Well, I wanted to post the results of one of my latest fixed problems, thanks to DodgeTalk!
This is regarding the infamous fuse box (TIPM) problem people have...should be a recalled item, but it's not.
2002 1500 4.7L, I was on my way home from work one night and my tail lights weren't working. After closer inspection, neither were my front yellow running lights and my license plate light.
I thought it must be a fuse or a relay. Popped the hood, checked and replaced them but no luck. My brake lights and turn signals still worked, but no running lights. My flashers worked too, which lit up the same bulbs as the running lights should have. What the hell was going on?
Well, I looked on DodgeTalk and found several people with the same problem having the same symptoms. I thought there was no way a fuse box could go out! I was still in denial..
I then went and bought a headlight switch, put it in and no luck...still no night time driving for this guy!
I checked with the local stealership for a TIPM (aka fuse box) and they wanted $600! The next best price I found was from http://www.wermopar.com for $399...still way expensive for my wallet. If you got the dealer to put it in, you're looking at $1000+ with parts and labor (for a 15-minute job!).
Against common sense (but high money sense), I went to a local salvage yard and found a fuse box for $80. Well, this is when I learned the hard way the 2002 fuse boxes are STRICTLY for 2002's...they accidentally gave me one for a 2004. The two middle plugs were different.
I took the wrong TIPM back and got the right one, confirming the plugs were the same. Got it home, spent no more than 5 minutes removing my old fuse box and another 5 putting the new one back in.
Well, that was the fix...damned fuse box! Very quick fix...it's literally a bolt, a screw, a nut and a few harness plugs.
If you're on the same quest, here are some additional tips:
1. If you're poor like me and end up getting one from a salvage yard, be prepared to do some serious searching...for some reason 2002's are HARD TO FIND! They're out there, and they go fast...especially the fuse boxes.
2. If you're not poor like me, www.wermopar.com is a good site. I think someone also mentioned www.moparpartsonline.com.
3. If you get the salvaged fuse box, go ahead and spend the time to put bulb grease on the electrical connections.
4. Maybe someone can provide insight on this, but when I looked at the bottom of my TIPM, there are literally small holes next to each plug socket and I could see the circuit board inside...NO DAMN WONDER THEY GET CORRODED! So, I took some silicone sealant and put it over the holes to help keep moisture out. I just hope they're not any kind of vents or something.
For the $80, it wasn't a bad fix at all...I got at least $80 worth of fuses and relays from it as spares.
The point of this post isn't to re-hash common problems when there are several posts about the same thing. I wanted to get the word out to LISTEN to the folks here...they know what they're talking about! If it weren't for the people here at DodgeTalk, I'd be out $1000+ dollars because I wouldn't know what to do!
Thanks, DodgeTalk...rock on! :rck:
This is regarding the infamous fuse box (TIPM) problem people have...should be a recalled item, but it's not.
2002 1500 4.7L, I was on my way home from work one night and my tail lights weren't working. After closer inspection, neither were my front yellow running lights and my license plate light.
I thought it must be a fuse or a relay. Popped the hood, checked and replaced them but no luck. My brake lights and turn signals still worked, but no running lights. My flashers worked too, which lit up the same bulbs as the running lights should have. What the hell was going on?
Well, I looked on DodgeTalk and found several people with the same problem having the same symptoms. I thought there was no way a fuse box could go out! I was still in denial..
I then went and bought a headlight switch, put it in and no luck...still no night time driving for this guy!
I checked with the local stealership for a TIPM (aka fuse box) and they wanted $600! The next best price I found was from http://www.wermopar.com for $399...still way expensive for my wallet. If you got the dealer to put it in, you're looking at $1000+ with parts and labor (for a 15-minute job!).
Against common sense (but high money sense), I went to a local salvage yard and found a fuse box for $80. Well, this is when I learned the hard way the 2002 fuse boxes are STRICTLY for 2002's...they accidentally gave me one for a 2004. The two middle plugs were different.
I took the wrong TIPM back and got the right one, confirming the plugs were the same. Got it home, spent no more than 5 minutes removing my old fuse box and another 5 putting the new one back in.
Well, that was the fix...damned fuse box! Very quick fix...it's literally a bolt, a screw, a nut and a few harness plugs.
If you're on the same quest, here are some additional tips:
1. If you're poor like me and end up getting one from a salvage yard, be prepared to do some serious searching...for some reason 2002's are HARD TO FIND! They're out there, and they go fast...especially the fuse boxes.
2. If you're not poor like me, www.wermopar.com is a good site. I think someone also mentioned www.moparpartsonline.com.
3. If you get the salvaged fuse box, go ahead and spend the time to put bulb grease on the electrical connections.
4. Maybe someone can provide insight on this, but when I looked at the bottom of my TIPM, there are literally small holes next to each plug socket and I could see the circuit board inside...NO DAMN WONDER THEY GET CORRODED! So, I took some silicone sealant and put it over the holes to help keep moisture out. I just hope they're not any kind of vents or something.
For the $80, it wasn't a bad fix at all...I got at least $80 worth of fuses and relays from it as spares.
The point of this post isn't to re-hash common problems when there are several posts about the same thing. I wanted to get the word out to LISTEN to the folks here...they know what they're talking about! If it weren't for the people here at DodgeTalk, I'd be out $1000+ dollars because I wouldn't know what to do!
Thanks, DodgeTalk...rock on! :rck:
