1. Home
  2. Dodge Trucks Forum
  3. 91 Ram Auto Shutdown Relay questions

91 Ram Auto Shutdown Relay questions

I have a '91 dodge "power" ram 4WD pickup.

The other day I'm out in the woods scavenging some lumber. Shut it down move ~25 feet and it won't restart - cranks fine, healthy battery.

I Diddled the ignition switch and got a slew of error codes:

12, Battery disconnected in last 50 cycles (true)

42, Auto Shutdown Relay Circuit -( looks like the culprit)

37, Torque converter clutch solenoid (huh?)

17, Engine temp too low - (probably is, takes forever to reach overdrive, but then the speed sensor may also cause an overdrive problem?)

15, No vehicle speed sensor signal - (true, speedo works intermittently, and have to drive about 30 miles for accurate or believable readings - otherwise it reads low, or not at all.) I can tweak it into reading "something" if its dead, by jolting the drive train by shifting down then up - most days.

55, End of codes

Questions - which of the three relays mounted on the fender by the battery is the ASR relay, if any?

Question 2 - where is (are) the speed sensor(s) located? I have something that looks sensorish on the rear differential, and another up by the transfer case. Oh, coincidentally the anti lock brakes on the rear wheels don't work - I assume they probably use two speed sensors to decide when the wheels are slipping? Any ideas there?

Anything else I should be paying attention to?

I just cleaned the relay contacts with cleaner and worked them in and out a few times - no evidence of corrosion. Truck has very low miles

- odometer out to lunch for years now, it sits parked outdoors and makes a few short runs taking my kayak to the lake - and once a month a 240 mile round trip. Typical problems are the windshield wiper motor will get flaky if I don't make an effort to run it, high/low beam headlight switch ditto -

Reply to
default
Loading thread data ...

On my 99 Ram 1500 the speed sensor was on top of the differential.. Replaced it, (was a bitch without a lift), and the brake warning light went out, speedo, brakes and cruise control worked fine..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Reply to
mac davis

Thanks Mac.

I got under there and tried to pull the plug out figuring the connection might be flaky. Plug wouldn't budge with some serious mojo on it (yes I squeezed the tabs in first).

So I pulled the heavy steel cover off. The connector came off without problems. The housing was pressing against the connector. I sprayed it with WD 40 and reconnected it and (during the test drive) I had a working speedo. Anti Lock Brake warning is still on though.

I didn't attempt to pull the sensor out, but it looks like there's enough room to work. What difficulty did you have removing the sensor?

Reply to
default

The sensor was easy, getting the damned cover off took forever and some skin..

2wd ram on a floor jack and safety stand was a bitch.. I just couldn't see what I was doing.. Took it to the corner gas station and put it on the lift and it unbolted in about 10 seconds.. lol

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Reply to
mac davis

The anti lock brake system has it's own computer. Its behind the glove box on my 92 van. You have to short a couple of wires on it, I don't remenber which ones, and it will also read out the trouble codes using the brake warning light like the main computer does.

beekeep

Reply to
beekeep

That's great news. The steel cover was easy for me - of course I didn't actually take it off just loosened it enough to pull the connector (locating the hole by feel to replace, it didn't look easy).

The sensor has since stopped working and is back to the old "jolt and read," game. I ordered a sensor on line ($32).

Thanks again bob

Reply to
default

Looks like something else to try and hunt down. Thanks. Most of what I'm reading on-line suggests if one replaces the sensor, the ABS lights go off.

Burns me - I didn't see nary a mention of the flashing light code in the owner's manual, or my Chilton's, or where some of the stuff is located. I expected the Chilton to have at least a wiring diagram (no). But then I expected to find the recommended tire pressures too . . . If I needed instructions on how to operate the radio (which, mercifully, is dead) the manual covers that in impressive detail!

Thanks for the info.

Reply to
default

Get the manufacturers service manual. There's a wealth of info there. I got mine for a '94 Caravan on Ebay.

Reply to
Bob F

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.