Dash Brake light, blown fuse, etc

From: Ken Allgood (kenallgood@cox.net)
Date: Mon Jul 17 2006 - 11:33:06 EDT


Hey guys, haven't posted here in a long time, but hey, it's the best resource for Dakota related questions/problems :-)

Ok, so as I'm leaving to go on a trip Saturday morning, and about a mile from my house, both my Brake Light and the 4WD Part indicators on my dash light up. I immediatly check my emergency brake, but that was not on. Now, keep in mind that this is a 2wd truck, and have never seen the 4WD Part indicator come on except at startup. Checking the FSM, this is what it has to say about the Brake indicator:

  "The red warning light alerts the driver if a pressure differential exists between the front and rear hydraulic systems. The light also alerts the driver when the parking brakes are appl.ied"

  Now, I did continue on my trip (3.5 hours each way), and had no issues with braking, or felt like the emergency brake was on. I have yet to find anything in the FSM about the 4WD Part light, not even sure where to look for that in the Manual. Anyway, so what is this about the hydraulic pressure? I checked my brake fluid, and it's up to full, so there's plenty of fluid there, and must be enough fluid to the brakes since I had not felt any different in how it braked. ABS light is NOT on either.

  Other thing that has happen, which is odd, is that awhile into my trip, I noticed that my turn signals/hazards weren't working. So I pulled into the next rest stop to check fuses, etc. The fuse under the dash was fine, but there is one for hazards in the engine fuse box as well, and that one DID blow. So I replaced it, checked my signals, and they worked. Got back on the road, and not 2 miles later, the fuse blew again. I'm assuming these items are related as I've never had a problem with this fuse blowing before. Thoughts/suggestions?

  Oh, one more thing. Not related, but wanted some input. For awhile now, every now and then when I come to a stop, my oil pressure drops to 0. Running my revs back up to 1k rpm will bring the pressure back up to 20psi. Under normal driving, it stays around 40psi just like it should, and 50-60 under aggresive acceleration. From some others I've talked to, it's sounding like that the screen is clogged. Does that sound right? And how hard is it to do? I'm thinking of getting that taken care of, and possibly replacing the oil pump (truck has 153k miles on it).

Ken Allgood
97 5.2L SLT 2wd

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