Where's the chassis fuse box? (relocating it)

[Arberg0]

From: Liv42dayOK  (Original Message) Sent: 8/7/2003 1:57 PM

fuse box?  I think when I hooked up the trailer, it blew a fuse.  All the turn signals work but none of the clearance, parking, or brake lights do.  The passenger side back-up light is the only one in the rear that does.  Headlights work too. - Sob

Well, I got in my "twist yourself into the most uncomfortable position you possibly can" excercise, looking for that fuse box.  As I peered up through the mangle of wires, I saw this neat little sticker under the edge of the dash that read, "Warning:  If you can read this sticker, you better hope there is someone in earshot to get you extracted".  Lowell, never try this!  You would become inextricably stuck.  I am so not glad I looked under there.  Behind that spaghetti mess of sliced, spliced, one or two different color wires into a different third wire, disconnected, re-directed, go in a circle, go nowhere, hanging bare, (breathe in)... wires, I found the fuse box (Only because I saw the reflection of my flashlight off the glass of one of the fuses).  I really didn't want to stick my hands in there.  I felt like Indiana Jones pushing apart a hundred years of spiderwebs.  I followed a yellow wire that was jammed in behind one end of a fuse, aha!  The ext lps fuse was definitely blown.  The others look ok.  Now, I just gotta remember where I put my spares.  Thanks for pointing me in that most painful direction gentlemen, I'll be making an appointment with the Chiropractor tomorrow. - Sob

LOL Sob,
     Now you know why I moved the fuse panel into a plastic box that sits on the floor up against the front wall.  It only took me one time under there to decide that was not workable, especially with a rig this old..  Be careful with that row of fuses your messing with because they are feed directly from the fusible link (always have power to them).  An inexpensive fuse puller would also make it easier.  For the trailer wiring, go to Walmart and at least get a trailer light tester (less than $5 I believe).  That will tell you if the RV side is working properly.  You will need to check out the trailer manually with a meter.  You have a short or it is not wired the same as your rig.  Wire color coding for the flat 4-pole connector trailer wiring is standard:
White - ground; uncovered pin on rv side
Brown -  Taillight/parking; 1st  covered pin on rv side
Yellow - Left turn/brake; 2nd  covered pin on rv side
Green - Right turn/brake; 3rd  covered pin on rv side

The wiring in the dodge chassis is basically the same except toward the bulb end of a cable, they may use yellow wire for the green right turn wire.  Dave


     I think I added your idea of moving the fuse box to a more accessible place at #435 on my list of things to do (or was it #345, or #534,  AAAHHH, I hate being dyslexic!).  I think I would opt to use spade fuses as well.  I'll bet I could get a nearly new one from some vehicle at the Magic Junkyard.  Incidentally, yes, it was that fuse.  I replaced it just before pulling out for the Gettysburg Mini-jam and voila!  Thank God for small miracles (as opposed to major problems)! - Sob