04 Ram QC hemi ... 134k, and it lives in the rust belt

Headlights, brake lights, turnsigs all work fine... but the first step in the light control dial doesn't have any effect.

Read online a bit, seems its probably the underhood fuse box. No big surprise, had issues with that on my 01 Grand Caravan.

Replacement is $400... Which seems a bit much for a corroded connection fix. Has anyone dissembled the unit and repaired it? Would like to learn from others before I pull it out and start working on it.

Thanks!

 

Do they work in the front?

 

it is very easy to take apart and look over the circuit board to find where is has corroded and resolder it . just be very careful with the solder iron them boards don't stand up to a lot of heat
hear is a video that will walk you through it

 

No. sorry it took so long to respond, for some reason the forum was failing to go past the log in screen.

 

Thanks! I yanked the IPM today. That video helped immensely. Sure enough, that parking light relay trace is ruined on my board. And I can easily see why. When the manufacturer applied the protective coating (thick and clear) they stopped a bit short of the last trace on the board... which happens to be that parking light circuit.

Mine is much worse than the one in the video, damage is about 1/2 in long by 1/4 wide. Thinking a wire soldered between the pin on the board and the relay post would probably be best... however I'm not sure if the plastic case will end up crushing the wire and causing some other short.

My IPM is the most expensive one, $675 at the local dealer just for the part.... about $470 shipped online. Getting tired of these manufacturing problems that MoPar never admits is a problem, then rakes us over on the repair part.

Question... if I get a used IPM from TX, NM, AZ, or CA (read very little rain) ... will my chances be very good that I receive a clean one? I'd pull the circuit board out and add some polyurethane to insulate it prior to putting it in mine.

 

I placed the light where the coating goes from very thick to almost non existent on the PCB, and you can also see the corrosion that ate the trace.

 

This morning I soldered a 20 gauge wire between the fcm post where it met the board and ran the other side through a small hole at the base of the relay contact. Then reassembled the fuse box. Sorry, forgot to take a pic - had my cellphone there...

Stuck the box back in the truck tonight, and the parking lights work again... for now...but I'll be looking for a good used board.... or I'll crack open my wallet and spend on a new IPM :-/