What does the BCM control.. The local dealer stocks them so I am a bit worried... Here is the issues..... Dead OBD, Check Engine Light on, Airbag Light On, Tach sometimes works, sometimes doesnt... when it isnt working, that cluster (tach, check engine light, turn signal indicators) does not work..., At night with lights on, Dash is flickering, sometimes illuminates, sometimes does not.. This car is becoming a nightmare... 03 Mini with 57k, stickshift.....oh and also during all of this, the car runs great!

 

It resides in the passenger footwell and controls various electronics including the ones you are having issues with.

 

only two wires come from the BCM to the tach. and says if the lights are on, the other drives the odometer. All other information comes from a CAN bus that is driven by the IKE (Computer behind the big speedo). I'm not sure where the power and ground wires for the tach come from though...

If everything flickers, I'd guess the power. If some work and some don't, that's more worrysome as some of the data is making it and some isn't. Since it's a slaved CAN bus, it could be either end!

Really, it sounds like the connector is loose! Two torx screws hold the unit onto the steering column. The connector plugs into the back down by the base.

Matt

 

Very roughly, the BCM controls many of the electrical things that have a switch or electric motor, including interior and exterior lighting, power windows, cabin ventilation, locks, windshield wipers etc.

The instrument cluster has its own control module which is on the back panel of the speedometer. The malfunctions you described would be more likely caused by this module rather than the BCM.

 

including the airbag and check engine lights??

 

to replace the bcm, it is just a plug in or does it need to be reflashed?? can i reset it by unplugging and plugging back in?

 

According to the BMW wiring system manual...

The instrument cluster control module contains the electronics logic for all of the display and indicator lamps. The module takes signals from other sources -- ABS control unit, airbag control unit, engine control unit, etc. and performs the actual display function on the speedo/tach instrument clusters.

You might try resetting the electronics by disconnecting the battery and waiting 15 minutes before reconnecting.

 

Check the power and ground at the auxiliary cluster using a multimeter. Pull the connector and check pin 1 (ground) and pin 7 (power). These are supplied by the main cluster (large speedo).

 

i have 2 minis, this one and another 03, can the parts be interchanged to see if they make a difference?

 

Update: Called Classic Mini, told me that i could interchange the bcm's which i did, no change...

now what

 

Could swap the speedos between the cars and see if it's the IKE.

If you lived in my neighborhood we'd scan it with AutoEnginuity and see what errors we get - it can see status and errors on all the systems (BDM, IKE, CAN Bus, etc.). The Dealer scan tool can do this also - they should be able to scan it and get a better idea of what's funky... but they'll likely charge you for doing it.

 

The instrument control module is the circuit board in the speedo. Try swapping the speedos.

 

I'd make sure that the connectors are tight. And whatever you do, DO NOT POWER ON THE CAR WITH THE IKE (Speedo) REMOVED!

The tach being flaky, but the speedo working SCREAMS that there is a bad connection between them, or that the tach module is bad.

FWIW, at least 6 different busses all hook into the IKE. The tach module is a slave to the IKE. (And don't ask me what IKE stands for, it's some abreviation of some long winded German polysillabic garbage....)


I'd
1) Check to see if connections were good between the IKE and the tach module.
2) Swap tach modules.
3) Swap the IKE modules. But before the last one, I'd make sure that they can swap without borking the electronics. I'd hate to try it and have two dead Minis.....


Matt

 

Okay. So I have read multiple threads trying to find an answer. Here are my questions. For some reason my ECU reset today. (Cluster went blank and flickered). So I let turned it off, then restarted it. It ran fine and I was finally getting much better MPG readings. Now for the best part. I hit the switch to lock the doors. The lock went down, then right back up. Next all windows opened. I found this weird. Then I closed all the windows and stepped out of the car. I used the key fob and same thing happened. Tried a battery reset but with no luck. Took it to a local Eurosport shop and they scanned it. Yeap dead BCM they said. So now I need to get this taken care of. So here is the big question. Can I get a BCM from another car (aka used) and put it into mine? Can the used one be reprogrammed by the shop? They told me only a new one can be reprogrammed? Any suggestions/ help? Also its an '03 MCS no mods

 

I don't know. But I've seen BCMs from salvage yards for less than $100, so I'd try it! New ones are expensive.

Matt

 

NO you can NOT reprogram a Used BCM to work with your car. The code is burnt into it and it cannot be changed.

 

I put a used bcm in my 02 2 years ago and it has been working.