[Dodgey]

Thursday I was getting off the freeway and as I slowed down, all the indicator lights on the cluster started to go off and the bell sounded. Every indicator went to zero as if I had switched off the power. I thought the truck had stopped running, but it was still driving and running. Then a few seconds later it all came back and the indicator lights went off.

Drive it Friday to the garage where I park and no issues in the morning. After work I get in and take off to leave the parking garage and it all happens again.

This morning I went out and did the thee key cycle thing and it said "no bus". I also did the trip reset thing and the C-Check reported A9,AA,AB,AC,AD,AE.

I went looking online and one person had mentioned the same thing and was traced due to a canbus wire in the steering column that was intermittent. By today the lights and alarm were going off regularly every 10 minutes or so. Then I remembered that in Wed I was out off-roading and after a stop I had adjusted the tilt on the wheel, So I tried to find the exact position I had the tilt before Wed .

After playing a bit I have it so I do not get any more alarms. I think this is just affecting the instrument cluster. I do not think the cluster needs replacing though. So far it has not done the light up routine since I "fixed" it.

Not sure if this will hold. Has anyone else had experience with this? I know I will have to take the column apart and locate the wire, but I just don't have time right now.

 

[Dodgey]

It all started happening again. I think the problem is in the instrument cluster. Maybe I will have to do a thread about "How to remove the instrument cluster".

 

[Dodgey]

I am thinking it is the Integrated Power Distribution Center (aka fuse box). Just not sure if the fcm need replacing as well.

 

[rookiemistake]

the FCM is the cheapest to start with. the PDC is more expensive, but causes a lot of problems too. you can get a FCM at a salvage yard, but I have heard people just cleaning the contacts and that has helped. I wouldn't buy a used PDC unless it's really cheap. I was on ebay a couple nights ago and there was a PDC and FCM attached, but not sure if it will fit your model. (231227295659)

Also, if you think it's your cluster, there are services on ebay that do Cluster repair. I had good luck with my odometer display being repaired ..the co is "myairbags".

ebay can be sketchy, but there are also good people out there too. So be careful.

 

[Poobusmo]

No bus and cluster malfunction

Dodgey, I'm having the exact same issues with my '07. I've also noticed that's when it goes into one of its "fits" the fog lights occasionally turn on and off. Yesterday after starting the truck it began dinging repeatedly, I realized I left my wallet in the house and turned the truck off to go get it. When I came back out the truck turned over and immediately stalled, after two to three minutes the truck finally stayed running. I actually took video of the dash as the lights were going on and off and the bell dinging and brought it to my mechanic, he said either bad cluster or bad TIPM. After telling him of the starting problems he said absolutely the TIPM, and the longer I wait to replace it the more problems I will probably have starting it. Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[Dodgey]

No Buss" Cluster Error Solved!

Last week my 2002 Dodge ram 1500, SLT 4WD regular cab auto transmission truck, started acting up. When turning it on, the bells would ding, the ABS light came on, then the airbag light, then the fuel light , then the check engine light. The headlights were on, couldn't turn them off other than turn off the engine. No wipers, no speedo, tach, temp, charge, oil pressure, horn, turn signals or cruise control. Radio, locks, mirrors all worked. Engine ran fine. Trans shifted fine but you could not see in the instrument cluster which gear you were in. :doh:

I researched what others did in this situation and nothing seemed to work. I took off and reseated all the connectors in the FCM (Front Control Module), IPM (fuse box) and even the connectors behind the instrument cluster. I checked every fuse. This consumed my week. Monday I had found an eBay instrument cluster for $75 figuring if I took it to a Dodge stealership, their diagnosis time would run me at least twice that much and in all likely-hood it would be a guess at my expense. But I had not proven it was the instrument cluster at this point I was potentially looking at buying the FCM and the fusebox (it also has a circuit board in it that goes bad) and still not have fixed it. At this point the stealership likes to scare you into coming to them because the big bad networked computers are too complex to understand without their $6,000 DRBIII scan tool.

I was not giving up. I do software and hardware for a living, this is my turf Dodge and I am going the full round with you.:box2:


In my research I learned the FCM goes into default mode when it doesn't get told what to do by the instrument cluster. Part of this includes turning on the headlights. So I figured that the FCM must be good. By the looks of the wiring diagram for the 2002 RAM 1500, the wipers are controlled via the IPM by a signal from the FCM which gets a signal from the cluster which senses the wiper switch. The engine ran so the PCM (Powertrain Contro, Module) must be good as well as the TCM (Trans Control Module) as the automatic tranny shifts just fine.

Also, the cluster diagnostic procedure (remove key from ignition, hold trip reset in and turn key to ON, do not start- watch gauge sweep and c-codes) revealed c-codes A9, Ab,Ac, Ad, Ae which means basically none of the other modules are reachable via the "bus" (PCI bus to be exact).

Did this mean the entire PCI bus was down or that the cluster could not talk on the bus, which to the cluster itself would mean "no bus". This could be a chip or loose solder joint inside the cluster. The evidence leaned towards the cluster because the engine ran fine, the trans shifted fine and the head lights were on though the switch inside the cab could not turn them off.

Looking at the wiring diagram, I see that for the wipers to come on, the switch is sensed at the instrument cluster, as is the horn. Of course the cluster then normally sends a PCI bus message to the FCM to turn them on. The FCM wasn't getting the message from the cluster. In fact everything not working was tied into the cluster with messages going over the buss to the appropriate module. Think of module" as computer, which it is and each has a diagnostic that can be run. For example, hold the step and reset buttons on the overhead console while turning the ignition to run (do not start) to do the overhead console diagnostic. I did and it said "PASS". But no odometer value would display. of course I later learned that the console gets told the odo value by the cluster.

But was it the entire bus or just the cluster's bus drivers on-board the cluster circuit board? I got an ODBII scanner and tried to read the codes. These scanners are not the same as the Dodge big money version. Instead they are universal scanners meaning they would not have any Chrysler specific tests. Yet in order to see if the PCM has any codes, it must use the buss.

If the entire bus was down, no communication would be possible. However, the OBDII scanner was able to communicate with the PCM and reported no codes. This meant that instead of it being the entire bus, it was only the instrument cluster's ability to connect to the bus and display the status of the ABS, Airbag, FCM, PCM and TCM that was at fault and not the individual modules themselves. This was confirmed when the $75 junkyard cluster arrived tonight and I swapped it in. Now everything works, even cruise control! But I still got to get the odometer fixed. My 40,000 mile truck says 203,000. :158:

 

[Dodgey]

In my case it was the cluster. I swapped in an ebay $75 cluster and it solved the issue.

 

[Dodgey]

Dodgey, I'm having the exact same issues with my '07. I've also noticed that's when it goes into one of its "fits" the fog lights occasionally turn on and off. Yesterday after starting the truck it began dinging repeatedly, I realized I left my wallet in the house and turned the truck off to go get it. When I came back out the truck turned over and immediately stalled, after two to three minutes the truck finally stayed running. I actually took video of the dash as the lights were going on and off and the bell dinging and brought it to my mechanic, he said either bad cluster or bad TIPM. After telling him of the starting problems he said absolutely the TIPM, and the longer I wait to replace it the more problems I will probably have starting it. Hope this helps and good luck!

Poob - I think you can narrow it down. First off, take inventory of what works and what does not work. Are there any C-Codes in the cluster? You can check yourself by the following

Remove key from ignition. Hold down trip reset stick on dash. Put key in and turn to run, but do not start. Watch the gauges sweep and look in odometer window for C-Codes to display.

Also you can get any powertrain codes without a scanner by the following.

Start with key out of ignition. Put key into ignition and cycle to RUN (but do not start engine) three times ending in RUN.

OFF-RUN, OFF_RUN, OFF-RUN and watch odo display.

Hope this helps. :wavey:

 

[Poobusmo]

Thanks for the advice, the truck is actually in the shop right now for an unrelated issue, so I'm having them look into it while it's there. Glad to hear you got away with the MUCH cheaper cluster as opposed to the TIPM.

 

[02 Dodge RamVan 1500]

I am interested to find out what the final outcome is with your situation. Please report the results here. I have a nobus , no run, 02 Ram Van with 318. Did you see any thing on the cluster that would indicate a problem? I would not have thought a I/cluster could cause this situation other than gauges not working. I guess the age of computers and sensors have considerable integration and feedback.
Thanks

 

[Upriver]

Same issue, now cluster is dead

I just bought a 2005, Quad Cab 4x4. The previous owner mentioned the gauges would occasionally flicker.

It didn't do it on the test drive or for the mechanic who checked it over. But, about fifty miles down the road, yippee! The bell dings, the doors unlock, the gauges drop to zero and instantaneously return to normal. Some days it would flicker every few miles other days not at all.

Here's the kicker, when the gauges flicker the odometer resets itself anywhere from one to five miles lower :wow:

Well, when I started it yesterday the cluster is now completely out: no dash lights, no gauges, no horn, nothing. I have another cluster to put in it and am heading outside now to make the swap.

 

[Upriver]

Replaced the cluster, everything is back on and running. Easy change out.
No flickering on test drive.
Of course the OD is now incorrect: went from 128,000 to 46,000. I can live with that instead of paying $1,000 to the dealership for a reset.

 

[giancarlo10]

cluster problem probably

hi, i am a new member of this forum, i bought a month ago a 2500 / 2005 ram 5.9L , i think i have cluster trouble , mi door lock system only unlock , never lock, well about a 10% of uses of truck work fine (strange), horn works on 50% of uses, and hazard lights never works. i realized that all of these systems are controlled by cluster.
Today i reset the cluster and display shows many number that i don´t know if are codes or not, because later i reset again and shows different numbers (od 04 / 33 01 / 63 69 / 64 68 / 66 01 / 67 01/ 68 75 / a3 76 / a6 01 / ac 08. (???).
if you know what this means? i am thinking that maibe the last owner of this truck change the original cluster for a used one and did´t know that this part hace to be programmed by vin number? or simply the cluster is toasted and i have to buy a expensive new one in dodge here en Chile that is very expensive?
I check engine codes and shows p0483/p0882/p0480. no related codes of this issue.
the truck runs normally, fine.
any comments i will be very appreciated, sorry for my bad english.