I have an '02 Ram that had serious problems with the 4.7 V8. Bought a complete '04 Hemi with computer and wiring harness out of an '04 2500 Ram. I had the '04 ECM flashed with the '02 VIN. I got a hold of the factory service manuals (for the wiring diagrams) for '02, '03, and '04 Ram trucks. I figured from reading the posts on this site, that the '03 would be the cross between the '02 and '04 Trucks. I found the wiring, with the exception of the Hemi motor, to be the same between the '02 and '03 color code wise and the circuits between the '03 and '04 Hemi powered trucks and the color coding different between the 2 years.

When I bought the parts that I figured I needed, I also purchased an '03 fuse box and wiring harness that runs from the fuse box to the dash. Both the fuse box and wiring harness came out of Hemi powered trucks This should have corrected the problem with the rear lights. With that, I also knew that the fuse box has to have the VIN programmed into it to work. I did not realize it needed to be in the truck to be programmed. So as it stands, I can start the truck, but in don't have a working radio and still the rear lights are on in the run position with the key in the ignition. I believe this is from not having the VIN programmed into the fuse box.

So here is my question, is there anybody in Western Massachusetts, that can or has access to computer and software to program the fuse box and possibly the radio in my truck and is not afraid to travel? Please let me know, because this is the one thing holding me up from the truck running correctly.

Thanks,
Dave

 

Welcome to DF. 3rd gen ram is where you want to be. I'll move the post for you.

 

Welcome to my world, haha. Your 2002 fuse box and dash wiring would have been fine. My 2002 fusebox is still powering my hemi truck. You don't have to vin match the fuse box or the pcm for that matter. I've had several different computers and no issues.

For your brake light issue, there is a simple fix. Take a look at my thread here and it explains how to fix it under the "Update 5/2/2011" part in the first post.

 

The reason for the change with the fuse box is as follows: I got pulled over about a year and a half ago for not having any running lights on. The officer told me to go home with my hazard lights on and change the fuse. I got home and checked the fuses to find I had no blown fuses. I went on line and did some research just to find out the '02 Rams have problems with the fuse box. The problem is that one of the circuits will blow on the circuit board in the fuse box, and in my case it was the running lights. I had this verified by a Dodge dealer the next day. So, I bought the '03 fuse box to replace my '02 fuse box. It is also why I bought the wiring harness that goes from the fuse box to the dash and the C130 connector, because you can not inter-change the Fuse Boxes from year to year. And yes according to 2 dodge dealers, you need to have the proper VIN programmed into the fuse box or it will not communicate with the PCM correctly and it will not communicate with a code reader at all. According to the Dodge dealer, the PCM, the Fuse box, the ABS module, the SMIM module and possibly the radio are all VIN dependent. I believe it is part of the anti theft operation of the truck.

Here is the link to the Fuse Box issues with '02 Ram 1500's.
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Dodge/R...ont_work.shtml

Otherwise, your circuit connection for getting the back lights to work is correct. And the fact that you had, some where along the line, your VIN flashed into the PCM so it would work correctly in your truck and had no other issues with VIN dependent components. For the fact I had a bad Fuse Box, I am running into other difficulties. I should have explained my issues with my Fuse Box in my previous post. I hope you understand.

 

This is an interesting problem that seems to be repairable. The first one talks a bit about adjusting VINs but I don't know how you specifically write to the fuse box. Maybe you rewrite them all at the same time?

http://productforum.autorepairdata.c...ead.php?t=5329

http://www.dodgedakota.net/boards/per/4422-1.html

I wonder if the Snap-On tool can rewrite the mileage on my Vibe to 0, it stopped counting at 299,999

Steve