High beams

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nevinwright43

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2015
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ecodiesel 3.0
High Beams Not Working and No Indicator Light

Howdy Y’all, so I recently purchased a used 2015 Ram 1500 (Ecodiesel). It has about 200k km on it about 130k miles. Quad cab, big horn edition.

I was doing a light test recently after doing all the brakes and rotors (just for the hell of it) and noticed my brights weren’t working. Not only that, I didn’t even get an indicator light.

So, I pulled the headlamp assembly out and took a look at both bulbs (there was a little brown discoloration in both *see picture*). Next thing I did was take my multi meter (with the truck in manual mode and high beam lever pushed forward) I checked the connection…-0.20V or something like that (also shown in a picture).

The low beams were getting a solid 13.45V so I assumed i should be getting a similar amount to my high beams. For kicks and giggles I popped two LED ones in from the local automotive store, still no high beams and still no indicator light in dash, so I took the lights back. The only conclusion I seem to come to is that there is a bad fuse, a bad relay, or an issue with the “multifunction lever”. The last one doesn’t make too much sense to me since, my wipers and signal lights work fine and haven’t had any issues with those. The fuses all look good from what I can tell. And I even pushed them all to see if they were seated correctly (understand that i only looked at the fuse box under the hood as I can’t seem to find one under the steering column). Which leaves a relay, but according to my fuse box lid, I don’t have a relay that deals with high beams or headlamps in general… maybe a bad BCM (body control module) or TIPM (I think that’s what it’s called)?

I am in need of some assistance…
 

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hunterdan

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No indicator on the dash,to me that means no signal to the BCM. Honestly, before you start throwing money at parts, an app like alfaobd would be helpful. It allows you to test individual lights by bypassing the controls and remotely controlling them from the app. So, if you trigger them from the app, and they come on, I'd say you need a new multifunction stalk. If you remotely trigger them and they don't come on, then you have to start digging further into it.
 

Justthebutler

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Here is a link for the fuses, if you look at the bottom; at the #4 spot it mentions BCM and lighting, I'm not sure what it does, but it could be why your cluster isn't lighting up the fault.

There is also a fuse panel on the side of the dashboard on the drivers side, you just carefully pop it off with a pry tool. I cant remember what's in there though.
 
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nevinwright43

nevinwright43

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No indicator on the dash,to me that means no signal to the BCM. Honestly, before you start throwing money at parts, an app like alfaobd would be helpful. It allows you to test individual lights by bypassing the controls and remotely controlling them from the app. So, if you trigger them from the app, and they come on, I'd say you need a new multifunction stalk. If you remotely trigger them and they don't come on, then you have to start digging further into it.

So, before I started throwing money at parts was good advice! I hate doing that I would much rather do solid diagnostics. It had to go into the shop for some recalls and I asked them what they thought. So they re did all the testing I did, and then set up to test the BCM. When the lights were tested by bypassing the switch the high beams worked. Then when they were tried again with the switch or multi function stalk it failed to produce the high beams. So they think it is also the multi function stalk. I asked for the wire diagram and I am gonna check the wires going to the stalk and make sure they are connected and not loose and then perhaps I’ll replace the stalk if it’s not a loose wire issue. Thanks for that piece of advice!! Solid tip. Wish I had looked here before getting charged by the dealer $200 to do what I had already done and to tell me what you did without having to re do all my work.
 
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nevinwright43

nevinwright43

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Here is a link for the fuses, if you look at the bottom; at the #4 spot it mentions BCM and lighting, I'm not sure what it does, but it could be why your cluster isn't lighting up the fault.

There is also a fuse panel on the side of the dashboard on the drivers side, you just carefully pop it off with a pry tool. I cant remember what's in there though.
Haven’t looked into the fuse panel on the dashboard of the drivers side yet. However, those fuses were checked. I checked anything that had to do with exterior lights. The fuses were all good and properly set in place. I’ll have to get into that panel and see what’s in there just so I am aware what’s back there.

However, at this time I am thinking it is either a loose wire or multi function stalk issue. I’ll keep the thread updated with what I find and how it works out for me. Thank you for your advice! Every bit helps!
 
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nevinwright43

nevinwright43

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Before spending a bunch of money,try putting the truck in gear with it running and see if the high beams work with it in gear.
I did, I tried everything. Stopped, driving, in auto mode and in manual mode. Stalk forward, and attempting the pull to flash function as well. Nada.

Which leads me to believe that @hunterdan is on the right page here and that I have an issue sending a signal to the BCM either due to a loose wire or a faulty multi function stalk. Next weekend I am gonna take it apart and see what can be found. Thanks for the advice though, I can only learn more and make sure I check everything.
 
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nevinwright43

nevinwright43

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Just in case anyone is wondering what the actual issue was, it was simply the multi-function stalk. It was a really easy replacement and I got an off-brand one from RockAuto and it solved the issue right away. I now have the ability to use my High Beams, turn signals, and wiper functions! Thank you to all of you that gave me some advice and help while I tried to figure out what was wrong. It was a really easy process.

Tools Needed:
T20 Bit
Screwdriver or Ratchet
6” to 10” extension

The Process: Take the two inch and half screws out of the two recessed holes on the bottom of the steering wheel, once they are out you can pop off the top portion behind the wheel to gain access to the multi-function stalk. Once access has been achieved simply disconnect the wire harness to the back of the pre-existing (one with issues) multi-function stalk. After the wire harness has been disconnect there is a little clip that is closer to the steering wheel that needs to be depressed and the Multi-Function stalk will release and you can pull it out. Installation is simple, with the new part, simply slide it into place and when you hear a click you’ll know it has been secured. Re-attach wire harness, put cover back on, and re-insert the screws and you will be all done.

If you have need to perform this job, hopefully my description and the attached pictures will assist you in doing this as well!

Again thanks to the community for the assistance I received!
 

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nevinwright43

nevinwright43

Junior Member
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Mar 20, 2023
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2015
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ecodiesel 3.0
No indicator on the dash,to me that means no signal to the BCM. Honestly, before you start throwing money at parts, an app like alfaobd would be helpful. It allows you to test individual lights by bypassing the controls and remotely controlling them from the app. So, if you trigger them from the app, and they come on, I'd say you need a new multifunction stalk. If you remotely trigger them and they don't come on, then you have to start digging further into it.
I would like to say that I have now gotten the alfaOBD and a scanner that will function with it and hopefully I will be able to figure out how to do all these kinds of things for myself in the future. Thanks for the great idea and I look forward to unlocking the secrets of alfaOBD and my truck!
 

Justthebutler

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Awesome news!
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I'm glad it was an easy fix and not something serious. Thanks for the write up too, it will be beneficial to others that need to do the same.
 
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