Bad Body Control Module
 

I am looking at a car that recently had the BCM (?) replaced. It had been done before by someone who did not do the job right and some wiring had to be replaced as well. I'm assured the thing is fixed now...but it was expensive.

My question is, should this raise any alarm bells for me? The car looks great and I think it has been well cared for except for this problem. But what causes these things to go bad in the first place? Is there anything else I should be concerned about not that it has been "fixed"?

Hard to know what to make of this situation. The module just plugs into a connector, and things would need to have really been messed up, to have to replace any wiring. The BCM sits behind the glove box, and is a bit tedious to get at, but not impossible by any means. If the job was done that ineptly, maybe the BCM wasn't faulty in the first place. Well, if you go for this car, I hope the price is very attractive.....

This is not the car you want to have someone messed up the wiring on. You should be very careful in your inspection as the wiring and circuit design are crazy complicated. Reverse the 2 separate ground circuits in the steering wheel and the airbag can go off

If you get a PPI by a dealer they will be able to tell you if there is a problem. Anything less than that is very risky and could cost thousands in the long run. Not to mention endless aggravation.
RJ________________
97 XK8 86K mi

The decisions was made for me..someone bought the car, no questions asked! I think he found the low mileage appealing ;-)

I hope that guy has a big wallet! But it was a great car aside from the unknown electrical issues...one of those rare X308 Super V8's.

dont do it...our cars have lots of computer intelligence and systems that could get gremlins if someone mucks with things...there are lots of xjr and xj8 out there

I also have an x308 super v8 , I'm having issues with he running lights not working after i let two live wires touch . I was told it could be the body control module. So my question is this , could i replace it with the same part , or will it need to be programmed to my specific vehicle ? Thanks for any replies on advance

I replaced mine successfully by just ensuring that the part number was the same on the replacement BCM. However, I've heard (from motorcarman) that this is not always successful and I might have gotten lucky.

It depends on what wires touched, can you recall what they were? The problem could be solved with a simple fuse being replaced. Have a search for the electrical guide in the stickies at the top of the forum for the fuse location, it varies from model year to model year. At this point I wouldn't consider a BPM swap.

They were a solid yellow wire and solid blue wire that were twisted together as a pair.When this happened I blew the drivers side brake bulb and replaced it. Brake lights work fine . I had already checked every fuse and relay, all are good. I also checked the soldering points on the light switch itself.My head lights turn on with the switch as well , so it shouldn't be the switch as I understand it.The only two things I have narrowed it down to are the SCLM or the BPM.I already have the SCLM removed and is being sent to Idaho for bench testing and repair if there is any damage. So I figured once I get that back and reinstall if I'm still having these issues Im left assuming its the BPM. Thanks for your help!

I find that usually the ground studs which connect the board to the casing of the BCM are micro cracked causing all sorts of weirdness especially during temp changes. Easy fix with some solder.