2001 2500 van either pcm is bad or wiring harness is bad. Have to push on harnesses with key turned on before no bus comes on for relays to start clicking and gauges work and van then starts. How can you tell if its harness or computer

 

Most times it's the PCM computer. BUT there are rare times the harness is shot. The harness is subject to heat over long periods of time. The van engine area has a hard time allowing the heat to escape. On the Ford vans, some have the side fender panel vents to assist. But Ram Vans have no ability to include them.

A harness could be had at a salvage yard like Pull-a-Part.

 

I cut out two marine pvc vent cover I put them on my hood and on the underside I put 2 computer 12vdc cooling fan


heat escape by rising up and you can power up to vacuum it out also


I should post pic one day when I get the time


been 5yrs no problem with rain coming in at all


look cool too like ram charger hood but on a van my hood is white so I left white bow sell them 20$ each

 

I've thought about doing that but my hood is still straight and rust-free.. I hate cutting into good sheet metal.

 

try this product on your wiring harness connections after removing battery cable and loosening the PCM connectors

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/produc...00S-2-/200-150

I put some on my PCM connectors a couple of years ago and have never had a problem with my '01 KNOCK ON WOOD...

 

the hood was in excellent condition. wanted more rapid cooling of the engine since it is so far back in the dog house.


but when I saw where the pcm was mounted in the worst possible hottest location in the whole truck. why is that?


so I will re-locate the pcm to the passenger side plastic dash below the glove box with the cables plugs (3) facing the the plastic so as to not kick the plugs by accident.


48 inch extension of 18 gauges stranded copper wire a total of 240 feet soldered with shrink wrap tubing. 62 single wires on a 1997 b3500 5.2L PCM.


keeping in mind 1 pair of 16 gauges and one pair of 18 gauges twisted surely a amp reading circuit.


and of course I will run a 12 gauges as an extra ground to the pcm case just to make sure all will be well.


that should help preserve the plastic connectors and the pcm which is like a laptop minus the hard drive and the cooling fins and fans.


so the hood cut out are nice and functional plus it give it a different look.

 

put in used cpu ran fine with abs and brake light on and a month later get no bus got to wiggle harness by cpu until relays click and gauges come to life and then start it up. Runs fine except this . Not sure if i should splice 62 wires because i got used harnesses or use electric grease or spend a fortune at garage. I do not know how to check for all grounds. Just replaced iac,tps,camshaft and crankshaft sensor,at a loss

 

I again suggest that you use that contact cleaner I suggested earlier to help make good clean contacts on the PCM module itself... great stuff, wiggling tells me that you have a bad contact somewhere and maybe NOT a bad wire harness