Is it climate control or manual dials and slider?

I have a haynes book at home I can look in for directions tonight if no-one else chimes in before hand

 

Beast:

We're talking manual dials and slider here. I purposely didn't buy a Limited D as they come standard with the auto climate control.

Everything works fine on it, just that the darned night lights don't light!

TIA Don

 

Don, not trying to insult your intelligence but a couple of quick things to check? Bear with me.

Are the instrument panel lights working?

If not check the rheostat on the light panel. It should be a sliding switch, on mine starting on the lowest setting, leaves the panel lights off. Slowly move the switch and the instrument panels should get brighter. (I use mine about midway up, so I still have good brightness but also have the panel lights last longer.) Once you get to the first stop that's the panel lights, if you go past the first stop, the odometer and Shift selector lights should get brighter. Go one more stop past that and the dome lights should come on.

Don't rule anything out but it might be a fairly simple place to start. Let us know the progress.

 

Magic

No offense taken.

The rest of the dash and interior lights work as they should. The HVAC lights are the only issue at this point. I have tried playing with all the controls I felt might have been involved,and no change.

Like I said, the issue is only an issue at night.

Part of our duties on campus when things are easy going on night shift is to locate and identify burned out lights so that the day maintnence crews can repair them. After 8 years on nights, I came to day shift in 1997.

Now I like to tell them that "they all work on dayshift", or " they're all burned out" since they never come on in the daytime LOL.

Don

 

Anybody here have an '04 FSM?

Not knowing how this stuff is wired up on these newfangled Gen-IIs, I'm not much help.

But Don, I'm sure if you bring it to carlisle, we as a group can either fix it up or make sure it never works right again

?tom

 

But Don, I'm sure if you bring it to carlisle, we as a group can either fix it up or make sure it never works right again

LOL
:clap:

 

I have the feeling it'd be the latter part of that sentence but I'm in?Maybe loosen the fuel line and put it on the dyno like that ram CTD last year? Nice flashover.

Indy, since it sounds like you're the next closest member, might want to get a trailer tow package on the demon.

+2 on LOL though!! :clap: :clap: :clap: :thumbsup: :lol: :roll:

 

Should be a self contained module.
According to Haynes
Pull the center bezel (two screws on bottom edge in that little pocket area, then watch for electrical connections as you pull away). The control module should come away with the bezel. From the diagram it's hard to see if you can pull the module apart to change bulbs, but I'd hope so. Obviously check out the cables and connections. If bulbs and connections all look good then I can see it being hell to figure out.

Hope that helps.
Good luck!

 

Yikes possible replacement of module for bulbs gone bad.
I'd find a way to fix that
Steve
DOC Pres

 

Beast:

Tnx for the info. Will tear into it sometime this weekend. I'll ley you know how it goes.

Don

 

Magic, I have the tow package. I removed my hitch.

IndyD

 

Update on HVAC panel

Finally got around to pulling the radio/HVAC bezel off today. Got to say it wasn't too tough. Two screws in the pocket at the bottom going upward, and the panel pretty much pops out.

Once off, you need to remove the three large harness connectors from the rear of the HVAC module. At this point, the bezel will lay forward on the console exposing the module and other goodies.

There are three mini bulbs mounted on little circular quarter turn clips. You turn them each a bit CCW and then pull them out with a magnet.

All bulbs seem to be good with an ohmmeter reading around 10 ohms. Tried in vain to find the diagram for the fuse panel but it's not anywhere to be found. I guess DC decided we didn't need that info. At least for the one behind the kick panel by the drivers feet.

Hope someone can lend a hand as it were. Don

 

Here Don? stereo bezel removal info:
www.durangoclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9517

There's a good video there to download (about 2mb)

IndyD

 

HVAC bulbs

I did find a part number for these little bitty bulbs. OEM # seems to be 5013829AA and dealer gets ~$6.25 each :shock: :shock: :shock:

They have a little blue rubber cover on them as well to give the blue tint.

If anyone has a better source than a dealer, speak up please!!

Don

 

one of these? PC74 bulb

if so, one of these might work: neobase LEDs

I don't know which of the NEOx series is the correct match. I'd assume you'd need the wider beam angle for a backlight application.

FYI, those have to be installed with the correct polarity.

?tom

 

Unfortunately, I must resurrect this post as the issue still hasn't been conquered.

In my search for replacement bulbs, I found a complete HVAC control assembly on eBay for not much more than three bulbs and shipping would have cost me. I bought and installed the replacement assembly and still no lights!

I think Tom's right that this may end up requiring an FSM to run down. It scorches my skivvies though that Dodge didn't include a diagram of the fuse panel in the owner's manual. To me, that's like delivering the vehicle with no gas and no air in the tires.

Oh well, wanted to vent a bit and update y'all on my progress as it were.

STILL the happy Durango owner though. :clap: :clap: :clap:

Don

 

it'll all work out! probably something simple!

 

Take one of the power feeds from a bulb that works and jump it across to that bulb.
Strange that one bulb in a complete assembly could be not working in 2 different assemblies?
Willing to bet they all fail like that and that's why that one was sold as well.
Steve
DOC Pres

 

Pres Steve,

The control module has three bulbs and none of them work. The module I purchased is from a donor D that's no longer able to cruise the roads, so hopefully there were no issues with it.

My guess is that somewhere there's a circuit that feeds these bulbs and either its fuse is blown, or a wire is loose.

Don

 

The saga of the inoperative HVAC control panel lights continues!

So far, I've replaced the unit itself with two different panels and no lights! Last visit to the dealer, I had them diagnose the issue and they came back with a defective HVAC module.

Now that I have an FSM, I see that trouble shooting doesn't go beyond simply declaring the module bad and calling for a replacement? which obviously IS NOT the answer. There are no schematics per se that I can use to run down where the power or control signal is being lost.

I can't believe that someone else hasn't had the same issue. I wonder if they left a ground off somewhere when they replaced the engine??

Don

 

If all the rest of your dash system lights function, I'd look at a bad wire or connector to the module. Yes you'll need a wiring diagram to do this, or a lot of patience. I know that this is frustrating. Keep up the good fight.

 

there used to be a website you could go to view service manuals but I can't remember what it's? :?

 

Bring it to Carlisle, and I'll bring my meter and test light!

A FSM would be nice to have for the adventure tho.

 

Tom:

Thanks for the offer. I'm gonna have to put Carlisle on my bucket list and get over there in the next year or two.

I finally got a response from another Gen 2 owner saying that his HVAC lights along with the lights for his heated seats didn't work. The cure in his case was replacing the cluster which is my fear.

We all know the technology these days is far more advanced in even the Gen 2 D's. The cluster in the Gen 2 controls quite a few things unlike years back when the speedo, tach, and gauges were a clump of mechanical components with some light bulbs thrown in! I shudder to think how much more complex it is in the Gen 3 models.

I have a a follow up appointment at the local stealer tomorrow to delve further into this. Not going to spend too much time at $98 an hour and just hoping they'll find a simple solution like a programming error.

Don

 

Why not try to take the cluster out completely and re-installing it, basically a hard restart of the cluster?
As I posted before, the Gen 3 will be controlled by a TIPM module under the dash. This is basically a complete operating system for everything other than the Powertrain module. The 2 interact with each other though they're 2 separate systems.
When the TIPM failed in my wife's car, the headlights came on in a default mode, brake lights worked, no turn signals, and no wipers but the car ran perfect. No repair of the TIPM, it had to be replaced as a complete unit.
Steve
DOC Pres