Meet Sparky

Stretch

Stretch

Hey! There’s no easy button for a body like this!
For quite some time now I've been working on this car in my free time. It's a '98 buick ultra (a park avenue with a superchaged 3.8). It belongs to my buddys Mom and Dad. They were driving it in a thunderstorm and it was struck by lightning. Long story short (pun intended) The local dealer couldnt fix it. I told them (Ken & Christine) I'd try as long as they knew it wasn't going to happen fast. I'd only be working on it when I had time.

It didn't run at all when I got it. So far I have found and changed a shorted ECM,BCM, ABS module, the PassKey III security module, ignition switch, the drivers door module, the passanger side under dash wire harness junction block/fues realy center, The rear window defrost/radio antenna module and wire harness. After changing the ECM,BCM, Pass key and ignition module it still wouldn't crank. It BCM wouldn't recgnize the key so it wouln't crank. I couldn't program the key because part of the securety system is the drivers door lock switches. After changing out the door module I was able to program the key. Still no crank. My scanner showed no comunication with the drivers seat, pasangers seat, insterment cluster, radio, heater control ABS and air bag modules. I decided to check the 12v. wire at the starter solenoid for 12 volts under crank. SOB if wasnt conected to the solenoid! I guess it never got reconnected before it left the dealer!

I gutted the interior and started tracing the purple data link wire. Thats when I found the melted conector and melted rear defroster/ antanna module. I replaced the module and conecter and, volia! No more short. I have the back seat, carpet and trim back in. I have the dash about 80% back together (checking the data link for short to ground after connecting each module) and so for still no short. Here's to hopping I got it. I want this thing out of my garage! I got stuff of my own I want to work on and stuff I want to build!


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Thats the stuff my brother(not Spawn) loves to work on. He's a tech at an MB dealership now and loving the hell out of it!
Great job Stretch, I'm glad there are guys like you out there that don't mind that kind of thing.
 
Look at the pass key module. You can see the hole the lightning melted in it. You can see the burnt circuit board for the rear defrost module. I'm pretty sure the lightning hit the rear window defrost. The glass looks kinda funny in one spot and the wires for the defroster to the module were fried!


69.5 there are modules all over this thing , one in each door, each front seat has one for seat functions and one each for the seat heat. the air bag module is under the passenger front seat (this thing has memory power head rests). There is a module for the sun roof, rear defrost, radio, heater, insterment cluster, 2 bcm's, an ecm,abs, security, interior lighting,.... on and on. I'm sure I'm forgeting somthing. They all talk to the bcm viea the data link. The data link is one wire conecting all of the modules to one another and the bcm. Think phone party line. The most important module gets priority. One short in the data link shuts them all down. if the short is in a module, unpluging that module will bring the rest back up. If it's in the data link there all down.
 
I forgot to mention I did get it to run. Thats when I started getting the codes for the short to ground on the data link.
 
Once again I'll say it: way more complexity than is required to run simple accessories like power windows, locks, rear defrost, etc. Fuckin' stupid... you wonder why cars cost so much? There's more processing power in the door module than there was on the Apollo lunar module.
 
Good lord man...you have some patience. That is some impressive detective work. Glad you were able to help them out...hope they help you out a little too....$$$...;)
 
Dr.Jass said:
Once again I'll say it: way more complexity than is required to run simple accessories like power windows, locks, rear defrost, etc. Fuckin' stupid... you wonder why cars cost so much? There's more processing power in the door module than there was on the Apollo lunar module.
Click to expand...

Does that mean I qualified to work for NASA?:D
 
thrashingcows said:
Good lord man...you have some patience. That is some impressive detective work. Glad you were able to help them out...hope they help you out a little too....$$$...;)
Click to expand...


It's not fixed yet. I'm still reassembling it!:D I'm also not looking for any money for fixing it. Mostly I wanted to see if I could. Ken and Christine own a farm and I pretty much have free run of their land and I can use any of their equipment whenever I want. I help them when they need it by driving tractors, equipment or truck. I have a cdl so I help out by driving truck at harvest time. They help me out when ever I need it too. It's all good!
 
Don't get ahead of yourself until you get a call from Ken saying the car made a banging sound and they can't breathe... then you can figure out how to use the spare tire as a backup oxygen supply using Kleenex, spit, and a prayer. :D
 
I spent about 4 hours with sparky yesterday reasembling the interior. I'm here to tell you the front seats in this thing are heavy! Thay must be damn near 100# each. I am not kidding!
resize sparky int no seat.jpgresize sparky int done.jpg
 
I hooked up the AC today (I had to remove the accumulator to get to part of the wire harness) I hooked up the battery and cranked it up. It runs and has no check engine light. Now I get to move on to the ABS light and Airbag light. Almost there.

Here are some pics of the parts store.:shifty:

resize parts 1.jpgresize parts 2.jpgresize parts 3.jpg
 
:D Yes you did!

Ken and Christine bought it from one of the salvage yards near by for $500.00 Not a bad deal considering all of the electrical parts I have grabed from it. The passkey module and the BCM are the only two parts we had to buy. You can't reprogram the passkey. The BCM was purchased before we had the parts car. Kens son also has a park ave. and his wife hit, or should I say hit a dear with one side of the car and a second ran into the other side. He is pulling the doors for their car.
 
Yeah, I'm guessing they probably saved a fortune on parts buy getting the whole car... they'll recover half of that or more when they crush it. :dance:
 
No communication with ABS module. No communication with instrument cluster. No communication with personalization module.

I swaped out the instrument cluster and the brake light is now out. I went out to the parts car to grab the ABS module and it must have been left at the scean of the crash! Its gone! The front bumper and whats left of the radiator now reside where whats left of the ABS wire harnes and module once lived. The brake lines are there I guess. The frame rail is kinda wraped around the trany now. This things a mess. You can see in one of the pics that the drivers side dash is kinda exploded. The engine left it's mark in the firewall!
 
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