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Also my temp control panel light has gone out. It used to go on then dim down but it doesn't bother turning on, It is set to 'auto' in hopes that I will get what I need but is it a fuse or a bulb that I can change out in my dash?
Thank you!
I replaced my cables on my 2002 300M Special last summer and 1 of the things that wasn't working , were the rear seat door courtesy lamps. On the Special , all doors have lights , not rear reflectors. At the same time , it is also important to make sure that you remove the ground cable on the passenger side fender before doing any fusebox or electrical work or testing , because the airbags can be deployed accidentally. On my Special , I have the SRS high quality leather seat airbags , plus the dash and steering wheel airbags to worry about setting off. It takes 2 minutes for the safety capacitor to discharge as well that is in place , just in case the battery becomes disconnected in an accident. The airbags will still deploy for up to 2 minutes from the capacitor's stored energy.
Sometimes , interior lights that continuously randomly come on , are as a result of a badly corroded door sensor or buttonswitch. It's not a good idea to assume that it is a fuse , if the light/s are working improperly. If they aren't working , the problem is more likely to involve the fuse as well. A good visual inspection of all of your engine compartment wiring should be the first step. If some wires are exposed to the elements or metal they can be the cause. Every wire should be covered or have an electrical sheath that can visibly tell you whether or not the wiring harness is , or isn't in good condition. If the harness is in poor condition , chances are these are the points at which the electrical system is intermittently responding to.
Even something as simple as the license plate light , or the trunk brakelight can cause shorting in the system. It's a good idea to check all lights , signals etc. prior to assuming you can begin pulling fuses out of the junction box near the steering wheel to determine what is wrong , when even a slightly damaged wire protector could be moving and touching metal while the car is being driven only.
IE : installing makeshift parts that don't fit / installing wiring that is not the correct size / improperly installing an aftermarket stereo system / trying to mess with sparkplugs for other engines / constantly boosting the battery to start the car , while you also repeatedly turn the starter motor / skipping seasonal oil and filter changes / never replacing the transmission fluids / trying new headlamp bulbs that may exceed the lense temperature range , and the wiring / leaving the window/s or roof open in a rain storm / storing the vehicle outside in winter with no cover and never brushing the snow off of the windshield area above the dash/wipers / never checking to see if electrical cooling fans are working to cool the engine compartment / never replacing the coolant reservoir vented cap / leaving the air conditioning system unuseable throughout the summer , while the system has a leak - which is why it isn't working or the compressor is not turning on or cycling / when a leak in a radiator hose develops , tape it over / when oil leaks occur , try silicone / etc. etc. All of these things contribute to a vehicle running downhill in the maintainence department , which will eventually lead to something major failing.
Just as a point to mention , Peterbilt further wraps the battery main cables (which go to the starter) , with rubber tubing. Each cable is wrapped where the cables are together , then the sheath or split plastic tubing is installed. But , even that was worn through for 6" on both the positive and negative main feeds (offset so it was a random short). I coated the damaged areas with thick plastic tar , rewrapped with oversized tubing to fit the cable size , then reinstalled the protective plastic split tubing , and it was fine.
There is also another hidden place behind the passenger side fog lamp , where 2 grounds connect to the frame , low - where they can rust or be in a disconnected (or temporarily disconnected) state. This is near the battery as well.
Instrument cluster back lights have been an intermittent occurrence over the past two plus years. Either came on and stayed on or did not come on at all. (2002 Chrysler 300M special, 165K miles). Changed the ignition switch over a year ago and problem seemed to go away, although there may have been a rare failure. Recent 30 days or so the intermittent failure mode has occurred more frequently. Cables have never been replaced, but may have been disconnected by a mechanic during repairs, for sure during a battery replacement.