| From | Message |
ewraven
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
2/09/2009
15:56:46
|
 Subject: weird electrical issue
IP: Logged
Message:
When I dim my interior lights, the parking light
fuse blows...
I first noticed it when I installed a new stereo.
I've replaced the headlamp switch to no avail,
the problem remained.
I'm thinking that I could've damaged the central
timer module when I installed the stereo, but
that is 300 dollar part! I want to see what
others suggest before buying that part.
Please help!!!
Thanks,
Ewraven
1999 Dakota 5.2 V8 Sport 4x4, tow and off road
packages.
|
Jimmy9190
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
2/09/2009
21:08:44
| RE: weird electrical issue
IP: Logged
Message:
Check the factory radio wiring harness behind the new radio and make sure the OEM radio illumination wire (I think it will be orange) is not bare, shorted or chafed or maybe the ends of the wire are not touching the radio chassis or metal in the dash and grounding out and popping the fuse. There may also be a black/yellow illumination wire in the dash too. Tape up and insulate all unused wires and it may fix the problem.
If it were in the CTM, I doubt the dash and interior lights would work at all. But the only way to check the CTM for sure is at the dealer with the DRB scan tool.
Did the new headlight switch also come with the rheostat dimmer control or was it just the light switch? If so, maybe it could be the dimmer itself.
Jimmy
|
ewraven
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
2/11/2009
10:57:56
| RE: weird electrical issue
IP: Logged
Message:
Thanks for the tips. I had pulled the radio
completely out of the dash, wire adapter and all.
The problem was still there. I'll take the radio
back out and look a little closer for those
wires.
A friend at the local dodge dealer scanned the
truck using a DRB scan tool which turned up zero
codes.
He thinks it is the headlight switch but I ruled
that out already when I swapped in a new one.
I'll keep my fingers crossed that I find a wire
shorted behind the radio.
|
Jimmy9190
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
2/11/2009
13:14:21
| RE: weird electrical issue
IP: Logged
Message:
It may sound like a dumb question but how and where did you ground the new radio? There should have been a silver braided ground strap bolted to the back of the factory radio. There might be a solid black ground wire clipped to the back of the factory radio for ground instead, but I don't remember 99's being grounded that way. Either way, you can use that for a ground, but if your new radio has any amount of high power (most do nowadays) it would be a lot better to ground it directly to clean bare chassis metal. The best grounds in our trucks is in the kick panel, just use an existing bolt or nut or screw. Screws you drill in yourself tend to loosen over time.
If you grounded the radio to some other wire in the radio harness, that might be what is causing the problem. Maybe if you did that it blew one of the illumination fuses which could be causing this new problem now. Check all the fuses, including the ones in the Power Distribution Center by the battery.
The factory radio had 2 illumination wires, one for the dimmer rheostat which will vary in voltage on a volt meter as the dimmer is rotated high to low and then there is a dash/parking light wire there too which has constant 12 volts when the headlight or parking light are on, no matter what the position of the dimmer is. These should be the only 2 wires left over and having no connections when you install a new radio in a Dakota. If you accidentally ground something to either of these wires it will cause problems with the lights. Pull the headlight and dimmer switch back out and check it with a volt ohm meter. The Haynes book for your truck should have a diagram to tell you how to test it. If it tests OK, maybe just maybe you got a bad new switch and maybe the parts store will exchange it for you.
See what you find.
Jimmy
|
| | P 1 |
|
Post a reply to this message:
Username Registration: Optional
All visitors are allowed to post messages
|
