Stuck for ideas?!

[Oil_hunter]

Hey all, my first post here. Noy sure if this is the right place, or if I have to go deeper.

So before anyone say, look up old posts/threads. I have tried and tried. More then one website. More then a few months.

I have a bit of an idea what it could be, but would love others experience.

So I have a 2015 ram 3500. It's a limited, so passive entry, push button start.

So my issue is, I installed Amp power steps. The XL, with twin motors on each board. Anyways, installed them, worked fine, never a problem. Skip to winter, left town for work, about 4 months. Truck sat, batteries died. And about a week before I get home, asked my friend to boost it, let it run. He came out, put a battery charger on it for about a week, then found out it wasn't connected. So didn't charge anything. He then slapped jumper cables on. Gave it a buncha cranks(glad he didn't go ham) and it started, let it run for maybe 20 mins.

I promise there is a point to this long story lol

End of the week, I come home. It's about -15°c I open door. Battery dead, so I slap the battery charger and left it overnight. Come out in morning and not enough juice to start. Slapped booster cables on. Fire it up. Power running boards just jams out, hits me in the leg, aggressively back in. And then back and forth. Both sides slamming down, trucks running doors closed, running boards going nuts. They won't stop. Can't even step on them, they just open/close. Even standing on jt, tried to get my leg. So I unplug it from the OBD port. Take the controller box out. Smells like burning electrics. Not super bad, but it got warmer then it probably should have. Ok so I say screw it, order a new brain box. I check all the wiring while I want for it to show up. Nothing burnt, check resistance. Everything is good. Now, get a new brain box. Plug it in think everything should be good. It does the same. Drive up and down the road they are opening and closing. Unplug it again. And they stay up.

Now I changed my batteries while waiting on new brain box. I put really nice AGM's. I cleaned all connectors with wire wheel. Dielectric grease and the red protective spray.

I'm at a loss. I pulled up the TIPM. Unplugged the connectors and cleaned them, and gave them a good push back into their spot. I have rechecked the connectors and cleaned everything from the motor plugs back to the brain box.


Is it an issue with a BCM, is it a bad passive handle ? Are there switches in the doors that may have gone bad ?


I appreciate it fellas and fellettes

 

[Burla]

Did you need to drill through anything when you installed those steps?

 

[Oil_hunter]

No, everything was working fine when install, and it ran fine for months before it

 

[Burla]

So those steps are bolt ons no drilling?

 

[Burla]

You have a short circuit somewhere, could be bad ground, but usually when something is installed it could be a broken wire, maybe loose connection as well.

 

[Wild one]

Now I changed my batteries while waiting on new brain box. I put really nice AGM's. I cleaned all connectors with wire wheel. Dielectric grease and the red protective spray.

Just an FYI Dielectric is an insulator,the majority of them aren't great conductors.


"Dielectric grease is a simple compound of oil and silica filler that's very hydrophobic and is excellent at sealing out moisture and preventing corrosion. It is an electrical insulator or dielectric, and while a popular material for batteries, power outlets, light bulbs and spark plugs, its use is often misunderstood."

 

[Oil_hunter]

Not saying there isn't a broken wire. Probably in the harness. But the steps, the lights, the truck have been good for quiet a few months. Everything working well. Then it sat, and after getting boosted, is when all of the issues started to become more prevalent. That is why I changed batteries and cleaned everything up.

I ran dielectric grease as a protector on the connections, like you do on the sparkplug ends, when you reinstall new plugs