Serv 4WD/ RR Light

[John's_05PW]

So I took the truck to a different dealership here in Utah for this on going issue. They want to replace the smartbar even though I have had it replaced already (18 months ago when another dealership said this was my problem). They are telling me that when the light is on that the rear locker isnt getting any voltage and this is causing my issue. I have messed with the truck a little when the light is on and i can still lock up the rear locker even tho the light still is blinking. For the most part the light comes on when I come to a stop and/or make turns from a stop and turns off usually after driving straight for a little while. Sometimes the light is on for a few minutes and sometimes its on for a few days. I asked if it would be my rear locker actuator and they say they dont think so. What else can I have them look at in place of replacing parts that have already been replaced.

[fbenross]

You said yours still lock so I wouldn’t think actuator. For 6 years and 30,000 mi I never had a problem with the system. Then last Sep. I went through a creek and shortly thereafter I had the intermittent flashing R locker light but everything worked. When I got home I cleaned the Smart Bar connector with elect. Contact cleaner and greased the sealing areas. On my next trip it came on again after 300 mi. It was still intermittent and all worked. When I got home I cleaned the F and R locker plugs with contact cleaner and greased the outside of the plugs. On my next trip I’ll see if that worked. As long as the lockers work I’m not in a big hurry to fix it.

[John's_05PW]

When lights are not flashing then everything works fine. When the light is flashing then the rear locker will still lock up but it wont show locked. It will not lock the front when flashing because it doesnt think the rear is locked. Dealership is now saying that that when i had the plug replaced on the rear diff that that dealership wired it wrong. There are 4 wires and they are labled 1,2,3,1 and they switched the 1's up. Im sure that could cause some issues but how would that cause an intermittent problem.

[RustyPW]

2 of the wires are to power the locker. And the other 2 are for the sensor. Just wondering if your magnets need cleaned and or adjusted?

[TwinStick]

I'd say that, or maybe a wire rubbed through somewhere & is intermittently shorting out ???

[FirerescuePW]

Both Twin and Rusty sound right. The locker can engage, but if the sensor portion of the system in the diff doesn't send the proper signal to the smartbar, the electronics won't know it's locked. Then you get the flash and the front-no-lock problem. And several guys have found broken wires at or near the diff plugs, inside the harness. Check the wires within a foot or 2 of the rear diff plug. Apparently they get brittle and break.

[VA_Wagon Man]

Both Twin and Rusty sound right. The locker can engage, but if the sensor portion of the system in the diff doesn't send the proper signal to the smartbar, the electronics won't know it's locked. Then you get the flash and the front-no-lock problem. And several guys have found broken wires at or near the diff plugs, inside the harness. Check the wires within a foot or 2 of the rear diff plug. Apparently they get brittle and break.

X2

Sent from the middle of nowhere.

[Red Queen 06 PW]

the dealer says the code there receiving c1452 shows rear sensor open not communicating with sims wow!! english please everything is clean no broken wires it needs rear actuator this is the4th one since 06 what makes them go bad?

[Red Queen 06 PW]

center position light blinks turn engine of restart in a few minutes blink again 2wd mode once engine of again restart in low range flip switch to middle rear locks up so does the front after a few minutes i loose the front and the rear light blinks again tha dealer says code c1452 rear sensor not communicating with SIMS? this is the 4th actuator since 06 oil is clean magnets connections are all primo any input would be helpfull.

[Countryman93]

I had this issue acouple months ago, I cleaned everything and all was good I drove 500 miles to move and still good then I drove threw some flood water to go to work one day the lights came back on and flashing so I cleaned it again but didn't go away. We got the same codes but I came home and started driving the motorcycle to work its sat for two weeks now I took it on a 400mile trip today with no lights what so ever. And everything is still working.. I think this is dodges way of keeping business lol but im very curious to see what you find out. I think a lot of us with the 3rd gen are looking forward to hearing about it

[TwinStick]

Everything may be clean but is there the white corrosion between wire & pin that is crimped ? If so then no worky. You don't need to live in a snow/salt state for this corrosion to happen. I have seen this with the winch connection/pins. Looks clean but there is that thin white corrosion in there, just enough to change voltage &/or make it not work.

Fluid Film stops the corrosion from happening in the first place.

[John's_05PW]

Now the dealership is saying my wires are good and that the rear locker sensor has gone out and that I either need to buy a new locker set-up for the rear or I can have him hard wire the front and rear lockers and have 2 toggle switches next to my sway bar disconnect. he shows power going to the rear locker sensor but it doesnt do anything and when he bypasses it the locker sensor the locker locks immediately. 2 things... 1. can just the sensor be replaced and 2. would letting the dealership do a hard-wire option be ok? The price to do the locker correctly runs about $1000 here and the hard wire option would be $250ish. Everything stock would stay in place so it could be changed back later. Also are there any stock looking rocker switches that can be put in the 3 empty spaces on the dash?

[RustyPW]

Do it yourself.

http://www.dodgetalk.com/forums/showthr ... ost4632642

[John's_05PW]

by doing what is posted in that link, it still uses the rear locker sensor correct? Sorry but Im not too knowledgeable on this system. He is telling me that what he wants/needs to do is bypass the sensor in the rear diff and make it not even be part of the smartbar system anymore.

[TwinStick]

Up to you. Your judgement call. If you trust them to do quality work & shrink wrap all connections exposed to weather, then go for it. If not & they do it, you may be in same situation a little while down the road again. Hard wired is really the way to go. I have read that they lock up instantly & unlock instantly. That in & of itself is worth something. You may get/probably will get dash lights coming on if they are hard wired. A piece of black elec tape over the lights will fix that though.

[John's_05PW]

Does anyone know if there are stock looking rockers switches we can put in the empty spaces we have next to the swaybar disconnect?

[TwinStick]

http://www.jeep4x4center.com/jeep-acces ... itches.htm

http://www.quadratec.com/products/12500_24X_PG.htm

These are the ones Jeeps use.

[GunniPWguy]

by doing what is posted in that link, it still uses the rear locker sensor correct? Sorry but Im not too knowledgeable on this system. He is telling me that what he wants/needs to do is bypass the sensor in the rear diff and make it not even be part of the smartbar system anymore.

I am pretty sure by doing the "hardwire" you bypass the sensors and are basically just sending current to the actuator to lock/unlock. you may also have to go to a manual swaybar dis-connect as well. Don't think anyone has come up with a hardwire option for that yet? If you go hardwire, you will just have to get used to what it feels like to know when you are locked or not. If mine ever go on the fritz again hardwire lockers, EVO manual swaybar dis-connect and tape over the blinking lights is what I will be doing. I have it all sitting in the garage just in case.

[fbenross]

x2 ...I have the locker connector dohickeys and the sway bar disconnect thingy..

[John's_05PW]

Well the way the dealer is talking about doing it the sway bar will act like normal and i will have to be in 4lo to make it work. He is going to run wire to make the smartbar think that the lockers are good but they wont be able to actually do anything with the knob or smartbar. He will the run another set of wires with resistors and other things and make it a manual locker set-up. Does anyone know what voltage/amperage the lockers are suppose to have going in and out when locked and unlocked?

[Red Queen 06 PW]

Well i had the rear actuator replaced, $300 labor and bearings, it works fine, dodge is sending an engineer to the dealer, to look at the problem,after many calls, like i said this is the 4th actuator since 06, no water,no towing,just normal use,i will find out more soon and go from there, there is a member that hardwired his lockers, with 2 switches,on off, however there is 4 wires on the plug, numbered 1.2.3.4. on the atuator side behind the plug which is positive which is ground anyone have info. on that? Im afraid number 5 actuator is 12 months away,so by turning them of tha could save the actuator.

[RustyPW]

Well i had the rear actuator replaced, $300 labor and bearings, it works fine, dodge is sending an engineer to the dealer, to look at the problem,after many calls, like i said this is the 4th actuator since 06, no water,no towing,just normal use,i will find out more soon and go from there, there is a member that hardwired his lockers, with 2 switches,on off, however there is 4 wires on the plug, numbered 1.2.3.4. on the atuator side behind the plug which is positive which is ground anyone have info. on that? Im afraid number 5 actuator is 12 months away,so by turning them of tha could save the actuator.

Here's a nice write-up by Chip-Rat.

http://www.dodgetalk.com/forums/showthr ... ost4632642

[John's_05PW]

I have the truck back now and the set-up the dealer did is great. All stock wires are still there and he just tapped into the ones needed to do resistors where needed. No lights and the smartbar has been fooled into thinking the lockers are still connected. Lockers lock almost instantly now. He put 2 fuse holders (one for each locker) right under the steering column so that is there is ever an issue i can just reach underneath and replace or pull the fuse. Best part is they are standing behind this work. The switches being used may be changed later if I can find a setup that looks a little better.

[flattire]

Maybe they should have been built this way from the beginning.

[vanished]

Awesome!