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Hi
So I have a 97 dak 4x4 auto v8 magnum. I think the 5.2. Anyways, the previous owner really hacked it up.he put in HID lights. He took out the whole AC system I guess for more horsepower. Whatever. Also, the instrument cluster was FUBAR. Lights were missing, couldn't read milage or anything on trip meter. Totally bad.
I had a mechanic do some exhaust work on my truck and he did a good job except when I got truck back, none of gauges on cluster would work. The backlight and turn signals work plus abs light or brake light was on and has always been on. Mechanic said he didn't touch anything electrical and left it at that. I was pretty upset.
So I put in a second hand cluster and all seems well except the no bus comes on as well as check engine and abs and a bunch of lights. No gauges work either. Truck runs fine though. I just want to get the gauges working to make sure I don't overheat or run out of gas or speed and get a ticket....you know, have a normal running truck. I have noticed a drop in power (voltage?) sometimes on my wipers when raining to. I'm saying all this to ask, should I try: 1)a second hand PCM? 2) a new battery? I haven't checked the codes yet but will ASAP. Probably should have done that before writing all this. I'll follow up. Any help would be appreciated.
Get your battery checked. Any auto parts store can do it. They will also read the codes for you. Make sure all your fuses are good and have the correct voltage applied. A service manual, voltmeter, and test light.are necessities.
So I went to Oreiley's auto and guy had scan my 97 Dakota. He said there were no codes even though the check engine light was on. Also lit was the abs 4x4 part time (whatever that means) air bag, gas light, and security light (which stays on even when the key is in my pocket and I have no alarm on truck).
Again, no gauges work, it's a second hand cluster I have put in, and odometer still says no bus.
No Bus means that the computer data is not reaching it's destination. You have a 2 wire ccd bus in your '97. There could be a bad module, the cluster, ABS controller, CTM, PCM, etc., that is causing the problem. It may also be a bad crank or cam position sensor. These can short out the PCM and cause a no bus problem.
Ok thanks for the quick response. Any idea of how to determine which it could be. Also, today I was fishing under the steering wheel and started to untape the previous owners rat nest of wiring. I think I found a module and it looks like he has a "jumper" wire in it. I should have taken a photo. I will tomorrow. I'll take a bunch. I just want the gauges to work. You don't suppose I got the cluster from a 99 Dakota instead of 97?
Did the parts store guy say there were no codes, or is it possible his code reader didn't work at all? I suspect that with "no bus" on the odometer, there probably is no signal on the CCD wires at the DLC connector. From the sketchy info I've seen on the internet when researching the CCD circuit, the instrument cluster usually provides the 5 volts and termination for the buss and the PCM provides a second termination. There are ways to determine if all the requirements on the buss are fulfilled, but it's more than I can put in a post. Here's a good place to start if you want to learn and be able to troubleshoot it.
Well, I guess anything is possible but he showed me it and it said no codes. Thanks for the diagram too. I have a feeling it could be a short somewhere in the bus line, probably at pcu. I'm not sure which of the three connections I should take apart. Maybe try clearing the PCU by disconnecting the battery? Or draining the memory by touching the neg cable to positive? Does this sound like a dumb idea or what?
No Bus
No codes