electrical gremlins

[dripley]

A month or so ago I was leaving my brothers house when i noticed that my ABS airbag and brake were lit on the dash. I stopped and restarted the engine and the lights went away. Had that happen a couple more times when i noticed that the ignition switch was not returning all the way after starting. The switch had also been stiff to turn a few times. Figured my stater switch was giving out. I broke out my new key thats been hanging on the wall since i bought the truck and that issue went a way. So figured the old key might have been the cause. I could even remove that old key with the engine running, it was pretty worn after 14 years of use.  I have not had those troubles on since. But I have notced that the switch will still rotate slightly from the run position towards the start position, maybe a quarter inch or so. Is there any way to test the starter switch to see if it is bad?

 2 or 3 days ago I noticed that my turn signals did not come on when switched on. I had to turn them once or twice for the to work. This morning they just quit working. The head lights, tail lights, and parking lights are working just fine. The wipers are functioning fine too. the 4 way flashers are also working. I am thinking the flasher for the signals is just bad and will check that when I have time. If not is there any way to determine if the multi function switch is bad?

[Mopar1973Man]

1 hour ago, dripley said:

The switch had also been stiff to turn a few times.

 

I normally take a bit of PB Blaster Silicone spray and shoot the key lock with a burst in the key hole. If the key switch is wearing out you can easily replace it. Last one I bought at NAPA was right at $40 buck which is fairly cheap I'm sure you could do better on RockAuto.Com.

 

As for the multifunction switch check for power black/violet, red/grey and also the pink.

 

 

[dripley]

The stiffness in the switch only happened a few times and not every time. it has not done it all using the new key. The old is thin and the cuts in the key all rounded off. So I am figuring the key was the cause of the stiffness. The codes it threw have not come back either.

 Just got in the truck and the turn signals are working. Probably not the flasher in the fuse box. I did wiggle it some maybe the connection is dirty. I will have to do some checking.

 

Do you have a wiring diagram for the starter switch?

[Mopar1973Man]

6 hours ago, dripley said:

 

Do you have a wiring diagram for the starter switch?

 

Go up to the 24V articles and look at the 99 Wiring map it covers most everything you should need.

[dripley]

Well I drove home from work yesterday and no signals or flashers. I guess a new multi function switch is most likely in my future.

[Mopar1973Man]

Common replacement part. Doesn't surprise me...

[dripley]

8 hours ago, Mopar1973Man said:

Common replacement part. Doesn't surprise me...

Well I replaced the flasher and got the signals to work and only the right side flashed on the 4 ways. So I plugged in a new MF switch and now they all work. 

 One thing I noticed was that the IAT and the ECT sensors matched. I had never paid much attention to them until reading a couple of threads stating they should. Started watching them a couple months and noticed they were always off by 5 or 6 degrees. They matched on start up after the swap. I have been experiencing some throttle surging for a while now and that too was not present. I do have times when it does not so I will keep watching it. I was looking a wiring diagrams hoping to see something in common with the switch and any sensors such as a ground that might be shared thru the switch but could not cyhper anything out. When the signals all quit working the surging got pretty crazy. i have also had times it does not surge so this might just be one of those times. Mean while I will just keep an eye on everything.

[Mopar1973Man]

Most all cab related grounds go to the driver side kick panel or center of the dash.

 

All engine related (ECM, PCM and VP44) go to the passenger side battery directly. The rest of external stuff are typically to the driver side fender shield.