A ghost in your vehicle: Troubleshooting errant voltage from Chrysler TIPM
Many of you may have already experienced various shortcomings from Chrysler’s Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM). The TIPM contains fuses/relays and integrated circuits that allow for programmed control and distribution of power to components on Chrysler vehicles. The TIPM does not have processing power; it’s mainly a delivery and storage device with vehicle data stored
Analyzing Data Helps Solve Complicated Problems
With the addition of parameter identification data (PID), we can combine data with our knowledge of the way a transmission is designed to work and use it as a form of X-ray that permits us to see inside the transmission, so to speak. Let us use the following example to illustrate this.
Short-Circuited
In March 2006 Dodge issued safety recall E17 for 2003-05 Dodge Ram pickups equipped with the 5.9-liter diesel and 48RE transmission. This recall addressed a safety issue that could occur if the driver parked the vehicle without placing the gear selector fully in park and left the engine running. The repair consists of a re-flash that when initiated will sound the horn, flash the headlights and cause the PRNDL display to flash if the door is opened and the driver tries to exit a running vehicle without the selector fully in Park. This re-flash can be done only with the DRB-3 scan tool and dealer software.
Pay Close Attention to Valve-Body Modifications
This particular call came in just like many others: The technician had already eliminated everything he could interpret as the possible root cause of the concern. The vehicle in question was a 2006 Dodge 2500 pickup with a 5.9-liter diesel and a 48RE transmission. The owner had bought the vehicle recently and had concerns that the transmission was not shifting properly.
Broccoli: Corroded wiring causes TPS-voltage code
We had a 1999 Dodge 24-valve diesel truck that came into our shop with no fourth and no lockup. The truck had been at another shop, which had already replaced the accelerator-pedal-position sensor (APPS) and the powertrain control module (PCM) in an attempt to fix this complaint.
Re-flash – Read All About It
I find any articles or training related to the topic of re-flashing or reprogramming computers to be of great interest and a great help to me and to all transmission technicians because it has become a very prominent repair procedure. In fact, looking through the past 10 years of OE bulletins, I find that the ratio of actual repairs versus computer reprogramming has changed dramatically, totally favoring computer reprogramming.
Dodge Ram Dilemma
A four-wheel-drive 1995 Dodge R1500 pickup was towed to a transmission shop, which performed the usual pre-checks, including checking codes, cooler flow, pressure, and function of the transfer case and both differentials. All preliminary checks pointed to the transmission as the problem, and its subsequent removal and inspection did verify a defective transmission. The transmission rebuild seemed to go routinely, and the transmission performed adequately on the road test.
