Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Electrical Question

[EChasse]

I also am having the same problem on my 97 3500. I wonder if EKlem ever found the real problem to the fuse blowing. I am a little luckier than EKlem, it happened in Gila Bend AZ on Feb 20 09 where the high for the day is 76F and NO rain. It has been an ongoing problem. I will use the work around to get moving again to destination 100 mi. away. Sure would like to know if he followed thru to find the actual problem.

 

[Dave M]

I also am having the same problem on my 97 3500. I wonder if EKlem ever found the real problem to the fuse blowing. I am a little luckier than EKlem, it happened in Gila Bend AZ on Feb 20 09 where the high for the day is 76F and NO rain. It has been an ongoing problem. I will use the work around to get moving again to destination 100 mi. away. Sure would like to know if he followed thru to find the actual problem.

Interesting problem. It appears the original poster on this problem isolated it to the fuel solenoid circuit. Everything works fine with Fuel Solenoid connector disconnnected and fuel solenoid manually pulled up. Maybe bad fuel solenoid or fuel solenoid relay or associated wiring.



All of my following discussion is based on my 97 service manual. To determine if the Hold or Pull coil of the fuel solenoid circuit is at fault remove the fuel relay with the fuel solenoid connector connected. If fuse 9 blows when cranking then its the Hold circuit of the fuel solenoid at fault. If it does not blow then the Pull circuit along with the fuel solenoid relay and connections are at fault which can be proven by plugging in the relay.



With the fuel relay pulled the Pull solenoid circuit cannot get 12v and so will not energize. There are 2 relays next to each other on the firewall drivers side under the rubber cowl lip near brake master cylinder. The 70 amp fuel relay is the one closest to drivers side fender.



See this pic here:



#ad




The other relay is the fuel heater relay. As a temporary test swap relays. The fuel heater relay should not be used permanetly since it is lower current but it should work as a test. Perhaps the fuel relay is bad or the connections.



Here is a thread with a fuse 9 blowing problem with schematics that might help for those still interested in this problem:



Rocket science??? No crank/start Help - Dodge Diesel - Diesel Truck Resource Forums



There is a starter relay in the PDC that (when energized... . when ign switch is in start pos. ) supplies 12v to the starter solenoid and is spliced to supply 12v to the fuel Solenoid shutdown relay... . both are a Brown wire from starter relay in PDC to Starter solenoid at starter and the same brown Brown wire from the starter relay in PDC to fuel solenoid relay and get power thru the starter relay in PDC. Something to keep in mind when troubleshooting this problem.



Just my 2 cents worth. Maybe it will help.



Dave

 

[EKlem]

I did in fact find my original problem. My solenoid had gotten water into it which had then frozen and cracked the housing and caused the coil to short out. Interestingly, the solenoid was only probably 3 years old. I went with a manual pull cable to solve it.

If you have a bunch of fuses, it is pretty easy to chase it down by simply unplugging everything on that circuit and then slowly plugging things back in one at a time. You don't actually have to start the truck, just bump the starter and leave the key in the run position each time.

This seems to be a fairly common problem and most people that I know who have had the problem find that it is somewhere in the solenoid or its wiring and not the other things on that fuse.