hey, i have a 1996 dodge dakota sport 3.9l truck. It's having a few problems, and I'm not any sort of expert in trucks so i have NO clue how to fix them. I got my truck last summer and it was running perfectly. Lately is seems like its getting worn out. My radio and inner dome light stopped working and my brother checked the fuse and its perfectly fine. Now my air conditioner shuts off randomly and doesn't turn back on for a while even if it's only been on a few minutes. Also, my truck is sometimes having trouble shifting gears. It's an automatic and sometimes it doesn't shift into gear. Any one have any suggestions? thank you!!

 

Sounds like you have a ton of wiring problems. It all may be related or it may not be. Just go to each circuit and diagnose it. See if you have a good power/ ground at each. If it is the factory radio it just may be dead, it is 14 years old after all.

We have the wiring diagrams in the FAQ in this section. Good luck!

 

Brother, did you pick the wrong truck..... JK

There is another fuse related to the radio and the dome light in the engine compartment inside the Power Distribution Center (PDC). That's that black box on the driver side fender. I believe it is either a 3 amp or a 5 amp fuse.

Crazy is right too, that radio is 14-years-old, if it the stock set.

I remember reading somewhere, someone found the wiring harness was shorting out where it enters the cab on the firewall. I don't remember if that was on this forum though. You might want to check that.

This may sound silly but, did you check the trans fluid level? You may be leaking fluid from a number of places. Check the trans coolant lines for leaks and or corrosion.

Oh, BTW...Welcome to the Forum!

 

its your ign off draw fuse in the PDC under your hood. This is the small black box behind your battery. In case it helps anyone else, at the same time these items fail, so does your OBDII port as well!

 

By the way, I'm caitlin and thanks soo much! it's not a stock radio; the guy i bought it from put it in I'm assuming himself due to the electrical tape around it... Since i know nothing about engines and what not, I will be passing all your input to my brother, and have him take another look.. I just don't know if I can spare the money to get to the shop.

Alright, this may sound a little stupid, but someone I work with told me that some vehicles start shutting things like that down when the battery is going bad...? My truck has no problems starting what so ever.. sooo I don;t know if that's a possibility or not.. butt i thought i would throw that out there.

 

it can on the newer ones, not sure on the older ones. i do know for sure that when my battery needed to be replaced it kept leaving me stranded at different places. since june of 08 i've been through 3 batteries only because i kept switching them between different cars i owned

 

It's funny you mention that because as i was reading your symptoms i thought of the battery or related system. I don't know that you should go buy a new one just yet but certainly something to keep in mind. Do you by chance know how old the current battery in the truck is? I wouldn't jump to that conclusion right away because the truck starts up fine but still something i would keep on the back burner and replace if it's ancient.

 

Caitlin, I said it was your problem because for the past coupla months I've been through all the wiring, dash on floor in garage and headliner removed all to no avail! I ran across another guy on here with the same probs on the same compnents and another member told him it was the ignition off draw fuse in the PDC behind the battery. I went outside, checked mine and it was blown. Replaced it and everything works again! its definately your problem! And no. Your battery will not shut other components down if its going bad! That's just rediculous! Some newer cars have got a component saving feature that will isolate your airbag system among other compnents if your battery temp exceeds the preset thresh hold in an effort to keep these other scomponents safe from damage should there be a short or open circuit condition. But no vehice had this system in 1996! Btw, mine is also a 96 reg cab sport with 3.9L and a 5 spd!

 

I'm so jealous!! I wanted a standard but I wasn't going to be too picky, i love my truck though it's automatic, and mines a club cab.

And thank you everyone very much for the help! As soon as my brothers around to check out my truck I will surely post updates.

 

I replaced my enline off draw fuse and sure enough, my radio, dome light, and my air conditioner are working perfectly fine. thank you soo much.

Now that that problem is fixed... do any of you know what could be wrong with my truck if when it has been sitting for a while (a few hours at the least), my truck has trouble getting going at first. It starts up perfectly fine, but when I put it in drive and start moving it acts like its out of gas and just slows down and putts, then after I let off the gas and on a few times it works fine. I'm assuming it has something to do with my fuel pump, but I'm not a mechanic.