I need help!

[Melissa M. Miller]

I have a 2004 5.9 Laramie HD. I bought it used with 260k. Over the past 2 years, I have put a total of 13k on it. I had to replace the alternator, both batteries, and the starter. I had a problem at the beginning of July with the pass battery. It overheated and popped the cap leaking acid across the top of the battery but nowhere else. I got it replaced. Almost exactly one month later and the pass battery did it again. Lost volt gauge/reading no volts. I take it to Orielly's to have them test the charging system and the battery has popped its top again. They send me to Walmart, where I got the battery. Make it 2.5 miles away from O'rielly's to Walmart, and the cap has blown off the battery spraying acid all over the interior passenger engine compartment and the crossover wire is smoking. Walmart refuses to honor the warranty and sends me on my way. I get the battery out of my Grand Cherokee (750 CCA, as opposed to the 850 CCA, recommended for my truck) to replace, temporarily, the passenger side battery to make it 6.5 miles to home. Truck starts right up but I have no volts reading. I make it home. A friend of mine comes the next morning and installs an external voltage regulator and new gold Raptor terminals on the batteries. He arcs the driver's side twice while installing. Try to start the truck and it does fine. He goes about his day and I try to drive my truck. I have a somewhat bumpy driveway and truck dies before making it to the road. Just dead, like no current. I think I might have run it out of fuel so the same friend brings me 5 gallons of diesel. Try to start it, no gauges sweep and truck just cranks but won't start. He starts moving wires at the fuse panel, moving the steering wheel and tilt with no luck. He checks all fuses and presses them all down tightly. Truck keys on and gauges sweep and truck fires right up. We both leave believing the problem was a loose fuse. I make it 5 blocks from my house with my 2 boys in the truck and it cuts off again like no current, just dead. Have it towed home and start messing with the wires because the only common occurrence between the two deaths is truck went over a bump. My husband reroutes the main ground/positive fusible link to relieve the stress on it having been stretched across the driver's battery and the truck starts up. He drives it hard, over bumps/curbs, guns it, revs the engine, slams on the brakes and the truck does not die! Since this, replaced the main ground on driver's side and the truck started and ran then the same friend went to put the top back on the fuse panel, and the truck died again. Also replaced the fusible link that goes into the same housing. Checked all fuses. Moved around all the relays. Bypassed the crossover cable. I have run all the tests I can without a diagnostic reader. I did the ODO test and it reads A4, AA, AC, AF. It has not done a gauge sweep so I know it won't start. I am at the end of my rope with this. I really need some help.

 

[AH64ID]

There is a crossover cable that connects the batteries. It’s likely bad and causing all the issues.

The alternator charges the passenger battery, but the ECM reads the drivers side battery. When the crossover cable is loose/failing the passenger battery gets overcharged as the ECM controls the voltage.

Remove the external voltage regulator, it will do more harm than good. I wouldn’t let that friend help, especially since he’s arcing your batteries. ECM’s aren’t cheap.

 

[Melissa M. Miller]

There is a crossover cable that connects the batteries. It’s likely bad and causing all the issues.

The alternator charges the passenger battery, but the ECM reads the drivers side battery. When the crossover cable is loose/failing the passenger battery gets overcharged as the ECM controls the voltage.

Remove the external voltage regulator, it will do more harm than good. I wouldn’t let that friend help, especially since he’s arcing your batteries. ECM’s aren’t cheap.

I am of the same opinion about my friend. Unfortunately. I did try bypassing the crossover cables with a heavy-duty set of jumper cables but the crossover was still connected at the time. Will that still cause the problem? When tested while truck was running, passenger battery was getting no charge either. I just remembered that.

 

[AH64ID]

How is the passenger battery overcharging and not getting a charge?

Remove that external voltage regulator.

 

[Melissa M. Miller]

How is the passenger battery overcharging and not getting a charge?

Remove that external voltage regulator.

I'm sorry I didn't specify this. The ext voltage regulator was installed between the time the pass battery exploded and the time truck was running and reading no charge. I am not entirely sure how to rewire the alternator back to the ECM to eliminate the external voltage regulator. I was wondering if the crossover cable has been the problem all along and was advised to install the external regulator prematurely.

 

[AH64ID]

I was wondering if the crossover cable has been the problem all along and was advised to install the external regulator prematurely.

It sure is acting like it.

 

[Melissa M. Miller]

It sure is acting like it.

I really appreciate your help with this. I will take off the e.v.r. and see if that alleviates the gauges problem. Still planning to replace the battery cables as well though, since it seems like that was the original problem that had been misdiagnosed. Thanks for the advice. I'll let you know what I learn.

 

[GCroyle]

Melissa,

I just wishing you a big box of luck cause you have one real good guy AH64ID on your side giving advice. And long distance electrical diagnostics can be a real challenge.

Patience and keep a cool head.

And I'd be looking for a new helper after arcing stuff. Not what I want to see.

Gary

 

[Melissa M. Miller]

I got up first thing this morning and rewired the alternator, grey to grey and black to black. The truck is still dead with no gauge sweep on key on. Cranks but won't start. Did the ODO test again and it still reports A4, AA, AC, AF followed by the double zeroes. Does the crossover cable feed power to the ECM? I have not yet replaced that.

 

[AH64ID]

Do you have a voltmeter?

If the drivers side batter is dead the ECM won't get any power from the passenger side with a bad crossover cable.

 

[Melissa M. Miller]

I do not have a voltmeter but I do have a trickle/jumpstarter that reads the voltage. I can hook that up and see what each reads.

 

[Melissa M. Miller]

I connected the battery charger to each battery this morning. Both are registering 11.9 prior to charge. The last time I tried to start the truck it dragged like the batteries were low so I did expect this. Passenger side(smaller) battery charged to 13 in about an hour. Driver's side is still charging but fluctuating between 12.6 and 12.7. Up and down. Still no gauge sweep or start. Is there a way to check the ECM to see if this whole process shorted it out?

 

[AH64ID]

Have you checked fuses?

 

[Timd32]

I think you need to pick up a manual and voltmeter.

Typically replace batteries in sets, even cheap ones, that won't cause gauge not to sweep. You can tackle that later but would go back and see if any wires were left off the posts, and any loose connections.

I think that fusible like might be shot again the one your Husband relocated maybe its broken for good, last he messed with it was similar sounding issue, he moved it and it worked for a bit, not sure what that one is, check color and tracer. The main color of the wire and tracer is the small different colored stripe running down the wire if it has one. Might not.

You might need a voltmeter at somepoint. They are around $20 at box store parts house, $30 @ Tractor Supply.

The cheapest place to get wiring diagrams is to sign up for a monthy subscription mopar1973man.com you need to pay for the month, like $8, and in the download area you have access to the FSM. They run like $40 anywhere else and your not getting those today. Download what he has on there so you can have a wiring diagram.

Meter $20
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...cf-ac4517/11887211-p?c3ch=PLA&c3nid=11887211-
P&adtype=pla_with_promotion&product_channel=online&store_code=&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-b7qBRDPARIsADVbUbWJJN34VTXgvDEn5hOWtwW1EweMOEHDL9fPxxucWQAoI73EUh8J8a0aAnoSEALw_wcB

Meter $30
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...ACrcqlmCwtD2RocL4A-DlJ332dc2u9WYaAl6EEALw_wcB

All parts stores should have a cheap one.

 

[Melissa M. Miller]

Have you checked fuses?

I have checked them and switched some around that control power to the ignition and such. I pulled the crossover cable off this morning also and found that my friend trimmed the diameter of cable at the passenger side battery down to half its stock diameter to make it fit in the raptor cable terminal. I'm thinking this may have a small contribution to the ongoing problem. I'm trying to find this cable sold by the foot today so I can get it replaced. Is it possible there are stored codes in ECM that are preventing it to reset? I currently have the batteries completely disconnected and the terminals on each side connected to each other to discharge any stored current. I was told this might help with eliminating errors in the ECM. There is not a battery connected to the truck right now.

 

[Melissa M. Miller]

I think you need to pick up a manual and voltmeter.

Typically replace batteries in sets, even cheap ones, that won't cause gauge not to sweep. You can tackle that later but would go back and see if any wires were left off the posts, and any loose connections.

I think that fusible like might be shot again the one your Husband relocated maybe its broken for good, last he messed with it was similar sounding issue, he moved it and it worked for a bit, not sure what that one is, check color and tracer. The main color of the wire and tracer is the small different colored stripe running down the wire if it has one. Might not.

You might need a voltmeter at somepoint. They are around $20 at box store parts house, $30 @ Tractor Supply.

The cheapest place to get wiring diagrams is to sign up for a monthy subscription mopar1973man.com you need to pay for the month, like $8, and in the download area you have access to the FSM. They run like $40 anywhere else and your not getting those today. Download what he has on there so you can have a wiring diagram.

Meter $20
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...cf-ac4517/11887211-p?c3ch=PLA&c3nid=11887211-
P&adtype=pla_with_promotion&product_channel=online&store_code=&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-b7qBRDPARIsADVbUbWJJN34VTXgvDEn5hOWtwW1EweMOEHDL9fPxxucWQAoI73EUh8J8a0aAnoSEALw_wcB

Meter $30
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...ACrcqlmCwtD2RocL4A-DlJ332dc2u9WYaAl6EEALw_wcB

All parts stores should have a cheap one.

I did replace both batteries at the same time in November of 2018. The passenger popped a cap and leaked some acid on July 3 and exploded on August 4. I don't have a problem getting a voltmeter, just not sure how to read one. To be completely honest. My husband relocated the ground that goes into the same conduit as the fusible link. I replaced the link and that changed nothing. The last time it was running, my friend had changed that ground line and accidentally bumped either the fuse panel or the crossover cable, both were under his arm at the time. That caused the truck to die immediately and it has not started again since. With key on, I get no gauge sweep so I know it won't start. The passneger side was replaced via warranty on July 3 so the battery that exploded on the 4 was only a month old.

 

[Timd32]

Sounds good on those batteries. Yeah close enough on those.

Real easy to use a DVMM,

Does the easy stuff work, headlight, and interior lights, chime buzzer, horn? Turnsignals? Radio? Most of that should be unrelated to the instrument cluster.

From what I just read the ECM is not in the mix here, nor is the PCM at this point.

Here are some basics for the instrument cluster preliminary diagnostics from the 04 manual.

 

[Melissa M. Miller]

Replacement of the crossover cable and eyelets changed nothing. All fuses, including 51, are intact and functioning properly. Is there anything else it could be?

 

[Timd32]

Is the whole truck dead? Or just the cluster does not do its thing?

The manual is 75MB download, it has all sorts of stuff and describes how all this stuff works. I did not get into the wiring diagrams, but there are some voltage checks that would follow.

Example from the above check of the cluster.

If the 51 fuse is good Step 2 has you checking if there is power to the 51 fuse, you need a test light, or DVMM, or rig up a scary wire set up from your charger if the volt meter reads with the charger off, make a test light with a 12v bulb.

Asking the group any chance your key fob is dead, does the RFID maybe it is not working properly for the key? Would think the cluster would light up at least and do its thing, and say its an invalid fob....

 

[Melissa M. Miller]

Is the whole truck dead? Or just the cluster does not do its thing?

The manual is 75MB download, it has all sorts of stuff and describes how all this stuff works. I did not get into the wiring diagrams, but there are some voltage checks that would follow.

Example from the above check of the cluster.

If the 51 fuse is good Step 2 has you checking if there is power to the 51 fuse, you need a test light, or DVMM, or rig up a scary wire set up from your charger if the volt meter reads with the charger off, make a test light with a 12v bulb.

Asking the group any chance your key fob is dead, does the RFID maybe it is not working properly for the key? Would think the cluster would light up at least and do its thing, and say its an invalid fob....

All lights in the cluster work. Radio, alarm, windows and locks, everything else works. It just won't start. I'll look into testing more stuff tomorrow. The 51 fuse got switched out today and it changed nothing. I know it has something to do with the fuse panel because the truck was running and my friend bumped it or the crossover cable and the truck died immediately. I can't find a blown fuse or loose wire at the panel. I tried to remove the panel too but was unable to get enough leverage to slide it out of the pin slots on the battery housing (I'm 5'1" and 120lbs) the truck sits a little higher than me so I have to stand on a stool or something to get into the engine bay. I have all the original books that came with the truck. I'll look through those tonight to see if there is anything helpful in there. The C-codes are PCM not receiving messages and SKIM messages not received. I haven't done the on-off-on-off-on read yet.