Hi everyone,

I have an 03 Dodge Ram SLT Quad Cab, only 55,000 miles on it. Today I got the Sirius (SIR-PNR1) add-on for my Pioneer stereo (DEH-P7700MP) and decided to install it myself.

I've installed car stereos plenty of times before without incident, and this add-on for those who are not familiar with it is basicly a tuner box connected to an antenna, a power, ground, and a proprietary connection to the stereo.

So I did just a quick hookup to be sure the unit worked before I went through the trouble of routing the cables under the carpet and ****.. it was all working fine.

I went ahead and ran everything under the carpet, and made small incisions in the carpet under the drivers seat to connect to the tuner box.

I ran the cable up beind the dash and to the stereo and then fired it up.. and nothing? The stereo wouldn't even turn on. So i rechecked the power and the ground to the tuner and the stereo.. everything was fine but I still could not get power to the stereo.

I checked for blown fuses, nothing. I then completely disconnected the sirius tuner and tried only the stereo.. still nothing. I even tried out the old factory stereo and that didn't work either.

It was a little while later that I noticed my power locks would go only up and not down. I check that fuse, it's fine.

I noticed the battery power looked pretty low so I let the truck run for a while and the locks began working. I took it for a spin to charge the battery a bit and pump some gas.

I got back to my apartment and turned off the truck and noticed my dome light and headlights didnt stay on once I removed the key.

I tried out various other things.. headlights, dome lights, power locks, emergency flashers, and even the horn won't work with the key out of the ignition (brake lights DO work, however). Yet everything will function once the key is in and set to the first position (forgive my ignorance, i believe it's called accessory, it's the first click when you turn the key clockwise, just before you start the truck).

I don't know much about cars, I just know how to do minor stuff like fluid changes and such, so I really have no idea what the problem could possibly be.

If anyone could be of help, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks.

 

Before installing anything especially something electrical, did you remove the neg cable on your battery?
Just wondering if a voltage spike or something, caused one of those dammned computer modules to lock up?
Try removing the negative battery cable. Switch on the ignition and try to start the truck. Also leave the main headights on for 5 mins to drain any residual current from the trucks systems.
Re-connect your battery and see what happens.
It's my only suggestion if all your fuses etc look OK.
Hope this helps?
Al.

 

Al,

Thanks for the reply.

I realized that the second time I connected the sirius tuner (after testing it) i probably forgot to unplug that negative cable.

I tried what you said, but no luck.. might one of the computer modules have been damaged?

 

Unfortunately, it does sound like you have damaged/smoked one of the modules Nicodemus.[sm=oopssign.gif]
Are you covered under a "warranty" scheme?
If so...............get her in and checked over.
The "I don't know it just happened" ploy works well when you have pulled out all of the stuff you've tried to install
I know that's not truthfull, but hey..................when are steelerships ever truthfull to us?[sm=confused06.gif]
Al.

 

Sounds like you blew the IOD fuse. It should be under the hood in the pdc. I don't know the fuse #, but it should be labled on the pdc lid. It should also be the only fuse with a black cover.

 

You were absolutely right, sir, as I discovered last night. As I was going through the fuses, I guess I hadn't noticed it because of it's black cover that you mentioned.

I checked it out yesterday and sure enough it was blown.

Thanks a lot guys, I really appreciate the help.

 

Nicodemus................so glad it wasn't a module or something more expensive.
tenntech, what does IOD and PDC stand for ?
Al.

 

lol.. not half as relieved as I am, Al.. believe me.

And for the record, I have absolutely NO reservations about sticking it to a dealer.

 

IOD is the ignition off draw fuse. It is the fuse that supplies power to the items that draw current when the ignition is turned off. Things like the power to the radio clock and memory settings, power seats, power locks, interior lighting.

PDC is the power distribution center, also know as the integrated power module 2002-2005 (IPM), and the totally integrated power module 2006- (TIPM). This is the fuse block under the hood.

 

Thanks for the info srenken.
Al.