Waterfall of Electrical Problems 2015 Power Wagon

[Joel Penkala]

Greetings and thanks in advance for any thoughts.

First off, I am throwing a PO128 code. I have replaced the temp sensor, topped off coolant etc. Occasionally, when driving I get a warning light that comes up - service electronic throttle control - which corresponds with the coolant temp disappearing from the menu in the dashboard. IE it looks like the connection to the temp sensor is faulty- causing a low reading and the truck to start beeping. Typically I pull over, turn off the truck, immediately restart, and the warnings go away. Seems to happen more when its cold outside, but we are just getting into the winter here in NJ so we'll see if it gets worse. I can see that the temp is not going too high or really changing at all when this happens.

Additionally- when I shift to 4WD, I get a series of warnings about servicing the 4WD system- but I know for a fact that it is shifting because I can hear it do so, and see/feel the results w/ because I get unstuck and feel when turning.
Also, sometimes the HVAC blower motor stops working - this one I just get out and mess with the relay, and it starts back on again(so far).
And I have had an issue with the trailer brake wiring - sometimes the brake lights dont seem to register or be working properly.
Finally, I have one time lost the radio screen. I can't remember if this corresponded with the whole cluster going blank, but this has not happened again.
I recently replaced the battery- seemed like the old one went bad- wouldn't really take a charge and left me stranded. I read somewhere that some of these sensor issues could be battery related?

The only thing I have done to the truck(aftermarket) is run a single wire to the bed for some LED bed lights that are activated by a switch also located in the bed of the truck.

When looking at a myriad of issues like this - where do I even start? It feels like its electrical and maybe all related? And if it is, do I get a new wiring harness or new TIPM.
Thanks again-
Joel

 

[62Blazer]

When you start having multiple random electrical issues on unrelated components, I suspect an issue with the main power or grounds. In this case I would start looking at all of the grounds. Check all the connection points for looseness or any signs of corrosion at all, then trace the wiring from the grounds up to start looking for anything unusual. A momentary or partial loss of ground can cause all sorts of random electrical issues.

 

[Joel Penkala]

Ill give grounds a shot and see where it gets me- seems like this is a common problem- or at least there are enough threads that have similar issues.

 

[Joel Penkala]

Update: Cleaned all connections at the battery - pos and neg - no change.
Now the left rear turn signal light came on. Swapped bulb to a new one- still showing turn signal issue.......
Where should I check/clean grounds? Is there more than just the one right at the battery to the side wall of the engine compartment?

 

[Slinge]

Search this site for The Big Three grounds

 

[Joel Penkala]

OK- took a look at that. I guess I am asking - if anyone has had this problem- or if it was your truck - what sequence of fixes would you try? I read the post about bad battery cells. I watched several vids of the TIPM getting corroded. I have seen the big three fix. What order would you go in?

Side note- I have what believe are the factory rail type connectors on the battery terminals and they look.... corroded at best. Whats a good alternative to those factory terminals that folks are using?

 

[62Blazer]

I always start with visual inspection and then diagnostics (i.e. check for correct voltage, ground, signals) at connectors. If there is obvious corrosion on the battery terminals you need to fix those areas.....even if not the source of the current problem, if you don't fix it know it will be a problem in the future. There is a reasonable chance that is the problem. I would also suspect that if you have corrosion at the battery terminals there is corrosion at other places. Look at all of the ground connections closely and even unbolt them, clean them up, and rebolt them.

 

[olyelr]

All good info above. As far as the radio screen goes, that has been an issue with these model years in the past. As in the radio/screen could be going bad, not necessarily from any electrical issue. Believe there was even a recall on them at one point…if not, they know many of them randomly take a ****. Ive got two trucks in this era, both with just over 100k miles and one of them has given me fits pertaining to the radio screen in the past, but has eventually started working again each time and since has continued to do so. I plan on it needing replacement in the near future, which is pushing a few grand from what i have gathered. Ugh.

 

[crazy jerry]

since you let the battery cable terminals get corroded thats the very first thing you have to fix. and possibly why all you electronics is screwed up. taking good care of a vehicle can save you alot of greif later. fyi

 

[bigdodge]

If this all started after replacing the battery I would look at that. Just because it's new doesn't mean it's good. I've seen a battery test good and still be the problem in cases like this. Are you sure it's the correct battery for the truck?

The electronics on this truck are very sensitive to voltage fluctuations and will cause the problems like you're having. I feel for you man. I've been there and it's not fun. Might not be a bad idea to go to the dealer and just buy new cables. Sometimes they get corroded underneath the sheathing and you would never know.

 

[Joel Penkala]

Hey thanks for all the thoughts. @bigdodge what cables - the main battery ones? @crazy jerry I am more of a pound of cure guy, thanks though! hahaha

Seriously though, I cleaned battery connections and pulled out the TIPM (just lifted it out of the box and pushed at the cables a bit). Also pushed on every fuse and relay to make sure they are seated fully.

This fixed the left blinker and the check engine light for the PO128 Coolant Sensor Code. The interior courtesy lights started working again lol - its been so long since they worked I forgot they are supposed to come on when you open the door so tonight when I took out the trash, the lights came on! Amazing.

There was no effect on the 4x4 though- I shifted into 4wd and am still having the 4wd light blink and service 4wd message in the dash. Though I can distinctly hear the trucks servo when I pull back on the shift lever. Perhaps this is in fact an independent issues as some suggested - and I need to look at this further. I am skeptical though, as I have seen so many electrical issues that I may look to trace the wires from whatever sensors are on the 4wd back to the battery/computer.

Based on what I have seen so far, I expect it is corroded wires either from the battery, grounds, or potentially in the TIPM. I am thinking that perhaps moving the unit pulled wires enough to remake some of the bad connections. When I have time I will dive into cleaning the TIPM connectors- picked up some CRC and dielectric grease. Hopefully that gets me somewhere.

 

[62Blazer]

Just as you stated, there may be a few non-related issues. Assuming you disconnected the battery cables when cleaning them, that will reset the engine light. However you stated a few other items started working correctly so hopefully there were connection issues. Did you get a good look at the bottom of the TIPM for any corrosion or dirty connections?
For the 4wd you can do some basic trouble-shooting. Jack the front tires off the ground. When in 2wd you should be able to spin the front driveshaft freely. When you shift it into 4wd (again, front tires off the ground but rear tires on the ground) you should not be able to spin the front driveshaft. That verifies the transfer case is engaging 4wd. Then move on to the front axle actuator. There are a couple of different characteristics that show the actuator is engaging. Probably the easiest is have the truck in 2wd and see what happens when you spin each front wheel by hand (look at the driveshaft and other side front wheel to see what they do). Then put the truck in 4wd and do the same. The actuator will engage/connect the passenger side front wheel to the differential, other side front tire, and driveshaft. With the truck in 4wd, hold one side front tire and try to spin the other side by hand. You should not be able to spin it. Swap sides and try again and see what happens.

 

[bigdodge]

Yes I was referring to the main battery cables. Had an issue with my daughter's Chevy Cruze. Was the main negative terminal for the battery. It had an insufficient crimp on the terminal to the cable. It looked absolutely flawless. The car had multiple electrical Gremlins that would always come up and replacing That was the fix. Bought a new one from the factory. you would have never known by looking at it

 

[soapy]

Find where all the grounds are attached to the body and frame. Cleaning those areas are just as important as cleaning the battery connections.

 

[Joel Penkala]

Just as you stated, there may be a few non-related issues. Assuming you disconnected the battery cables when cleaning them, that will reset the engine light. However you stated a few other items started working correctly so hopefully there were connection issues. Did you get a good look at the bottom of the TIPM for any corrosion or dirty connections?
For the 4wd you can do some basic trouble-shooting. Jack the front tires off the ground. When in 2wd you should be able to spin the front driveshaft freely. When you shift it into 4wd (again, front tires off the ground but rear tires on the ground) you should not be able to spin the front driveshaft. That verifies the transfer case is engaging 4wd. Then move on to the front axle actuator. There are a couple of different characteristics that show the actuator is engaging. Probably the easiest is have the truck in 2wd and see what happens when you spin each front wheel by hand (look at the driveshaft and other side front wheel to see what they do). Then put the truck in 4wd and do the same. The actuator will engage/connect the passenger side front wheel to the differential, other side front tire, and driveshaft. With the truck in 4wd, hold one side front tire and try to spin the other side by hand. You should not be able to spin it. Swap sides and try again and see what happens.

Thanks for the lowdown on the 4x4 - ill try to find time this weekend to dive into that. I didnt pull any of the connections off the bottom of the tipm. I am expecting corrosion. The box is dirty looking down in there.

 

[Joel Penkala]

Update: The check engine light came back on today when driving. Bummer. But the blinker continues to work properly. I am down to thinking its the battery, cables, grounds, or something in that vein.

I am sure there is a post somewhere on the forum - is there a standard procedure for testing the battery itself? I know folks were talking about single cells being bad or perhaps I got a (ahem**) cheap battery as a replacement and shouldn't have? Recommendations for a "good" battery?

Thanks for sticking with me on this.

 

[Tominator223]

Check the crimps on the cables as well. All cables. If you have a multimeter you can check resistance from alternator case to battery ground should be zero. If you have resistance you have bad connections. .01 is probably ok. But any high resistance bad connection.

 

[sixback]

Greetings and thanks in advance for any thoughts.

First off, I am throwing a PO128 code. I have replaced the temp sensor, topped off coolant etc. Occasionally, when driving I get a warning light that comes up - service electronic throttle control - which corresponds with the coolant temp disappearing from the menu in the dashboard. IE it looks like the connection to the temp sensor is faulty- causing a low reading and the truck to start beeping. Typically I pull over, turn off the truck, immediately restart, and the warnings go away. Seems to happen more when its cold outside, but we are just getting into the winter here in NJ so we'll see if it gets worse. I can see that the temp is not going too high or really changing at all when this happens.

Additionally- when I shift to 4WD, I get a series of warnings about servicing the 4WD system- but I know for a fact that it is shifting because I can hear it do so, and see/feel the results w/ because I get unstuck and feel when turning.
Also, sometimes the HVAC blower motor stops working - this one I just get out and mess with the relay, and it starts back on again(so far).
And I have had an issue with the trailer brake wiring - sometimes the brake lights dont seem to register or be working properly.
Finally, I have one time lost the radio screen. I can't remember if this corresponded with the whole cluster going blank, but this has not happened again.
I recently replaced the battery- seemed like the old one went bad- wouldn't really take a charge and left me stranded. I read somewhere that some of these sensor issues could be battery related?

The only thing I have done to the truck(aftermarket) is run a single wire to the bed for some LED bed lights that are activated by a switch also located in the bed of the truck.

When looking at a myriad of issues like this - where do I even start? It feels like its electrical and maybe all related? And if it is, do I get a new wiring harness or new TIPM.
Thanks again-
Joel

When it comes to your 4 wheel drive issue, check for rub through on your harness. On a Ram 2500 solid axel the front 4x4 wiring harness has to make a very sharp 90 degree turn to the slip actuator and the harness itself can rub against the frame over time wearing through the protection. Happened to me breaking a wire generating a service now warning. Maybe the same type of problem is possible on the 1500s 4X4 system

 

[hershey]

I'll just add this here...I had a multitude of warning lights come on in my 21 Grand Cherokee...had it in the shop twice before they decided it was a transfer case problem...they dropped it and opened it up and the service guy said it was 70% shot..at 53K...replaced under warranty...suspect the previous owner had used dis-similar tires...a common cause of problems for transfer cases...

 

[Big D's Ram]

I had a few electrical gremlins pop up all around the same time a few years ago. I checked the grounds, even tried a different battery nothing made a difference. I took it to the dealer, they couldn't figure it out. A friend of mine who is a mechanic told me to check out the TIPM, which ended up being the issue. Somehow moisture got inside of it and started wreaking havoc. Evidently it is fairly common that they can go bad.

Hope you can get it figured out.