Hey guys,
Just signed up to this board but have been reading it for years. pretty amazing knowledge base on here.
Wondering if you could give me some tips on this issue im having.

Ive got a 92 w250 5.9L

Everything was working normal until i go to start the other day and i get these symptoms :
-no message center lights upon turning on the key.
-no check engine light on temporarily
- oil light turns on temporarily
-No click or voltage drop from heat grid
-truck starts up fine and then notice the wait to start light stays on the whole drive

Seems like computer or something isnt telling the grid to turn on. but maybe another problem indicated by the wait to start light staying on.
Any thoughts on this? My first thought goes to the PCM but dont want to jump the gun.

thanks eveyone

 

Tell us more about the truck.
Is it an automatic, if so does the O/D work?
Does it charge still? The PCM is basically a glorified voltage reg..

The wait to start light staying on is strange...with no voltage drop from the grids.

 

Without the benefit of checking the shop manual electrical schematic, I'm trying to remember if a fusible link off the duck bill services the group that aren't working? That wouldn't explain the "Wait to Start" staying on though.

Like Oliver asked, tell us more detail about the truck itself. Year etc.

 

Hey, yeah weird indeed.
Its a 92 w250, I suspect the cab was swapped from a gaser because it reads ram150 but the dash is from a diesel and the wiring looks pretty stock compared to my other truck of the same year.
It is a manual transmission.
It is charging fine, but already has an external voltage regulator so that might not tell us much in this situation.

Everything working fine up until this point. Im going to pull the dash, and confirm if the check engine bulb is dead, or not turning on as it should.

 

So how long have you owned it working fine?

If the cab was swapped, which it does sound like (or just the fenders with the emblems?), the issue may or may not lie within the ability/quality of the person who blended it all together. Behind the dash is a big round "plug" that powers the message center. Once you know which circuits are & aren't getting power you can start narrowing it down. Do you have a schematic?

Careful pulling the dash cover free, those parts are getting brittle...

 

ive owned it for about 5 years, Worked fine the whole time, and the swap was probably done another few years befor me. The wiring was all done profesionally and looks good. I dont think the swap is the issue.
It might actually be possible, like you say, that just the fenders were swapped because the wiring looks exactly like in my other truck. All stock and original.

to start eliminating circuits, the message center should just have power upon key on right?

 

Noticed another symptom today while running the truck.

So the message center light situation is the same except, i now noticed that:
- with key on i get no lights (4x4 light works if its engaged)
- only while cranking, the top 3 lights of the message center turn on.
- then when the truck starts and i let go of the key, the top 2 turn off and im left with only the wait to start light staying on for the whole drive.

 

Maybe the ignition switch is the problem? Mark