad I didn't take pictures on the stuff that was actually challenging.

[irishboy02]

Check all your grounds on the motor. I just went through this same issue. Loose ground will not complete the circuit. Broken circuit on this truck will not let anything to work. Stick could have poked up and wiggled something loose.

How deep of water did you hit? Enough to get the coilpacks wet?

Make sure that your battery teminals are tightened all the way down. With this truck if its not super tight it wont hold. Also, you battery could have been bounced around alot and be shot. Is this your original battery? Could still hold enough power for all stupid accessories but not enough to rock the starter.

[OregTrailBlazin]

...drive around the closed road sign ...

I answered on the OS. Tell me more about this closed trail you were on?

We have "closed roads" up here that are not legally closed, nor is the it illegal to drive on them. They are locked so out of town nimrods won't take their family up a mountain road with a foot of snow on the ground in their Subaru and get themselves killed!!..

It gets frustrating when the stupidity of one, deems something too dangerous for others to enjoy and/or do!!! AAHHHAARRGGG Closed roads are a pretty touchy subject up here!

[bgwolfpack]

We have "closed roads" up here that are not legally closed, nor is the it illegal to drive on them. They are locked so out of town nimrods won't take their family up a mountain road with a foot of snow on the ground in their Subaru and get themselves killed!!..

It gets frustrating when the stupidity of one, deems something too dangerous for others to enjoy and/or do!!! AAHHHAARRGGG Closed roads are a pretty touchy subject up here!

That was a sad story all the way around. Desert dwellers believing their GPS up here is lethal.

[fishsticks]

Truth. There are "named" roads up here that I can barely get my TB over due to snow... in April.

[bgwolfpack]

Truth. There are "named" roads up here that I can barely get my TB over due to snow... in April.

But why would you keep going? Guess they thought they'd be fine as long as there were no trees over 4 feet!

[OregTrailBlazin]

That was a sad story all the way around. Desert dwellers believing their GPS up here is lethal.

It was a sad case, and I hate to see that stuff happen.. And out of all honesty, our search and rescue workers here are not nearly the best, they could have done allot, ALLOT better. It was a private citizen that ended up finding them in his lil helicopter, down a road that the search and rescue went down several times without following it to the end.

What really got me, was in the initial interview, the guys wife said she had to get out and roll rocks out of the way so they can keep moving.. If that, plus 6" to a foot of snow isn't enough reason to turn your subaru around I don't know what is. Then Cali had the gall to try and press a lawsuit against our county for not locking a gate on such a "Dangerous" road. The same road I take (used to at least) my wife and kids christmas tree hunting every year!..

All in all, that little incedent that had TONS of errors on all accounts closed access to allot of our roads.. Sucks

[fishsticks]

Truth. There are "named" roads up here that I can barely get my TB over due to snow... in April.

But why would you keep going? Guess they thought they'd be fine as long as there were no trees over 4 feet!

This is my buddy Darren showing how WE deal with trees over 4 feet...





Axe + winch = solved.


No non-starting trucks here.

[The Roadie]

OS updated with the dealer-discovered fix. Both 40A ignition switch fuses blown. I certainly would never have guessed, but at least I carry spares. These are the oddball J-case fuses around the edge. Everybody add these to the trail spare kit. Assume you all have the usual fuses PLUS a megafuse at all times?

[fishsticks]

OS updated with the dealer-discovered fix. Both 40A ignition switch fuses blown. I certainly would never have guessed, but at least I carry spares. These are the oddball J-case fuses around the edge. Everybody add these to the trail spare kit. Assume you all have the usual fuses PLUS a megafuse at all times?

Duh.

I actually threw a couple J-Case fuses in my pile o parts a couple weeks ago. Walked past them at the parts store on my way to get CV axles.

[Trail X]

Doesn't the question still remain... why did they blow?

[bgwolfpack]

Doesn't the question still remain... why did they blow?

Questions-
Doesn't it have to do with impedance and lack of grounding?

Don't we have a correction for this from Jett auto tech?

[The Roadie]

I don't see a loose ground causing EXCESS current to flow in ignition switch circuits. I'd guess driving over the branch did some damage to a harness under the vehicle (if it was larger than described) or the trail vibration/jouncing caused a harness under the steering column to rub against a sharp metal edge, especially with aftermarket stuff that was spliced in. Or the grommet at the firewall is damaged and wires cut through there. In any event, I would be VERY cautious driving that in harm's way without finding the wiring problem's root cause. It's in there somewhere.

[Kuchar09]

Doesn't the question still remain... why did they blow?

Well they said they tried recreating the problem with no luck. So I asked if it was possible if a faulty ignition starter switch could have caused it, and was told that that is possible but they were not sure. But also after this adventure my door controls are no longer operational due to the snow melting in the switches . I am trying to find them on ebay but not much luck. This would work but I would also need to get it programmed from a dealer, correct? http://www.amazon.com/Delco-D1457G-Window-Switch-Assembly/dp/B001KS8ML0