Hi all - I have a 99 Dakota Sport, and recently my headlights started intermittenty not working....I'd flick them back and forth, and sometimes they'd come on....eventually that stopped working....one time I just hit the dash hard and they came on! A few other times I reached under the steering column/dash, and apparently hit the right wire b/c they came on.....now, regardless what I do they never come on...I looked under the steering column/dash and see a black wire not attached to anything....I assume this is the culprit....everything else works (turn signals, parking lights, fog lights).....just wanted to know if this is in fact the issue, and is it something I can fix? Not sure where that wire goes......thanks! I'll see if I can post a picture soon....

 

It's probably a bad Central Timer Module (CTM). If the loose wire were the problem, the lights would have been having problems long before now. The CTM controls all of the lights on the truck, along with just about every other electrical function and accessory--radio, wipers, dome lights, cruise control, power windows and locks are all routed into and out of the CTM.

The best and only way to check the CTM for certain is at the Dodge dealer with the DRB scan tool. If the CTM is bad and you have the dealer replace it, bring both keyless entry remote controls with you so the dealer can program your old remotes to the new CTM. This is because the CTM also houses and controls the keyless entry (if you have the factory keyless).

CTM failure is pretty common on Dakota's. Headlights flickering is one of the more common CTM problems. If you have all the electrical options, factory keyless, power windows, power locks and all that, it is best to let the dealer install and program the new CTM. If yoy don't have all the power options, you can buy a new CTM and replace it yourself. It is a small black plastic box mounted in the driver's kick panel. It has 3 plugs and about 100 wires going to it. If the dealer does the work, it can cost anywhere from $250 to $400 depending on the dealer. If you do it yourself, you should be able to buy a new CTM for $200 to maybe $250. It has to come from the dealer though. They will need your VIN to order the correct one for your truck.

Jimmy

 

Here are pics of the loose wire....

 

Hi Jimmy, thx for the info....lucky for me I don't have the power windows/locks/etc, none of that stuff, so hopefully if the CTM is the issue, then I should b able to fix it myself. Do the Haynes/Chilton manuals demonstrate how to swap this out?

 

The black wire hanging down is not factory. It is a ground wire for either the alarm in the picture or some other aftermarket component. The yellow ring terminal under the bolt under the parking brake assembly had that wire connected to it. You can get a new ring terminal and crimp the wire and put it back where it came from. It looks like a pretty large gauge wire for a ground under the dash. Does the truck have a remote start and/or aftermarket door locks? And what kind of alarm is that? Looks like an old-school Audiovox or Carbine, but I can't tell from the picture. Does the alarm work OK? Try connecting that ground back first then see if your headlight problem stops. Maybe the alarm or some other component is interfaced with the headlights. Hard to tell without seeing it in person I guess.

I don't think Haynes mentions the CTM, but it's easy to swap out yourself. Pull the driver's kick panel off and it's right there mounted to the metal surface of the kick panel. It has one screw at the top and 2 at the bottom holding it in place. Remove it, unplug the old one, plug in the new one and it should work fine. I would disconnect the negative cable from the battery before installing the new CTM, then connect the negative cable back afte the new CTM is installed. It's super easy to do and you don't need to pay the dealer to do it since you don't have all the power options on your truck.

Jimmy

 

Jimmy - the only after-market part is an alarm, and I no longer use it. Actually hasn't worked for years, just haven't gotten around to removing it. It was interfaced with the headlights.....you may be on to something, I'll try re-attaching that wire, although not sure why if the alarm no longer works, why wouldn't that have caused the headlights to stop working a long time ago. Anyway, thanks for the info....I'll work on reconnecting that wire this week, will let u know how it goes!

Again, thx for ur time

 

oh, forgot to mention....no remote start, nothing aftermarket (minus the alarm, which is a Clifford Ace from like ten yrs ago!)

 

Some of the older Cliffords did have outputs to flash or turn on the headlights. I never liked doing them that way, because it made the headlights more liable to burn out way too early.

If the alarm is connected or interfaced with the headlights and the headlight problem is all that is wrong, I bet when you remove the alarm the headlights will be OK after that. Just be sure you put back together any wires in the truck that have been cut and tape up any exposed wires in the factory wiring harnesses that were spliced into and see how the headlights do after that. I would guess that black wire is a ground for a couple of relays that were connected to the headlight circuit and interfaced with the alarm.

Jimmy