2005 Crossfire roadster is new to me at 76k miles. When I got it, the key remote didn't work. I tried to program a junkyard remote to my car while my key is in the ignition, but that didn't work either. Today I had it in the shop to get it inspected and put rear tires on. So they hooked it up to the computer. Their computer can talk to the engine control module and a second computer, but it's not "communicating" with the body computer.

Can anybody tell me what could be going on? This shop says I have to go back to Chrysler. Can I use a junkyard body computer, or do they have to be matched by VIN to the car like the engine computer?

Thomas

 

body control module? Why do they think it isn't working?

 

Im with Doc, what the hell are they trying to see in the Body Control Module?

 

They said the BCM isn't "communicating", whatever that means. I asked them to check out why my remote doesn't open the doors. I already replaced the remote battery.

 

BCM is not VIN encoded. What type of OBD reader were they using....Star Das?

 

Did they check in the trunk area for why your remote might not be working? Or just hook up the diagnostic machine?

 

I don't know the kind of computer they were using. But they said the mechanic is pretty good with Mercedes. They had an SLK in there today too.

Don't know if they looked in the trunk for water damage with the central locking system. I mentioned that to the front desk guy who owns the place, but he wasn't familiar enough to talk intelligently about it. He deferred to the mechanic. I suspect he just hooked up the diagnostic computer.

Are the central locking system parts in the trunk the same as the "BCM", or are we talking about separate parts/systems? If they're separate parts, then there must be some simple tests to confirm that the body computer isn't the culprit? Or I should be having other problems if the BCM is wacky, right? Although I haven't even put 5 miles on this car myself yet… This is just the first inspection trip for me.

 

BCM is under the hood.


The Body Control Module (BCM) supplies vehicle occupants with visual and audible information and controls various vehicle functions, To provide and receive information, the module is interfaced to the vehicle's serial bus communications network, the Chrysler Collision Detection (CCD) bus. This network consists of the powertrain control module (PCM), the Transmission Control Module (TCM) , the electro/mechanical instrument cluster (MIC) , the Airbag Control Module (ACM) , the Compass/mini-trip module and the Controller Antilock brake Module (CAB). The BCM is operational when battery power is supplied to the module. Ignition switch power is needed for ignition switch functions.

The BCM provides the following features:
• Automatic door locks
• Battery protection
• Chimes
• Compass/mini-trip support
• Courtesy lamps
• BCM diagnostic support
• Door lock inhibit
• Headlamp time delay
• Ignition key lamp
• Illuminated entry
• Instrument panel dimming
• Mechanical instrument cluster support
• Power door locks (with/without remote keyless entry)
• Sliding door memory lock
• Vehicle Theft Security system (VTSS)
• Windshield wipers / washers (front and rear)

 

Lots of helpful info there. Thanks, Sparkie!

 

any one of those listed may not be communicating with the BCM which would be a fault. If this is what the mechanic meant. And all the those systems are thru out the car.... Anyway, it is a broad statement the BCM isn't communicating. Isn't communicating to what? You drove the car in there. What isn't working? Not trying to give you a hard time, but your mechanic needs to be more specific.....

 

Umm, ok, I think I get it. Incomplete information, so you really can't diagnose the problem effectively. I haven't run into much else that isn't working that seems associated. The top works fine. Both doors and the trunk lock and unlock with the key in the driver's door. The car starts fine with the key. So I'm thinking it's just the remote that doesn't work. But I can't tell whether it's the remote itself, or a part in the car. Given what I've read on this site (big help), I'm suspecting the culprit is in the trunk. So I'm pretty sure I need to dig into the trunk next to see if that security gizmo is working or swamped.

I only got what the mechanic wielding the diagnostic computer said secondhand. So it's no telling what he meant by "not communicating". I don't know if he's just looking for codes that didn't come through, or if his computer was telling him something was dead in the car. I'll be back there tomorrow, so maybe I can dig out a little more specific information.

[I took the car in to get it inspected, and apparently in the middle of asking to mount new tires on the rear (because the ones on it were too bare to pass) and discovering leaky valve covers and faulty TMPS sensors the actual inspection got lost…]

 

That's a new one on me, never seen any reference to it before.
What does it do and where is it ?

 

Are you Positive on this.. as I was informed otherwise.. and lucky I didn't start one of the cars when I swapped mine out with the wife's for testing..

 

Oh.....that's what I was told by a very informed and reliable source when I was considering the purchase of one as a spare about a year ago. I bought it but have not yet tried it out.