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Soooo, my F350 was in a sideswipe accident ($18,592 in damage) and it had to go to Ford to have some items reprogrammed. Fast forward 4 months when the cold sets in and I realize the heated steering wheel does not heat up. The button illuminates but doesn’t get hot. So I took it to Ford and they said it is a known issue that the cowling does not drain properly and in some cases, drains onto/into the fuse panel. Yep…that is what supposedly happened to my truck. Subsequently, they stated that it fried the BCM, which I find puzzling since EVERYTHING else works properly except the HSW. They claim corrosion in the fuse panel and also states the “technician” pulled every fuse and relay and added dielectric grease to all of the fuses.
I’m waving the BS flag based on my knowledge of vehicles that the BCM won’t just pick one item to fail…more will fail. On top of that, they state that between replacing the fuse panel and BCM will be $5400. I will buy a used BCM from a wrecked truck for $180 and have a local shop, program it…IF that is the case. What DID find, was a black wire in the passenger side kick panel by that fuse panel, with a bare end…similar to being pulled loose. So, I’m inclined to think that may be the issue, but time will tell. I may take it to another Ford dealer instead of the local joke “stealership”!
I’m sending this because it’s a known Ford design issue that the cowling doesn’t drain properly and can/will enter your fuse box in the engine bay.
I believe the only way water can get into the under hood fuse panel is if the cover is not on correctly, need to ensure the back of the cover is properly in the hinges then the front is snapped down. It’s easy to get it on wrong.
if you have ever opened your hood after it rains the water coming off the back of the hood runs straight onto that cover/fuse panel. If that cover isn’t secure water can easily get in to your fuses.
Also, corrosion is a bitch it can
manifest into all sorts of strange issues well after, a year or more, of initial water intrusion.
Pretty sure the BCM is in the cab, behind the passenger kick panel. The BJB is under the hood on the passenger side firewall. The 20-22 model years had a TSB for the BJB because it was found that some of the covers weren't installed correctly allowing water/moisture intrusion. If the cover is installed properly, there should be no water intrusion.
Good job waving the BS flag. Check the BCM and verify it is outputting voltage - to your point, very odd only one output would be dead. I'd look into the HSWM and the associated wiring. I pulled the relevant pages from my electrical book. Let me know if your troubleshooting leads you to another area you need the pages for.
Good job waving the BS flag. Check the BCM and verify it is outputting voltage - to your point, very odd only one output would be dead. I'd look into the HSWM and the associated wiring. I pulled the relevant pages from my electrical book. Let me know if your troubleshooting leads you to another area you need the pages for.
There is a black wire with a tracer on it and for the life of me, I forget the color, but it is not blunt cut, by the passenger kick panel behind the cover. I am wondering if that wire is pulled out for some reason and is the HSW wire. Like I mentioned, the button on the screen illuminates perfectly...turns red, but the steering wheel never warms up. Hell, when it DID work, it would about burn your hands. But it sure would be nice to have on these cold Tennessee days. I would like the supplemental heater as well, but it was built for California and never had it installed.
Sorry - the ground for the HSWM is in the center of the dash. It is labeled G206 in this layout page:
This is GREAT information. I will pull my truck in the garage tomorrow to dig into it. I DID install an aftermarket 14" screen and that ground may have come loose or something else going on. I have been wanting to take the radio out and tidy up the wires anyway, so, this will be a good time to do so. I will also dig into that plug under the dash. I had to install a GPS to write an installation manual for Samsara and may have bumped that plug while I was down there. I just forget exactly when I realized that the HSW was not working. But that would be about the time when I installed the GPS. Thank you for your great advise and pictures.
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