Tech Question
neil siemens, INGERSOLL, ON canada, 2002 dodge dakota 4.7
First of all, you are the BEST tech advisor that i have comeacross in ANY magazine, bar none!
Now to the important part: I have an ’02Dakota Quab Cab 4×4, the problem I am having is that i keep having toreplace blower resistors, and it also melts the plug to the point that
1: ican’t even get it apart,
2: i can’t install it on the new part. Leaving mewith two options, either searching for one in the junkyard (which is likesearching for a ’71 Hemi ‘Cuda for free), or buying a new wire package atthe dealer for $112.
This has happened to me twice in the last year, if Ihad that kinda money, I would already have the ’71 Hemi ‘Cuda. Is there ANYway of getting this problem fixed permanently, so that my heater works ALLwinter long? It does get a little cold in Canada after all. Thanks for ANYand ALL advice, I’m sure the other Dakota owners that read your greatmagazine 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 happensfaster in road-salt areas, which adds to the problem.
The connector is not that hard to find, it was used on zillions of Mopars ofthat era. If you find a good one (from the US southwest, preferably), spliceit in, then be sure the resistor pins are bright and shiny, then slime itwith lots of silicone grease, then plug the connector in.
The sleazy — and permanent fix: Scrape the resistor pins until they arereally bright, then immediately tin them, and solder the wires directly ontothe pins. If you slip some heat shrink tubing onto the wires first, you canthen even insulate the joints (although that’s not really necessary).
Rick
Comments are closed.