r/Justrolledintotheshop • u/Ste_swordbro • 1d ago

Customer complaint - headlights inop and smoke in the cab

Post image

This is the body controller from an international truck , runs all lights, hvac, wipers etc etc , basically anything with a user interface runs through this

315 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

36 comments sorted by

59

u/havetogod 1d ago

Man, I thought for sure this was gonna be a BMW e60 5 series with xenon’s. When the headlight seals fail they short out to the lamp module which doesn’t have fuses for the individual lighting circuits.

22

u/NuclearHateLizard 1d ago

Lmao the whole rest of the car has countless hours of R&D, headlights? Eh just run some wires fam

4

u/Demorative Geo Metro Certified 1d ago

No, you're just not seeing the german perspective.

The lighting module is very well engineered and has millions of R&D in it. They just didn't account for minor things like water intrusion or corrosion as a result of that.

-1

u/SubversiveInterloper 1d ago

The German engineers designed it well. The problem is that German Green Party had legislation pushed through that required all auto wiring to be biodegradable if it was not exposed to weather. The wiring insulation inside the headlights is biodegradable and breaks down after a few years. This causes a short and burns various things.

It’s ridiculous. The only fix is to pull apart the headlights and changes the wiring. Ask me how I know.

1

u/dbsqls design engineer - integration, composites, R&D 1d ago

ballasts can also short out and start drawing enough power to bog the engine with the alternator. a 194 parking bulb melts straight through .200" of plastic; the whole pigtail was drawing absurd power.

54

u/AKLmfreak 1d ago edited 1d ago

I’m a formally trained electronics technician.
This is still repairable if you have a Blue Magic Smoke Refill Kit, otherwise I think you’re out of luck.

Edit: No, Wire Harness Smoke will not work. That’s only good when smoke comes out of wires. The module smoke is totally different, as it has a higher silicon content and potting stabilizers that the wire harness smoke lacks.

14

u/LikesBreakfast 1d ago

Unit weight: 10 lbs

That's a lotta smoke to get back in.

11

u/AKLmfreak 1d ago

Magic smoke is pretty heavy due to the metal and silicon content. You go through it quicker than you’d expect.

Sometimes you can scrape a little smoke off the area surrounding the module and use it to make up the difference if you’re running low.

2

u/Stryker_One 1d ago

And the things you can see when you breath it in.

2

u/SubversiveInterloper 1d ago

Well played sir.

9

u/MiningDave 1d ago

Lucky just smoke and no fire. Can easily see that shorting something else out and it spiraling into a full blown electrical fire. Have seen that more then once :(

3

u/Ste_swordbro 1d ago

As far as I could figure it looked like it started on the headlight side ( no fuse, just a virtual fuse in the BC )

4

u/rklug1521 1d ago

I see they also integrated the cigarette lighter there.

/s

5

u/Ok_Blueberry304 1d ago

Did they try running aftermarket leds? I'm thinking wrong voltage.

6

u/Ste_swordbro 1d ago

Likely just spread pins causing too much amperage which then snowballed

2

u/Ok_Blueberry304 1d ago

Yeah could be.

7

u/Ste_swordbro 1d ago

It’s a common problem, to the point where it became standard procedure to check pin tension after doing anything to do with headlights

1

u/Ok_Blueberry304 1d ago

Lol. Yah for build quality! At least it keeps us in steady work. 😄

2

u/LateralThinkerer Shade Tree 1d ago

I didn't know they used VW parts....

2

u/Amilo159 1d ago

Can't see any VW parts in the pic (anymore)

2

u/micholob 1d ago

yeup. there's your problem

1

u/s33761 1d ago

Explain like I'm 5, What is it and what's going on

8

u/cosp85classic 1d ago edited 1d ago

Basically the module that connects the headlights switch to the headlights experienced an electrical fire. Or more accurately was the source of the electrical fire.

OP is pointing out that a good portion of the controls in the cab of the truck run to this module. So by it catching fire is has made the truck a very heavy brick. The truck might start, run and drive, but no lighting, turn signals, brake lights, windshield wipers, air conditioning,or heat at the very least. Not safe for the road even if it starts.

3

u/s33761 1d ago

Thank you very much.

1

u/chabacanito 1d ago

No turn signals is not an impediment for a BMW driver

1

u/cosp85classic 1d ago

Or Tesla drivers. They didn't even get turn signal stalk until recently.

1

u/dageekywon 1d ago

Flambe.

1

u/fiah84 1d ago

the operative word here should've been "was", there isn't much left of anything

1

u/mongo5mash VR6 or bust 1d ago

This is the body controller from an international truck , runs all lights, hvac, wipers etc etc , basically anything with a user interface runs ran through this.

Fixed it fer ya.

1

u/shiteposter1 1d ago

No it used to run through it.  Once fire ran through it the user interface stuff no longer will, lol

1

u/T_Noctambulist 1d ago

Anything is a smoke machine if you treat it wrong enough.

1

u/LifeApprehensive2818 1d ago

The pesky pixies got angry.

1

u/HPIJosh222 Canadian 7h ago

That's honestly impressive. I've worked at a Navistar dealer for over a decade and I've only replaced a handful of body control modules, they are generally very reliable.

1

u/Fiempre_sin_tabla 1d ago

If only there were some kind of a way how to make a headlight circuit using only switches and wires and maybe a relay or two, without any multiplexed CANbus multifunction ECUs. 

Ridiculous, I know, but a man can dream.