BCM what is this exactly and what does it control?

[4nine8]

Hello all
i recently purchased a used 96 town and country with 94k miles and everything works fine except the wipers and the cc
my indipendent shop told me the wipers are not working due to teh bcm and also told me it would be $750.oo to replace and program i spoke to WholesaleMopar.com and they cant get me one and said its a dealer only item

does this price sound correct ?

im also wondering what other things the BCm controls

thanks.

[RIP]

Generally the BCM controls all the electronics in the van except airbags and engine controls. That said it can keep the van from starting. The BCM is hardly a dealer only item though if you get one it will be a rebuilt BCM and not new. There are several sources on the net and a few that will rebuild your BCM and mail it back. I've read of people getting them for $50 at a junkyard, $250 on the net, and $350 at dealerships. It is important to get the exact part number BCM. There can be several for a particular model year. The wrong one will not allow this or that function to work. It does have to be "programmed" by the dealer unless the source you use programs it (?) for you.

[chad_webb]

BCM - Body Control Module

It controls a lot of "stuff", and as such, it seems to me that technicians frequently point to it as the culprit rather than spend a little extra time to diagnose the problem.

If it was me, I would ask the technician if they would GUARANTEE that a replacement BCM will solve the problem, and that if it doesn't they eat the $750. If they start waffling, it means they're not confident in their diagnosis and want to go on an easter egg hunt on your nickel. Of course, a really sleazy repair shop could frequently diagnose this when they knew the real repair was only a $5 part and $10 labor, and make a killing while still "solving" your problem. That's pretty unlikely I would hope.

Additionally, I've periodically heard of bad solder joints on the BCM causing problems, would recommend a search of the archives (althogh most solder joint problems on these vans are confined to the instrument cluster)

Aside from cautioning you to be suspicious about the recommended repair, I'm not sure what else it may be in this case.

[JCamasto]

BCM = Bankrupting Computer Malfunction, Bring Cash Money

The BCM controls, in part, cash flow from your wallet.

-Jim

[4nine8]

since im new here i have no clue where to source the unit here .
if anyone could help it wouldbe great .

to be safe im taking it to another repair shop to see what he tells me something else could be the problem.

well thanks again everyone .

[RIP]

Here's one: http://bbb-carb.com/chrycomputer.htm

Here's another: http://www.dodgetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107372 Read post 6

[4nine8]

Here's one: http://bbb-carb.com/chrycomputer.htm

Here's another: http://www.dodgetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107372 Read post 6

wow thanks .

[CHRYREPAIRMAN]

We were until the end of last year on of 7 shops that repaired these units for the dealerships. We ran the exchange program for 6 states. We can now service the public and we can do way better than the pricing you listed from the dealer. One thing somebody said is get one from a junk yard. The problem with that is the bcm stores the milage that reads out on the cluster. So you get a junkyard bcm you get the wrong mileage. We have the offical chrysler testers that program the mileage in these bcm so you wont have that problem. Another and probably worst problem with a junkyard bcm is if you get a bcm that has VTSS ( vehicle theft security system ) enabled and you put it into a vehicle that does not have VTSS capability then you will contanimate the PCM also and you will have to replace both the BCM and PCM at the same time. You can contact us at (586) 757-6630 www.hunt-radio.com

[vipergg]

When you say they don't work , do they work at all ? This era van had a lot of wiper problems and the most of the wiper problems were fixed by replacing the wiper stalk and or the wiper motor .


Make : CHRYSLER Model : TOWN AND COUNTRY Year : 1996 Manufacturer : DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION Service Bulletin Num : 083695REVA Date of Bulletin: DEC 01, 1995 NHTSA Item Number: 46495 Component: VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER Summary:
BULLETIN SUPERSEDES TSB 08-36-95, DATED AUG. 25, 1995. WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL TURN ON WHILE THE SWITCH IS IN THE 'OFF' POSITION WHILE DRIVING, OR WHEN TURN SIGNALS AND/OR HEADLAMP BEAM SELECT IS ACTUATED. WIPERS WILL NOT TURN OFF W/ IGNITION SWITCH 'ON' OR 'OFF' AND TRANSAXLE MAY GO INTO LIMP-IN MODE WHEN WIPERS TURNED 'ON'. WIPERS STOP IMMEDIATELY (INSTEAD OF PARKING FULLY DOWN). WHEN THE SWITCH TURNED 'OFF' OR CONTINUE TO WIPE FOR APPROX. 10 SECS AFTER BEING TURNED 'OFF' AND THEN STOP WHEREVER THEY ARE EITHER BY USING THE WIPER SWITCH OR THE IGNITION SWITCH. BULLETIN INVOLVES INSTALLING A MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH W/ A BUILD DATE CODE AFTER 2565 AND/OR GROUND WIRE CORRECTION AND/OR A PDC AND/OR A WIPER MOTOR.

[Nancy]

Hi All: I just joined this forum as my Plymouth Voyager (1998) is in the chrysler dealer shop right now for this problem. My lights in the dash have been flickering for some time. The wipers have intermittent problems, the back wiper comes on if I go over a bump- sometimes.

The dealership here in Ann Arbor has had my car since yesterday and this morning called to say they are "90%" sure that it is the BCM and that it would be around $1000 to repair. But they didn't want to repair if they think it is 90%. He said to continue driving the car until more things fail.

Well, is that right? What if this kicks out for me in the middle of a trip somewhere by myself? Or will things start going out more and more often?
Do I tell them to fix it or wait as they said?

Thanks for any suggestions!

Nancy
Ann Arbor MI