I have been groping around this and other forums, trying to figure out some electrical problems dealing with the power door locks, plus some other electrical accessories. There is also a problem with the battery being drained very quickly.

The best i have found is that most likely that the BCM is defective in some fashion. I was thinking about just replacing it, but then I found mentioned that it would have to be reprogrammed, and the only practical way to do so, would be to take it to the dealer, which would charge more than I want to pay.

Searching further, I got the impression that the only reason that it would have to be programmed, is if the vehicle had a keyless entry system, which mine does not. However, before tearing things apart, I would like to verify whether I'm right or not?

 

i had to postpone this repair, while waiting for a repair manual that I ordered. It is the GM Repair Manual, so of course, all of the tools that they use are extremely expensive. Not having had my hands on any of them, I can only estimate which are absolutely needed and can't be done by using generic tools commonly available.

The one that may be in that category is called the "7000081 Tech 2 Kit", which costs about 3 times more than I paid for the vehicle itself. Unless there is an inexpensive tool that I can use instead, the only option would be to have the repair done by a pro, and I suspect that would also be very expensive. Can someone enlighten me on this aspect of the problem?

 

Unless you purchase the Tech 2 scantool with a subscription to GM's service network, you cannot program the BCM yourself.

And yes, the BCM would need to be programmed to your VIN which will set it's options for what your vehicle is equiped with.

 

Since my previous posts, I did a bit of Googling, and found that there are some companys that specialize in rebuilding the electronic modules on vehicles. The one that I called was not cheap ($225), but that is still a lot less expensive than having a dealer install a new one.

There are still some questions in my mind that need answering, before making a decision. From talking with the local dealer's service dept. I learned that the newer models of Blazers are inoperable until being programmed, but he was not sure if that was true for my year model. However if it is, that would probably mean that the vehicle wouldn't be drive-able for a minimum of 3 days, because that is how long they say the round trip takes with overnight shipping both ways.

Since it would be my own module being used, I think that part of the programming could be done by the rebuilder, but I have the impression that part of it would have to be performed with the module installed in the vehicle, and if that is so, I would still have to go to the dealer for that service, and that would cost another $98. That would reduce the cost from ~$450+ to ~$325. Of course, with the dealer, the module would be new, instead of rebuilt, so I'm having to weigh the situation.

 

I've been procrastinating quite a lot on this question, because I'm tight enough to keep looking. Ebaying, I found a number of used modules for quite a bit less...as little as $35. The sellers admitted that the modules would need to be flashed for the particular vehicle, but the only two places I've spoken to about this, implied that a used module wouldn't work, even after being reprogrammed.

I've read about some problems with programming working properly with a keyless entry system, but my vehicle isn't equipped with one. Is there any logical reason to expect any other problems...other than getting a defective module?