last night my truck would not start, no power electrically, after playing awhile it looks like one of the solenoids on the drivers side fender shorted out. i think these are for the grid heater. after unhooking the wire for the solenoids i was able to charge the batteries and get started again. can i put any solenoid on in its place? what are my options? how do i test the grid heater to make sure is did not short out also? THANKS GUYS

 

i have a ford starter solenoid installed on mine .it cost about 8.00
i try and find the part # in the morning

 

Here is the Ford relay mentioned above
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/raframecatalog.php

However, it is not a straight bolt-on. If you can do the work necessary to mount this Ford relay, then by all means install the much cheaper Ford relay.

As for testing the grid heater, a sensitive multimeter will be able to measure the 0.1 ohm resistance of each of the grid heater elements. Else you can use a clamp meter to measure the 90 amp current thru each of the elements.

 

You have to make sure the solenoid is ground isolated, otherwise as soon as you hook up the 12V to the coil it will drag in and stay in.

I started that way until I found the correct relay for 50ish bucks from rock auto.

Good luck.

 

 

That is strange. On my Freightliner truck, the ECM activates the grid heater relays by feeding 12v to the relays, not by grounding a terminal on the relays. I just checked the Cummins Factory Service Manual and it shows the ECM supplying 12v to the relays, so I doubt that the Dodges are different from the Freightliners. Relays with grounded bodies should work, so the $14 relays from Rock Auto should be all that is necessary.

 

the part number is it the picture, the solenoid wires up the same as the dodge unit.
if i remember right, i had to splice more wire on the trigger wires.... it won't mount exactly the same either

 

thanks guys, hope to have it fixed soon, getting cold here, but hunting came first