NEED HELP Warning lights and stuck key

Mountaindogs

Original poster
Member
Jan 6, 2021
4
Maine
I have a 2004 Envoy with 188,000 miles. I made a 4 hour trip the other day with several stops and everything worked fine until my last stop. When I started it the brake warning light, ABS warning light and the service 4WD light came on. The brakes seemed fine so I drove home. When I got home I tried to put it in 4WD but it would not engage even after moving it back and forth a little. I shut it off and the key would not go into the lock position so I could remove it even after restarting it and moving the shifter back and forth several times. The battery warning light stayed on so I disconnected it to keep it from discharging. I've looked at numerous threads about the key, but none mention anything about the warning lights. I suspect there's a computer problem. Any help would be appreciated.
 

Chickenhawk

Member
Dec 6, 2011
779
Battery is your first suspect. Have it load tested. After that, the charging system.

Our platforms depend heavily on a good battery.
 
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Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
Also check connections on the battery. After that, check the ignition switch.
 

Mountaindogs

Original poster
Member
Jan 6, 2021
4
Maine
I've had no trouble with starting, but I have noticed that it seems to take a few seconds for the charging system to come up. Once it does it remains steady on 14v. I just reconnected the battery and hooked up my scan tool and it shows no codes. It started right up with no apparent hesitation, but the same problem still exists.
 
Feb 29, 2016
195
Radford, VA
I had similar issues with a loose battery terminal: key stuck in ignition, random rear wiper sweeps, warning lights, etc.
 

Mountaindogs

Original poster
Member
Jan 6, 2021
4
Maine
The battery terminals are clean and tight. Yesterday a friend that does transmission repair and has a high end scan tool checked the Envoy. He said it showed multiple codes in almost all the systems. He suspects that the ignition switch isn't sending power where it's supposed to. I checked with the auto supply and was told that the switch is in three parts and the one that distributes the power needs to be programmed to the vehicle. I'll consult the Chevy dealer on Monday. The heater fan isn't working anymore either. Not good in a Maine winter.
 

christo829

Member
Dec 7, 2011
497
Fairfax, Virginia
"programmed to the vehicle"?! I'm sure there are some vehicles out there now that need that, but not ours. Either that person was not looking at your specific vehicle completely and just being a generalist, or was talking a line. Plenty of threads in here regarding changing out your ignition switch. Biggest thing is to get an actual AC Delco switch, and watch how you align the gear teeth.

I suspect that your heater fan not working is a separate issue. If you have the manual controls, it's very likely that your blower motor control resistor pack has died. They sell repair kits for those. Even the automatic controls can fail. There's a FET in there that can be replaced, if you're comfortable with a soldering iron.

Depending on how comfortable you are doing repairs, you may be able to tackle both of these repairs yourself.

If you have a smart phone, I'd also suggest you get an OBDII module and a scanning app like Torque Pro or ScanGauge. That way you could read your own codes and be able to do more research on your own...or post them here and see who else has had similar issues.

Did you happen to get the codes from your friend? That would help with further diagnostics.

Cheers-

Chris
 

Mektek

Member
May 2, 2017
656
FL
Don't know if they changed it in later years, but on my 02 the automatic controls still use a resistor pack at the motor.
 
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Chickenhawk

Member
Dec 6, 2011
779
We always like to start at the likeliest and cheapest end of the spectrum, and work our way up. Battery. Get it load tested. Ignition switch, is HUGE suspect. Change it with a new AC Delco. Cheapest, easiest and likeliest.

And find a new auto parts supply store. :smile:
 

Mountaindogs

Original poster
Member
Jan 6, 2021
4
Maine
I took the Envoy to a small shop a friend owns as I have no place to work indoors in the winter. They did some checking and discovered that the electrical distribution part of the ignition switch was messed up inside. The gear was jammed. They replaced it and everything is back to normal. Thanks for everyone's help.
 

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