Options panel inoperable.

[Guruman]

So, I've been on a journey to get my winch and a/C installed.

Made a big move yesterday and got the options panel and the interior A/C unit installed. Not too much in the way of difficulties, but my options panel is not working. (All is well with the A/C unit)

The options panel has two sets of connectors. A short set that obviously connect to two empty connectors behind the heater unit. They are keyed so that you cannot hook them up incorrectly, and they won't reach anywhere else. So I'm pretty sure those are correct.

The other set, run under the passenger side kick panel and contain plugs labeled P210 and J108. P210 goes to my winch harness, and J108 seems to be for the dump bed options, so it's not connected anywhere.

The issue:
The switch lighting in the options panel does not work. None of them. Leading me to believe it might be a connection or ground issue.

Also, the tach does not operate. This could be related, or I might be the sensor needs adjustment or replacement. I have not had the time to look into that just yet.

And... I populated all of the switch holes with switches, just to fill the blanks, and for future use. At least one of the switches causes a relay to activate I the PDP. So something is working...

I know I've seen a thread on this with a similar issue, but a site search and a site specific search engine search turned up nothing useful, so maybe I read it elsewhere.

Any ideas on what to check?

 

[Ronmar]

So, I've been on a journey to get my winch and a/C installed.

Made a big move yesterday and got the options panel and the interior A/C unit installed. Not too much in the way of difficulties, but my options panel is not working. (All is well with the A/C unit)

The options panel has two sets of connectors. A short set that obviously connect to two empty connectors behind the heater unit. They are keyed so that you cannot hook them up incorrectly, and they won't reach anywhere else. So I'm pretty sure those are correct.

The other set, run under the passenger side kick panel and contain plugs labeled P210 and J108. P210 goes to my winch harness, and J108 seems to be for the dump bed options, so it's not connected anywhere.

The issue:
The switch lighting in the options panel does not work. None of them. Leading me to believe it might be a connection or ground issue.

Also, the tach does not operate. This could be related, or I might be the sensor needs adjustment or replacement. I have not had the time to look into that just yet.

And... I populated all of the switch holes with switches, just to fill the blanks, and for future use. At least one of the switches causes a relay to activate I the PDP. So something is working...

I know I've seen a thread on this with a similar issue, but a site search and a site specific search engine search turned up nothing useful, so maybe I read it elsewhere.

Any ideas on what to check?

does the hazard light switch light? Do the heater control panel lights work? The heater control light power comes from the hazard switch and the two are joined on the truck side of the P/J 913 connector pair. If those lights are working and the aux panel switch lights are not I would look there. The tach signal also passes thru that 913 connector pair…

 

[Guruman]

does the hazard light switch light? Do the heater control panel lights work? The heater control light power comes from the hazard switch and the two are joined on the truck side of the P/J 913 connector pair. If those lights are working and the aux panel switch lights are not I would look there. The tach signal also passes thru that 913 connector pair…

Yes, the hazards and heater panel lights both work. As does the PTO switch and the signal returning from the sensor (at least the PTO light comes on).

I was really hoping to not need to pull that thing back out.

Thanks @Ronmar

 

[Guruman]

Well, this sucks...

p/j 913 will not click together no matter what I try. It's keys, so it only goes one way, and it will close so much that you think it's done, but it's still about 1/16th of an inch from clicking together.

I've sprayed it with Deoxit, and Fluid film, Blew it out with compressed air. I've wiggled the wires and the pins. I inspected it as well as I can being it's upside down through a hole in the floor. I cannot see anything wrong with it, but it will nto snap together. WTAH?!

On the bright side I figured out you can use a couple of ratchet straps to lift and move the heater unit enough to get behind it and under it from outside.

What can I do or try to get this thing to cooperate?

Photo of temporary removal situation:


This plug does not look bad at all:

Neither does this side:



This is as far as it will go, just not clicked:


Access kind of sucks, but you can get to it from outside through the hole in the floor.

 

[Ronmar]

Pobe all the holes on the female side and see if one isnt as deep as the others. It is not supposed to happen but sometimes the wire stop in the pin isnt there and the wire gets slid too deep into the pin and crimped. The excess wire then prevemts the male pin in the opposit connector from being able to insert fully which kers the connector shells from locking.

If you find one you maybe able to gently drill it out to remove the excess wire... short of that, it is use the extractor tool to remove the problem child and crimp on a new pin...

 

[Guruman]

So, I went back out to give it another try.

I took a small pick and ran around each pin 10 times or so, trying to get both the outside diameter of the hole and the area next to the pin. I also probed inside each of the pins with holes in them. I then blew it all out very thoroughly with the blow gun.

When I put it back together, one side clicked. I gave the other side a small squeeze with some piers, and it clicked too..... geesh, what pain.

All of the option panel lights are working now.

Now to put humpty dumpty back together again.

 

[Ronmar]

I love it when a plan(and the connector shells) comes together…

 

[Guruman]

Well, still no tach movement. Likely the sensor needs adjusted or replaced.

Ordered a new one just to eliminate one variable.

When installing a new sensor, I need to thread it in until it bottoms out, then back it off a bit, but how far to back it off?

 

[Ronmar]

2 full turns Out from contact. You can turn it in from there 1/4 turn trying to to get a useable signal(chapter 7 in the tech manual). I would pull that one out and make sure it isn’t covered with metal shavings, then check proper install. on the ohm check for the sensor the resistance needs to be less than 1440 ohms.

 

[Guruman]

2 full turns Out from contact. You can turn it in from there 1/4 turn trying to to get a useable signal(chapter 7 in the tech manual). I would pull that one out and make sure it isn’t covered with metal shavings, then check proper install. on the ohm check for the sensor the resistance needs to be less than 1440 ohms.

@Ronmar called it.

Pulled the sensor out and it was covered with metal.... mostly from the coil in the sensor that got chewed up by the ring gear. Glad I ordered that new one.

 

[Ronmar]

I have found them covered with shavings but perfectly serviceable once the shavings are removed... and I ha e fou d them destroyed

 

[Guruman]

New sensor came in, and it's plastic.....

Works though. tach jumped right to life after swapping the new sensor in.