user name

hello. i am hoping someone can help me. i am relatively new to the camaro stuff, though not cars. im having trouble with the retained accessory power feature on my 94 camaro.

the problem is that when the car is turned off and a door opened, the radio, windows, etc stop working as they should. however, about 30 seconds later, the radio starts back up (windows also work). prior to this happening, i hear a light clicking under the drivers side dash. then i hear a louder click and frankenstein awakes. if i close a door again, it shuts off for ~30 seconds, and then comes back to life.

my RAP seems be on the fritz. does anyone know of any solutions or things to check (relays, etc)? i havent located any wiring diagrams or other resources (if all else fails, i was gonna find a key-on wire that is not in the RAP and wire it to a relay to power the radio, as it is the biggest parasite). i would like to fix/trouble shoot it more thoroughly, though (having windows, locks, etc working all the time sucks). i dont have access to another BCM.

any and all info is very much appreciated. :-) awesome site!

Heatmaker

what is a rap?

Brent94Z

Retained Accessory Power. In other words... the gizmo box which keeps your radio on even after you turn off the car and pull out the key

user name, while I have seen it done, it isn't easy to "tinker" with the individual RAP components... you'll need to solder on the circuit board I do believe.

Heatmaker

Oh...that's why I don't know about it....I don't have a radio

user name

Heatmaker, IIRC, Retained Accessory Power (R.A.P.) also allows you to use your power windows and locks and little stuff like that for up to ten minutes after you shut the car off. not just for radio. probably a nice feature when it works correctly. :-)

Mr. Franker, thank you for your input. good stuff. BTW, i really dig your sites. someone linked to one of them in one of the threads i searched on (before i came to know you are a mod here). i am really impressed. i still have lots to read up on when im not trying to troubleshoot. :-)

i think you are correct about the difficulty of reconfiguring circuits with the RAP (i believe it is integral to the body control module [BCM]). some are even unsure of how to find its exact location. LOL. and a real pain to access.

the BCM has issues (security light stays illuminated constantly, the domelights dont fade out when a door is closed (if it is s'posed to; i assume it would), etc. however, BCM's are quite pricey.

that said, what i was thinking of doin is: my biggest concern is that the radio is probably the biggest parasite. i was gonna tap into a 12+ with key on wire under the column. run that to a SPDT relay. then pull the radio fuse and run the output the relay to the dead side of the fuse. i havent checked schematics yet, but i may have to simply run this relay output to the key-on wire of the radio where it connects to the deck (gonna check the radio fuse idea first, since it is not memory for the deck). in any case, ill snip the existing wire and that should kill the deck when the key is not on.
what do you think of that? im not worried as much about other features working when they shouldnt (power windows, etc). to fix all that would take some work (new BCM, i think).

also, im gonna check under the dash (right side of the knee panel on drivers side), as i hear something in there clicking like an old fashioned analog timer and then click louder before the radio comes back on. i thought the BCM was on the pass side, so i dont know what that is. hhhhmmmmm.

please share any thoughts. i really appreciate it.

shoebox

If you are not a "tinkerer" like Brent said, you probably need to replace the RAP module.

user name

i have no objections to tinkering, though im no where in your league (ive learned a lot from you). you will not find me soldering circuit boards. LOL.

i am really trying to find out what all comprises the RAP circuitry, get an idea how it works, and find out if there are relays or other supporting parts that could be failing (i was hoping there was a cheap relay, etc involved).

your pic helped (for some reason, i thought the rap was integral to the bcm, but apparently that is not the case, as your pic illustrates). i assume they are pricey, does anyone know links to sites with cheap(er) ones (im new to the gm stuff). any and all help is very much welcomed. thank you!

shoebox

RAP schematic

F-body BCMs are only on OBD-II cars (1996 and up).

GM PART # 12135089 is ~$48 wholesale.

user name

thank you very much. the diagram helps a lot. i just finished playing with it. figured out that fuse 7 controls some of the malfunctioning stuff (as your diagram shows in 1 second. LOL.). also learned that you are absolutely right about no bcm (my bad, i read stuff about other [later] years to get any and all info i could).

just to confirm (im not great at reading schematics for brains), the relays for the RAP are on board, right? it looks to be so. sounds like i will be calling around and searching online (i have no wholesale hook ups, so i can only imagine how bad it will be). but definately sounds like the route to go. i really appreciate the part number (feel free to let me know of good (inexpensive) online sites to order such products from. :-)

i guess all the electronics on the car are junk (i dont think VATS is working, as the security light stays illuminated constantly). nice.

i think i will rig a key-on relay to the dead side of fuse #7 and see what that messes up (with that fuse pulled, cursory check seems like no RAP stuff is working. good). i dont need the g/f to come out from a 13 hour shift to a dead battery. aaarrgghh. the rap is useless to her really, since she has keyless alarm (aftermarket).

thank you very much. i really appreciate your help. great stuff. i apologize for all the questions, but the g/f has only had the car for a few weeks and im on the downside of the learning curve.

shoebox

Relays and all electronics are on-board on the module.

Dal or Jason sell wholesale.

Dal Slabaugh: 877-448-5451
email: lockitup@bright.net
VanDevere Buick/Pontiac/Olds Akron, OH

or

Jason Cromer: 877-726-8295 or 850-243-8826 (direct parts dept ph #)
email: gmparts@samtaylor.com
Sam Taylor Buick/Cadillac Ft. Walton Beach, FL

http://gmpartsdirect.com/ has cheap prices, but you really have to watch their shipping (you can get gouged) and if you have an order problem, they are hard to contact (if you can get them at all). Dal or Jason will never gouge you on shipping and have good customer service in most cases.

user name

thank you very much again. i will give them a jingle once i get this troubleshot (real word?) a little more. i think i looked at the gm parts direct site earlier (IIRC, their listed price was the price you quoted). and you are right again. i read the customer service stuff and one faq they had was to justify the high shipping price. and no phone number at all that i could find. doesnt sit well with me. just me.

again, thank you very very much for all of your help and time. i really appreciate it.