body control module "98"

[farmer11]

Do not have any headlights-taillights-interior roof light or dash lights.
The flashers-radio-turnsignals and everthing else works.
The mechanic decided it was the body contrl modual. Anyone else have this problem? Seems like there is none in any junk yard and they are on backorder at dodge. Any thing else to check out. Seems to be only the circut that goes to the light switch on the dash.

Thanks

[gforster]

Hook up a scantool and run through the tests and check for codes The Body Control Module is capable of self diagnosing itself. This should point to exactly where the trouble is.

[dragynmyrlin]

Just had the exact problem on a 92 caravan. Unplug it, wait 30 seconds and plug it back in. Worked fine after that.

[michelq]

I think you should trust you mechanic
he is right

[AirScrew]

Farmer, its the BCM. You cant use one from a junk yard or from anyother Caravan.
BCM has to be programed for your vehicle and its options. When I replaced mine it took two weeks to get it, and its about $300 not including installation.

[conncarl]

Farmer, don't pay through the nose for a BCM. And don't let anyone tell you "there is none in any junk yard". That's absolutely ludicrous. Go to www.car-part.com. Based on whether you have power locks and/or security, you should find dozens of them in junkyards, starting at around $60 plus shipping.

I got a replacement for the BCM in my 2001 Caravan for $75 shipped...it was a matching catch code and even had a newer firmware revision! And it took me all of about 20 minutes to switch it out with simple tools.

Good luck! Carl

[AirScrew]

Carl, you may have been lucky with the BCM you got. I have two brother-in-laws that work for Dodge dealers and a friend that works at another. All three said the same thing, Dont use a BCM from a Junk yard, its a crapshoot getting one that will match your van and isn't going to fail.
(i didnt say "there is none in any junk yard")
At the time I was replacing mine none of the salvage yards in Austin had a BCM and none of them could find me one with their locater services. I am not particularly crazy about buying anything online and having it shipped, to many times have I seen wrong parts, defective parts, late deliveries. That just my personal preference.
Who knows, maybe when I was looking for my BCM all the 96 Caravans had already been parted out and nothing is left

[conncarl]

AirScrew, you may be right, perhaps I was lucky. But my experience with online junkyards has been very good.

I'm not the least bit surprised that a dealership mechanic would respond as your friend and your brothers-in-law have. After all, if everyone bought parts from other sources and installed them themselves, they would be unemployed in very short order.

Unfortunately, they were either ill-informed or not completely honest with you. If you are familiar with Chrysler's BCMs, (and a dealership mechanic certainly should be) matching them is fairly straightforward, and if it does not work, it has a warranty, just like the dealership part would.

There are three types of BCM available for the 98 Caravan. They are distinguished by the van's factory configuration, as follows;

1. With no power locks or security

2. With power locks, without security

3. With both power locks and security

Once you have determined which of the three you need, you only need to match the catch code, 4801060, for example. The catch code is followed by a two digit suffix, such as "AF", which represents the firmware version on that particular computer.

You do not need to match the firmware revision, in fact, you may wish to pick up a unit with a newer firmware verison. In my example, if you were to find a junkyard computer marked 4801060AJ, it would be the same model of computer, but with a newer firmware revision, hence the "AJ" suffix as opposed to "AF".

I too have had many experiences with wrong parts, defective parts, and late deliveries, mostly with local auto parts stores and car dealerships. In fact, in my experience, new car dealerships are the worst when it comes to such problems.

I did get the wrong part from a Car-Part.com junkyard once. They promptly shipped out the correct part and sent a prepaid call tag to return the incorrect part.

I think you have to remember that these 'Net-connected junkyards would not do well with online sales unless they handled them responsibly. I have found that I can consistently get the part I want, with a 30 day warranty, delivered to my door for less than if I trudged through the mud in any of Connecticut's junkyards to get it.

I don't want to take issue with the whole "new" vs. "used" part issue. But if Farmer11 would rather drive for a couple of months with no lights while he waits for the dealership part to come in, then pay $300 or more plus labor for it, my guess is, he wouldn't be here looking for alternatives.

YMMV! Carl

[ghinson]

conncarl, You've given me the courage to try and change this out myself. Te review my symptoms, we suddenly lost gauge power and the Service Engine Soon light came on. I have a friend who has a diagnostic computer, which spit out the P1695 code, "No CCD/J185O Message From
BCM." I unplugged the BCM (the block box that looks like a stereo amp next to the fuse relay under the hood by the driver's side fender) and plugged it back in, some of the gauges worked for a few minutes and the engine light went away, only to come back later.

My questions for you guys is, is changing out the BCM the right thing to do? And for you, conncarl, where do you find the catch code number you refer to? I'm hoping I can see it without taking it out.

THANKS!

[conncarl]

ghinson, I don't know for sure if replacing the BCM will resolve the error you've described. Often, an error code which seems to point to a faulty BCM can be triggered by a bad sensor or other component. Correct diagnosis of onboard computer devices can be very difficult without sophisticated test equipment and a full explanation of error codes.

Complicating this particular case is the fact that I don't even know the year of your Caravan.

However, I'm going to assume that you've misidentified the part that you disconnected, temporarily clearing the error. If it was under the hood on the left fender, it is almost certainly the Electronic Control Unit or ECU, not the BCM (Body Control Module).

This is consistent with the actions and result that you have described. Disconnecting the ECU had the effect of clearing any stored error messages. Upon reconnection, the fault, ostensibly a failure of the BCM to respond correctly to the ECU, returned and was stored again.

If you would like to try swapping out your BCM in an attempt to resolve the problem, you should be able to see the catch code without too much trouble. Look under the left side of the dash for an aluminum box roughly the size of your hand with fingers outstretched. There should be a number of plastic connectors each bearing a group of wires connected to it. You should be able to find the catch code with firmware revision in black on a white paper sticker.

Remember to disconnect the battery before attempting to disconnect or reconnect any onboard computer devices.

Good luck! Carl

[ghinson]

Carl,

Thanks! Someone as naive as myself when it comes to this stuff needs to be careful reading the internet forums and thinking he can fix something! I think I read something somewhere about the BCM being on the left by the fuse box. On my '99 Grand Caravan, under the hood, there is a fuse relay center with the part I unplugged just lateral to it, over the left fender (which I guess is the ECU).

I will have to look again for the BCM under the dash! Anything I could do further to better diagnosis this as the BCM being the whole problem. (I normally would just go to a dealer, but I live in a fairly remote area and the closest dealership is 2.5 hrs and a ferry ride away, so you try and become as much of a DIY'er as possible.)

Greg

[Larrysd]

Our van was sittingfor 6 months, we replaced the battery and Since then, the "Rear Wiper", "Intermittent Rear Wiper", "Re-circulation", and the "A/C" buttons on the environmental control panel all blink in unison for approximately 16 -18 minutes immediately after starting the engine.

Is there anyway to reset the BCM?

[Larrysd]

Sorry it is a 1998 Dodge Carvan

[GMAC454]

hey everyone with the "ghost in my wipers", and "they will run when i push the squirter button but wont run on delay or hi/lo", and will not work on intermittent, dashlights doing funny stuff, etc......
I have been thru everything in the entire wiper system.
tore the motor out regreased and cleaned all connectors and electrical pickups, replaced and tested all relays under the hood, checked and replaced all fuses, replaced the 80.00 dollar multi-switch.
NONE of these things fixed the issue and are not the problem.

The fix is the BCM - Body Control Module. this little beast of a circuit board does just about everything !!!!! it controls your security system if you have one, it controls the rear wiper, the front wipers and all the related delays, the security system, elect locks, etc.... and electronic signaling associated with this stuff. I have gone thru the entire electrical schematics on this thing. the module is about 385.00 bucks. Ouch! thats alot just to fix your wipers, or headlights.
But what i did was call a reputable auto salvage yard and had them do a computer search for my make and model '96 grand caravan for a BCM. they found one without issue and it was 100.00 bucks including shipping. some of the BCM's need to be programmed (flashed) by the dealership this is about 65.00 bucks. but i know for a fact that the '96-'99 are plug and play no flash required. i pulled my old one slammed the new one home and "click" the wipers work perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!

the BCM is located under the dash on the drivers side right behind the fuse plate. it is fairly easy to get out. there are just a few 9 or 10mm bolts that hold it in place and then it slides up on a couple pegs and the bolts just hold it in place. look at the one you picked up and you will see where the bolts are. dont forget the very top one toward the driver door, you will need an extension about 8 inches to get it. also if you remove the code testing plug-in that sits under the lip of the dash it will save you a few scars (believe me) the screws protrude right where you will be snaking your hand up and through. I echo what carl was saying it is a simple fix and the only criteria for ordering are if you have security and power locks or a combo of them. your just wasting money if you take this issue to a dealer. hope this helps you save some money doing it. thanks

GMAC454@hotmail.com

[lt8828]

I have the same exact wiper problem that GMAC454 had. I called one junk yard for the part (BCM). I was told that this module also records the mileage of the vehicle. My caravan has a very low mileage considering its age. I am hesitant to replace the BCM with one that is going to report 140,000 miles. Does any one know if this is true that you will see a different mileage than your original once you have the BCM replaced? What can be done to avoid this problem?