Bansheetwin350

2010 Ram 2500 6.7L. DPF an EGR delete, Smarty Jr. Tuner.

My truck starting throwing these codes. I do know what the mean. Wait to start and unknown.

When I turn the truck on (on posistion and when running) my wipers are on even though they're turned off, all my dash lights are on, no radio, no thermometer, no turn signals, none of the gauges work, all the P, R, N, D, +/- are lit up green.

Batteries were tested and came back fine

Need some help trouble shooting.

6.7L MegaCab

Doing a Google search came up with some folks reporting a bad battery when they had a PD421...but you said the batteries tested fine...my brothers old 07 MegaCab when one of the batteries started going, the radio stopped working and all sorts of other problems started happening when below 45MPH...but that was on a 5.9L.

Let's look at the P0381. Its saying the Wait to Start Lamp is Out.

First off, the the Instrument Cluster is practically the brains for the LIN network (low speed, low priority stuff). If your batteries are checking good, my inclination tells me there is something going on in the Instrument Cluster. Here is what you need to check regarding the P0381.

Turn the ignition on, but don't start the truck. Check to see if the Wait to Start Lamp illuminates.

If it doesn't, then the cluster will need to be removed to do some further diagnostics. You will need to do this to check the FUSED IGNITION SWITCH OUTPUT CIRCUIT FOR AN OPEN/HIGH RESISTANCE.

After the cluster is removed, turn the ignition on and Using a 12-Volt test light, check the Fused Ignition Switch Run/Start circuit while the ignition is in the run/start position. That will be the gray cluster C3 plug, pin #25


If the test light is bright and illuminated, you know the wiring is fine (you may have to have the test light on the plug/pin, ready to go for when you turn the ignition on). If it did not illuminate, you have bad wiring that will need to be fixed.

If the wiring is good, remove and inspect the Wait-to-Start bulb, if it is good, no further steps needed (which could be a bad thing--something possibly wrong with the IC with all the weird stuff you have going on that is tied to the LIN bus). If the bulb is bad, replace it and you should be good.

If you have bad wiring, let me know and I can dive further into helping you isolate that.

If it were me, I would reset the codes first to see if that clears everything up. I would probably disconnect both batteries as well for about a minute or two after the reset just to see if something wasn't communicating properly. I would also have the batteries checked once again by someone else just to confirm their status.

Hopefully this gets you somewhere. If not, post up and I will see what else I can dig into so you can hopefully avoid a trip to the dealer.

Bansheetwin350

I can't tell if the Wait to start illuminates because the low fuel indicator lights up in its place. I'm afraid I will probably be taking it to the dealer tomorrow because i wont have time to work on it all week.

6.7L MegaCab

Ah! Bummer. Well, if anything, I'm pretty quick to just reset the codes to see what happens. If it is truly a problem the codes will come back. I use to have a very frequent problem when I would be driving along and everything would act like I just turned the ignition on and got all the dings and flashes. I would have to pull over and clear the codes to regain the use of the engine brake and cruise control, it was pretty annoying and I was very close to taking it in, but since the last reset it hasn't happened since and saved me the dreadful trip to the dealer.

Keep us posted and definitely let us know what the outcome is if you end up taker her in.

Bansheetwin350

I've got another symptom I forgot to mention. When the truck is off you can see the gauge needles jumping slightly and once in a while the digital display will flicker.

Could it be some kind of short somewhere?

6.7L MegaCab

It's always possible, but if you haven't disconnected the batteries, I would do that first as well as clear the dtc's even if it doesn't show any (unless your Smarty won't let you). With the codes you have, it could still be the batteries. If you don't have time to take it in, I would pull the IC and do the test I suggested. It is possible with the additional symptoms the IC is bad.

Sent from my DROID X2

Bansheetwin350

Now here's where I'm at. Took the batteries in to get tested and came back good. Put them back in. Cleared all my codes. Put the Smarty back to stage 1. Ran good for about 5 minutes and then started acting up. Disconnected the batteries for about 45 minutes. Turned the truck on and normal. Started it up, let it idle for about 10 minutes, drove down the road and back and then continued to let it idle for another 20 minutes. No problems, ram normal. I'm gonna take it for a longer test drive in a little bit. I'm baffled.

6.7L MegaCab

Yeah man, I had pretty similar issues but with code U0141 where all sorts of weird stuff was happening as mentioned above. U0141 = loss communication with the TIPM. Sometimes a code would be in there for the ABS or one other item. I returned to stock with my Black Maxx, retuned, everything seemed fine initially, same symptoms returned within a couple minutes, cleared DTCs again and drove less than a mile to the auto parts store, happened again as soon as I pulled in. Cleared the codes...again...then it was good for a while when it started acting up again on the way home from work, nearly every day at nearly the same location on the highway for what seemed like a couple weeks. I was adamant about not taking it to the dealer even though I was at my wits-end. I didn't give up, knocked the TIPM around a bit trying to take it out since it could have been a power or ground issue on the TIPM. Couldn't get it off, but ever since that time, it has happened once and it has been a few months and a few thousand miles since that last time. My problems started around 20K something miles. I now have a little over 54K

If it happens again, I would return to stock with your Smarty and reprogram. The TIPM has been problematic on not only our trucks, but on the Jeeps as well. There is a guy on one of the Jeep forums that practically dissected his TIPM. Chrysler engineers sure did a good job on making things a lot more difficult than needed. I will say I don't think our tuners do anything to the TIPM, but with the way everything communicates on the CAN BUS and LIN BUS, I think about anything is possible.

Don't give up bro! As long as it works, even if, like me, you have to clear codes a few too many times, IMHO it ain't worth taking in if it is random, but works for a while and symptoms go away.

Bansheetwin350

So I took it for my test drive and made it 2 block before it started acting up again. Came home fiddled around for a bit then I decided to take the cluster out. I got it unbolted but never got the harnesses of. But I do think I might be getting somewhere. As I had the cluster laying in the dash I would push it back and everything went wacky. Pull it and it would stop. Push it and wacky. And so forth. I could pretty much make it go wacky and back to normal on cue.

6.7L MegaCab

That's definitely interesting! I wonder if it is the IC then? It could very well be a wiring issue. If you have the time, go to the following link:

Chrysler Wiring Diagrams

and finish filling in the rest of the drop down boxes for your rig.

I would scroll down to 46 Message Systems and go through the Cluster, power, grounds, and BUS sub sections to see what pins are grounds and start checking for continuity while pushing and pulling. There is a possibility that when you push and pull on the panel you are recreating a problem internal to the Instrument Panel. Also check for intermittent power on the indicated power wires. Some of the other wires actually put out a small amount of voltage as well, but I would have to go through the service manual to figure it out. If you check for power on any of those wires, post your findings and I will see if I can find the actual values.

Once you get use to looking through the wiring diagrams you will probably use it all the time.

Ask away if you don't understand the wiring diagrams and I will assist as best as I can.

Bansheetwin350

Now today I can't get the truck to freak out on cue. It will eventually freak out on its own. All I have to do is just it off for a few minutes and then it will be back to normal. I'm still debating if its time for a dealership trip. I still have warranty left and supposedly the local dealer has installed DPF and is ok with all of it. I'm just not sure what to try on my own. I still can't get the harnesses off the back of the cluster.

Bansheetwin350

Also, it's only throwing the PD421 code. Not the wait to start code today.

6.7L MegaCab

That is definitely odd. It seems to me that when you were pushing and pulling on the cluster that it could be internal or wiring. But since it is so random now it could have been a loose connection, internal to the cluster or wiring. That PD code is just odd as I just read someone mentioned it could be related to the key fob.

If your dealer is cool, I suppose it wouldn't hurt taking it to them, just be mindful that if they hook up their dealer tool, there is a possibility that it could have irreversible repercussions on your ability to use your tuner if they flash it with the new boot loader. Hopefully if they are DPF friendly they have a tool they keep off of Chrysler's network.

Bansheetwin350

I'm just determined to figure this out in my own. New symptoms that I found today. Even they could have been there all along. I just didn't check. The front windows won't roll down when the truck is being weird and the door lock buttons on the door don't work either. The back windows will roll down though. And when it is running fine I can't use the auto Up function for the windows.

BigIron70

Did you try a cluster test?

SELF TEST
The instrument cluster self test will put the instrument cluster into its self-diagnostic mode. In this mode the instrument cluster can perform a self-diagnostic test that will confirm that the instrument cluster circuitry, the gauges, and the indicators are capable of operating as designed. During the self test the instrument cluster circuitry will position each of the gauge needles at various calibration points, illuminate all of the segments or portions in the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) unit, and turn all of the indicators ON and OFF again.

Successful completion of the self test will confirm that the instrument cluster is operational. However, there may still be a problem with the CAN data bus, the Powertrain Control Module (PCM), the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM), the Transmission Control Module (TCM), the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC), the Controller Anti-lock Brake (CAB), the Wireless Ignition Node (WIN) or the hardwired inputs to one of these electronic control modules. Use a diagnostic scan tool to diagnose these components. Refer to the appropriate diagnostic information.

1. Begin the test with the ignition switch in the OFF position.
2. Depress the odometer/trip odometer switch button.
3. While still holding the odometer/trip odometer switch button depressed, turn the ignition switch to the ON position, but do not start the engine.
4. Release the odometer/trip odometer switch button.
5. The instrument cluster will simultaneously begin to illuminate all of the operational segments in the LCD unit and perform a bulb check of each operational Light Emitting Diode (LED) indicator. The LCD segments and LED indicators remain illuminated as each gauge needle is swept to several calibration points and back. If a VFD segment or an LED indicator fails to illuminate, or if a gauge needle fails to sweep through the calibration points and back during this test, the instrument cluster must be replaced.
6. The self test is now completed. The instrument cluster will automatically exit the self-diagnostic mode and return to normal operation at the completion of the test. The self test will be aborted if the ignition switch is turned to the OFF position, or if a vehicle speed message indicating that the vehicle is moving is received from the PCM over the CAN data bus during the test.
7. Go back to Step #1 to repeat the test, if necessary.