my 2003 dodge ram 1500 won't start. none of the gauges work, won't even attempt to start. Odometer reads "No Bus" where the milage should be. I checked the fuses, none are blown. I'm at a loss. Please help

 

Your dashboard has lost comm with the computer. What happens when you hook up a scan tool while the issue is occuring?

 

It's often a bad PCM or the connections at the PCM have corroded to sh*t...

 

when you hook a scan tool to it you get no signal and i'm with hammer on the pcm

 

thats exactly what happens when i hook up the diag. it keeps saying NO SIGNAL. I cleaned off the "main" fuse under the hood, and checked the other fuses under the hood. I dont know what else to do...

 

You can also download the 03 Service Manual from the links in my signature and go through it a bit as i know i have seen that issue in there before.

 

Put your key into the ignition. Press/hold your Odo reset button and while holding turn your key to the start position but don't crank. release thereset button.
This puts your odometer in a diagnostics check. If nothing happens, your odometer is bad. if your odometer fails one step, like not sweeping one of the needles, it's bad.
If you get no power to any part of your truck, well check your battery, but your ignition switch could be bad as well.

All your stuff goes through your cluster. It's what's called a decoder.

 

sounds like a bad PCM to me. had the same exact problem in a durango.

 

Pull the battery power, turn on the headlamps to drain of ALL residual power, pull the connectors from the main PCM on the passenger side firewall, check all the connections there for corrosion, If any are broken, you're probably SOL----

I remember when I first joined the forum, there were a number of giuys with your year truck having corrosion problems at the main PCM

Goodluck!!!!

 

Dodge Ram 2500 Van 02. No Bus after battery ran out and recharging.
Clean battery terminals with wire brush; remove mattress at the driver seat, near the foot brake, then shake all wires and connectors. Do twice and make sure battery's wires are 12.4+V.
It works. Good luck.