First post here: be nice!
First off, I love this '97 3.8 a little too much for a car with 197k on the engine that had clearly not been properly loved by the last owner. Unfortunately my little brother didn't seem to give it much love while I was away at school. He says one day the power windows and radio went out at about the same time and they have not worked since. Took it to an audio shop and they told me I had the correct voltage coming to the ignition turn on wire since I had no bad fuses something was wrong with my stereo head unit. However upon checking for myself I found no voltage (also after buying a completely new head unit) so I was back to square one.
My father and I have seen some issues with the RAP relay and the BCM in these late '90s GMs and we picked up a new relay but now I cannot for the life of me find where that relay is located. This is a 1997 3.8 V6 (not supercharged) with the 8 speaker stock stereo and HUD. Any help locating and accessing this relay would be greatly appreciated!
Also, if it turns out the relay is not the issue, I will be wondering about other possible fixes. Not sure if the interior lights are on the same circuit as they have never worked, but the HUD and the in-dash info center above the radio have always worked fine and continue to.
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UPDATE
Went to Pick-N-Pull today and picked up some relays and a BCM (most were actually from a 2000 GP). There are two relays behind the glove box, just to the left of the fuse box (I really don't know which one is which. The one closer to the cabin is five prong [I think this is the RAP, but not sure], the one closer to the engine is four prong). I replaced both to no avail. I then turned to the BCM on the driver's side.
After replacing it with the new BCM, so many good things happened. The windows and radio started working but whats more, the interior lights came right on and I now receive a chime when the key is in the ignition and the door is open. The power locks have never worked and still don't properly but something is now clicking when I use the buttons which was not the case before. Needless to say, I am elated. That BCM was only $20 at the Pick-N-Pull, much better than the $80 and up options online. This has been the best $20 I've put in the car and now all my electronics should work great for when the engine falls out next month. The BCM should take about two minutes to replace assuming you can get your pin connectors out of your old unit easily.
Hope this might help some others experiencing similar issues.
