bcm removal steps

[teepster]

I went to the junk yard this weekend and removed a BCM (body control module) to try and fix my 1998 Caravan door locks that freqently lock themselves when not running. This was my first experince with this and I thought I'd go thru the steps while it's fresh in my mind.
There were no 1998s with power locks in the junk yard so I cannibalized a 1996 in hopes of getting lucky. I can also say the 96 and 98 are layed out the same.
The 1st thing I removed was the lower dash moulding under the steering wheel and then the computer analyzer jack which seemed to be there just to take some skin off my hands.
The bcm is a encased in a silver metal box about the size of a 60s vintage 8 track player. It is piggy backed on the back of the fuse panel and has 2 large white connecters plugged into the bottom of it. In the 96 and 98 models I dealt with, their location is to the left of the brake pedal.
The fuse assembly gets removed first and has 3 long 10mm bolts holding it in. 2 on the right and 1 on the left. Once these are removed the fuse assembly will have a couple inches of play in it. There are many wires coming into this so you won't get much play. I did remove the neg. battery before I started. Once the fuse assembly is freed the left had connecter is easier to remove. Both connectors came out remarkably easy by squeezing the white clips on the side and pulling down. Once this assembly is free from the bracket you can finally read the partnumber on the BCM (Better late than never), previously the bracket was in the way.

Now the fun part. The BCM is attached to the fuse assembly with 3 silver 8mm sheet metal screws. Two on the right and one on the left. The 2 on the right arn't too bad and just screw into the side. The 3rd one is on the left top corner of the bcm. It points straight up and took me awhile to find.
I had to hook 2 extensions together to reach it. I pulled the fuse assembly foward a couple inches and looked up the back of the assembly with a flash light to see it. Then I run the rathet up there and hope.
Once the 3 silver screws are removed the BCM module could be slid down from behind the fuse assembly. At that point I realized there is a 3rd blue connector on the top of the module that gets seated when it gets slid into position. This prevents one from just trying a different bcm out by just plugging in the 2 lower connectors without taking everything apart.
Once its out you'll see how the slides look on the side of the module and how they slide and lock-in when replaced. This all got done while laying on your back under the steering wheel. And of course once I got mine out I saw the 1996 I got at the junk yard had a completely different part number.
At that point I knew it was a long shot to fix anything. When I hooked up the battery cable I heard some relays clicking away that shouldn't be clicking so i took everything apart and put the original back in. Back to the drawing board.
This whole process took me several hours the 1st time. Now that I've been thru it I can probably do one in 45 minutes. It's not a job for the impatient. There may be better ways but hopefully this will help someone who takes this on the 1st time.

[RIP]

Thanks for the headsup. I'm sure this will be a well visited post. Have you tried online sources? If you still need one try these guys. They helped my neighbor out a while back. http://www.uneedapart.com/used-bcms.php or... http://acdelcocomputers.com/computers/bcm_chry.htm

[teepster]

Found a junk yard BCM that worked in my car. It fixed my door lock problem.
Everything works now and no locks clicking away in the garage.