Hi guys,
firstly allow me to say that I am SO glad to find this forum.
Raised in Texas, and currently situated in Europe...
3 years ago I bought a 2000 Stratus Conv. (is the same as the 1999 Sebring Conv. in the US) with 75k km on it. No problems whatsoever until now...
Yesterday I changed my battery, and I run up to a couple of problems...

1) in the odometer little screen where it gives the different messages (such as DOOR, etc) it shows dcc with a square below it, ALL THE TIME now... it used to show this when the trunk was open...

2) locks do not work... I use the alarm button and the locks would un/lock... but now not. When though I speed up, passing 30kph, they do lock automatically as they used to... when I click the button to unlock them, they do not work either...

3) the radio does not work... I know I have to insert the code etc, but it does NOT give me this option at all (booklet says you must be in either ON position or ACC, press Power on, and the radio will show you CODE... then you press your code... but mine does NOT show me a CODE message.

4) the inside mirror anti-glaring option works... but not the 2 lights, nor the lights in the cabin (the ones down low at the feet, and the one light in the center at the back passengers...

It seems that a "reset" or something is needed I guess... but how do you do it? Is there such an option, or something similar? and yes I've checked all fuses, and they are just fine...

Your help/ideas are much appreciated it, because you think the US "stealerships" are expensive! I just bought the battery and installed it myself... the price of the battery??? 185 Euros!!! Just the battery, without installation!!!

Waiting your messages!
God bless.
Nicholas

 

PS:
It seems that problems get fixed by their own one by one... I pressed many times the button that opens the trunk from inside, and hold it down for a few seconds... after that, "dcc" message disappeared somehow... also the locks work now when I un/lock from the switch in the door panels... still do not work with the alarm, and do not work when the key is pulled out from its ingition... still no radio, and still no lights inside the car...

 

Nicholas,

I'm not sure this will be much help, but it may give you some food for thought. On a US model, the display would read CCD. This is a code that indicates the car's BCM (Body Control Module) can't communicate with the rest of the interior circuits it controls. Mostly everything you're having a problem with. It could be as simple as a plug that has worked loose in the BCM (probably mounted at the left end of the dash - behind the fuse panel, accessible from underneath) or an aftermarke alarm or starter interfering with the BCM.

 

Yes dear friend,
I've checked with other info on the net and they talk about this BCM... thanks for your info, and I will check it tomorrow, and post the result here.
Thanks a lot.
Merry Christmas!

 

I would suggest resetting the modules pcm bcm ect only way i know to do this with your vehicle is with a DRB III.

 

Hi,
reset with a DRB III?
What is DRB III?
Can you please explain and give instructions?
Best Wishes!

 

Searching the net, I think I found what this DRB III is... a scan tool that costs somewhere in the region of 3,000-9,000 euros... I think I'll pass :-)
Isn't there something (like a PC software) that would enable me to connect my car to my laptop for example, and work it from there?

 

As far as a reset that you can do, disconnect the battery for an extended period. I know of folks that have disconnected it for as little as 5 minutes up to an hour or more to correct various electrically based problems.

There are 3 basic levels of DRB type scanners that I've found while digging around about my 99. There are code readers that are relatively cheap, about $60 to $100US that are intended for the vehicle owner. These scanners give you basic code information from the PCM (powertrain control module-engine management) but these codes usually are related to the emmisions control components and their functioning.

The second level of DRB reader/scanner that I've run into are those that are intended for the independent garages/mechanics and can run from several hundred $US to a few thousand $US and include some types that are pc-laptop based. These generally get deeper into the PCM codes and also pick up codes from the TCM (transmission control module - transmission management) but don't get very specific with the codes involving the BCM (body control module - interior and exterior accessories, lighting etc). The BCM is most likely the source of your problem because it's what feeds the instrument cluster directly after getting the speed, rpm and other data from the TCM and PCM.

The third level of DRB tools seem to be intended for the dealership mechanics and include the Chrysler Starscan tool. The prices I've seen on these can run to many thousands of $US but they have the ability to interface with nearly every individual electrical control component on the car. They also allow for direct actuation/monitoring of individual control circuits independently of what the car might be doing.

I hope this helps. It's based on some searching that I've done over the last few years but is by no means an absolute fact.

Good luck!

 

Dear friend,
thanks for your reply once again... as for the reset you talk about, to disconnect the battery for 5 minutes up to 1 hour... I had taken the battery off the car the previous night, and took it with me in the dealership (just to make sure that they will give me the exact same battery), just to find out that all they needed was the VIN of my car... anyway, what I want to say about it, is that my car was left without a battery for about 24 hours... then I got home and I installed the new battery, by first connecting the red cable (+) and then the black cable (-)...
Actually I was "lucky" because at the dealership they told me that this was the last battery they had, or else I should wait for 3-4 days for the new one to arrive from Netherlands... I was also surprised, when the guy there told me "let me see if the electrician is free, because we have to fill the new battery with electrolytes!" Luckily enough, he was free, and I had the new battery within 5 minutes...
When I was in the US, I had a Mitsubishi Eclipse AWD ('92 model-GREAT CAR!!!), and the battery this car had, was a "dry" one, which it was a quite new technology back then - not many cars had dry batteries at this period... and now, Chrysler uses a battery with liquid in it???[sm=dontgetit.gif]
Anyway, I will disconnect the battery again tomorrow, and leave it like that for a couple of hours... then I should reconnect the black or the red cable first? What is your opinion on that? or it doesn't really matter?

 

Forgot to mention that, just to give you an update...
The message DCC is gone, and the locks work... last night that I drove the car, DCC was back on, and the locks didn't work again... I thought WTH??? When I turned my lights off, DCC was gone, and locks worked... turn my lights back on, and DCC was back on and locks didn't work...
No change in the rest of the stuff... still no radio, still no lights inside the car, and when I turn the engine off with the lights on and then turn the lights off, the lights used to go back on for a minute... this doesn't work as for now either...
Tomorrow I will also go under the pedals to check on the BCM cable one mentioned, just to see if it's loose or not... I read it is just behind the fuses... do you know what it looks like???
PS: just to mention that my car is a stick shift, not automatic...