i just bought a 1996 dodge dakota sport 5 speed with only 49xxx miles on it. the electrical goes nuts the gauges stop working on and off, the blinkers only work sometimes, and the break lights work only half the time. i was told that when the previous owner had a trailer hitch installed is when it started happening. could this be the cause, or a computer problem? and how can i find the problem and fix it?

 

Ya they must of screwed up the trailer wiring harness. Take it all apart and repair stock wiring.

 

If the problems started with the hitch I would unplug the harness and see if that fixes the light issues.

I would also download the service manual and check every ground that you can find.

 

the driverside door also will not open any idea how much this and the electrical would be to be repaired by a mechanic?

 

as an ASE certified master technician, fixing electrical problems is annoying and will be costly for you. With electrical problems like this, they'll have to do all sorts of wire tracing and they'll charge you by the hour (most shops labor rate is $100/hr). I'm pretty sure you have some exposed wires, corrosion, or poor connections, or a combination of the three.

 

yup. you'll pay for all the time it takes the tech to trace and find the cause of the problem on top of actually fixing it. could get costly.