2012 need help electrical issue?

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Mgracia85

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2012
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6.7
I have a problem and the dealership keeps draining my money. Here it is, about 3 months ago, when I place my key in the on position, instead of my heater coil light coming on, all alarm lights would come on, service 4x4, fuel light, trailer hitch light, ABS light, and if I tried to start it, it would crank forever but not start. Then I had to place the key back in the off, try again and then the alarms would be gone and it would start like normal. Well there were times I had to do this several times before all the alarms would finally clear. I took it to the dealership and they insisted it what a bad lift pump and that was causing the long crank, I told them the long crank was a symptom not a actual cause because when the alarms aren’t present in the dashboard the truck starts right up. Well they insisted that was the problem so they replaced it anyways. . . Still does the same thing. Then they said they had to put a relay kit around the fuse of the fuel pump, I told them I still don’t think that’s the issue, they did it anyways. . . That wasn’t the fix. Now they are stumped. I really think some wire some where is grounding out or something I just don’t know which wire and how to read the schematic if there is one out there. Can someone help? 2012 2500 Ram
 
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Mgracia85

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That’s what I thought at first but I reached out to a company that makes them and they said that usually if the ignition switch is bad, you can rattle the key and your truck will turn off or cause other issues, that doesn’t happen here so they said they didn’t think it was my win module
 

Jeepwalker

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IDK if there's anything in this thread that can help you, but several ideas were discussed...
 

KoboldTaco

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Ugh - threads like this make my blood boil....not because of the OP but what is happening to the OP.

Whatever happened to a proper diagnosis by using a simple volt meter and wiring diagram? Occam's Razor here folks and yeah, they are draining your money by guessing and loading the parts cannon.

First, take it to an independent tech and have a discussion with them. Discuss how they will approach the diagnosis. Using a code scanner and a prayer is not working for the dealer. Find someone who will actually follow the diagnosis and chase the root cause.

OP, I watch a lot of repair videos on YouTube and a hummer had a very similar issue to yours. The diagnosis had to do with an intermittent voltage present on the ignition security bit recoiling the solenoid to allow the key to be removed in the first place. The intermittent long crank also was a problem since the security validation could not be completed. He chased it down to a short to ground in the steering wheel that was in the wiring harness that simply rubbed open to short to metal in the steering column.

I enjoy watching these videos (always with a grain of salt). They make me a better home mechanic and to have faith in humanity there are people out there who actually work the problem and will not make it worse by guessing.

If this is a dealership warrantee issue And they can't fix it, clearly change dealerships and also ask them how they will approach the diagnosis. I think you have every right to do so, even if you didn't have the lingering issues. Why should anyone trust first? I'm skeptical until proven that the place I am going to is trustworthy.
 

csuder99

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Does the truck happen to have remote start ? If it starts without problems using the remote start then it's the ignition switch/security module. These things are a somewhat crappy design with the switch contacts part of the PCB in a non-sealed housing. Electronics contact cleaner might help but success stories are mixed.

Depending on where you are in TX there is a guy in Houston that specializes in diagnostics: Eric Gonzales/Advanced Level Automotive.
 
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Mgracia85

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Thanks all for your replies, it makes my blood boil as well. If the scanner doesn’t tell them what’s wrong they don’t know what to do. Supposedly they are bringing an expert but if he doesn’t figure it out, I’m pulling my truck. . . . Actually I am in Houston, what’s this guys address?
 

csuder99

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Disclaimer: No personal experience, I've only seen him diagnose tricky problems on Youtube :) From what I understand he's a traveling one-man operation, no shop. I suppose you could get in touch via https://www.youtube.com/c/ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO . Or if you google "advanced level automotive houston, tx" it brings up some other info.
 
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Mgracia85

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Dodge dealership, it took them some time though figure it out. I don’t see why it took them that long. They follow codes and go after that, they don’t troubleshoot
 
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