Cadillac Owners Forum banner
261K views 169 replies 89 participants last post by  Submariner409 
#1 ·
Need some expert advice here. Purchased a '94 DeVille (with the SSS system) from the son of the original owner (38k miles). "SERVICE RIDE CONTROL" message is on the dash. Took car to the local Cadillac dealer and was told it would be one hour labor to diagnose; figured it was one of the struts and at least one pair of struts would need replacing. After one hour, I was told that none of the struts was receiving a signal and they would need more shop time (1 or 2 more hours) to examine the wiring to determine the cause, as there seemed to be a dead short. They said they would start at the fuses and relays and work from there. I went ahead and approved the additional time. After two more hours, I was told that the wiring was fine and now they were looking at two control modules and the wiring between them (I'll get to another point later, but I am after-the-fact guessing they were referring to the SSS module and the PCM). After another 1.5 hours I was told the car needed a new "Body Control Module", which they would have to order. I asked what the bill was so far and was presented with 4.5 hours that was $20 per hour HIGHER than the shop rate I had been quoted when I made the service appointment two weeks earlier. Oops, someone must have given me an incorrect rate...I told them to close out my bill and give me a detailed estimate on their recommended repairs with a list of needed parts, part numbers and prices. Kind of felt like I was financing the education on the Cadillac SSS for his service technician and I still did not have a great deal of confidence in his diagnosis. I was told by the guy in the parts department a price for the "needed parts", but "I didn't need the part numbers because they knew which ones to order and would get them when I made another appointment to have the rest of the work done".

Long story short, I referred back to the factory shop manual and could find no "Body Control Module" for a '94 DeVille with SSS. Called back the service writer at my local Cadillac dealer and, after consultation with the service tech, now decided it was the PCM that my car needed. OK, now that's at least a part this car has!

Fast forward to yesterday. Had a reason to call the owner's son and he said the car was taken to their dealer for diagnosis of the same thing before I bought it. He said his dealer had told him whatever was defective was no longer available from GM and the cure was this bypass harness that GM sells. Called that dealer this morning, but no notation was made on the work order except "Check and Advise", but no mention was made as to what the advisement was. This was only about six weeks ago, so I asked to have the tech or writer who handled the car to give me a call back; I'm hoping maybe they remember what they found out when they inspected the car in late October.

Does any of this sound plausible? HELP!!!!!

sdhow
sdhoward@parker.com
 
See less See more
#2 ·
i have found a body controll module on my 94 deville 4.9 litre , it sits in the trunk passenger side mounted to the back of the rear seat back , youll have to puull the carpet off that area to get a look at it but it is the farhtest one to the right

i think i have the same exact problem as you , ive never taken mine to the dealer , but have worked just about every weekend with the system and i have narrowed it down to the module also

i would like to know what code it is tho

the dealer was pretty much doing what i would think they would do after seeing the IO39 code (road sensing data loss) as far as i can tell this code means all data that travels from the body module to the instrment cluster module is not being recivived at the instramnet cluster (any "IO" prefix has to do with the cluster )

with the ignition on if you could push off and the red "warmer" button on the climate controll and write down any codes you have i would appricate it ,(just flip ignition switch off after your done) im currently searching for a junkyard module to plug in , if we have the same code and it works for me you will be the first to know... the main code we are searching for is a IO39 , but if you have anything else that would help too
 
#3 ·
Mike,

Mine, too, gives the IO39 error code, but the dealership said they checked the ESSC (Electronic Speed-sensing Suspension Control) module (what you refer to as a "body control module") and this is not the culprit in the case of my car. Supposedly, info on the vehicle speed, lift/dive, etc. are sent into the PCM (Powertrain Control Module, located under the right side of the dash) where this info is digested and then passed on to the ESSC to signal for suspension control changes. The accelerometer (or lateral motion switch; located under the center of the front seat, at the front of the first body cross member support) is supposed to send direct signal to the ESSC on the lateral g-forces the car is experiencing at any given moment. The dealership is telling me that the PCM is faulty and is not passing on readings to the ESSC, therefore, the ESSC cannot relay the necessary data to the struts. Believe it or not, the PCM lists for less than the ESSC! Of course, there is also the PROM plugged into the PCM, which has been linked to PO39 error code (TCC/VCC engagement problem), but I don't think these two are related.


PCM
GM Part # 88961139

ESSC
GM Part # 22154531

Does any of this make sense??? Drop me an email at sdhoward@parker.com and we can discuss in more detail.

Thanks for the reply!

Sean Howard
 
#165 · (Edited)
On my 93 Eldo with the optional Touring suspension (which has the same CVRSS as your car) it has 4 sensors instead of just the one under the seat. This is often overlooked as the 93-94 cars use their own special system that is not compatible with the OBDII systems that everyone is currently working on.

I"ve had many arguments with many individuals in regards to this matter, but have since found that my understanding of the system (that I am speaking of) is better than most since I am WELL versed on OBDI issues.

----------

Let me TOTALLY clear here. The suspension I'm speaking of is ONLY the optional 1 used on N* equipped Eldorado/Seville/Devilles for 93-94.

Its is a system that stands alone as it was ONLY used for 2 years.

That being said, it should also be noted that the suspensions for the same car with a 4.9 (and standard transverse leaf spring) are DIFFERENT!

I have been round and round with various members of this site (including moderators) and have found this to be true based on 20+ years of diagnostic/shop manager/mechanic experience.

(and months of hunting for a matching suspension/controls as the 93ETC N* w/optional touring suspension that I own)
 
#4 ·
sdhow said:
Mike,

Mine, too, gives the IO39 error code, but the dealership said they checked the ESSC (Electronic Speed-sensing Suspension Control) module (what you refer to as a "body control module") and this is not the culprit in the case of my car. Supposedly, info on the vehicle speed, lift/dive, etc. are sent into the PCM (Powertrain Control Module, located under the right side of the dash) where this info is digested and then passed on to the ESSC to signal for suspension control changes. The accelerometer (or lateral motion switch; located under the center of the front seat, at the front of the first body cross member support) is supposed to send direct signal to the ESSC on the lateral g-forces the car is experiencing at any given moment. The dealership is telling me that the PCM is faulty and is not passing on readings to the ESSC, therefore, the ESSC cannot relay the necessary data to the struts. Believe it or not, the PCM lists for less than the ESSC! Of course, there is also the PROM plugged into the PCM, which has been linked to PO39 error code (TCC/VCC engagement problem), but I don't think these two are related.


PCM
GM Part # 88961139

ESSC
GM Part # 22154531

Does any of this make sense??? Drop me an email at sdhoward@parker.com and we can discuss in more detail.

Thanks for the reply!

Sean Howard
 
#5 ·
Sean,

I have a 1994 Sedan DeVille 4.9, 164K miles.

I guess I had better join your conversation about the service ride control. I have the same error as both you and stoneage - I039 current code followed by a I052 history code. At the end of the messages, I get a "PCM?" code. I wonder if it is asking the reader to see if the PCM is bad. Anyway, I am very interested if you find the answer to your problem. I don't really notice any real change in the ride control. However, I have noticed that an air-compressor pump sounding device comes on every so often.

I can remember that when I first got the car last summer, when I would stop, I noticed a strange sound comming from under the car (I think) and it sounded like a settling sound with intermittent clunking like when heating ducts are cooling down due to the temperature changing. But, if I had to guess, I would say that the car was settling.

Finally, I have a one mile stretch of road to work every day that is pretty bouncy. I wonder if it is possible that heavier than usual bouncing my have caused me to blow a stut. I don't notice any softer of a ride except that I do bottom out on many of the bumps.

Any ideas, thoughts, or comments would be welcomed.

Thanks,
Scott
 
#6 ·
according to your codes there may be a fault in the power/ground proceedures of the pcm as boath of the codes you have are in my flow chart , e me off board , i have something you might enjoy

I052 keep alive memory loss
IO39 road sensing data loss

your struts are probably fine , we wont know untill we wake up our computers , the PCM will flash a code pertaining to each strut if there bad

the rough road may be aggrivateing your PCM's power and ground connections

i also had I052 but i havent seen that code in 3 months

ill be tearing into the wireing this weekend ill keep everyone posted
 
#7 ·
i have the i039 code pop up on my 94 deville and how easy is it to plug in a new body module because rewiring it costs 800 dollars at GM and other shops won't make an attempt at fixing it.















Stoneage_Caddy said:
i have found a body controll module on my 94 deville 4.9 litre , it sits in the trunk passenger side mounted to the back of the rear seat back , youll have to puull the carpet off that area to get a look at it but it is the farhtest one to the right

i think i have the same exact problem as you , ive never taken mine to the dealer , but have worked just about every weekend with the system and i have narrowed it down to the module also

i would like to know what code it is tho

the dealer was pretty much doing what i would think they would do after seeing the IO39 code (road sensing data loss) as far as i can tell this code means all data that travels from the body module to the instrment cluster module is not being recivived at the instramnet cluster (any "IO" prefix has to do with the cluster )

with the ignition on if you could push off and the red "warmer" button on the climate controll and write down any codes you have i would appricate it ,(just flip ignition switch off after your done) im currently searching for a junkyard module to plug in , if we have the same code and it works for me you will be the first to know... the main code we are searching for is a IO39 , but if you have anything else that would help too
 
#8 ·
"i have the i039 code pop up on my 94 deville and how easy is it to plug in a new body module because rewiring it costs 800 dollars at GM and other shops won't make an attempt at fixing it."

well were not sure it is the module yet , there are now four of us with the problem , i have lots of time this weekend to probe around so ill see what i can find out in regards to the data wire that goes to the cluster
 
#9 ·
ok , went thru the car thus far this morning , checked all fuses ,relays,and circuit breakers to eleinate them , i had one wire that a previous owner had put int he car this turns out to be a wire that used to go to one of the leads ont he starter solenoid .

i did find something interesting regarding the PCM , i removed the hush panel which is a plastic panel that bolts under the pass side of the dash once this is out you can see the PCM fairly clearly , my PCM is VERY VERY loose , all the bolts that hold it in are there but i have around 1.5 inches of movemnt back and forth , and its real easy to move , im worred that is looseness has jarred some of the circuitry loose , if anyone could remove the hush panel and inspect theres and see if there PCM is also loose we can go from there , but at this point im leaning towards a faulty PCM the hush panel is held in with 2 7mm bolts where it mates to the dash these are visable when looking at the bottom on the dash board like you looking at the glovebox from the floormat
 
#10 ·
Hello everybody,

This is a very common problem with these cars.
I got a service manual on ebay and have read up on this.
It can be a loose wire, dirt in the system, the SSS module the IPC, the struts, the sensors, the lift/dive sensors, the accelometers, the level ride system and other things.

There is a way to have the SSS module blink out the problem codes but the info it reports may not be reliable
I am told.

To make a long story short the most economical way to sove this problem is to by-pass the whole system.
I found a webpage that explains how to do it.

You need a couple inexpensive parts the can be found on http://www.gmpartsdirect.com for less money than the dealer.

Check out and print the by-pass solution found at http://caddyinfo.netgetgoing.com/disable.htm

It says only to do this when switching to non electric struts but if you feel your original struts are OK it still works and you can keep your original ones.

The bottom line is when the vehicle is going over 15 miles per hour, or quick starting, or quick stopping, or fast cornering the struts will go from soft mode to firm mode.

Cadillac should have avoided all this technolgy and always
had the struts stay in firm mode in my opinion.

My advise would be keeping your old struts and bypassing the system with the disable information link above.

In the short term you can press the information buttton on the dash to make the service ride control message go away until you start up the car again.

I'm still waiting to here back from the guy who found the IPC is loose under the dash, this would cause a bad wire connection and could be the casue. I'll have my mechanic check it out because both the bulbs that light up PRND are out and the dash has to come off to replace them.

Maybe this is a defect that should be part of a GM recall.
Everyone I know who has a 94 Deville has this problem.
Some spend thousands trying to have ot fixed and it comes back, I say bypass the electronic struts and save your money.

Please advise, Terry
 
#11 ·
i just looked at my ipc last weekend , took me 3 hours to get the dash apart to get down to the IPC and its wireing , nothing seems to be wrong and im getting 12v at pin c5 on the dash which makes me think the pcm is sending a soild 12v to the ipc to tell the driver somethings wrong , i think the problem may lay in the lift dive sensors and there box .

at one point i unplugged all struts , and the rear end , and had the ride module in the back unplugged , it didint change a damned thing, even when i did each at a time

as for recalls there were none regarding the suspsesion on the 94 standard or concoruse deville

does everyone also have I052 , and PO39 in addition to I039 ? i personally havent seen my IO52 in months so i think ive licked that one
 
#12 ·
Well, the error code 52 you are receiving is just a memory reset error. This is normally cuased by having unplugged your battery recently. It resets after a default number of turns of key cycles without the error occurring. Now onto my question. Does anyone have the complete list of codes for the air ride suspension system? I have two fully inflated rear struts and it's extremely annoying.

Thanks
 
#13 ·
I think I have the same problem like others. Keep getting SERVICE RIDE CONTROL messages. I remember, after I got it first time I found some helpfull info how to check the problem and to find out what is the cause. But I didn't try because I don't have my own garage, just rent garage. Soon (I hope in ~2 month) I'll move and wil have my own, so I'll pay more attention to that. I just remember that problem was related to right front wheel position sensor (I gess S061) and it was possible to find what's wrong with a tester. Tonight I will try to find these instructions.
 
#14 ·
oldgamer said:
I think I have the same problem like others. Keep getting SERVICE RIDE CONTROL messages. I remember, after I got it first time I found some helpfull info how to check the problem and to find out what is the cause. But I didn't try because I don't have my own garage, just rent garage. Soon (I hope in ~2 month) I'll move and wil have my own, so I'll pay more attention to that. I just remember that problem was related to right front wheel position sensor (I gess S061) and it was possible to find what's wrong with a tester. Tonight I will try to find these instructions.
Please let us know what those instructions are. I am getting the code for right front wheel position sensor too and I'm sure there are others out there who can use those instructions to analyze problems with some other codes. Thanks, we'll be forward for your next post.
 
#15 ·
What I found yesterday is trouble tree to find what is actually wrong: RSS module or sensor. I downloaded it like an answer from Roy on 10/26/2000 to my post on batauto.com, forums, domestics. Unfortunately I have just printed hard copies. May be it's posible to find it somewhere again, I will try.
 
#132 ·
Sir, I'm very interested in the three trees that you make reference to, but when I tried to go to the web sites you listed they were not there or have been moved somewhere else. How could I obtain copies of the documents that show how to defeat the "Service Ride Control" on the LCD? Thank you for your assistance.

JDH
 
#24 ·
i see , i hear you on the mod bit , dont feel bad i havent been tagged for duty either....i have my notions on how people become a mod but im not gonna go there

i usuly voulnteer in every forum to be a mod to "help out" , not once have i heard anything back (i think ive been on 6 or 7 forums now with a combined 3000 posts)... i guess it has something to do with how people say "i keep it real"
 
#25 · (Edited)
WAS INCORRECT ON MY ORIGINAL POST I EDITED AND FIXED THE TERMINAL LOCATIONS



I have the same problem with a Service SSS light also on my Cadillac. I work at a mechanic shop and have access to the all data mechanic aid program, and let me say its a big help. If you have a paper clip you can read the diagnostic code numbers and if you want I will look them up and give you the diagnostic procedure you can use. Take the paper clip and make it in the shape of a U. Then under the middle of your front passenger compartment under the radio by where your feet go you will see a large 12 pin connector. I know its on the LEFT side of the connector, TOWARD THE DRIVER'S SIDE, but i'm not sure if its the top or the bottom portion since its pretty much like this

......|......
.OOOOOO
.OOOOOO
|--------|
but you have to stick the paper clip in either these two holes (marked as x's)

......|...... <-- that is the top marker tab for connector position
.OOOXOX
.OOOOOO
|---------|
BE CAREFUL CAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE CONNECTOR ITS UPSIDE DOWN
SO POSITION THE PAPER ACCORDINGLY TO MATCH UP


Its pins A and C according to the ALL data Program if that helps
Now you turn the key to the on position (with out starting) all the dashboard lights will display including the service sss light. you know you picked the right pins when after the light goes out it begins to flash
it will flash once then pause a second and then flash twice together (this signifies a #12 code which means it is entering diagnostic) three times before displaying the actual trouble code. So you pretty much understand how you would read the codes after the three 12's that will flash out.. then you will get the codes listed. I got a code 24 on my car 2 quick flashes one second pause then 4 quick flashes. It will do each code three times before displaying the next. When it does the 12 code again that means it finished the code list and will start again.
email me at dzisblatt@si.rr.com and I would be glad to help in any way I can :)
 
#26 ·
Coupe said:
WAS INCORRECT ON MY ORIGINAL POST I EDITED AND FIXED THE TERMINAL LOCATIONS



I have the same problem with a Service SSS light also on my Cadillac. I work at a mechanic shop and have access to the all data mechanic aid program, and let me say its a big help. If you have a paper clip you can read the diagnostic code numbers and if you want I will look them up and give you the diagnostic procedure you can use. Take the paper clip and make it in the shape of a U. Then under the middle of your front passenger compartment under the radio by where your feet go you will see a large 12 pin connector. I know its on the LEFT side of the connector, TOWARD THE DRIVER'S SIDE, but i'm not sure if its the top or the bottom portion since its pretty much like this

......|......
.OOOOOO
.OOOOOO
|--------|
but you have to stick the paper clip in either these two holes (marked as x's)

......|...... <-- that is the top marker tab for connector position
.OOOXOX
.OOOOOO
|---------|
BE CAREFUL CAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE CONNECTOR ITS UPSIDE DOWN
SO POSITION THE PAPER ACCORDINGLY TO MATCH UP


Its pins A and C according to the ALL data Program if that helps
Now you turn the key to the on position (with out starting) all the dashboard lights will display including the service sss light. you know you picked the right pins when after the light goes out it begins to flash
it will flash once then pause a second and then flash twice together (this signifies a #12 code which means it is entering diagnostic) three times before displaying the actual trouble code. So you pretty much understand how you would read the codes after the three 12's that will flash out.. then you will get the codes listed. I got a code 24 on my car 2 quick flashes one second pause then 4 quick flashes. It will do each code three times before displaying the next. When it does the 12 code again that means it finished the code list and will start again.
email me at dzisblatt@si.rr.com and I would be glad to help in any way I can :)
The problem with this procedure is that it only works on 93 and lower caddies. That's why they created the new IPC with the OBD system in the IPC, so you don't have to short anything and read the codes off the dash.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top