Aftermarket radio won't turn off

9948 Views 20 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Beratna, 13 d ago

Kurtk87

Discussion Starter · Jun 7, 2019

Just installed an aftermarket double din radio in my 2004 Dakota and it won't turn off when the key is turned to the off position, or even when the door is opened. It's kind of a weird issue. The red/white wire that's supposed to be 12v switched has 12.5v key on, key off it only drops to 8.5v. I checked it at the power outlet on the dash and also right at fuse 18 and get the same meter readings. Anyone else have this issue? I did a search and didn't really find anything.

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oldmarine

· #2 · Jun 8, 2019

The wiring diagram I have shows a brown/red wire as the switched power for the radio (power with key in run/acc position). It does show a fused battery power (B+) wire coming from fuse 18 through the instrument cluster, but that wire is shown as pink. It should have battery voltage regardless of the key position.
On the wiring diagram I have, the power outlet gets its power from fuse 25 through a red/tan wire.
Are you checking the voltages from the wires only, not connected to the radio? The stock radio receives power on three pins. If you're trying to check voltage on one wire while it is connected to the radio, you may be getting voltage readings from one of the other two wires through the circuitry in the radio.

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Kurtk87

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jun 8, 2019

Thanks for replying. I am checking everything right at the factory radio plug after I found out the issue. What year is your diagram for? It's seems to me the wiring on the 2001 and later are different, but my manual isn't the most reliable (Haynes). I also pretty much ruled out the ignition switch, I disconnected it and did continuity check on all the terminals according to the manual. I will check for that Brown/red when I get home to see if it's in my harness.

Kurtk87

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jun 8, 2019

What I meant to say is I'm checking it at the factory radio plug, without the radio plugged in.

oldmarine

· #5 · Jun 8, 2019

The wiring diagram I was using was from the FSM of the 2004 Dakota, which is what you indicate you have in your intro thread. I also have the FSM for the 2001-2003 Dakota, and it shows a red/white wire from fuse 18 as the switched power wire. I hadn't looked at that when I did the first response, so that is probably where your info is from. Don't trust anything but the FSM or a very reliable online service. Haynes is good for showing pictures and tips on doing many mechanical things, but for wiring, their 12 or 15 page section cannot possibly cover all the wiring for the 4 or 6 years of models that the manual supposedly covers. The 2004 Dakota FSM has well over 500 pages of wiring diagrams, connector pinouts and locations, ground locations, splice locations, and (electrical) power distribution information.

Kurtk87

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jun 8, 2019

2

I just check, my factory harness does not have a brown/red wire in it. I confirmed the year, 10th in the VIN is a 4, mfg. Date 5/04. I've attached some pics of the factory plug.

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Kurtk87

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jun 8, 2019

I've been looking at the diagrams I have access to, again not the best, but they show a violet/yellow wire coming from the factory radio and going to the DLC and also splicing off and going to the central timer module. The metra adapter I got does not have a terminal pinned in that location. Could it be that it needs a metra data interface to work right? I was under the impression that was 3rd gen 05 and up trucks. My truck is an sxt so it doesn't have the premium stereo. Here is a link to the metra parthttp://metraonline.com/part/AX-CH013

oldmarine

· #8 · Jun 8, 2019

Good job on the photos! The connector itself matches the 2004 pinout diagram (the 2003 is a lot different, with two connectors), and all the speaker wires appear to match. The power wire on your connector is red/white, and is in the proper pin cavity, #2 (second from left on the first photo). The next (orange) wire, feed for instrument lights, is also different than in the wiring diagram. So my FSM is wrong with regards to your Dakota.

So you apparently have the right wire for the switched power, the red/white one. The pink wire in pin cavity #1 should be battery voltage all the time, being fed by fuse 18. Check the voltage on that wire, it should be 12+v all the time, key on or off. If it drops when the key is turned off (you indicated the voltage at the fuse dropped also), you have a problem elsewhere. I would suspect a problem with a ground somewhere.
The two wires in cavities #11 and #22 (black/dark green at the far right in picture one) are supposed to be ground wires. Check that you are getting a good ground through both wires. There are two ground connectors, G202 and G203, under the dash near the center, attached to the frame of the dash. Ensure that these are good clean, tight connections. They provide ground for many of the components in the cabin.

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oldmarine

· #9 · Jun 8, 2019

Kurtk87 said:
I've been looking at the diagrams I have access to, again not the best, but they show a violet/yellow wire coming from the factory radio and going to the DLC and also splicing off and going to the central timer module. The metra adapter I got does not have a terminal pinned in that location. Could it be that it needs a metra data interface to work right? I was under the impression that was 3rd gen 05 and up trucks. My truck is an sxt so it doesn't have the premium stereo. Here is a link to the metra parthttp://metraonline.com/part/AX-CH013

According to the wiring diagram, the wire shown as violet/yellow in your second picture (second wire from right) should go to pin 2 of the DLC. Your Dakota does not have a Central Timer Module - 2003 was the last year for that module. Starting in 2004, Dakotas went to the Front Control Module, located below the Integrated Power Module under the hood, and eventually they called this the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM). Also, during the production run in 2004, Dakotas switched over from PCI communications (JTEC) to CAN communications (NGC), so it gets a little complicated. Check your PCM - if it has three connectors, its a JTEC system. If it has four connectors, its an NGC system. This may explain the differences in color coding in my manual, as the manual appears to be (wiring wise) based on the PCI/JTEC systems. From 2005 forward, all Dakotas used the NGC system, so the 2005 adapters may work. This is mostly guesswork on my part though.

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Kurtk87

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jun 8, 2019

2

I checked the pink/blk wires I have 2 in my connector, they both have 12v constant but they are on fuse 3, I confirmed by pulling fuse 3 lost power at both pink/blk. I haven't found g202 or g203 grounds yet to physically see the condition of them gotta do more digging but I continuity checked both ground wires from the radio connector to the metal dash frame and got a reading of .2ohms. I attached 2 more pics one of the wiring diagram I'm looking at and one of my computer which appears to be the NGC can system from the description you gave me. I just like to thank you again for helping me figure this out. You have already gave me more info then I could find, I didn't know they changed computer control systems mid year. It seems like 2004 was a messed up year, its the only year for the 3.7L before they went to the 3rd gen body style.

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oldmarine

· #11 · Jun 8, 2019

Kurtk87 said:
I checked the pink/blk wires I have 2 in my connector, they both have 12v constant but they are on fuse 3, I confirmed by pulling fuse 3 lost power at both pink/blk. I haven't found g202 or g203 grounds yet to physically see the condition of them gotta do more digging but I continuity checked both ground wires from the radio connector to the metal dash frame and got a reading of .2ohms. I attached 2 more pics one of the wiring diagram I'm looking at and one of my computer which appears to be the NGC can system from the description you gave me. I just like to thank you again for helping me figure this out. You have already gave me more info then I could find, I didn't know they changed computer control systems mid year. It seems like 2004 was a messed up year, its the only year for the 3.7L before they went to the 3rd gen body style.

The Durangos went to the new body style and the CAN/NGC communications for model year 2004 (apparently the first Chrysler model to do so). Since the Dakota shared much with the Durango, they apparently started transitioning the Dakota to NCG, along with associated wiring harnesses, during the 2004 model year, then gave it the new body style in 2005. I can't offer any expertise in troubleshooting your specific issue. Hope you get it figured out and corrected!

Kurtk87

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jun 9, 2019

I've done some more just random checking of circuits associated with the radio. I've found out that fuse 10 in the PDC supplies power to fuses 17,18,&19 in the junction block. Fuse 18 we know supplies they switched power red/white for the radio. If I pull fuse 10 in the PDC the radio stays on with the key off. If I pull fuse 1 which is next to fuse 10 in the PDC the radio shuts off. Fuse 1 in the PDC supplies power to the combination flasher. Now fuse 19 in the junction block also gives battery power to combination flasher, if I unplug fuse 19 the radio shuts off and the radio works like it should with the key I just don't have signals. It also works like it should if I unplug the flasher all together. I have the cover under The PDC removed I don't see any wires corroded etc. I've looked under the dash for any wires rubbed bare the best I could and haven't seen any. Could it somehow be possible that there is something wrong in the combination flasher allowing it to back feed power back thru fuse 19?

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oldmarine

· #13 · Jun 10, 2019

I must apologize. About 5 years ago, I purchased online a CD that purported to contain the FSMs for the 2000 Dakota, 2001-2003 Dakota, and 2004 Dakota. I haven't used the 2004 much, because mine is a 2003, but I do try to help if questions come up on wiring. After reading your latest, I tried to correlate what you saw with the manual, and nothing matched up. I finally went to the introduction (there was no title page), and found the VIN information decoder only referred to Ram 4x2 and Ram 4x4, so apparently my 2004 manual is for Ram pickups and not Dakotas.

Based on your thorough troubleshooting though, I would suspect the combination flasher. They're a little pricey (RockAuto lists them for $40, and they're called Lighting Control Modules), but I don't see another way to verify the issue.

Brian0209

· #14 · Jan 23, 2022

I know it's an old thread but. Was it the flasher relay the issue? I'm going through the exact same issue on a 03 dodge dakota.

Lisalouisesw

· #15 · 8 mo ago

Brian0209 said:
I know it's an old thread but. Was it the flasher relay the issue? I'm going through the exact same issue on a 03 dodge dakota.

Hi there, now have the same problem with a 2002. Did you find a solution?

Greenhornet410

· #16 · 2 mo ago

I have a 2002 dodge Dakota 4 different radios all had the same problem. Radio will not shut off.

Beratna

· #17 · 17 d ago

Hi just joined b/c bought. 2002 Dakota Quad Cab with 4.7 v8 used. Having exact same problem as OP for this thread. Replaced a previous aftermarket (Pioneer) head unit with a Boss head unit, 4 channel amp, and backup cam, me now unit won’t turn off with the truck (key out and door open). based on this thread, I have checked/verified-

~12v continuous from the red/white accessory trigger line, even though key is off
I pulled the combination flasher module and verified the wiring checks out as suggested at this site Sparkys Answers - 2001 Dodge Dakota Hazard, Stop & Turn Signal Lights

- when I plug the flasher back in, I get ~12v continuous at the black wire which I think is supposed to be zero when the ignition is off, and according to the wiring diagrams I’ve believe this means the 12v would then feed up thru fuse 19 and down thru fuse 18 to keep power on signal to the radio. I can only get the radio to turn off like it is supposed to (ignition off, key out, door open) by putting/leaving the turn signal in the left or right position or by turning on the hazard flashers.

Based on this I thought it was a sure bet the combo relay was bad. So the replacement I could find locally is a Novita LM 474 (supposedly a direct replacement), but plugging that in didn’t fix the issue and I still see the 12v on the wire from the relay going back up to the fuse. On the chance i got I got a bad relay, I swapped for another one and that will didn’t fix the problem. I also verified the rear lights are getting the correct voltage they’re supposed to, and no voltage drop suggesting the power being fed back due to a short in the towing harness. So now with three relays exhibiting the same behavior and no obvious wire damage I’m stuck.

is there a difference between these aftermarket relays that only an Mopar OEM module from the dealer would work?

is there a wiring diagram that show the other side of the flasher relay and might also show how other power sources could be getting fed back up through the relay?

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Beratna

· #18 · 15 d ago

Greenhornet410 said:
I have a 2002 dodge Dakota 4 different radios all had the same problem. Radio will not shut off.

We’re you ever able to find a solution?

After more wiring checks I’m still 99% that the problem is the combination relay feeding power back to the accessory line for the radio when the ignition is off. My latest test was to pull out fuse 19 (the switched 12v feed to the relay) and found there is still the 12v at the relay’s switched input when the relay is installed (it goes to 0v when the either the left or right turn signal is selected).

I’ve tried two aftermarket relays and neither fixed the problem. the odds of getting two defective replacements in a row is not unheard of, but pretty slim. im just looking for other ideas before trying another aftermarket relay or going to the dealer.

oldmarine

· #19 · 15 d ago

I'm attaching a page from the FSM showing the connections to the combination flasher. If, with the key off and the flasher removed, you shouldn't be getting any power at fuse 19. If plugging in the flasher provides power to fuse 19, I'd strongly suspect the flasher. According to the diagram (which doesn't show any of the internals of the flasher - I'm pretty sure it's a printed circuit board) the only inputs are fuse 19, for run-acc, and fuse 1 (under hood) which I'm sure is used for the hazards and brake lights.

RockAuto carries the flasher unit, Standard Motor Products EFL24, fur just under $80.

Rectangle Font Slope Parallel Pattern

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Beratna

· #20 · 15 d ago

oldmarine said:
I'm attaching a page from the FSM showing the connections to the combination flasher. If, with the key off and the flasher removed, you shouldn't be getting any power at fuse 19. If plugging in the flasher provides power to fuse 19, I'd strongly suspect the flasher. According to the diagram (which doesn't show any of the internals of the flasher - I'm pretty sure it's a printed circuit board) the only inputs are fuse 19, for run-acc, and fuse 1 (under hood) which I'm sure is used for the hazards and brake lights.

RockAuto carries the flasher unit, Standard Motor Products EFL24, fur just under $80.

Thanks. I agree that everything points to the flasher relay. I'm just struggling with the notion of getting two defective replacement relays in a row, or the possibility that something else is shorted and fried the relays. But every other voltage and resistance check I've done checks out as expected with the schematics. Maybe third time is a charm ...

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