Re: New UPDATE: electrical problem solved - FINALLY

Big Montana · **Posted:** Sat Dec 21, 2013 3:24 pm

I just wanted to post good news for the holiday season.

I'm in the middle of my 9th Michigan winter with the CRD, and it handles the ice and snow like a champ. I've got new Cooper AT3 tires, a Diehard P1 battery, and I plug it in every night on a timer. It's been in 4WD for about two months due to my work commute involving nasty muddy roads and now ice and snow. I'm still very glad that I bought it. I've never been stuck, and other than a wiring harness issue I'm very happy. I have had my harness patched twice recently, and I still get brake lights on when the humidity and rain pick up. I must have a ground fault somewhere. I just let it run longer to dry it out, and I lock the car with the door button to ensure that I don't turn on the security system and lock myself out if the key stops working again. I'm down to 22-23 mpg due to the winter diesel and the 4WD, but that's been consistent for years.

An added bonus seems to be the noise I make going down the road is a deterrent for deer. I've see a lot of white tails running away from me at a distance. It's like they can hear the whistle from a mile away and they run in the other direction. I'm curious to know if anyone has EVERY hit a deer in a CRD.

It's still a daily driver, and I'm ready to go for another 80k miles or more. I may lose out to the salt in Michigan though. I'm starting to rust on the inside of the doors.

Big Montana · **Posted:** Sat Dec 21, 2013 9:47 pm

This is funny. I posted this and then drove to the store. I'll upload the video in a minute, and it will show all of my gauges turning on and off and chiming. I almost stalled getting off of the express way, and then my trip numbers were replaced by the message "no bus"

I knew I shouldn't have posted praise for my Jeep. What a fool. It was raining all day today, so I know that I must have a wet connection. My cluster must have been incommunicado with all of the sensors in the rig. I'm hoping that will help eliminate the options when tracking down the wire ground.

GreenDieselEngineering · **Joined:** Sun Jun 07, 2009 5:10 pm **Posts:** 1111

The can bus on your model is a silver box below left headlamp, CAC hose may be in the way. The connector is hit by water a lot and does not have the best seal. Give it a clean, dry and grease, hopefully the issue will not return. Hopefully you won't have to de-ice in the morning.

Big Montana · **Posted:** Sat Dec 21, 2013 10:04 pm

Thanks GDE. Would that have anything to do with my Jeep not recognizing the key fob? That's happened twice now.

SFHLibertyCRD · **Posted:** Sun Dec 22, 2013 2:25 am

We have the same build date, Big Montana. Does this mean these were some of the first off the line?

geordi · **Posted:** Sun Dec 22, 2013 2:31 am

I wouldn't think so... Model year 2005 would have first been available for sale around August or September of 04, so the build date would have to be much earlier - think around June of 04, so that there would be about 6-8 weeks to do the rail/ship/truck transpo to get sufficient quantities to the dealers. Everyone has to have them available around the same time for a new release.

1/05 build is solidly mid-year for the model run, approaching the 7th/8th month of productions. Sometime around month 10, they will wind down that year's production and retool (if needed) for the next model year's changes.

This is all just supposition on my part, based on observations. If Mr Mopar wants to chime in, he would probably know a lot better.

Glend · **Posted:** Sun Dec 22, 2013 7:34 am

That is not always the case, as my April 2007 build date shows they were still producing Export model KJs long after they stopped domestic production.
They would have had to retool for KK production immeadiately, say from May 07 onward and have KKs on sale when????, unless there was another line.

geordi · **Posted:** Sun Dec 22, 2013 11:49 am

Easily could be multiple stamping lines in a plant, bringing parts to the flexible (multi platform) assembly lines.

As for the "domestic" versus "export" productions, yes, they were making the Export KJ long after they stopped making them for here - From what I understand, the export version was made from around 2002 through 2009 or so. Other than any rumored EGR differences, the export version just has different part numbers stamped on the parts. That shouldn't be that hard to retool for, and then they just store those parts until they are called for on the line.

SFHLibertyCRD · **Posted:** Sun Dec 22, 2013 1:21 pm

Ah. Thanks for the clarification. Makes sense.

joelukex4 · **Joined:** Thu Sep 29, 2011 4:54 pm **Posts:** 386

I had a deer hit me. Does that count? $5000 later and was almost good as new.

joelukex4 · **Joined:** Thu Sep 29, 2011 4:54 pm **Posts:** 386

It's still a daily driver, and I'm ready to go for another 80k miles or more. I may lose out to the salt in Michigan though. I'm starting to rust on the inside of the doors.[/quote]

It can still be salvaged for a low budget. Sand down all the rust, paint with a rust conversion paint like POR-25. Then purchase a good automotive paintable sealant or adhesive and seal the hems. Glass adhesive will work but you need the primer. Then purchase the paint color in factory cans and a clearcoat and spray the inner doors. I've done this for years. They will last a lot longer if you catch the hems early.

camo · **Posted:** Mon Dec 23, 2013 10:15 pm

Big Montana wrote:

Thanks GDE. Would that have anything to do with my Jeep not recognizing the key fob? That's happened twice now.

I would be very interested to see if this is true. I get some times issues with my key fob on very wet days.

Big Montana · **Posted:** Tue Jan 28, 2014 12:33 pm

After the "no bus" situation escalated to the point of dropping the Jeep into limp mode, lighting and chiming the instrument cluster, and killing most of the buttons on the steering wheel, I limped to a local dealer with a good reputation. (I should point out though that they told me they didn't want to work on the CRD because there was no support from Chrysler to which I replied, "no sh%t) After two weeks, $400 labor, and a new shinny $515 forward body control module, my Jeep seems to be running okay. There are problems though...

During the diagnostic week, they removed the silver BCM below the battery (part number 56010545-AN) and noticed an improvement in the bus situation. When they reinstalled the rusted unit it acted up again. They ordered a new one which took a week to get, and I picked it up to much delight despite the fact that they didn't bother to reinstall the plastic cover under my dash. Nothing says quality like the under dash sitting in the passenger seat.

Now there are NEW electronic features acting up.

1) My bright lights do not work. When I flick them on, the high beam indicator light pops up on the dash, but my headlights go out completely. That was a fun discovery on the highway ride home.
2) My fog lights don't work at all. I use them every time I turn the lights on, and I miss them.
3) My sunroof is not working. There are three buttons and they are dead.

These things all worked before I took the Jeep in, but their service manager present at the time of my return indicated that they had no way of knowing that. I intend to site the extensive report I delivered via email and printout BEFORE the service which included each individual button that wasn't working. If I noticed that the radio buttons were not working on the back of the steering wheel, would it stand to reason that I would have included the lights and sunroof in the same report? Didn't I want everything fixed? This isn't an elaborate plan to get my lights and sunroof fixed for free!

I have not checked the fuses yet because it's cold as heck here (-30 wind chill), but I have scheduled a follow up service visit next Monday. I also received an automated call from the dealer today asking if I was unhappy with my service and why. I left a message explaining that I hope this is a simple fix and that I know these items are broken as a result of the initial repair job. We'll see what happens.

In any event, check that your BCM isn't sitting in a glob of mud and snow because that will cause the housing to rust and rot away.

geordi · **Posted:** Tue Jan 28, 2014 1:34 pm

They should just need to recode the BCM with the options your vehicle has. They should have done that already.

Isn't it great having such computer-controlled vehicles, instead of the old days where if a light didn't work, it was either a bulb, switch, relay or fuse at fault? :banghead:

Big Montana · **Posted:** Tue Jan 28, 2014 2:55 pm

You know I thought that too about the sun roof, but I wasn't sure how that would explain my brights working.

geordi · **Posted:** Tue Jan 28, 2014 4:16 pm

Maybe the computer thinks that your car has separate brights like something else the BCM fits in, and it is sending the power to a dead pin when you activate the brights?

They worked before. They don't work now. Either the morons cut the wire to the brights... Or it is a computer problem. Both answers involve the left-front of the engine bay...

Big Montana · **Posted:** Tue Jan 28, 2014 7:34 pm

I'll need to ask Keith at GDE if that's a possibility. I did ask them NOT to reflash my ECU.

geordi · **Posted:** Tue Jan 28, 2014 11:19 pm

ECU has nothing to do with it. The ECU is only for the engine mapping. Then you have the ABS computer, the transmission computer, the airbag computer, and finally the body control module which is for everything not covered by one of the other computers.

I would strongly suspect that the BCM is the same unit used for most of Chrysler's line. Ford has a similar module in many of their vehicles, and it controls dang near everything. I had to replace one of those (and have the car TOWED to the dealer) and have the module re-coded to match the car... All to fix a driver door lock that wouldn't lock. Why wouldn't the lock work? It would UNLOCK just fine, but the only way to lock the car was pushing down on the plunger.

Not a switch or motor problem... Not a keyless entry problem. The body control module 'goes bad' somehow, and the ONLY THING THAT STOPS is the ability to lock the doors. Explain that one, Ford! But no, $400 later, and the doors lock. I had to have the dealer recode that computer to match the car, because when I first turned it on without having it coded... The dash lit up like a christmas tree and NOTHING worked properly.

Billwill · **Posted:** Wed Jan 29, 2014 3:46 am

There is a good chance that when they replaced the BCM they did not plug the connectors back on properly....the High Beam and Low Beam Relays are on the Junction block there.....you could try disconnecting the battery and re-plug all those connectors in the BCM area.

And as stated the BCM needs to be programmed properly. :wink:

Big Montana · **Posted:** Wed Jan 29, 2014 6:13 am

Thanks a lot guys. So it sounds like two issues. The bcm doesn't know I have a sun roof, and there could be wires unplugged in the area. That's good to hear.

Re: New UPDATE: electrical problem solved - FINALLY

Who is online