So... Started the turd this morning:

No heater blower.

No radio.

No wipers.

No turn signals.

Gauges and cruise work, but,

Idiot lights on.

All fuses are good.

Weeeeee!

 

Bad ignition switch?

 

It got me to work tho! REALLY cold in Minnesota these days...

 

There are several circuits on the switch. Seems like at least one ain't workin'.

 

yea, so everything worked normally on the way home from work and the gym. I'm going to look into the switch this weekend.
I'll keep this post updated in case there's anything worthwhile in it for anyone else.

 

What year is your truck? And tilt or non tilt column?

The first makes a difference in the ignition switch; the second, for some years, will also make a difference.

RwP

 

It's a '96 3.9l 4x with tilt.
I separated the truck key from the rest to reduce the weight on the mechanism. IDK if that's why it worked last night but I'll look at the whole mess on Saturday.

 

Do you tilt your steering all the way, ever? That tends to pull wires out of various connectors.

 

Tilt and non are the same switch for a 1996, thankfully. And they're not really that expensive.

1996 DODGE DAKOTA 3.9L V6 Ignition Starter Switch | RockAuto

If nothing else, you can take those part numbers (I'd start with the OEM numbers, the Mopar ones) that RockAuto lists and Google for them - I would look at Amazon if you have a Prime membership.

Don't buy the economy one, unless you enjoy tearing stuff apart.

Also, the 1996 Factory Service Manual is linked to in the FAQ message (about 40% down or so); grab that from the Google Docs link.

I'd also grab all the factory parts lists; but especially, for you, the 1994-1996 parts list.

RwP