Got it, thanks. There was one UNDER one of the relays that was holding it together that wouldn't let go. 3 had to be drilled total to get it to let loose, all by the PDC end of the board (the silver rectangle that has 4 philips screws holding it to the side of the fuse box.

It's trashed.

Once I got it apart it's obvious that somehow a little muddy water got into the BOTTOM of the board, meaning it isn't sealed well from below. The whole assembly including the wire bundle clips should be sealed. Bad design.

I used electrical contact cleaner and q-tips to clean up enough to see the board and it's ugly. There are several burnt areas between contacts on my board, plus one really long run in the middle of it that looks quite frankly "scratched" but it's in between connector (the plugs on the bottom) contacts, no way I could have done that disassembling it, I was prying lightly on the outside edges, this is in the center of the board.

The bad news is I made it worse cleaning it. Somehow when I further cleaned that long furrow in the circuit board I killed a necessary contact. Rubbing lightly with a q-tip. Awesome. Before this the truck was drivable, now it won't start and the ignition fuse isn't getting power. Guess I'm in the market for a new board...

Thanks all for the help, once I get the new board in I'll report back and let you know what problems were fixed by that and which remain.

 

Just a quick question if anyone knows. Do the part numbers for the fuse boxes have to match perfectly? There's one on eBay last 4 digits 36AD and mine is a 34AA. Same year.

I'm sure there's a difference in what different trucks have as far as options (power seats, etc) but is it only a difference of what fuses are spares or used or is the whole circuit board different, thus necessitating an exact match on part number?

Thanks again for the help!

 

cant you get the part number off the old one?..

Don't forget the new one will have the same problem if you get it wet.
I doubt your gunna want to take it apart and clear coat the board so it doesn't happen again..

here is the 2004 part numbers:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/151131398/...m-Part-Numbers

 

Yes, that wasn't my question, I have my part number. The question was whether I had to get the EXACT same part number or if other part numbers from the same year trucks would interchange.

Didn't matter in the long run, found one out of a salvage yard from a parts locator online that's an exact match for the part number, thanks for the help.

And yes, I'm not sure I want to get into it. I'm thinking I may seal the outside case with silicone if I can. Thoughts?

 

The new replacement PDC's from Dodge that I bought several years ago now, come with an upgrade.
It's a small plastic funnel, where the wide end is fitted tightly underneath the PDC wrapping around all the cables tapering down and again wrapping around the cables at the bottom.
This is all fitted and tie wrapped together, stopping splashes of water pushing up into the bottom of the PDC.
Dunno if Dodge sealed the bottom of the printed circuit boards deep within the PDC, sealing them from moisture etc??
Al.

 

abarmby what did that cost you? pounds are fine i can do the math...



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Well, that didn't really help, I'm actually worse off than I was before.

"New" fuse box came in from the salvage yard. Truck will start now, but whereas before I had headlights, now I have none. No running lamps of any kind, nor reverse lights. No power at any of the fuses or solenoids.

Not really sure what to do at this point, wish I had a known good fuse box to put in to see if I got a bad one from the salvage yard... :/

 

thats the problem with buying a problem part used. running lights are the first thing to go with the corrosion problem. If you cant return it. take it apart like the other.. maybe its not as bad. thats one part you have to buy new. especially when wrecking yards keep the hood open.

 

Well that bites. The original company is letting me return it and I've purchased one off eBay from a company that guarantees it to be working. Again. Ha!

We'll see if it works. If not then yeah, looks like I'm shelling out $450 bucks and a PCM reprogramming.

 

Got the new Fuse Box in today. Good news is that I have my headlights, brake lights, turn signals, hazards, and front running lights back.

Bad news: Still the same, exact other problems I had with the ORIGINAL fuse box. No rear running lamps, no reverse lights (no power to that fuse), no ABS, no heater / ac control.

I find it hard to accept that another fuse box has the EXACT same problems as my original one. Not even one thing different. Must be something in the rest of the car's wiring, maybe the ignition return to the fuse box? Very annoyed, and out $200 bucks for no discernible good reason.

Any other thoughts before I start hot wiring things around the truck (like running wire from the license plate bracket light which works when the running lamps are on to both tail light wiring running lamp inputs on the plug)?