Hey All,
About a week ago the airbag dash light kept falshing and dinging every few minutes. It would go off, then 1-2 minutes later it was dinging and flashing again. Checked fuse and it is good. Any ideas what wold make this happen?
then on Fri. my wifes go out to run errands and comes back early saying the car is making an aweful noise...go check it out.
I drive it around the block and no noise, however, the airbag light keeps going as stated before and the brake dash light is flashing constantly. Like the parking brake is engaged, but it's not. Checked the fluid and it's full. Checked the brakes themselves and nothing obvious.
I thought the brake dash light only goes on for low fluid? AM I wrong about that? anything else make that light flash like that?

Thanks in advance for any tips

sorry should have mentioned...it's a 2001 4.7L

 

Check for a small leak in the brake system. Could be a wheel cylinder or caliper or line somewhere

 

brake light will flash for low fluid, or a stuck e-brake lever (pull the release and pull up on the pedal with the top of your foot).

also check for connections at the speed sensors in the transmisison and the rear differential.

the flashing airbag light could be a bad clock spring, does your cruise control work? your horn? your steering wheel controls?

 

I checked the brake fluid reservoir and it's full, checked calipers and rotors and no fluid leakage, nothing loose. Rotors are good and I just changed the pads this past Oct.

My first thought was a stuck parking brake, but after I put it in gear, the idle started moving the truck, so I didn't think it was that. I guess it could be disengaged but just not enough to turn the light off. I'll check that in 2 minutes...thanks for the tip.

As far as the airbag light goes, I don't know what a clock spring is. can you tell me where it is on the truck? It's my wifes truck and she doesn't use the cruise, but I'll check that in 3 minutes. The horn doesn't work anymore, conked out a few months ago and there are no steering wheel controls.
Not sure if this is related or not, but also a few months ago she noticed that at red lights, the idle hits real hard for a few seconds and actually starts to pull the truck. At the light with her foot just on the brake to hold the truck stopped, she then has to actually put pressure on the brake to keep the truck form moving...then it goes back down to normal. the tach jumps up to like 3-3500 rpms when normal idle is more like 800-1000. just for about 3-4 seconds

 

Actually I guess there are steering wheel controls...according to my wife and it's her truck so I'll take her word for it.
I'll have to check if they work tomorrow because her brother has her spare and she left her other keys with her mom.
I'll update later...thanks

 

The rpms jumping might mean you need to pull the TB and clean it out. 800-1000 at idle seems a bit high to me. Even cold my D sits at 550. Warm it is 500...yea the truck going up that high is a huge red flag for me. I wouldn't drive the truck if it is still doing it till you figure out what is wrong there...Mastertec might jump in and know what the problem is, or shrpshtr...

 

the clock spring is the piece that brings the wires into the steering wheel, it controls the horn, the cruise control and the steering wheel controls as well as the airbag.

with the horn not working i would check the horn relay, and as long as that is good, i would say your airbag light is on bc the clock spring is bad (you need to pull the steering wheel off to replace it).

also your idle is high, not a problem that would take the truck off the road but here is how you can fix it (99% of the time anyway)
clean the tb, replace the TPS and replace the IAC motor, these are the sensors that control idle speed, and cleaning the tb will allow the air to actually flow how the computer expects it to making its corrections more accurate.

 

Maybe this is why my volume down button wont work on my steering wheel lol. +1 cleaning the tb is good maintenance, and the iac and tps are fairly cheap parts to replace

 

Just an update...it was the clock spring causing the airbag and horn. Had a shop replace it due to a lack of time to do it myself.
Noise from the brakes was, a bad bearing, ball joints (upper and lower), and outer tie-rod end.

Why did doge put those ball joints on like that? I had to grind them off to replace them. Went through 3 1/5 grinder wheels to get all those bolts ground down enough to knock them out. PITA!!!

Thanks to everyone for your input