beavermosh
Member
- Joined
- May 8, 2013
- Posts
- 56
- Reaction score
- 27
- Ram Year
- 2013 Dodge Ram Big Horn 4x4
- Engine
- Hemi 5.7L 390HP
I just changed my BCM this past weekend. It is fairly hard to get to and I wouldn't recommend trying to change it in the parking lot of a dealership. It took me about 4 hours to do with trial and error on what needed to be removed, but I figured I would do a write up to help someone else out since I couldn't find anything on how to do it.
To take it out you need to remove the panel under the steering wheel and small squsare panel above the parking brake release (just so you can see everything) then remove the black amp looking thing. It has two 7mm (socket size) screws that you loosen on the amp bracket underneath a grounding bolt that also has to be removed and then there's one more 7mm screw way up on the top of the amp bracket. I used a few socket extensions to get that one out. Then the plastic side kick panel and parking brake bracket have to be removed. The kick panel just pops out but the parking brake has three 13mm nuts to remove. Those nuts can be difficult to reach and easy to loose. Once the parking brake bracket/ pedal is loosened just maneuver it around any wires and out of the way; the cable can stay attached. Now you should have clear access to the wire connectors on the BCM. Some of the connectors (I think two of them) have a tab on the top that you push down on the top to release but the others are like a cam lock style (similar to an engine wiring connector) that you slide upwards and they pop out. All of the wire connectors were easier to remove then I thought they would be. Then to remove the BCM remove the four 10mm nuts on each corner, again these are hard to reach with a tool and could get lost. I used a pencil magnet so I wouldn't loose them. After all that you should be able to finagle the BCM out and put the new one in in reverse order.
I was expecting the truck to need to be towed to the dealer but mine actually started. I just had a ton of warnings come up on the dash to service systems (Service 4x4 System, Service trailer brake, Service ABS, etc.) and the radio was locked out. I drove mine to the dealer right away so they could program/ flash it. It's takes the dealer about an hour to program it.
I purchased a used BCM from eBay (no guarantee it was functioning but it was from a wrecked Ram) for $80. I was able to remove the old and install the new in about 45 minutes.
1. Removing the ~8 connectors is easy, just flip up the plastic lock and pull out.
2. There are four 10mm nuts holding on the BCM. You will various lengths of extensions/sockets.
3. From here it is tricky but you can snake out the BCM without removing anything else.
After installation my door locks worked instantly. The truck started no problem but has a lot of warning/errors so the BCM will need to be reprogrammmed. I have an appointment to reprogram the BCM at the dealership tomorrow. They said it would cost $160 (seems like a rip off). I'll report back on the final bill.