'94 ram1500, Electrical mayhem

[clueless33]

Alright, this might take a while 'cause I know absolutly nothing about any kind of vehicle. Hence, my name. Anyway, I am a Marine & my wife bought this '94 Ram1500 V8 from her grandmother. At the time, I was still going through my MOS schooling. Since we wanted insurance on it & I was the only one going to drive it, it sat in her parent's yard for about 2 months. But, once a week I told her to drive it around for a couple miles. At that time it had trouble with going in reverse. Every time it was put in that gear, it went dead unless the gas-tank was almost completely full. Well, when I went on leave after schooling to visit & pick up the truck, I drove it around town. I figured it need an oil change, 'cause who knows when it last had one? So, I took it & got one. When I left I didn't realize it until we were almost home, but the blinkers weren't working at all, inside or out. Well, I thought when they changed the oil, something spontaneous MIGHT have happened. So, I took it back the next day & told them. They said it's probably a burnt fuse. Unfortunately, my leave ended that day, so I didn't have time to fix it or allow them. I had no choice but to take it as-is. So, I drove back (Atlanta, GA- Jacksonville, NC). I'm driving it everyday & procrastinating about fixing the blinkers, "They're only blinkers," I tell myself. Well, here rolls around a long weekend & I want to go visit. So, we have to have a vehicle inspection. It's at this moment when I find out that, not just my blinkers are broken, but my tail-lights also. So, I take it all over the place to different garages, etc. Finally I find this one that keeps it for 2 days & finally tells me that it's a whole bunch of electrical mumbo-jumbo.....ex: Clock Spring, pig-tails(wiring to rear lights), front blinker-socket, & a brakelight switch. Being as nieve as I am, I think,"Man, these guys are good." Well, I ask if I can drive it until the parts come in. (a couple days) They say sure. Amazingly, the morning I have to bring it in, the truck just quits on me while I'm driving. It turns over it just seems to not pick up fuel. So, I have it towed to the same garage. They look & tell me the fuel pump is shot (which is electrical). They get a new one, install it, & start working on the outside electricals. They turn the truck on to try something on the outside & it quits AGAIN!!!!!! Is it the pump again??? Did another fuse blow to the pump??? Is it something being overlooked??? I NEED HELP!!!!!! I'M GOING NUTS !!!!!! .......& still haven't gotten to see my wife because of it. PLEEEEZ HELP!!!!

[fanworks]

Clue, when was the last time the fuel filter was checked? They can get clogged over time. Also your injectors may be clogged and need cleaning, or the fuel injection pump (Another pump in line after the fuel pump itself) may be going or has poor electrical pickup, or is toast. Also, when was the last time the spark plugs were changed? Air Filter Changed? Has the mechanic pulled the codes on the truck to see what the onboard computer says?

[clueless33]

Thanks FAN, but unfortunate for me ( and my checking account ), I just spent $875 on these problems since I last wrote about the problem. So, sorry for not replying until now. Anyway they fixed a lot of stuff. Turns out the fuel pump was completely shot. That's why it quit running. But, still, we had all those electrical problems, which (in my opinion) caused the pump to burn up. Well, I got it back & it's running fine now. Pretty much, all the electrical stuff is working.......when it wants too. Mainly the blinkers are having trouble when the steering wheel is in a certain position. Also, the reverse lights still aren't working & when my brakelights come on, my taillights go out. So..... it's kinda workin', but kinda not. But, when I got there to pick it up, they showd me what all the problems were: The outside of some wire looked fine, but the inside was completely fried. The main wire harness from the back to the front was all messed-up. The back-lights wiring (pig-tails) were corroded, & some sockets were broken. Anyways, even with all this time & money into it it's still not right, so I'm still up for suggestions. Thanks.

[LTJGWorth]

Well, I'm glad you got what you got fixed. I'd say the only thing to do about the rest of it is to have the wires and plugs replaced. Hope you get it all working Marine!

[clueless33]

Thanks. Well, here's another unexpected heads-up: I was playing around with the blinkers at lunch today when I realized what the problem with those are. They stick as soon as I put any pressure on my brake pedal. Now, what could cause that? Could wires be crossing in the steering column, such as the brakelight switch? I'm still lookin for as much help as possible.

[clueless33]

Well, many days & trials later, the problems are still happening. But, more specifically: (1)The blinkers won't work unless the hazard light switch is on. The blinkers appear to work fine from the inside, judging from the console lights. But, on the outside, the hazard lights come on......no blinkers. The blinkers won't work correctly whatsoever. Nothing works with the hazard light switch off.
(2)My taillights will work when I turn my headlights on, but as soon as I push my brake, the brakelights come on, & the taillights shut off. This is SO annoying!!!!!! The garage hasn't helped a bit! Next month it's going to another garage! However, I am still open to ideas & suggestions 'cause, for some reason, I trust all you guys more than anybody else I've talked to. Thanx.

[BamaDodgenMX]

Did the garage change the brake/blinker switch on the steering column? I have heard of these either malfunctioning or having the connections pull out, even the smallest bit.

[vrooks]

bamadodgenmx is right the combination switch formerly known as the turn signal switch wil cause all of your symptoms

[clueless33]

Finally, it's fixed. This new garage really knoew what they were talking about. Plus, they only charged $200!!! The other garage charged me about a grand & didn't fix nothin'. Well, what the problem was the ground-wiring. In a nutshell, the rear ground wires were firing off each other somehow, causing everything to go ballistic. However, this electrical guy Knew his stuff & spliced, stripped & conformed everything back to its working origin. Well, as I always say, "live & learn," right?
Thanx for all yall's help & suggestions. The weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Now I can finally leave for vacation. Thanx.

[BamaDodgenMX]

Congrats, and now what was the name of that shop? Haha.