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Comments
Check all PDC fuses.
Check 20 amp Fuse #4 and Park Lamp Relay.
If okay, Ignition Switch pin 7 (Black/Orange) for 12 volts.
Regards,
Dusty
And by Power Distribution Center, do you mean "Fuse Box?" I know where I can find the Fuse Box, but not the PDC.
And just out of idle curiosty, how is the Ignition Switch tied into this possible issue? The parking lights and all should be operational even with the ignition in the off position. Or am I just that mechanically disinclined?
Tim
Don't be embarrassed for asking about the ignition switch. I would never have guessed either, but it appears that there are three "run" circuits off of the the switch. One appears to supply current to the lights in question.
The Power Distribution Center (PDC) is that black electrical box located adjacent to the battery on a Dakota. The fuse panel located inside the cab on the very left end of the dash board is called (in Chrysler parlance) the Junction Block.
Best regards,
Dusty
That is what the problem was.
A STUPID MISPRINT.
In all the manuals, the wire running from the fuse (#5) to the pink with a red tracer. Trace the pink and red wire from the light switch to the fuse box, and it ends up at fuse 8, which controls the power door locks... which the truck does not have. I do not even have a fuse in that position.
Take the fuse from slot 5, put it slot 8...and now there are lights.
As close as I can figure it:
Took out battery. When I did this, a shoddy splice on the main power wire for all the lights which were affected came loose. I checked the fuses, pulled the fuses, put them back WHERE THE STUPID MISPRINT TOLD ME TO PUT THEM (did I mention the stupid misprint?).
Located and fixed shoddy splice, decided that said splice had nothing to with problem.
Got someone else to review wiring diagram..."Hey, isn't there supposed to be a wire here?"
And that is when we traced the wire from the ignition down to the block, and discovered the STUPID MISPRINT.
thanx
Regards,
Dusty
Last night i spent a bit of time looking under the hood. How do I know which one is fuse "D"? On the diagram it only shows the location of "A" an "B" and those are sections of the fuse box. Anyway it seems that all fuses are fine anyway and I'm thinking its something ales. Maybe when I have sometime I will take the lower console apart and see if everything is connected underneath.
Maybe they need to hire some ex-offenders.
Regards,
Dusty
BTW: The "O" aound the "D" does not mean "it is in Drive"... it means OverDrive.
Check all of the fuses in the Instrument Panel (to the left of the steering wheel.
Regards,
Dusty
20Amps at 12Volts is 240 watts... that is a LOT of power you are drawing. (more than enough to make wires red-hot)
The only way to properly troubleshoot is with a schematic diagram and DVM. (DigitalVoltMeter) One common way to troubleshoot is to put an ammeter in series with the fuse and then reconnect devices in the circuit one at a time whilst monitoring the current draw.
(You better know what you are doing... or DO NOT TRY IT... you could fry the entire electrical system)
One possibility: if you have added ANY aftermarket electronic devices (Stereo, Foglights, cellphone charger, CB radio....etc) Try disconnecting them first.
My daughter finds that the battery goes dead overnight. She has had the truck checked-over by two local mechanics. The first, said to be an electricals specialist, said he found many misconnections and corrected them. He also found the dome light wire was a continuous 1 ampere drain and couldn't find the cause so he disconnected it.
The next mechanic, in a different town, and one who himself owns a '91 Dodge Dakota, found a bad O2 sensor and replaced it and also said the battery was bad and replaced it. My daughter went to get the pickup and when the mechanic's partner tried to start it, the battery was dead. He was puzzled because the pickup had started fine twice before while in the garage. He jump-started it and my daughter paid $$$ and drove off, somewhat disturbed and worried. The mechanic who had done the actual work was recovering from surgery in a distant hospital and could not be contacted for an opinion. The next morning, the battery was dead-again. Remember this is a new heavy-duty battery.
The work done had included "disconnecting" the maintenance-needed light that comes on after a certain number of miles. Either that, or the light had been reset. My daughter wonders if the dome light, with its 1 ampere drain, had been reconnected as part of the overall more recent work.
I am thousands of miles away and can't be there to help my daughter beyond recommending she buy a trickle charger and keep the battery on-charge whenever the engine is off, or to disconnect the negative terminal when the engine is off. We would be very grateful for any insights!
The first person who worked on the vehicle sounds MUCH more like a electronics person. The items which you describe he took care of are likely candidates for a problem like this.
The SECOND one you describe replaced NOTHING that would help the problem besides line their wallet. (obviously when it would not start..they were eager to see your daughter leave)
----------
With that said, I am trained in electronics myself (clik on my bio to see!) and I know that a problem like this can be VERY dificult to isolate. It takes knowledge of electronics, an accurate schematic diagram and critical measurements with sensitive measuring devices.
The first thing to do to locate a current drain is isolating the various circuits. This is most easilly done by pulling fuses one at a time and putting an ammeter in series with the fuse-sockets. It should take no more than about 20 minutes to isolate which circuit is the culprit.
After that, it becomes more difficult but an accurate schematic diagram will point to the possible devices in the circuit which are suspect.
Count the caps on your battery...each cell is 2 volts. Most automotive batteries have 6 caps (12 volts)
When this happened was exactly one year ago. I had a blown fuse in the Under-hood Power distribution center fuse box. It was the "40amp" Ignition system fuse. The engine was running when the fuse blew & instantly shut off. Well I was preparing to back up to my boat to hitch it up & go to the lake. Being that I was lazy & didn't want to go all the way to the store, I grabbed a "60amp" fuse from the glove box & put it in place on the blown 40amp fuse. The engine instantly started up. I backed up to my boat & as I was pulling the boat onto the hitch, The engine shut down once again. So I threw out that 60amp fuse and put a 40 back in it's place but the truck wouldn't start & it hasn't started since then & has been in my back yard since may, 2006. :sick:
I know I fried one of the various electrical components. My first suspicion was that I fried the Engine Management Computer(ECM). Please, any help is greatly appreciated.
The truck was such a good running dependable vehicle. I have had it for three years & only had to replace the radiator & water pump. It has 218996 miles on it & still runs great.
Since the 94 dakota was broke, I went & bought another one, a 1995 Dodge Dakota SLT 3.9L 5 Speed & I just need to know one thing for the 95 dakota, the engine is idling to low. :confuse: How do I adjust the idle setting?
Again any help is greatly appreciated!!!
Thanks!
The low beams will not turn on, highs work fine, highs and fog lights work at same time, (Not supposed to).
Remote entry stopped working, will not lock or unlock or operate panic mode. The timed interior lights do not work.
When vehicle starts to move one of the warning buzzer/bells goes on and stays on.
Truck drives and runs fine.
the only after market device is a electric brake box for trailer brakes ( installed by dealer.. for what that is worth).
All fuses good, have been pulled and reseated.
Any help or insight into this will be helpful
Thanks in advance
Computer problem?
Demonic possession?
Any solution?
Thanks
Relay replaced. Horn still doesn't work.
Regards,
Dusty
Central Timer Module failures where a very common problem on that vintage Dakota. I'm surprised you went this long.
Check with your dealer on this. I believe there was a recall or possible warranty solution for this problem. I think they're around $80 at a Dodge dealer. They are not hard to replace, just one connector.
Best regards,
Dusty
I own the factory shop manual and traced the problem to the CTM (Central Timer Module). I never botherd to take it to dealership for this because it is not a big deal.
I understand that the CTM also manages the cruze-control system... but I did not order cruze-control from the factory so that is not a concern for me. If I had cruze-control, I would have been much more concerned about the safety-issues this may pose. (Imagine cruze-control which has a mind of its own :surprise: )
Larry, in Nanaimo, BC, Canada
Would the ant - theft device figure into this ?
I can turn it off and wait a few minutes and it will start up. Any ideas ?
Do not construe this to mean that the onboard computer is the problem. This could be caused by many possible things.
It is too bad it is intermittent... this would be FARRRR easier to troubleshoot if it was consistant.