I have a 1998 ram 1500. 130k miles. Two days ago my battery died. jumped it, it was fine. Next night it died again. Jumped it and it ran alright. Next morning battery was pooped. Then my starter relay went, fixed that car started up fine after a ten minutes of being charged. Then the damn 140 amp alternator fuse went. Got a new one put it in. Battery is in good shape, truck runs.


heres the problem. Exterior lights work, interior dash light works. radio does not turn on. interior lights do not go on. Dash gauges are going up and down at the same time. air bag, seat belt, and abs lights are flashing here and there. power windows and locks work. fuses are good, from what i checked and saw. what the hell is the problem?????? The truck turns on and runs with no problem but what i said.[:@] i need help big time

 

is the alternator putting out the proper voltage when the truck is running?

 

yes it is. the guy i go to cant think of a dang thing. he said he thinks it has to do something with the computer being triggered and alarmed??

 

BUMP. dire need of help.[]

 

Soounds to me like there is a short.. an from what ive heard charging the batt with the cables still on does something to the pcm.. My local stearship parts manager (An best friend) warned me of it

 

With all of those electrical problems I'd definitely look for a bad/broken ground or a short/burnt wire.
Also, well, not sure on an '01 but, on my '95 there are two fuse boxes. One on the side of the dash and one by the battery. If you have both, you'll want to check them. But it doesn't sound like a fuse problem with all of those issues.

 

if only i knew what i wasa looking for. or what it looks like. Im new to the &quot\\;electrical&quot\\; part of this..anyone want to help me out, money involved. beer if you want it haha.&amp\\;nbsp\\;&lt\\;img src=&quot\\;https://dodgeforum.com/image/s3.gif&quot\\;&gt\\;

 

Try cleaning the main connection to the fuse box out under the hood and see if that does anything.

 

&nbsp\\;
Watch out for your negative jumper cable.&nbsp\\; Don't put it on the battery.&nbsp\\;&nbsp\\;
&nbsp\\;
Jeff

 

I'm also gonna have to vote electrical short or bad ground somewhere. However, I've never had a short or ground problem that caused a dead battery. First thing I'd do in your situation is get a brand new battery, not a used or recharged one. Next I'd replace all fuses and check all my primary grounds; starter, alternator, fuse/relay boxes, etc. to be sure they are free of corrosion and that they have a good connection. I know first hand how frustrating electrical problems can be, but fortunately they are not very difficult to find and fix, just a little time consuming. Best of luck to you.