trunk and top not opening and relays in the back are cover with sand and corrosion

[xlr&ls1]

i havent drive my 04xlr in a while due to an accident and it also been in some intense rain and im ready to fix it and the top and trunk will not open .The trunk unlocks with the key and with the FOB and i can open it manually but it will NOT go up automatically

after reading almost every forum about water getting in the trunk box (which i didnt knew we have to check that) i check it and found NO water but found a lot sand dust and one big relay that has a purple lock cover in corrosion and i barely touch it and the cables broke as show in the picture ..

Do i have to replace everything ???What can i do to fix this pigtails ...... and is this means that all this was cover in water or can somebody tell me wat might have happen.

also the dash keeps saying ""SERVICE RIDE CONTROL " and "" NOT GO MORE THAN 80MPH"""

thanks!!
your information would be greatly appreciated ,

 

[Stella]

I personally would find someone with a tech2 to scan the car. As for the clips be careful. If your not competent or confident in how they disassemble don't mess with them. Theirs a lot of expensive hardware in that compartment. They sell tools to properly clean the connectors that fit the connectors. You do not wanna just start jamming stuff in the connectors. Other than di electric grease for the physical connection that's about it. Maybe bring it to the dealership to have them scan it. Good luck!

 

[onalaska]

It looks like that compartment has been full of water at some time or another. Look at the rust marks on the bolt head in your turnk and other components down in the well. Your ride control module is one of the boards located in the well along with the pump and top control board. Once these parts get wet they are done and it looks like they stayed wet for a while since your connectors and wiring is also failing. GM does make replacement plugs and sockets that can be spliced into the wiring harness and that will be you least expensive part of this repair. You need to find parts at a junk yard as you are looking at well over $2k to buy them new.

 

[b_pappy]

If you read all the threads I'm sure you saw my saga. Good grief, hopefully parts are in stock now. Power top module, suspension control module and Power top pump. I could tell you retail prices, but I'll let the dealer surprise you. Plus wiring and connector issues... A reminder, 04 & 05 use unique components, not shared with 06 & later, makes parts shopping more difficult.
Make a friend with a Tech II, and a good honest mechanic. Or just replace the suspension control module and call it a hardtop.
Best of luck with yours.
Bruce

 

[ccclarke]

There's nothing going on with your previously-flooded trunk compartment that a lot of money won't fix.

The "relay" you mentioned is a bale lock connector. If it fell apart, you have an electrical mess on your hands.

To properly clean connector pins, you need a pin extraction tool and each pin needs to cleaned and inspected under magnification. Spray-on pin cleaners are hit or miss (-usually miss for long-term reliability.) There isn't much room to do it, so you may end up laying in the trunk for awhile, cleaning them by hand. Depending on the level of corrosion, it may be more practical to have a pro splice in new connectors or replace the wiring harnesss. Again, this will not be cheap.

Your suspension module is fried and your pump and pump control module most likely are smoked as well. Inspect the tip of the drain hose to see if it's crimped shut. If so, cut the tip off so it's a tube again. You should be able to see light through it when viewed from above.

It appears you have been consigned to the seventh level of XLR hell. Your only salvation lies with massive contributions to the church of GM.

CC

 

[xlr&ls1]

Yeap my only salvation lies on the gm church.......lol... but how does water gets i to the well ....i wash my car this weekend and use the water hose set the gun on sprinkle and spray a little and wipe it spray and wipe ... and still i open the trunk and of coarse water was dropping from d trunk as usual but the well box was already lyk 1/8 full of water ..
How does the water gets in. I wanted to get inside the trunk with a flashlight and ask somebody to spray the car...

I want to drill 1 hole in every corner lyke 1/2 inch big and put an adapter and a hose to evry hole i make so it can drain faster ....
Would that be a good idea or not??????

 

[ccclarke]

Let's go . . . backwards . . .

Have you inspected the existing drain hose at the bottom of the compartment? If not, start there. There's no need to add any more holes in that area. Once you verify a clear drain line, the next step is to keep water from getting in there in the first place.

The rear decklid has a known issue in the earlier years with leaky seals. Basically, any water on the top /rear of the car is diverted right into the trunk. There's a GM-approved fix a dealership can install while your car takes up residence in the shop. Details have been posted here in years past.

Good luck!

CC

 

[xlr&ls1]

Yeap ive inspected everything now ....the drain hose that it got is clear and good ...but even my drive way is at a level surface and all the water wasnt draining fast ..and it builds up really fast with little water.. thats why i was thinking of drilling more holes in case i get caught in a rainy day because this xlr was a daily driver....

 

[BusaMan]

Yeap ive inspected everything now ....the drain hose that it got is clear and good ...but even my drive way is at a level surface and all the water wasnt draining fast ..and it builds up really fast with little water.. thats why i was thinking of drilling more holes in case i get caught in a rainy day because this xlr was a daily driver....

I agree w/ "CC"; i.e., fix the problem, not treat the symptom. Trying to enhance the ability to drain water doesn't fix the problem, it just makes it a little less damaging. I wouldn't invest the $$$ to do the electronic replacement without first finding/fixing the leak. My '06 doesn't leak. Therefore, there were changes made between the '04 and the '06. I don't even have the drain hose, just the hole in the compartment. My trunk stays dry even after going thru a car wash. I'd second the motion to have the dealer update your seals around the trunk -- while they're fixing the electronics would be a good time.

I sure don't envy your problem.

Tim

 

[MarkSki]

i havent drive my 04xlr in a while due to an accident and it also been in some intense rain and im ready to fix it and the top and trunk will not open .The trunk unlocks with the key and with the FOB and i can open it manually but it will NOT go up automatically

after reading almost every forum about water getting in the trunk box (which i didnt knew we have to check that) i check it and found NO water but found a lot sand dust and one big relay that has a purple lock cover in corrosion and i barely touch it and the cables broke as show in the picture ..

Do i have to replace everything ???What can i do to fix this pigtails ...... and is this means that all this was cover in water or can somebody tell me wat might have happen.

also the dash keeps saying ""SERVICE RIDE CONTROL " and "" NOT GO MORE THAN 80MPH"""

thanks!!
your information would be greatly appreciated ,

View attachment 2665

When did you buy your XLR and could it have been in a flood? Try looking under the carpets inside of the cockpit under or around the seats. Any sand/dirt there? Look all over the engine compartment, in the areas were the headlight electronic boxes are for sand.

There were some bad storms in your part of the country that caused flooding and a lot of cars were shipped out of LA after Katrina. The storm on the east coast, New Jersey, had a lot of flooding and beach sand would have gotten into cars. Put some on your finger and taste it to see if it's salty.

I have an 04 and the first owner and the car lived in Olympia Washington, I live a little south of Portland Oregon, it rains 9 months of the year and I don't have any sand or water in that compartment. I just have a hole, no rubber pipe etc. so that compartment is open to the road.

Just a couple of thoughts after seeing a couple of TV shows and local new reports of flood damage cars from the gulf states being dumped in our area. Corroded wires and sand/dirt was one of the big things they reported to look for and you found sand and corroded wires in the same year car as I have and you have a LOT more sun and hot weather than we have up here.

Good luck. Report back what you may have found and is that sand salty?

 

[xlr&ls1]

trying to get it back on d road now

I purchase the suspension module and the top module clean all terminals fix them , connect the modules and wait 10minutes and then connected the battery ... but im having a few issues now...

Interior light on the rear view mirror never turns off.
Passenger door wont open corre tly rom out side..(sometimes it works sometimes it dont)
Driver door window stuck a the middle and only goes up 4" n down 4" after replacing the regulator with motor n module (but if i hot wire it it works perfect .up n down)
And all the ABS & T/C DONT GO MORE THAN 80MPH SERVICE RIDE CONTROL lighs in the intrument panel are still on ..
And of coarse top n trunk still not work

Now i havent driving it yet..because its raining.so i havent taking it to d dealer either .but i would like to if i can fix anything before cadillac charges me another arm and leg

 

[xlr&ls1]

pics

Left side is the new module and on rights is the old rusted modules

 

[ccclarke]

Did you buy the vehicle new? If not, have your run a dealer do an inquiry to find out where it was originally purchased and subsequently serviced. As a previous post mentioned, a lot of flood-damaged vehicles go to auction and end up in different parts of the country. If so, your car may have previous damage that took awhile to develop. You also mentioned a wreck, but not the damage from it.

Assess the condition of the battery and proceed from there.

The second picture above shows two uninsulated spade terminals nearly touching and another covered with what appears to be electrical tape, indicating a DIY attempt at a repair. If that's the way the car came into your possession, it may have problems built in.

Again, there is nothing wrong with your vehicle that handfulls of money won't fix.

You can buy parts all day long, but without knowing what the real underlying problems are, you're already going backwards financially. Problems like this can be solved by isolating the harness from the rest of the system and testing from there. You may be in way over your head on this one.

Let someone who's trained to repair your car properly do so and you'll be back on the road enjoying it a lot sooner. Just have it towed to a dealership. I don't expect it will be cheap, but it will be right.

You could be frying new, replacement modules and not know it if shorts remain in the system. You need the right tools, schematics, and a lot of practical experience to troubleshoot grounding and short problems. Every power and signal path must be verified point to point and checked to ground as well. This is why you pay a trained GM tech to work on cars like this.

The XLR is not much of a DIY repair vehicle. You could be causing more harm than good. Obviously, your trunk compartment has been flooded. The amount of corrosion in the pics indicates extended exposure to water . . as in submergence. Once a harness is submerged with power applied, other problems can migrate through the vehicle. If the water was salty, the aluminum will corrode a lot worse; the damage to the wiring and connectors will follow.

You'll save money in the long run by having a professional service it.

Just my .02. Good luck!

CC

 

[xlrlist01]

I purchase the suspension module and the top module clean all terminals fix them , connect the modules and wait 10minutes and then connected the battery ... but im having a few issues now...

Interior light on the rear view mirror never turns off.
Passenger door wont open corre tly rom out side..(sometimes it works sometimes it dont)
Driver door window stuck a the middle and only goes up 4" n down 4" after replacing the regulator with motor n module (but if i hot wire it it works perfect .up n down)
And all the ABS & T/C DONT GO MORE THAN 80MPH SERVICE RIDE CONTROL lighs in the intrument panel are still on ..
And of coarse top n trunk still not work

Now i havent driving it yet..because its raining.so i havent taking it to d dealer either .but i would like to if i can fix anything before cadillac charges me another arm and leg

Ya know, when things are this bad, drastic action might be called for. I think my next step might be to:
1/ Purchase electrical contact cleaner (not WD40), getting the type that includes a mild lubricant (this is the normal type, you can get it without the lubricant). It is widely used on the stage for cleaning the connectors in microphone wiring etc.
2/ Under cover in a secure area, open the doors, open the trunk, disconnect the battery, wait at least 10 minutes.
3/ Working very methodically, take out every fuse one at a time, clean it, let it dry, put it back. If possible, test it or at least inspect it, check it has the correct rating. Make sure you get the right fuse back in the right slot. There are two major fuse centers, one under the hood, one under the passenger's feet.
4/ Take out every relay, clean it, let it dry, put it back.
5/ Separate every connector (mostly from the major computers, PCM, BCM etc etc), inspect both halves for dirt, corrosion and other problems, clean both sides, let them dry, put them together again. Visually inspect as you go for firm connections, proper fit and alignment.
6/ This is going to take some time. Replace anything corroded.
7/ While the above is going on, get the battery tested, make sure it is fully charged.
8/ Having put it all together again, battery back on, terminals clean and firm, delete all codes using a Tech-2.
9/ Re-index the windows.
10/ Start up, see what is working and not working, rescan for codes.
11/ I agree 100% with CC's comments too.

BTW, the passenger door not working properly could be a common problem with the outside door switch. It is very easy to remove, take apart, clean with contact cleaner and put together again.

The most common cause of problems in automotive electrics is poor connectors. The XLR is an exception to this rule, where the most common problem is poor battery, followed by poor connectors, but flooding the rear compartment modules must be pretty high up there too, so maybe three causes running neck and neck.

HTHs.

 

[xlr&ls1]

just took car to cadillac dealer

Ok just finish taking the car to cadillac and the guys told me they never seen this problem about the modules getting flodded on d XLR's and they been there 20yrs+ . And that they work on xlrs all the time and theres no such thing as an XLR CERTIFIED ...all mechanocs are certified...so lets see wat they have to say when i hear from them since they say its gonna take two days of labor just to look at it.

 

[XLRATING]

the guys told me they never seen this problem about the modules getting flodded on d XLR's ... and theres no such thing as an XLR CERTIFIED .

If it were me & I had a dealer tell me those two things, I would RUN to some other dealer! The only statement that would have been scarier is, "Wow, a XLR - never seen one of those before" (which maybe these guys just left unsaid).

 

[xlr&ls1]

If it were me & I had a dealer tell me those two things, I would RUN to some other dealer! The only statement that would have been scarier is, "Wow, a XLR - never seen one of those before" (which maybe these guys just left unsaid).

Lol..unfortunetly i called 4 of the closest cadillac dealers and they all told me the same thing..only one guy had heard of an xlr certified n he is in forth worth, TX ... 4hrs away from houston...so i decided to take to d closest cadillac dealer

 

[cubby558]

I agree with xlrating! Hope everything works out for you.

Lol..unfortunetly i called 4 of the closest cadillac dealers and they all told me the same thing..only one guy had heard of an xlr certified n he is in forth worth, TX ... 4hrs away from houston...so i decided to take to d closest cadillac dealer

 

[MarkSki]

A reminder, 04 & 05 use unique components, not shared with 06 & later, makes parts shopping more difficult.

Best of luck with yours.
Bruce

Story of MY life! My 88 Vette uses Belstine shocks that no other Vette uses. I had an Fo*d SHO that used parts that no other Fo*d used... Now I have a Cadillac that uses "unique" components... My fingers are crossed!!

 

[XLRATING]

Lol..unfortunetly i called 4 of the closest cadillac dealers and they all told me the same thing..only one guy had heard of an xlr certified n he is in forth worth, TX ... 4hrs away from houston...so i decided to take to d closest cadillac dealer

I am sorry for you - that is just wrong - think there needs to be a group visit to Texas dealers to do some EDUMACATING!

Good luck & hopefully it will all work out ok!