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I have the same problem as you with my 99 Dokata trun signals. Did you ever find where the relay was located? I would appreciate any help you could offer.
Steve
Mine would ding but no lights would come on. It progressevly got worse until the bing was accompanied by the "check guages" light coming on. I would check guages and they were all reading fine....light would only stay on for a few second and go out. After a few weeks of this the light started staying on longer..I'g check the guages which all read fine for a few seconds, but would then move to their highest mark..except the amps guage show a serious discharge. After a few moments of this the "Check guages" light would go out and all would be fine. All this was completely random it might start as soon as I started the truck and continue until a shut it off or not occur at all or a mix of once to rapid succession to nothing at all. Eventually the ABS and/or the Airbag light would also come on. I also determined that during these "events" voltage output increased to 16.5v. I ended up taking it to a small town dealer...it never acted up..not once for them..and they were using it to run errands around the town. After 6 weeks it finally happened to them..they determined that the computer was bad. I sent the computer to be remanufactured....returned computer worked for 1 day then problem returns. I took the truck to the big town dealer figuring they had more volume and more experience...I explained the problem...three weeks later they said that the connector for the guage cluster was shorted and that was causing the problem. $625 and two hours later it was back at the dealer. Seven months later..they didn't know what was wrong, but I don't get my money back because they fixed the connector...I have the old one and it is not shorted. SO...what was the fix? I sold it to a friend who just needed something to run around his property. He took it to a small repair shop in a really small town...after one day he said computer..which has fixed the problem.
If your problem gets worse and starts showing similar symptoms...your computer may be bad.
Keep in mind the voltage output is controled by the computer....in my case the voltage increase was causing all thge problems.
Another possible fix would be a fresh coat of fire.
I had the dealer look at it since it is under warranty. They had the vehical 2 days and said they tried to replace some parts and when they did the vehical wouldn't start at all. They had to call detroit tech for assistance. They replaced the original parts and returned the car to me while waiting for parts. They recently installed a module immobilizer. For the first day after I had the car back I didn't experience any problems. The second day the problem started again but worse. I was waiting to make a left turn, had the left turn signal engaged and noticed that the right blinker on the dash was the only signal blinking. I turned the signal off and then on again and it started blinking on the left site. The entire drive home, any time I enganged the left signal the intial problem I had just about every time I engaged the left turn signal.
I didi some research on-line and found 1 recall that affected some vehicals. The recall was labeled VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:SWITCH/WIRING.
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, A STATIC ELECTRICITY SPARK BETWEEN THE OPERATOR AND THE VEHICLE CAN CAUSE THE TURN SIGNAL, HEADLAMPS OR WINDSHIELD WIPERS TO MALFUNCTION WITHOUT WARNING.
I'm going back to the dealer with this information since I never received a recall and my vehical falls with the time period it was manufactured.
Has anyone else experienced the same or similar problem and have any information on your outcome. Was the issue identified and corrected? Any other suggestions?
I have an 01 Dakota QC 4WD with 4.7.
I bought it 5 mos. ago and since then the dealer replaced the CTM at no cost but I'm having the same problem.
When I am out on the highway with & without cruise set I get a noise which sounds like an alarm or something. It varies in tone and is intermittant. Also it seems to be at higher speed/ RPM or if I'm poking on a county road and kick it down I'll get this noise. Can anyone give me any ideas on what's going on please?
By the way it made this noise with the old CTM also.
Thanks for your time,
Jisco
I thought it was the alternator, because when I pulled the alternator the engine died. Maybe I'm an idiot, but I have a friend in a yard who got me a replacement alt benchtested to work, same problem.
I'm thinking a short somewhere in the system.
This started out as the Check Engine light coming on, then it became where it would run without power, or at least without power showing on the gages, and I got in the habit of parking on an incline, just in case. It seems to still operate, but I am concerned about the amp gauge.
Suggestions welcome! It's my only driver, thank god I live close enough to work to walk (4 blocks) but I need a vehicle.
Replies appreciated.
As far as the possibility of an unnatural drain, you need to measure the current flow (in series with the battery) when the ignition is off. Because there are some electrical circuits activated at all times (ie: computer, electronic clock, radio memory, etc.), there will be a slight but measurable current drain when the ignition switch is in the off position. Mopar computers draw about 10 to 20 milliamperes. I can't remember off hand what the clock draws, but anything over 100 milliamps should be suspect.
Good luck.
Dusty
What I don't understand, though, is why I would get an engine cutoff from disconnecting a running engine from the battery. Isn't the alternator supposed to be able to maintain the engine running, without the loop of the battery? I thought the litmus test for an alternator was to pop the battery cable, and see if it killed the engine?
/doing it wrong, apparently.
Advice welcome and DEEPLY APPRECIATED!!!
I am formally trained in electronics and could design an automobile electrical system, From that perspective, I can tell you that a known-good battery must be connected because it is an intrinsic part of the overall electrical system. Without a battery in the circuit, the alternator could cause spikes over 20 volts. Dont forget that not only does the ENGINE have a computer .... the automatc Xmission also has its own computer. The entire dashboard is fed with a 'databuss' and is-itself a client computer. The CTM (Central Timer Module) is also a client computer in the electrical system.
The damage to the onbaord computer(s) may not be redally apparent. You may encounter all kinds of electircal issues in the future.
Specific to Dodge Dakota, It is a KNOWN FACT that a weak battery can cause all kinds of problems such as erratic idle, odd shifting, intermittant-wiper strangeness...etc.
However, if you disconnected the alternator and the engine couldn't run on the battery, you do not have enough battery current to sustain the engine. The engine should run on a fully charged battery without a charging circuit. In my experience things get iffy around 10.0 volts, but I've seen some run on a battery with as little as 9.5 volts at terminal, at load.
If you're measuring around 8.0 volts no load your battery is way under charged. More likely, however, the battery has had it especially if its a factory unit. The batteries in the 2000-2002's were notable for producing weird symptoms.
I had a friend who's Dakota windshield wipers would make an occasional one-pulse swipe and then stop on the glass without going to their parked position until the ignition switch was switch off, then back on. This problem puzzled he and I and the dealer for 4 months. It was after he told me that he had to reset the clock a few times that I suspected the battery. Then one day it wouldn't take a charge. He limped home thinking he lost the alternator or computer, but after replacing the battery all was well. The wiper problem has never returned.
If you've got the factory battery in that 2002, it might just be a good idea to replace it anyways.
Bests,
Dusty
I will probably try bpeebles strategy, too, and isolate out the problem circuit. My more immediate concern was that I had a fresh battery in it, borrowed from a buddy's truck, and I pulled the cable lead for the battery on a NEW alternator, and it still died. I'm frankly open to suggestions on why this might be. Is it because the circuit is broken, and the alternator cannot complete the charge-through of the engine to sustain combustion?
Not as bright about this engine stuff as I'd like to be.
Again - The battery MUST be in the circuit for things to work. Dont forget... the voltage-regulator is IN THE COMPUTER. (not in the alternator like other vehicles)
Do not concern yourself any longer with what happened when you disconnected the battery with engine running... it was an invalid test. (Lets just hope you did not damage somthing in the electrical system)
An easy way to test your alternator while is to go to WallyMart and pick up a digital voltmeter which plugs into the ciggerette-lighter socket. It is a pretty slick little tool to have in your toolbox. Anything less than 13 volts with engine running should be considerd suspect.
And you're right, I should have thought of that, Dodge being the electro-centric system it is, that the issue would not be tested from that, but it's... been a long time since I owned one. Over a dozen years.
*) does the starter crank the engine?
*)if so, does the engine fire at all?
*)Can you smell raw gasoline at the tailpipe?
You could almost think of the alternator as an AMPLIFIER. Small signal in = large signal out. (As long as it is spun by the engine because that is where the power is coming from!)
With that said, you need to figure out where the voltage-regulator is on your 1995 Dak. On my 2000 Dak, the voltage-regulator is INSIDE the engine-computer. Lets hope you have an external regulator. 8-)
Once you know where the voltage-regulator is, it should be trival to determine where the problem is.
HINT: Many problems such as the one you describe will be traced to a poor ground connection. You may do well to simply disconnect the battery and fix EVERY ground connection you can find on your truck. Pay close attention to engine-to-frame, battery-to-frame and computer-ground connections.
By the word "fix" -- I mean:
1) Remove any screw/bolt holding it down.
2) use fine sandpaper, wirebrush, whatever to clean all contact surfaces.
3) Consider soldering all wires to the ground-connectors.
4)Make certain connection is clean and snugg
Doesn't fire.
No gasoline odor.
We had talked about replacing the battery, and I did that. Still the same problem, HOWEVER:
I also, with a fully charged battery, pulled EVERY fuse, inside and out (one in the engine compartment, one under the driver side dash) and checked with a voltmeter if there was a short. NOTHING. Now, I have two batteries I keep fully charged. One to get me where I'm going, and maybe, just maybe, it will not discharge. The other is for the return trip.
You know, another issue that seems to be a part of it, and maybe I need an outside view, is that it seems to run fine until it heats up, then it has problems. it also doesn't like water, or moisture, and ran like hell when the Ike Rain came through here. I know that's just a distributor thing, and I'll address that when I get the other bugs done. Going to do a new distributor, plugs, wires, Dcap. One thing at a time, unless this could be the issue? It HAS to be somewhere in the power transfer through the engine, but... where? Computer?
Given the statements you've made above, I think that's the best possible solution, to check every ground, because it increasingly IS starting to sound like a grounding problem.
I don't have a diagnostic plug on my 95 Dak, but it has the "rev to 2500 RPM, cycle gears, off on off on and count the 'check engine' blinks" internal diagnostic, but I can't find the code that it does. I believe it is the elusive Code 37, which doesn't make sense for the symptoms I'm experiencing. It's either the "Shift indicator light failure, 5-speed" or for 1995 onward "Trans temperature sensor voltage low" which I've been told "This may cause the low (no) voltage indication".
Frankly, I think I'm going to take your advise, and spend a LONG morning/afternoon pulling grounds and getting them sanded, then soldering them on, for good measure. Any idea where I can find a listing, or even better, a diagram, of all the grounds that are SUPPOSED to be in an 1995 Dakota 2WD 5sp engine, 4 cyl?
Like to do this Sunday, probably.
BTW: If you had told me that you WERE smelling gasoline at the tailpipe... that would have suggested an IGNITION SYSTEM issue.
The factory shop manual has detailed drawings showing every ground (chassis) connection on your Dakota. Most of the connections under the hood are easy enough to locate. There is a ground-connection on both sides of the dashboard (near the floor) Lucally, the connections on the interier do not tend to corrode like the ones under the hood.
Could be an intermittent ignition switch or a bad electrical connection at the computer.
Regards,
Dusty
TA DA. The problem of the draining battery went away! I still, once in a great while, get the check engine light, but it's only on for a few seconds or maybe a minute or so, then goes out.
Oh, and it doesn't like it when it's damp, either. Rain I can deal with, but when it rains for days and days, it gets... cranky. Stutters, probably need to replace the distributor and wires/plugs.
That'll go on the list, for when I have $$ to do it.
Thanks for all the help though!!! My main problem fixed!
The ignition wires on a 1995 vehicle have outlived their usfulness and "dont owe you nothin". I am not surprised that you are experiencing rough running in damp weathther.
Here is a tip to help isolate that problem. WIth engine idling, use a spritzer-bottle (old windex bottle) to lightly spray water on the ignition wires and dist. cap... when the engine starts to falter, you have found the problem.
With a healthy ignition, you should be able to hose down the wires and the engine never misses a beat. (dont try this because cold water on a hot engine/exhaust can crack the metal!)
Somtimes, when one is on a budget... you can remove the cap/wires and wash them in a tub of hot, soapy water. Use a toothbrush in the nooks-n-crannies. Rince well. After drying thoroughly, reinstall using some silicone grease on the rubber seals on the cap. (on wire ends) You may find it runs better in damp weather.
This sometimes works because a layer of crud on the cap/wires acts to attract moisture and can bleed-off the high-tension voltage.
Now, going out in wet weather, the problem started again. The fob is still dead (new batts). Any clues?? Thanks rdognc
Any specific thoughts on where I should look?
I will also consider the budget fix for the plugs and distributor, but I can actually replace those on Wednesday. Any other problems I might want to be concerned about for the upcoming winter? Things old Dodges are known to do in the winter?
I was going to invest in a plug-in style oilpan warmer, just for [non-permissible content removed] and giggles. Can't hurt, and a buddy has one for $10. Cheap, in my book.
Any thoughts? By the way, you have been a wealth of knowledge, and I want to express my gratitude and thanks for all you have suggested. it's been immensely helpful.
In reguards to your question about an oil-pan warmer... I would not mess with it. It may warm up the oil a bit, but the oil instantly gets cold again once you start the engine and it is pumped into the stone-cold steel of the engine-block.
If you really NEED an engine-heater, consider a frost-plug heater which actually heats up the antifreeze within the engine. (I have one on my Dak)
Also, unless you can afford significant jump in your electric-bill, any engine-heater needs to be controled with a timer. (dont just leave it plugged in all night)
I will pick up the plug from wallymart tomorrow to check the running gauge, lights/accessories on/off. If I can isolate it to one accessory, I'll then have to figure out where in the line the short is, correct? It's been my experience that this is usually at a connection, or at a harness location, or someplace where the line does a turn or a rub on something. Anything else I should look for? Anything specific I should avoid?
Like I said, tested with a voltmeter, all the fuse runs work FINE, it's just a very intermittent problem and that's the frustrating thing. I'm half-tempted to just sell the damn thing, I got an offer for $500 more than I paid for it. Maybe I should just cut and run, if I can find a replacement vehicle?
I took another chance on Dodges because I wanted a manual, and it was the right size. Maybe now's the time to take a step back and try something else.
thanks
mark