wiring issue

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hotrod2004ram

Junior Member
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Feb 20, 2015
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Ram Year
2004
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Hey I was hooking up a light bar the other day and it kept blowing a relay. Now every now and then my lights and horn won't work and my transmission won't shift properly. I go to unplug the battery and plug it back up and its back to normal. And sometimes when I unlock my truck using my keyless remote, my windshield wipers will come on. I was wondering if anyone knows what to do or how to fix it. Do I need a whole new wiring harness or what? Please any suggestions. Thanks Rodney
 

sbarron

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Wasilla, Alaska
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2013
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5.7 HEMI
If you "blow" a relay, you've done something SERIOUSLY wrong and likely damaged other components on the truck. Best to do is check for error codes.

And read up on wiring.
 

xb1230

Hobby Mechanic
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South Shore of Montreal, QC, Canada
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2020
Engine
5.7 HEMI
Looks like a faulty ground hookup... +1 on sbarron's comment about something seriously wrong...

1 thing I will say in your defence though, the wiring on our trucks really sucks in regards to durability. Just by wiggling some harness around you could have caused a serious short-circuit or just plain broke a few wires' sheath making current jump from one wire to another triggering all sorts of goofy behaviour like you are describing.

You need to figure this out real quick before you deal more damage to the electrical system. It could cost you big $$$ if you blow the IPDM or PCM*. The '04 don't have a separate TCM, it is integrated with the PCM so your tranny not shifting is already a very very bad sign of things going on right now.

Hope you can figure it out soon before more harm is done.

I would start by disconnecting the light bar all together. If that resolves the problem, then there 2 possibilities. The wiring you have done for the light was improperly set-up; or you have triggered a wire breakage like I described above in the harness you tapped into.

Also, these light bars draw a lot of current and they should be set on their own separate circuit. The headlight or fog light relays can't handle the additional load they carry. There are free available relay slots in the IPDM for that very specific purpose.

Hope this helps
 

nateo

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Aug 18, 2015
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Location
OH
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2015
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5.7
do what xb1230 says first but just a fyi the TIPM is a circuit board that controls all the wiring/fuses and from what I've read is often prone to failure. If it turns out to be the case it is a easily replaceable part but brand new ones are not cheap.
 
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