Good morning,

Thank you for reading my post. I'm new to this forum and in reading many of the posts folks here are quite knowledgeable so I thought give my question a shot.

This week several electrical items suddenly stopped working while I was driving my '01 Ram.

Symptoms:

The items that stopped working are: power windows, power locks (FOB or on door), power drivers seat, seat belt indicator light on dash (always on despite seat belt buckled), dome light, radio power resets (radio loses presets etc.), auto lock engage after vehicle goes over 15mph (with both doors closed for 5 sec), trip mileage resets to zero when vehicle is turned off.

Preliminary diagnostics I've performed:

I think all of these items are controlled by the truck's Central Timer Module (CTM), except the power seats..not sure. I looked in the Power Distribution Center under the hood for the power feed to the CTM and the power seats and it comes through on fuse # 1 (big 50 amp fuse labeled battery) in the under hood fuse box. I checked this fuse (bought a new one to be sure) and it is OK. Problem still exists.

So next I was thinking I should check if the CTM is getting power by checking the fused ignition, and battery feed terminals at the connector with my 12 volt test light (haven't done this yet).

I'm thinking if I'm getting power there my CTM is bad.

Questions:

Am I going down the right path? Is this something I should just go in and have fixed? From what I've read this is going to be expensive for something that requires repacing/flashing a module at the dealer.

If the CTM is bad and this is a pretty simple job, are these hard to get/expensive? Any recommendations on where to get one? Any pitfalls I should be aware of?

I've also read these have to be flashed for power locks etc, is it true? If that is the case, my thoughts is that the dealer will have to do this.

If the CTM is replaced and the cause of it's failure is not know will it just fail again if I don't get the root cause of the failure?

Also looking for some overall advice here to see if I want to continue down the rabbit hole.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post!
D

 

welcome to the forums

Your best bet would be to check all the grounds, and the fuses. sounds like some wires touched, and shorted them all out because alot of those are on the same circuit.

Pull the steering column covers off, and the knee guard. and you'll see all the wires, and have acess to the back of fuse panal. get a power tester (2.99) and test the wires to see if the have power.

I had a problem where i lost my blinkers (well rverse lights would flash) no reverse lights when i reverse, no brake lights. when i hit te harzards they would flash on dash, but not blink on the lights themselves.

All of that turned out to be 1 ground wire. wired it back up, and havent had a problem since.

 

yes you're on the right track. on the 01, the ctm is under the dash, just to the right of the gas pedal, sort of behind the ashtray, and attached to a brace. its a black box about 2 x 4 x 1. it has a pretty big wiring harness attached to it.

before you do anything else, check fuse number 9 (i think) on the end of the dash. its labeled something like power windows or power seats. it provides power to the CTM.

next, download the 01 service manual here and study the wiring diagrams. it can help you check power.
http://www.rm-indy.com/wavefiles/2001ramsrvcmanual.zip

i replaced my CTM for $119 to try and fix an intermittent wiper delay problem, only to discover that my stupid *** had removed fuse #9 to silence the dinger.

if you do replace it, i think there are 2 models. a standard version and a "high line" for the models with power door locks, etc. confirm that with your dealer, especially if you get one from the junk yard.

 

First I want to thank you both for the great insight. I went though the service manual and followed the troubleshooting procedures for the CTM and all power, ground and fuses are good. I also now can confirm I have the 'High-Line' version (power windows/locks/etc.) of the CTM. I do not have the 'Premium' version since I do not have heated seats.

Daimler Chrysler #P56045448AE Also has PP-MD20 stamped on on the outer plastic housing.

So since I have the 'High-Line' version of the CTM, the initial ground, power and fuse diagnostics still proved inconclusive. The service manual said that I need to use a DRBIII tool to scan the device to give a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) to identify the fault to ensure all of the electronic modules are sending and receiving the proper messages over the Chrysler Collision Detection (CCD) data bus.

So I guess I might need to take it in at this point because it seems the DRBIII tool needs to 'read' the settings on the existing CTM (keyless entry settings etc.) and reapply them to a replacement CTM if that is the problem that seems likely.

So I guess I was wondering if it would be possible to locate a 'High-Line' CTM and see if I could get a dealer to scan/flash it with my settings and replace it myself since really I've done most of the diagonstic work (if no other module is at fault) here and just want the part

Any ideas on next steps?

Again, thank you very much for your assistance.

D

 

More info.....

Just called the dealer and they want $279.00 for a new CTM and another $120.00 to flash the part with the settings for my keyless entry. Looking at $400.00 + tax.

Any ideas?

 

thats a rip off...id do some searching and find a better price for the CTM. as for the flashing. i didnt know you had to get it flashed and i believe to flash it it takes a matter of a few minutes and they want 120???i would ask for details on what exacally they do for the flashing.

 

Do you know the P/N?

 

The Daimler Chrysler # is P56045448AE

Vendor # is 64469H
Motorola # is 0JTH2683CF
Date: 1461

I also have a serial number if it's relevant. I've also attached a few photos of the part if it helps.

Thanks!

 

I cannot find the CTM on Mopar.BIZ or wholesalemopar.com. Tried the P/N and nothing.

Sometimes you have to bend over and take it in the *** from the dealer. This is one of those cases.
Good luck!

 

try another dealer. i bought one for $119 and there was no programming needed.
i don't have any power locks, nor remote control, so my situation might be different.

try forum member parts/service. his name is Dave and he's parts mgr at O'neal Dodge in GA. he may or may not be able to program it but he can at least give you a straight answer.