Delete Brake-to-Shift & Express-Down; 24hour Power Port

I was really surprised when I searched the site and couldn't find anyone bemoaning the Big Brother shift-interlock "feature". This is one of the first things that got on my nerves, along with the driver's window kamikaze-down feature and the other gaffs I list in my signature line...


If anyone else is interested, here is how quick & dirty it is:
( "Awl" you need is an ice pick... )


Open the cup holder lid, remove the cigarette lighter & ash receptacle, and use these areas to get grips on the ashtray/CD-storage unit and gently wiggle & pull it straight out an inch or two.

After the retainers let go, reach behind and disconnect the electrical connector for the lighter and set the unit aside.

Looking into the hole you've just made, you'll find an electrical connection clipped (theoretically) to a ridge on the left-side console wall. One side of the connection has 3 wires leading under the shift quadrant: white, gray and green with a white-stripe. That's our villain.

Un-clip the connection from the side of the console, and press the release to separate the connectors.

On the connector that leads to the shifter, use your awl or ice-pick to press in on the tiny latch-hooks of the blue retainer on the edge of the connector that houses the green/white wire, and remove the retainer.

Looking into the terminals of the connector (with good light and good eyes...) you will see that there is a small channel in the plastic on one side of each compartment. Push your pick or a tiny nail into that channel and pry the metal terminal's locking tab inward so you can pull the green & white wire out of the back of the connector and drop it back into the console.

[While you're in here, you can also unwrap the wires that feed the accessory power port, cut & tape off the positive back far enough to leave a pigtail on the socket, and Scotch-Lok it onto the positive wire for the lighter... Then you'll have 24-hour power for the accessory port so your phone, etc. will charge even when the ignition is off.]

Re-install the blue retainer, reconnect the 2 connectors, re-clip the connection to the side of the console and reinstall the lighter/ashtray unit.


Enjoy your freedom from an oppressive and obsessive system!!

Eldo wrote:

Enjoy your freedom from an oppressive and obsessive government!!

imma gunna do dat soon..... thanks

The brake-shift interlock doesnt bother me really.

The hyperactive express down window on the drivers side does though.

EatDirtFartDust wrote:

The brake-shift interlock doesnt bother me really.

The hyperactive express down window on the drivers side does though.

Yeah, the other divisions used a switch with a detent to control the Express function, while Buick programmed it to cut in after only 0.3 seconds on the regular switch...

This weekend (maybe tonight) I'm going to reinstall my GM SPO eService Info programs. When I do, I'll be able to look up the schematic again and post how to do the same thing as in this post, but to the mondo weatherpak connector on the window module in the driver's door.

Eldo wrote:

This weekend (maybe tonight) I'm going to reinstall my GM SPO eService Info programs. When I do, I'll be able to look up the schematic again and post how to do the same thing as in this post, but to the mondo weatherpak connector on the window module in the driver's door.

I'm curious about the "GM SPO eService info programs.
What do they contain and can you copy and share?

EatDirtFartDust wrote:

The hyperactive express down window on the drivers side does though.

its easy enough for me t jus push the button twice and it stops goin down.... but otherwise itsa pita

EatDirtFartDust wrote:

The hyperactive express down window on the drivers side does, though.

OK, I found the schematic...

MAKE SURE THE IGNITION IS OFF - You don't want the express-guillotine kicking in with your hand in the door...

Next time you have the door panel off, look for a plastic hook protruding sideways through the doorskin, near the front. That's the back of the express-down module. It's like an overgrown cigarette pack and has a 4-wire Metri-Pack connector on it, kinda' like a big WeatherPak connector.

Unclip the module and bring it out where you can unlock & disconnect the connector. Both ends of the connector have brown wires, so look closely for the one that's labeled 'A'. Use a small tool to unlock the A-terminal and slide it out of the connector. Tape or shrink-tube it well because it's hot when the key is on.

Temporarily reconnect the module and the window switch to test - you should have normal manual window function... Tape the A-wire back out of the way, reattach the connector-lock and the module, and reassemble the door.

curious riv wrote:

EatDirtFartDust wrote:

The hyperactive express down window on the drivers side does though.

its easy enough for me t jus push the button twice and it stops goin down.... but otherwise itsa pita

I like how the windows go down so fast. Don't have to wait forever like some other cars. I don't think it is that hard to get the window to stop from going down all of the way.

[quote="98riv"]

curious riv wrote:

I like how the windows go down so fast. Don't have to wait forever like some other cars. I don't think it is that hard to get the window to stop from going down all of the way.

Totally... These windows go down and up twice as fast as our LeSabre's, and they have twice the glass to lift.

Maybe the express-down only really ticks off smokers who want to just crack the window an inch or two (especially in the rain) but since you only have to remove one wire to lobotomize the module, and I was in the door anyway trying to fix my dimming side mirror, I defeated it.

And I'm GLAD I did it, do you hear - GLAD!!! Bwaaaaahaaaahaaa!!!

Might as well add another one to this thread...

If you find yourself jumping in the car, firing it up and taking off in a hurry, only to realize that you haven't set the seat back from the Exit position, you might like to mod the module so you don't have to come to a stop and put it back in Park to use the memory.

First, remove the two rear seat bolts, tilt up the seat so you can unplug the necessary connectors, then set the seat aside. (There's a big "double-group" connector on the left that has a little BLACK T-bar between the 2 plugs and it's hard to see, but really easy to use when you've found it... just press it down.)

The MSM module is a flat, black box that has a black 2-wire connector and a blue 32-wire connector... On the blue one search for Light Green wire C5, and Pink wire C12. Double-check that C12 is hot only when the key is on, and that C5 is hot only when the key is on and the shifter is in Park. It should go dead as soon as you move the shifter out of Park.

Finally, unwind the wire wrapping if necessary and cut the Light Green wire back from the connector a few inches, just enough so that you can comfortably ScotchLok it to the Pink wire... The other side of the cut, the Light Green coming from the console, will be taped off.

Reinstall the seat, and enjoy a little victory over the safety nazis... Now you can use the memory controls all the time.

Eldo wrote:

Maybe the express-down only really ticks off smokers who want to just crack the window an inch or two (especially in the rain) but since you only have to remove one wire to lobotomize the module, and I was in the door anyway trying to fix my dimming side mirror, I defeated it.

Haha, this does irritate me and I am a smoker. I swore to myself I wouldnt smoke in the riv, but the previous owner had, so I figured what the hell. I always have to play with the switch to get the window right way I want it. I love the fast window, so I wouldn't want to change that, but getting rid of the express down feature would be great. I end up pressing the switch two or three times to get it back where I really wanted it after the express down feature kicks in when I forget about it.

Now if only you can come up with a mod to install rain vents on the riviera. Whenever the wipers are on or the wind is blowing just right and you have the window opened the water from the front windshield loves to pour in. Only car I've had where it seems to seek out the open window.

GMFreak8 wrote:

Now if only you can come up with a mod to install rain vents on the riviera. Whenever the wipers are on or the wind is blowing just right and you have the window opened the water from the front windshield loves to pour in. Only car I've had where it seems to seek out the open window.

Yeah, it's a combination of the aerodynamics and cheap wipers... If they still used the 2-arm, swiveling driver's wiper, it wouldn't be throwing the water right down the side of the car.

The only answer to this, above 30MPH, is to crack the passenger window an inch instead of the driver's, and lock the blower in 4th or 5th gear.

Eldo wrote:

GMFreak8 wrote:

Now if only you can come up with a mod to install rain vents on the riviera. Whenever the wipers are on or the wind is blowing just right and you have the window opened the water from the front windshield loves to pour in. Only car I've had where it seems to seek out the open window.

Yeah, it's a combination of the aerodynamics and cheap wipers... If they still used the 2-arm, swiveling driver's wiper, it wouldn't be throwing the water right down the side of the car.

The only answer to this, above 30MPH, is to crack the passenger window an inch instead of the driver's, and lock the blower in 4th or 5th gear.

What exactly is a 2 arm swiveling driver's wiper?

I'd crack the passenger side window but most of the time I have a passenger in the car, and they complain about the smoke and stuff drifting passed their face (yet they smoke too). I like to think that blowing it out directly through the window eliminates some of the odors and residue from smoking too.

I usually just wait for the rain-x to do it's job instead of switching the wipers on, or I put some cloths on the door and let that soak it up. Of course then I feel like an nicotine addicted redneck.

GMFreak8 wrote:

What exactly is a 2 arm swiveling driver's wiper?

My '73 and '69 buicks have them. It helps the wiper blade angle to be... better. It's hard to describe.

Don't worry Deek, I got it.

They disappeared for some reason in the 80's, but all thru the 70's the Big 3 used a double-arm blade on the driver's side, with a swiveling joint. The 2nd arm made the blade turn parallel to the side of the windshield as it reached the end of it's travel, yet still become a straight line at the other end of its travel so as to tuck away under the hood properly. Which is also why our wipers are only "half-assed hideaway"... (You could easily change just the rubber blade, too!)

Eldo wrote:

Don't worry Deek, I got it.

They disappeared for some reason in the 80's, but all thru the 70's the Big 3 used a double-arm blade on the driver's side, with a swiveling joint. The 2nd arm made the blade turn parallel to the side of the windshield as it reached the end of it's travel, yet still become a straight line at the other end of its travel so as to tuck away under the hood properly. Which is also why our wipers are only "half-assed hideaway"... (You could easily change just the rubber blade, too!)

Ahhh, I get it now. That design is still on a few commercial trucks and buses isn't it?

I'm actually thankful for my half-assed hideaway wipers. I hate hideaway wipers with a passion in the winter. Nothing like having the wipers slowly pack snow and ice down into the hideaway pocket only to make the wipers stick half way up on the window once it gets full enough. It's become my routine to open the hood and clean the wiper area of any snow and ice before driving away. I love driving our suburban and having all the stuff just fall off the window and onto the hood and eventually the ground instead of being shoved between the windshield and hood.

BTW, this cleaning procedure makes me wish for the forward flipping hood on my 1990 Park Ave. It made cleaning the snow and ice out of the wiper area so much easier and I didn't have to worry about a chunk of ice getting caught between the hood and body only to chip a piece of paint away as you close the hood not realizing it (haven't done this yet to this car). Plus the forward flipping hood just looked cool.

[/end rant]

Ah, you make a very good point. I've only had to worry about that a couple times a year on trips to Tahoe. Perhaps that winter misery is why we don't have the deep hiding wipers anymore... It would've cost too much to equip every such car with the pop-up panel that the 68-72 Corvettes had (like anyone parks a Corvette outside in the snow!)

The 1990 'square' PA had a reverse hood?

Eldo wrote:

Ah, you make a very good point. I've only had to worry about that a couple times a year on trips to Tahoe. Perhaps that winter misery is why we don't have the deep hiding wipers anymore... It would've cost too much to equip every such car with the pop-up panel that the 68-72 Corvettes had (like anyone parks a Corvette outside in the snow!)

The 1990 'square' PA had a reverse hood?

The hideaway wipers do give the car a sleeker look, but functionality wise they are a nuisance more than a help. I didn't know the corvettes had popup hideaway wiper panels. That's a cool feature, but like you said, who would ever drive a corvette in the snow, much less the rain...

Yup, it did have a reverse hood. A lot of people actually were shocked by that. I thought it was a pretty cool feature. I loved that car. Had so many cool but little features on it that made it a conversation starter and just something you come to love. Things like the burned out headlight notification center, the flip up hood, lighted door handles, and cigarette lighters/power outlets wherever they could stuff an extra one in.

The exterior light notification center is one thing I miss on the riviera. It was so easy to tell when a bulb in the tail lights, head lights or turning lights went out. Now I have to pull up behind a freshly washed car and check out all my lights in the Riviera.

Yeah, the things I miss most from my Cadillac are the lamp monitors, trip computer and automatic brake release. On the plus side, there are so many clever little things hidden in the Riv that I forget to show them to people.
Like the interior lights that come on when you take the key out so you can grab your stuff before you get out; the RAP & BuRP (retained accessory power & battery rundown protection); the turn signal reminder chime; the delayed exit locking; the power locks that won't lock if the key is still in the ignition; the electrochromic mirrors; the comfort feature in the belt retractors, etc...

Eldo wrote:

Yeah, the things I miss most from my Cadillac are the lamp monitors, trip computer and automatic brake release. On the plus side, there are so many clever little things hidden in the Riv that I forget to show them to people.
Like the interior lights that come on when you take the key out so you can grab your stuff before you get out; the RAP & BuRP (retained accessory power & battery rundown protection); the turn signal reminder chime; the delayed exit locking; the power locks that won't lock if the key is still in the ignition; the electrochromic mirrors; the comfort feature in the belt retractors, etc...

Yeah, I love the delayed locking and the mirrors. Unfortunately the not locking if key is in ignition feature hasn't saved me. I'm so used to popping the key out slightly to turn the lights on so I can grab my stuff it doesn't protect my dumbass from locking my keys in my car. Did that the other day, and realized it as soon as the door closed. Luckily the dealer was able to make me a key via the vin free of charge. I wasn't about to pry the door opened.

I wonder why they took the lamp monitors out of the newer vehicles?