My current Aspen issue started when I put the truck on the lift for a major suspension and brake overhaul. I had left the key on and it sat on the lift for a week and the battery went stone dead. After I finished the mechanical repairs, I found the dead battery and recharged it (back to 13.2V and 1120CC test so the battery survived) my primary keyless remote would not work but the spare would. Tried the coin battery in the remote and confirmed with third party equipment the transmitter was actually sending signal so I figured some sort of electrical glitch and it "forgot" that remote. At first the key would still start and drive the Aspen but within a day the security system refused to start the truck with that key and would die within seconds of starting and flashed the security light.

I have been driving for a week on the spare key while I try to round up extras/replacements. During this time I have experienced some other weirdness. Some I think could be related but perhaps other issues too.

The next day, while driving home from work I put the drivetrain into 4WD Lock instead of AWD to see if it changed a driveline noise(whole other concern to chase) then it would not switch back out. Within minutes the truck started surging and missing under acceleration and the CEL, ABS & Traction control lights all came on and I will get to those codes in a moment. The 4WD actuator/selector motor is my belief for the stuck 4WD lock issue and I did finally got it back into AWD once in the driveway at home. This morning the 4WD LO light flashed a few times while driving and waiting for a left turn but it was just a flicker and stayed off. Then at the next exit I get off to buy a coffee and when turning into the parking lot and through the drive through I can feel the drivetrain binding and skipping like the 4WD is locked but no light. By the time I got back to the traffic light and turn onto the main road, the binding issue was gone…

The CELs were an array of interesting codes. P0344 camshaft position sensor, P0513 invalid SKIM key (which I think is from the system not seeing the key and activating security lockout), C121C Torque request signal denied, C1015 right front wheel speed circuit, B210D battery voltage low and B2184 ignition unlock run/start circuit low. I had checked and had no codes prior to the dead battery but did not re-check after recharging.

The key, battery voltage and ignition codes seem all related to the key issue. The camshaft and torque request code seems related to the surging issue and not sure about the wheel sensor code but both front hubs were replaced a year/6k miles ago by the previous owner.

Since I had so many unrelated “gremlins” occur at the same time it seemed odd they could all be unrelated/coincidence failures, that is why I was thinking TIPM problems since everything runs through and is linked there. I still think the 4WD select issue is probably the actuator motor as those are common and I had never tried that system before(actuator motor assembly ordered). Since getting the system back to AWD and clearing CEL codes, the only weirdness was this morning with the flickering 4WD LO light and symptoms. The B2184 code is still persistent.

Putting one more layer on the electrical issues, the key fob wouldn’t work immediately after recharging. After bedding new brake pads and a shake down drive, I washed the truck, including degreasing the engine bay with low pressure garden hose water and engine cleaner. I drove the truck 30+ miles for errands for additional testing and to dry things out good. The next day on the way home from work was when the rest of the 4WD and CEL light issues happened. The truck drove fine the last 3 days without issue (dry warm days), but this morning it was raining and the whole flickering 4WD LO light issue happened within 10miles of home. Moisture and electrical weirdness do often go together…Thoughts and Suggestions?

 

First thing I would do is try to "reset" the entire electrical system. Since you said the battery went dead and you charged it up, I'm guessing you did not remove the battery to charge it up and then reconnect. Therefore it is possible that things started going wonky due to low battery and when the voltage started coming back up, it locked things in the wrong setting. I would start by clearing all codes from they system with your OBDII reader and then disconnecting battery for several hours. Disconnect both positive and negative wires and connect them together with some locking plyers for several hours. Preferably overnight. This should drain all power from the system. Then reconnect both wires to the battery. Check for any codes after. Their shouldn't be any, but just make sure. If their is, clear them again. See if this takes care of most of the issues.

You may have got some water in the TIPM when doing the engine wash. This also can cause a lot of the issues you are having. Hopefully it will dry out on it's own. Hopefully it didn't fry anything inside or else you will need to replace it as well. The fact that issues came back up when it rained makes me think connections are bad. However, you may also need to open it up and try to dry it out. You may want to try a "Hard Reset" of the TIPM. Just found a useful video on doing this. It's not that difficult either. The Dielectric grease on the connectors may be what you need.

This may not clear your 4LO issue though. I suspect that when you did the washing, you may have gotten some water on the actuator motor. As you already know, those do have issues. Hopefully replacing the motor that you have already ordered will do the trick.

 

You are correct, I brought the battery back up while still connected to the vehicle. My Shumacher charger also flagged the battery as "Sulfated" and did a nearly 36 hour de-sulfating cycle and then charged it. I thought 1120 Cranking Amps was pretty high. I could not read the specs on the battery but most of my vehicles never ping over 800CA.

When I first got the security lockout and failure to run, I had a buddy rescue me at the gas station. I disconnected the battery terminals and shorted just the cables together for 60seconds to try and drain residual. It was left disconnected for about 45min while he took me home and I came back with the spare key. First key would still not work but spare key worked fine.

I have since bought 2 new keys/fobs, had the blades cut by code, for a fresh crisp blade. I also got my RF Hub PIN# from the dealer and programmed the new keys with my Scantool. The failed key would not program.

I decided to salvage the button pad from the "dead" key as it was not as worn, as well as the new battery I had put in. When I opened it, I noticed that the battery holder terminal was not bent up very high and figured it was potentially making poor contact. I bent things a little for better springy-ness and contact. The remote functions started working again (I deleted No previous keys, just programmed new ones). I then tried to start the vehicle with that key and the damn thing worked this time. I think the key fob may have just been a coin battery failure coupled with a lack of attention to detail when I replaced it. It does seem odd that the transponder would not be seen with a dead coin battery or until power was properly restored to the remote FOB...

Thank you for the video, it is informative. My plan this weekend is to change the T-case actuator and drain/fill the case with new fluid. I also plan to try the long disconnect/reset from the video and pull the TIPM for inspection and cleaning. From my electronics technician days, I really like Caig Laboratories DeOxit D5 as a contact cleaner and preservative. I will check solder connections, clean terminals/contacts and spray all the connectors with DeOxit.

Thank you for the input and I will report back findings.

 

Been a couple of weeks. What I found and learned: I think my problems stemmed from the main 12V battery going dead and recharging while still connected to the vehicle. I think my main key fob had a coin battery go bad coincidentally. While I completed the mechanical repairs outlined below, the battery was disconnected for a week+ and the system had plenty of time to reset. Once reconnected, all is working well for the last 200miles. I never did get to the TIPM as a possible culprit.

I disconnected the battery, inspected grounds and replaced the transfer case shift motor. While I was under the vehicle I found some play in the front prop shaft CV joint and decided to replace the shaft. This went down a long road of removing the driver's side cat assembly to gain the clearance to get the shaft splines off the transfer case output shaft. I also had to cut off the band bolt where the crossover connection is, behind the transmission pan. Another concern uncovered was that I found my transmission mount was starting to separate rubber from the main assembly. All told, I replaced the transfer case shift motor, transmission mount, front prop shaft and exhaust band clamp. I also did a fluid drain/fill on the transfer case and I sprayed all disconnected electrical plugs with DeOxit D5 for good measure. For those wondering, the band clamp was the hardest to source and I found a suitable stainless steel one on Amazon.

I have had no anomalies since this last repair. I truly wonder if the transfer case shift motor not going into and out of modes properly caused the rest of my non-key related concerns. I will continue to drive it and see what varying weather/moisture conditions do as far as any symptom return and if i need to go back to the TIPM. In the meantime, I am enjoying the Aspen again and all seems well, including proper AWD/4WD Lock and 4LO selection. I will be making another post about driveline vibration and some transfer case health concerns.

 

Been 9 months and I am resurrecting my own old thread.

Since the above, I had more issues shortly after, related to the transfer case shift motor. I went with an aftermarket from Amazon that was well priced $69 and had great reviews. Lasted about 1000 miles. Shifted to 4WD Lock and never came back out. I parked the truck for several months over the winter and did a lot of business travel so did not get back to it until April 2024. Amazon seller did not honor warranty soooo.... I ordered a Dorman aftermarket for $200 and installed. Shift actuator problems fixed and working again.

Now on to electrical gremlins. I ordered a used TIPM and under hood fuse block from a New Mexico salvage yard on eBay. I wanted a dry, non-rust belt used part. I inspected, installed and programmed the VIN into the TIPM but no changes in electrical issues or codes. I went back through the original TIPM to clean pins/plugs and re-installed it without change but at least a sense that it was not a TIPM failure. I figure, even if the replacement was bad, it would at least not act identical.

The "B2184 Ignition Unlock Run/Start Control Circuit Low" code still persists. I also had issues where the Tire Pressure Monitor could not decide which pressure went with which tire and had codes for Left Rear Tire Pressure Transponder errors. I inspected wiring for left rear transponder and found no visible issues, replaced the transponder with a $10 OEM New Old Stock unit but No Joy. This lead me to getting a 1yr subscription to Mitchell 1 DIY to get wiring diagrams. After studying the diagrams, which I will say are not as friendly as the Bentley Manual diagrams I am used to for my VW/Audi stuff, I found that the Tire Pressure and Ignition switch all tie through the WCM (wireless Control Module) aka SKIM or Immobilizer module. Since I had already replaced the electrical ignition switch previously and did visual inspections in the steering column (always looking for something tampered with or modified by an alarm/stereo install attempt or general monkeying around) I figured the WCM was now my new target to investigate. Though it wouldn't start because of programming, I did plug a used WCM module in to see if the codes changed or went away but no joy. I have seen that a lot of module failures on older vehicles can be solder connection related, so I opened the WCM module up for inspection. I found some sketchy solder joints and touched them up as well as used liquid flux and a hot air solder re-work station to reflow the surface mount ICs as a pre-caution. After magnifier scrutiny of my work, I cleaned the board and re-assembled. Vehicle started right up as normal and recognized my keys. After a 25 mile test drive, the tire pressure system is not throwing a code or showing symptoms any longer, but I still have the B2184 code present. Not sure if the TPMS issue is truly cured but it is silent for the moment.

After scouring the forums and internet searches, I have another suspect to pursue and that is the fuse panel in the driver's kick panel area. They are apparently a high failure item from moisture in the footwell. I went back to the wiring diagrams and that fuse block is also tied in with power and signal passage as it relates to the ignition circuit and WCM. I already looked for aftermarket monkey business and did not find any with the fuse block. My plan is to first try and trace power, ground and start signal back to the ignition switch and WCM. If I find no issues, then I plan to pull the fuse block, see if I can open it and inspect for connection or corrosion issues. Do a general clean up and Deoxit D5 spray all the connectors, reassemble and see what happens.

Any thoughts and constructive input is appreciated.

 

Okay, so I have to know where this WCW is located. My passenger rear TPMS has also stopped working this winter. I would have no problem hitting the solder joints like you did to try and get it working again. I've done stuff like that many a times.

 

The WCM, SKIM, Immobilizer are all the same thing. It is in the steering column, has a round loop antenna around the ignition key cylinder.

Take the shrouds off, one srew that you get from the bottom, two finger clips and one plug. Might have an antenna plug as well.

The bad news, it dodnt fix it It cant figure out my sensor location again but it is not throwing a code for the rear transponder though...

 

Aww, sorry it didn't fix it. I guess I can still give it a shot. Perhaps I can get lucky. Highly doubt it with my luck on that thing. I'm about to just get rid of it.

 

Here are some photos on the unit if you were curious.
The WCM is held in by 2 plastic fingers that hug the key cylinder and one Philips screw that comes up from the bottom. The two antenna leads are through the PCB and the antenna assembly that surrounds the lock cylinder is hard formed into the housing. You need some heat to loosen the antenna leads to be able to pry the PCB up, even though it does not look like they are soldered, Photos are of the salvage yard unit. 4 plastic fingers hold the case together. My actual WCM had the same multi-wire plug and a blue Antenna plug on the back corner facing the instrument cluster. It looked like modern radio plugs for XM, GPS, Etc. That Blue plug, silver braid antenna lead when down the steering column and disappeared in the darkness of the dash. You can get to this module by removing the column shroud only. I do not see any need to remove the under-dash area since you are not going for the electrical ignition switch itself. I found a great YouTube video from TRQ on how to replace the ignition switch, that will show you the steering column dis-assembly.

 

Thank you for that info. Might have to play with it. Oddly enough, last night on my way to work, the TPMS started working again with no errors. Was reading all 4 tires. As soon as I pulled on the lot at work, it triggered error again for passenger rear tire. When I parked, I banged on the column a little and ran the tilt up and down a few times. When I got off work, again, it was working all the way home. So it very well could be a loose connection. Fingers crossed I can figure it out.