2003 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7 Cruise Control Won't Engage
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2003 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7 Cruise Control Won't Engage
Hello and thanks for taking the time to look over this post! Have an '03 Ram 1500 5.7L V8 and having an odd issue with the CC. I have researched and looked everywhere and have found good information that I acted on, but before starting to buy parts here and there, wanted to find out what would be the best to start with.
The "ON" button on the CC will cause the "CRUISE" light to illuminate on the dash but NOTHING else happens. Can't SET, can't ACCEL and can't COAST. Interestingly enough, if I press and hold "SET" button for one second, the CRUISE on the dash will go out and I would have to turn it back on. Also, kind of interesting... yesterday, when heading to work, the "CRUISE" wouldn't illuminate at all. Came to a stop, shut off the truck, restarted it and then the "CRUISE" would come back on but nothing else wouldn't work. Things that make you go Hmmmmmmm......
What I have done in troubleshooting:
1) Removed the brake light assembly by the brake and took it apart... It is pretty straight forward. I am convinced that when a contact should be made internally on the brake light assembly, it is making contact. When a contact should be an open circuit, it is an open circuit. Cleaned the contacts with electrical sensor cleaner and put it all back together and reinstalled. All went back perfectly.
2) Removed the CC switches on both sides and cleaned with them with electrical sensor cleaner (and then blew the snot out of them with compressed air).
3) Used a light spray of electrical sensor cleaner on the, not sure what it's called?!? Compression spring electrical connector?? That is behind the steering wheel to make electrical connections on a turning steering wheel. I know YOU KNOW what it's called! Ha Ha! I applied the light spray and turned the wheel back and forth, back and forth.
4) I also tried the technique of lifting up with my foot on the brake pedal and trying to engage the cruise control to see if it would go. There’s nothing that seems that I could do with my foot to make it work better.
All of that was done to no avail...same symptoms. Do you have any questions or any comments to turn me in the right direction?? I am open to testing anything at all.
Thanks for the time!
Jeff Jones
Prescott, AZ
The "ON" button on the CC will cause the "CRUISE" light to illuminate on the dash but NOTHING else happens. Can't SET, can't ACCEL and can't COAST. Interestingly enough, if I press and hold "SET" button for one second, the CRUISE on the dash will go out and I would have to turn it back on. Also, kind of interesting... yesterday, when heading to work, the "CRUISE" wouldn't illuminate at all. Came to a stop, shut off the truck, restarted it and then the "CRUISE" would come back on but nothing else wouldn't work. Things that make you go Hmmmmmmm......
What I have done in troubleshooting:
1) Removed the brake light assembly by the brake and took it apart... It is pretty straight forward. I am convinced that when a contact should be made internally on the brake light assembly, it is making contact. When a contact should be an open circuit, it is an open circuit. Cleaned the contacts with electrical sensor cleaner and put it all back together and reinstalled. All went back perfectly.
2) Removed the CC switches on both sides and cleaned with them with electrical sensor cleaner (and then blew the snot out of them with compressed air).
3) Used a light spray of electrical sensor cleaner on the, not sure what it's called?!? Compression spring electrical connector?? That is behind the steering wheel to make electrical connections on a turning steering wheel. I know YOU KNOW what it's called! Ha Ha! I applied the light spray and turned the wheel back and forth, back and forth.
4) I also tried the technique of lifting up with my foot on the brake pedal and trying to engage the cruise control to see if it would go. There’s nothing that seems that I could do with my foot to make it work better.
All of that was done to no avail...same symptoms. Do you have any questions or any comments to turn me in the right direction?? I am open to testing anything at all.
Thanks for the time!
Jeff Jones
Prescott, AZ
Last edited by laptopps; Mar 8, 2019 at 06:30 PM.
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Sorry. Im not gonna be much help. I have same year and model of truck. i have issues as well which I believe is a software issue. I can set a maintained speed. Accel or resume buttons freeze it up until I shut the truck off. I did have a software update for cruise done years ago. ( maybe you want to look into that ?? ) Fixed it for about a month. I just live with it now. Let us know if you get a fix?
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Hey TrueDogman... I see what you are saying, but usually I can't set a maintained speed. Nothing else works normally...EXCEPT tonight, I was coming back from across town and everything in the cruise control worked perfectly for a bit. Some of the symptoms changed temporarily and we might be able to piece it together (with the help of the DodgeGurus). The symptoms briefly changed tonight and they were temporarily....
Turned on CC and "CRUISE" came up on the dash. Pressed "SET" and the truck maintained speed. Yea! #GoME Ha ha! So "ACCEL", "CANCEL" and "COAST" worked perfectly. Everything worked 100% as it should for about 10 minutes. Purposely came to a stop, shut off the truck, key out, wait 10 seconds, started it back up and everything still worked normally. The other interesting thing is before tonight, when everything wasn't working, I could get "CRUISE" on the dash and when I pressed "SET" for about 1 second, then "CRUISE" would disappear and it turned itself off. Tonight, when it was working correctly, if I pressed and held "SET" the "CRUISE" would stay on and not cancel itself. Just odd, I guess.
Hope that this little bit of extra information could help the guys that know FAR MORE than I do about Dodges, hope it can help them turn me in the right direction.
Any ideas???
Turned on CC and "CRUISE" came up on the dash. Pressed "SET" and the truck maintained speed. Yea! #GoME Ha ha! So "ACCEL", "CANCEL" and "COAST" worked perfectly. Everything worked 100% as it should for about 10 minutes. Purposely came to a stop, shut off the truck, key out, wait 10 seconds, started it back up and everything still worked normally. The other interesting thing is before tonight, when everything wasn't working, I could get "CRUISE" on the dash and when I pressed "SET" for about 1 second, then "CRUISE" would disappear and it turned itself off. Tonight, when it was working correctly, if I pressed and held "SET" the "CRUISE" would stay on and not cancel itself. Just odd, I guess.
Hope that this little bit of extra information could help the guys that know FAR MORE than I do about Dodges, hope it can help them turn me in the right direction.
Any ideas???
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Will be checking the speed sensors today and looking forward to reporting back... today is a good day to work on the truck so any other help that anyone might have and directions to look would be VERY helpful!
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Check the ABS module , I have heard the plug can get water in it an cause speedometer to bounce an cause issues with the cruise ,,just unplug it and check for water, dry it out if there is ,,I believe its between battery an firewall , never hurts to check anyways,,on my shift motor on transfer case , the electrical plug was full of water
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Update
The saga continues. When initially rebuilding the truck with body parts I purchased a 2004 model parts truck, of course mine is a 2003.
I took the cruise model off the 04 and installed on my 03...this cleared all the cruise P-Code errors but now it won’t engage nor will the cruise light on the dash come on??
Still don’t know if this is related to the “no start” issue that popped up when the cruise quit working. It seems to be starting okay okay but I haven’t driven it a long distance yet. I guess I’ll have to wait to see on that issue.
So I’m assuming the 04 cruise module is the same as the 03, it looked plug and play. Not quite sure where this thing is fused from, I’ve read snippets that it is tied to the brake lights but I don’t recall seeing any fuse directly called out related to brake lights.
I checked the brake lights after I posted this and they are working!
Still working on it...wonder if there is anything wrong with the 04 module that I installed??
Advise appreciated.
Thanks,
Griff
I took the cruise model off the 04 and installed on my 03...this cleared all the cruise P-Code errors but now it won’t engage nor will the cruise light on the dash come on??
Still don’t know if this is related to the “no start” issue that popped up when the cruise quit working. It seems to be starting okay okay but I haven’t driven it a long distance yet. I guess I’ll have to wait to see on that issue.
So I’m assuming the 04 cruise module is the same as the 03, it looked plug and play. Not quite sure where this thing is fused from, I’ve read snippets that it is tied to the brake lights but I don’t recall seeing any fuse directly called out related to brake lights.
I checked the brake lights after I posted this and they are working!
Still working on it...wonder if there is anything wrong with the 04 module that I installed??
Advise appreciated.
Thanks,
Griff
Last edited by rsgriffith04; Sep 14, 2019 at 11:11 AM.
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The saga continues. When initially rebuilding the truck with body parts I purchased a 2004 model parts truck, of course mine is a 2003.
I took the cruise model off the 04 and installed on my 03...this cleared all the cruise P-Code errors but now it won’t engage nor will the cruise light on the dash come on??
Still don’t know if this is related to the “no start” issue that popped up when the cruise quit working. It seems to be starting okay okay but I haven’t driven it a long distance yet. I guess I’ll have to wait to see on that issue.
So I’m assuming the 04 cruise module is the same as the 03, it looked plug and play. Not quite sure where this thing is fused from, I’ve read snippets that it is tied to the brake lights but I don’t recall seeing any fuse directly called out related to brake lights.
I checked the brake lights after I posted this and they are working!
Still working on it...wonder if there is anything wrong with the 04 module that I installed??
Advise appreciated.
Thanks,
Griff
I took the cruise model off the 04 and installed on my 03...this cleared all the cruise P-Code errors but now it won’t engage nor will the cruise light on the dash come on??
Still don’t know if this is related to the “no start” issue that popped up when the cruise quit working. It seems to be starting okay okay but I haven’t driven it a long distance yet. I guess I’ll have to wait to see on that issue.
So I’m assuming the 04 cruise module is the same as the 03, it looked plug and play. Not quite sure where this thing is fused from, I’ve read snippets that it is tied to the brake lights but I don’t recall seeing any fuse directly called out related to brake lights.
I checked the brake lights after I posted this and they are working!
Still working on it...wonder if there is anything wrong with the 04 module that I installed??
Advise appreciated.
Thanks,
Griff
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Sorry. Havent done anything with my old 03. Its a winter truck now. I just don't use the accel or decel buttons anymore.
I could be mistaken but I thought 04s were different with the computer software??? Maybe someone else can post ?
I could be mistaken but I thought 04s were different with the computer software??? Maybe someone else can post ?
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I have a 2003 5.7 Hemi as well. Have had problems with the cruise control since day one. After about a year they replaced the cruise control circuitry, but could not figure out what exactly was the problem. I do think I remember them saying the 2004 circuitry was different because there was a wrecked truck that I could have replaced the system in 06 but I think a technician said it wouldn't work. Anyway, the one constant is that if I hit the brake, I cannot reset the cruise control. You have to turn off and turn back on again. Maybe your problem is whatever connects the cruise control into the braking system. Maybe whatever sensor picks up on the brakes being applied is not disengaging for you. Kind of like your cruise control thinks that the brakes are still on.