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Tech Question
neil siemens, INGERSOLL, ON canada, 2002 dodge dakota 4.7
First of all, you are the BEST tech advisor that i have come
across in ANY magazine, bar none!
Now to the important part: I have an '02
Dakota Quab Cab 4x4, the problem I am having is that i keep having to
replace blower resistors, and it also melts the plug to the point that
1: i
can't even get it apart,
2: i can't install it on the new part. Leaving me
with two options, either searching for one in the junkyard (which is like
searching for a '71 Hemi 'Cuda for free), or buying a new wire package at
the dealer for $112.
This has happened to me twice in the last year, if I had that kinda money, I would already have the '71 Hemi 'Cuda. Is there ANY way of getting this problem fixed permanently, so that my heater works ALL winter long? It does get a little cold in Canada after all. Thanks for ANY and ALL advice, I'm sure the other Dakota owners that read your great magazine will also appreciate the problem being fixed for good!
Thanks from the frozen tundra we call Canada!!!
Neil-
The problem is simply the connector corrosion creates a high impedance path, which causes heat, then arcing -- and more corrosion / pitting. This happens faster in road-salt areas, which adds to the problem.
The connector is not that hard to find, it was used on zillions of Mopars of that era. If you find a good one (from the US southwest, preferably), splice it in, then be sure the resistor pins are bright and shiny, then slime it with lots of silicone grease, then plug the connector in.
The sleazy -- and permanent fix: Scrape the resistor pins until they are really bright, then immediately tin them, and solder the wires directly onto the pins. If you slip some heat shrink tubing onto the wires first, you can then even insulate the joints (although that's not really necessary).
Rick
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