spitzair

Hello, A few days ago I shut off my truck and took out the key but the accessories stayed on and the "key still in ignition" chime sounded when I opened the door, yet the key was out! It also wouldn't let me lock the doors with the electric locks, only manually or with the keyless entry remote... So I took it to the dealer who replaced the ignition switch. The problem was fixed for about a day, then it came back except this time the accessories don't stay on... The dealer is stumped and so am I. My guess is wiring, what do you guys think? Of course my warranty ran out 2 weeks ago ...
Any ideas would be much appreciated!

TreeFarm

I have no idea, but I think it's time for me to pick up a service manual. I don't want to have something like that come up and not have a wiring diagram handy.

sweeney186

Sounds like the intermediate pin is sticking.Your ignition switch is actually on the left side of the column,lock cyl on the right,with a pin shaft that runs thru the column.When the key is inserted,it pushes the pin,which in turn pushes key in switch in the ign switch.If it sticks it will keep pressure on the key in switch,thus activating the key lock in prevention feature

spitzair

Thanks for the tip Sweeney, is this thing easy enough to get at/take apart/clean/lubricate? The dealer called me earlier today saying they couldn't get it to do it and they're stumped, of course it won't do it for them... If it's not a huge deal to get at I'll dig in to it at lunch time tomorrow...
Thanks again!

spitzair

Well it's been a few weeks now and this thing still has me and the dealer stumped. Every time they go into the column it stops doing it but then it comes back again soon after. They even reflashed the computer twice hoping that might make it go away but to no avail. This thing is driving me crazy! Any help would be very appreciated!

TreeFarm

I just acquired a wiring diagram for the '05. This thread motivated the acquisition. I don't know if any of this is going to help, but here goes.

Electrically, there is a separate "key-in" switch. Physically, it is part of the "ignition" switch. One side of it (pin 6) is connected to a ground point. The other side (pin 5) goes to pin 16, connector 3 (I think) of the instrument cluster via wire G15, 20 gauge, VT/TN colors.

I think, emphasize THINK, that the cluster multiplexes that key-in information onto the system data bus, which pretty much indicates to me that the problem is in one of the following places:

Ignition switch

Wire G15

Cluster

If wire G15 was shorting to ground, the system would think the key was still in. That is where I would start.

Hopes this helps.

TF

spitzair

That helps a lot, I'm in Vancouver on course for the next 3 weeks and the truck is up in Terrace so I won't have time to look at it till then, but that's a great starting point. The dealer already replaced the ignition switch so unless that one was also bad it's probably not the culprit... Unless of course they SAID they put one in and didn't actually put one in there...
Thanks again for the tip, it's very much appreciated.

TreeFarm

You're welcome, and good luck.

TreeFarm

I had another thought on this problem. It bothered me that it went away when the dealer replaced the switch, only to return later. While that might be due to wiring shifting (and shorting when a bare spot touches something) a bit over time, it could be something else.

To replace the ignition switch, the dealer had to disconnect the battery cables. That meant that all electronic modules were powered down. When they were powered back up, all the microprocessors in the modules rebooted, which might explain why the problem went away. If the problem is in one of the modules, it likely would be the one in the instrument cluster. The dealer has an instrument that can read the communications bus and should be able to tell if the cluster is the problem.

It would be interesting to find out if you can duplicate the "going away" part. Try disconnecting the batteries for a short period, then reconnect them. If the problem is still present, it would indicate a wiring fault. If not, it would indicate an electronics fault.

If it is the latter, and you can let the vehicle sit for a day or two without moving and the problem returns, that would pretty well confirm it as an electronics issue.

Matt400

spitzair- what ever happened with this?

spitzair

THe problem kinda went away and never returned...* I wiggled and pulled the wiring bundle under the steering column and it never returned But worse was yet to come: the wife made me sell the truck So now I'm driving a Jeep patriot... On the plus side my boss has 3 Dodge diesels, one is a Resistol edition 3500 Dually... VERY nice!!!