Just a thought but try these things. Should take all of about 15
minutes.....
1. clear the computer by disconnecting the battery for 10 minutes.
2. check all fuses
3. remove dash cluster and reinstall (its easy, just put the truck in
netural if its an automatic and pull the dash panel toward you, might take a
little force, but will pull right off. Then remove the 4 screws holding the
gauges in, pull out an inch or two untill you feel it disconnecting, then
push it back in and reinstall.
4. could be the bad ground thing
5. I'll bet your problem with the brake lights not working and the brake
light on the dash have something to do with each other. Perhaps bad trailer
wiring screwed up something ?!?
Just some ideas, and they are probably faster than taking it to the dealer.
Marty
http://members.cox.net/got-speed
""Ken Allgood"" <kenallgood@cox.net> wrote in message
news:000701c25860$b1b8d3e0$0201a8c0@ken...
>
> Ok... why is it that when I let family members borrow my vehicles,
something
> almost always happen.. grrr.. anyway.. My dad has every other monday
off,
> and my mom wanted him to get mulch for the garden using my truck and
> trailer.. I really don't have a problem with that, he's towed the trailer
> several times, just not quite that heavy a load (no, this doesn't lead to
> something bad, but, may have something to do with my problem, but doubt
> it).. anyway, I drive my, ugh, Probe to work... I let them use the truck
> as long as they take it in to get the oil changed and have the front
> alignment check (got a lifetime on it, might as well).. so I get home,
> everything seems to have gone OK. Well, I get in my truck to go to the
> fitness center about a mile away, and I see the brake light on, so I pull
> the release, and nothing.. hmm... the brake is up, so I push it down,
pull
> release, it comes up, but light stays on, then I notice that the 4wd
> Part-time light is on, but ummmm... 1 small problem.... My truck is
2wd,
> not 4wd... well, I drive it around the block, no problem, so I go to the
> fitness center, nothing happens, drive back, everything's running fine,
> start to back into the yard and I notice that I don't see my taillight
brake
> lights on.. uhhhh.. so I park my Dakota, kill all lights, put it in Park,
> put my foot on the brakes (while engine still on).. no brake lights on..
> well CRAP! So, with all that in mind... WTF could be causing
> this??!?!?!?!?!!? Obviously, now I cannot drive my truck around cause I
> don't have any brake lights, and anyone that might rear-end me, well,
would
> probably be my fault for driving a vehicle that operating correcly :(
> Guess I'll be making a phone call to the shop in the morning and make them
> deal with it :-)
>
> Ken Allgood
> 97 CC SLT 5.2L
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:05:20 EDT