Lets face it, General Motors does not put very good electrical systems in their vehicles. If you own a j-body you will probably find yourself working on the electrical system alot. for example: changing the altenator, fuses, relays, power window swithches, and the fan blower/resistor.
Doing all these tasks usually requires disconnnecting one of the battery terminals. those of us who have a stock radio deck know what happens to the theftlock system when you disconnect the battery....the theftlock system locks out. and unless you have the unlock # and the procedure for entering the unlock number, you'll have to take it to a dealer. well finally i have the solution. *be aware that this will only work on 2000 and later pontiac models.*
If you ever think you will need to disconnect one of your battery terminals make sure you do all of this first: 1.turn off all electronics within the car(radio, fan, lights, and blower control)
now, as long as the battery is not disconnected for more than 5-8 minutes the theftlock will not lock out. simply reconnect your battery terminals, put your key in the igntion and turn it to the "run" position for 5 seconds, then start your car normally. the theftlock should not have locked out and everything should be back to normal.
If that does not work, you will have to follow this simple process to retrieve the unlock code on your radio deck. Again, Make sure you follow the preparation steps i listed above.
First, press and hold presets two and three for a few seconds. Three digits will come up on the display. These are the first three digits of the factory unlock code.
Press the AM/FM button on the unit and another three-digit number will read out. These are the last three digits of your code.
Call 1-800-537-5140. You'll be asked for a dealer code, and the one I have is 206053; I have also heard that 139010, and 620529 may work. You may need another if they ever disable this number. Enter this number and then press the pound (#) button.
Now enter the six-digit code that you got from your stereo, first three digits first, then the last three. You will be given a four-digit response code. Make note.
In your car, hit the HR button and put in the first two digits of the response code. Then press the MIN button and put in the last two digits of your response code. Press AM/FM and then SEC should read out on your radio.
You should be unlocked!
If for some reason none of this has worked, a dealer will be your last resort. Yesterday i put a brand new optima battery in my 2002 pontiac sunfire, followed the steps above and made sure the new battery was in place and connected in less than 8 minutes and i did not have to enter in the code because my theftlock system was not locked out. hey, dont be afraid to give this a try, worst case scenario, you will have to go to a dealer. Remember though, this only works on 2000 and later pontiacs i do not know about other GM Brands!
Have Fun!
