• Welcome to For Trucks Only !

    We are a community of American Brand Pickup Truck and SUV owners. Join now! Its Free!

Electrical issues with a 95 Dakota.....

Cranky1

Cranky1

Banned Old Stinky Fart
Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Messages
361
Reaction score
270
Location
Paserdener TX
Bulk head connector isn't the greatest and I keep losing connection for the brake lights, all the parking lights along with the head lights, horn and tach. All the stuff that doesn't go through the key loses connection. I know when things aren't working with my tach freezes in place or doesn't move at start up then it's confirmed when I try the horn and it doesn't work. What I want to do is bypass the bulk head connector and plug into......what....inside the cab. I suck at electrical mainly because I'm shade blind. IE, not totally color blind but enough to where I don't like messing with wiring. Is there someplace on the fuse block that I can plug in a hot wire to make this stuff work? Truck is solid except for this and the AC still works! Better yet, anyone in the Houston area care to fix this?
 
Are those wires cased into a molded wire housing then into the fuse relay box? I have never been under the hood of a 95.
 
7mopar said:
Are those wires cased into a molded wire housing then into the fuse relay box? I have never been under the hood of a 95.
Click to expand...
The wiring is inside of a split plastic wire loom holder. The relay box is mounted on the LF fender beside the battery. The harness splits under the windshield washer bottle with one split going to the bulkhead connector which is a little bit low and next to the brake booster. The other split goes to the computer with some secondary splits going to wiper motor and other components. The bulkhead connector has a molded rubber housing covering it.....
 
Chilton and Hays manuals have gotten pretty bad when it comes to wiring. What you were proposing to do would be a pass threw wire at a time. Lots of soldering and shrink tape. If there is enough factory wire at least it's only one connection per wire. One at a time and stick them back in the hole they can from.
I have done it for single wires but not a whole block.
 
Before you get that deep into your harness look under the power box (fuse box) under the hood. Up here in New York it is a common problem. The factory has small, drilled holes in the inner fender for mounting various things and water WILL splash up under the box and cause corrosion in the connections. Pulling or moving the harness will often make and break the connection. Loosen the box from the inner fender and look at the bottom where the wires enter and exit. You can see the tell-tail green of copper corrosion. If that is not the problem, check ALL the grounds on the truck, Especially the body grounds. Most of the systems on later model (Obed) vehicles do not work by energizing the circuit but rather by making and opening the ground circuit. I hope this helps.
 
Well, I'm sure the problem is at the firewall connector. I can grab it and move it a bit and things work again or unplug it and plug it back in and things are fine again....for awhile. I'd like to bypass it all together and get that circuit live and not have to mess with it anymore. Everything that's live without having the key on loses connection.....except for the dome light.
 
In that case your best bet is a Factory service manual. If you ask the local dealer, they will, almost, always allow you to look through it. Most parts and service departments will work with owners of "older" vehicles. You can make photocopies of the diagrams and they show EVERYTHING, including the placement of connectors. the wires are color coded, and circuits numbered. If you ask, they may loan you the book for a few days as it's not likely they will have a customer with a 95 Dakota. On a vehicle as old as yours, many dealers will sell the manuals. There are people on eBay that sell old service manuals. Don't waste your time with the Hayes and Chilton stuff, they suck! All of that being said, you did clean the connection, Right? Electric contact cleaner and small brush.
 
Richs restoring said:
In that case your best bet is a Factory service manual. If you ask the local dealer, they will, almost, always allow you to look through it. Most parts and service departments will work with owners of "older" vehicles. You can make photocopies of the diagrams and they show EVERYTHING, including the placement of connectors. the wires are color coded, and circuits numbered. If you ask, they may loan you the book for a few days as it's not likely they will have a customer with a 95 Dakota. On a vehicle as old as yours, many dealers will sell the manuals. There are people on eBay that sell old service manuals. Don't waste your time with the Hayes and Chilton stuff, they suck! All of that being said, you did clean the connection, Right? Electric contact cleaner and small brush.
Click to expand...
Did you read in my 1st post where I mentioned I'm shade blind? lol
 
Yes! But you also asked for someone in the area to help you fix it and my replies were as much for their benefit as yours. you do not have to be a 50 year certified tech. like me to do that job. Just get the right manual and the proper direction and you will succeed. An inexperienced lay-person can help you. Good Luck, Rich.
 
Btw, I fixed this thing about a month ago by running a hot wire to the fuse box from the battery through a rubber plug in the firewall. It was hot to start with and I may install an inline fuse soon but for now, things are working fine and I'm driving the pile again. The only reason I think an inline fuse might be good is because it's hot off the battery but the way I have it tied down, it should be ok as is....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top