Safety Warning
DIY auto repair can cause serious injury, fire, or vehicle damage. These guides are for informational purposes only. Always follow OEM torque specs, wear PPE, and consult a certified mechanic if you are unsure. You are solely responsible for your safety.
Principles of Operation: Ms-Can
The MS-CAN is a medium speed communication network that uses an unshielded twisted pair cable of data (+) and data (-) circuits. The data (+) and the data (-) circuits are each regulated to approximately 2.5 volts during neutral or rested network traffic. As bus messages are sent on the data (+) circuit, voltage is increased by approximately 1.0 volt. Inversely, the data (-) circuit is reduced by approximately 1.0 volt when a bus message is sent. Multiple bus messages can be sent over the network CAN circuits allowing multiple modules to communicate with each other. The MS-CAN will not communicate while certain faults are present, but will operate with diminished performance with other faults present. The MS-CAN may remain operational when 1 of the 2 termination resistors are not present.
The MS-CAN operates at a maximum data transfer speed of 125 Kbps for bus messages and designed for general information transfer. The network will remain operational, but at a degraded level when certain circuit faults are present. The MS-CAN may remain operational with only one termination resistor present.
The following modules are on the MS-CAN:
- Accessory protocol interface module (APIM) (if equipped)
- Audio control module (ACM)
- Audio digital signal processing (DSP) module (if equipped)
- Driver door module (DDM) (if equipped)
- Driver seat module (DSM) (if equipped)
- Dual climate control seat module (DCSM) (if equipped)
- Heating ventilation air conditioning (HVAC) module (if equipped)
- Instrument cluster (IC)
- Parking aid module (PAM) (if equipped)
- Satellite digital audio receiver system (SDARS) module (if equipped)
- Smart junction box (SJB)
The following fault chart describes the specific MS-CAN failures and their resulting symptom:
| Failure Description | Symptom |
|---|---|
| MS-CAN (+) shorted to MS-CAN (-) | No communication |
| MS-CAN (+) short to voltage | No communication |
| MS-CAN (-) short to voltage | No communication |
| MS-CAN (+) short to ground | No communication |
| MS-CAN (-) short to ground | Unreliable communication possible in all network modules |
| MS-CAN (+) open | Unreliable communication possible in all network modules |
| MS-CAN (-) open | Unreliable communication possible in all network modules |
| Module loss of voltage or ground | No communication |
| Module internal failure | No communication |
NO RELATED
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When to See a Mechanic
Stop DIY work and contact a certified mechanic immediately if any of the following apply:
- β’ You smell fuel, burning insulation, or see smoke.
- β’ Brakes feel soft, pull hard to one side, or make grinding noises.
- β’ The engine overheats, stalls repeatedly, or misfires under load.
- β’ You are missing required tools, torque specs, or safe lifting equipment.
- β’ You are not confident in the next step or safety outcome.