Source voltage right at the battery posts, engine running at operating temp. at around 600 RPM is 15 Volts. Turned truck off and checked battery voltage again, everything off, but the under hood lamp on, 12.1 volts. Isn't 15 volts too high? Usually the alternator would be regulated around 13.7 to 14.7 volts max. The outside temperature is -8 degrees Celsius.

 

I went back and re read your original post and the rest of the history. What I can make of this is that it's only the fog and headlamps that pulsate. The lights pulsate only with the engine running. I would think that if it's in the battery/voltage regulator part of it, other lights would complain and maybe other things that use the +12VDC may show some symptoms.

This is from the manual

1. Front Fog Lamps Control - For vehicles so equipped, the rotary **** on the headlamp switch is depressed to activate or deactivate the optional front fog lamps. The headlamp switch provides the appropriate resistor multiplexed output to the EMIC over the headlamp/fog lamp switch signal circuit, and the EMIC reads and responds to this input by sending electronic fog lamp switch status messages to the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM) over the Controller Area Network (CAN) data bus. The TIPM responds by energizing or de-energizing the right and left front fog lamp control circuits through internal High Side Drivers (HSD) and by sending an electronic confirmation message back to the EMIC, which controls the front fog lamp indicator as appropriate.
2. Exterior Lighting Control - The rotary **** on the headlamp switch is rotated to a detent position to activate or deactivate the exterior lighting. The headlamp switch provides the appropriate resistor multiplexed output to the EMIC over the headlamp/fog lamp switch signal circuit, and the EMIC reads and responds to this input by sending electronic exterior lighting switch status messages to the TIPM over the CAN data bus. The TIPM responds by energizing or de-energizing the right and left park lamp feed circuits and the right and left high or low beam driver circuits through internal HSDs and by sending an electronic confirmation message back to the EMIC, which controls the high beam indicator as appropriate. The TIPM also remembers which headlamp beams were last selected with the multi-function switch, and energizes those beams by default the next time the headlamps are turned ON. If the vehicle is equipped with optional automatic headlamps and the A (Automatic) position is selected, the TIPM also monitors an electronic ambient light level message received over the CAN data bus from the A/C-heater control module based upon a hard wired input from the sun sensor to turn the exterior lighting ON and OFF automatically while the ignition switch is in the ON position

Sure sounds like the TIPM has noise or malfunctioning HSDs (basically high power Field Effect Transistors). I all points either to the drivers or a bad ground.


One thing you may want to try if you get desperate, is to put a jumper on the bulb ground side to the battery ground. Do this to the fog lamp since it is easier to reach and also has the symptoms.

Here is a link to a web page that shows typical HSDs

https://www.google.com/search?q=high...w=1038&bih=833

 

Thanks Pedro, will do....

 

Good luck. I'd hate to see you leave the ram family

 

Trust me, I don't want too, I really love the truck, but the continuous issues that I have with this vehicle isn't enjoyable. When you pay $53,000.00, plus having the extended warranty, and have the hassle of bringing the vehicle to the dealership, dragging my wife and my baby girl around over and over again. Then borrowing my wife's car so I can get to work and back home. I understand some new vehicle's have their issues. But Chrysler telling me that there is an issue, and they are looking for a fix, (but the truth, there was no fix, as I assumed), then saying its normal, nothing we can further do? I don't agree with that. Why lie? Just come up front and tell me we can't fix it at the moment, I would totally understand, if they are looking for a fix, great, I'll deal with it till the fix arrives. But outright lying to me is BS. Am I wrong?

 

Is anything else flickering like the cluster lights, Odometer, interior lights at the same time? Yes, 15 is too high. Under normal circumstances 12.1 is too low. If the engine bay was good and hot already yes 12.1 is definately too low. I'm betting the ground cable close to the battery is way hotter than normal too.

 

The cluster, and interior lamps are all steady, no flicker. Also the front and rear marker lamps, and licence plate lamps are all steady, no flicker at all. Just the headlamps, fog lamps, and highbeam lamps flicker when they feel like it.

 

Ok, then i'm leaning away from battery >>>>>

If that checks out then my vote is for TIPM.....meh....80%

 

Thank you, TNtech, I appreciate your help.

 

My pleasure. But, for some reason I can't pull my brain away from this without pondering a little more on it. I kind of blew it off at first factoring in the cold outside temp. You'll have to forgive me because I live in the tropical rainforrest of middle Tennessee. My thought process doesn't factor in the frozen tundra equation.

Of course i'm going on the assumtion your multimeter is accurate....
My assessment at first glance is that if the supply voltage TO the TIPM is low enough, then you would have a widespread issue over several of the lighting circuits. BUT.....the overvoltage could be having an effect on the TIPM operation too. Being that the only systems affected are the Pulse Width modulated outputs, i'm inclined to believe that an overvoltage condition COULD be affecting the drivers causing the flicker. The overvoltage being caused by an issue with the battery having a high resistance. In theory your battery should be holding 12.5-12.7 just after shutoff. Of course the ground could do this too and the symptoms could change with temperature.

Is this a Mopar battery in there or did you get something a bit hardier for your frigid climate? Like maybe one of those Optimas? Is your charging voltage normal when the flickering is not happening?