Hi Everyone,
Reaching out for some emergency assistance. Currently in North Bay, 300 miles from home on my way to the cottage to bring the boat home/close cottage with my brother and his 2003 CCSB 6.0 PSD and after filling up for fuel the truck started fine but the instrument cluster was dead. Torque Pro showed low alternator voltage of approximately 11.6 volts. We drove a short distance but the voltage started dropping. Proceeded to pull into a local coffee shop and truck is losing battery power. Truck will not start now. We have checked the instrument cluster fuses and they appear to be ok. Before this occurred the truck fine for the first 200 miles.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks, Rob

 

From what you have described it sounds like your alternator is toast .

 

The cluster turns on the alternator.

The '03 cluster is not one I've seen a lot of issues with and my first though was a loose connection on the back if it's been removed in the past. The question would be if you have a multimeter with you. Flipping fuses is always an option in the field with no real tools.

It does have a multiprocessor on-board though, so when they fail it's not just a simple swap. Circuit board mechanics is a common repair for them. https://circuitboardmedics.com/2002-...luster-repair/

I do have the diagrams if that might help.

 

Hi,
Thanks Jack and 2005x6.0 for the quick replies.
Here are the latest update. After sitting for a bit I asked my brother to go and recheck the fuses as he is mechanically inclined but get VERY frustrated when things go sideways. He missed the fuse #45 which was blown. We ended up borrowing the horn fuse and got a boost from a trucker parked there. Things were good again. My thoughts were the instrument cluster but that was just an educated guess.

It is an awful feeling being broke down in God's country being out of range of a workshop with all the tools and diagnostic equipment. I do appreciate the support this forum offers and wanted to provide updates to this thread as I find that far too often people post a thread and never respond back with the end results.

Rob

 

Oh yeah!, Been there myself and all the years sending test drivers across the country running brake tests. Glad it got resolved, it's so easy to skip a fuse and get frustrated.

If I'm going to be away from my normal drive area I also take the soft pack tool kit, which includes a multimeter. Having a short in a trailer also taught me to carry fuses, but of course there is a reason why fuses blow. Long trip, parts come along, including the old alternator and fan belt.

And as a side note, always get the Littlefuse or Bussmann fuses, they have kits. Harbor Freight fuses had a serious issue years ago and they stopped selling fuses. But those same ones are now on Amazon and eBay.

It's a long video, but he always goes into great detail.

 

I always have a spare pack of fuses in my glovebox and I also always carry a minimum tool kit of sockets, multimeter and repair equipment. It was frustrating last night when I asked about spare fuses and my brother replies that he had none.

Rob.

 

The joy of being an only child. You were probably already solved by the time I saw your post, but I should have included the fuse panel layout with the diagrams, so many times the owners manual is not there.

 

Things got resolved fairly quickly(thank goodness) but that one question is still nagging at me in the back of my mind:

Why did that fuse blow just like that in the first place?

I understand that everything has a service life but this question will be on my mind the whole trip home. My brother did start the truck up this morning and no issues and he checked the voltage while it was fast idling and he mentioned it was in the high 13 volts.

Rob

 

Yeah, there's that.

 

So latest update-Went to leave the cottage this morning my brother starts up the truck and all gauges are working fine. He then proceeds to drive from the parking area and begins to get ready to back up the boat trailer onto the ramp when he call out to me that the gauges just quit and sure enough blown fuse. I asked if he tilted the steering column, hit the turn switches etc. to try and begin to narrow down this issue and he says no. Truck had no issues at all on the 360 mile trip home.

Rob

 

Sounds like you have a chaffed wire and short to ground somewhere. I would guess on the engine harness somewhere. Time to dig around a bit. Especially where the harness runs over or around a bolt. B.

 

Trailer wiring issue?

 

xcrsp440-I thought that at first but the boat trailer has just had all new wiring and new lights. My only thought was my brother's truck trailer harness connection at the bumper. Hope to slowly start looking into this on the weekend.

Rob

 

The collection of chapter 60 that I posted before gives you all the connections of the instrument cluster, which is extensive. Unless someone has been probing around, ny thoughts are to two. Occasionally on vehicles the two wire connector to the alternator gets funky, but those two are positive connections. I'd still inspect. But it is rare, some have found the wire between the cluster and alternator to be damaged. You also have the ECT sensor. Everything sense is relatively stable. Still......

After that, I'd probably send my cluster off to Circuit Board Medics to be tested as it could be internal.

 

Thanks Jack. There is possibly more to add to this:So the saga continues with my brother’s truck(2003 CCSB 4x4 6.0 PSD) and I am not sure if this latest issue is in any way related to the blown fuse but I have a feeling that it is.

If others think I should start a new thread I will gladly do so. Just let me know.

Things have been busy at my place and have not had much time to dive into the fuse#45 blowing but my brother stated that this fuse has not blown since. However when he left my shop the other day he got approximately a ¼ mile down the road and needed to get back to my place in reverse as the 5R110W tranny was slipping. The tranny fluid/filter has always been changed every 30000 miles and only needed to replace a tranny temp sensor a few years back. Truck is all original with the EGR still intact.

My only reason for looking into these issues as I may be purchasing the truck off of him as he is buying our Dad’s truck(2009 Chevy ½ ton 2wd V6 gasser/automatic with 40,000 miles) as our Dad has lost his licence due to his age/dementia .My brother has owned this truck since new and has always kept up on maintenance/fluid changes. Overall the truck is in good shape except for the usual wear and tear from 18 years of driving. The bonus for me is I know the complete history, what parts have been replaced(rad, AC compressor, HPOP, rear leaf springs etc). We are still trying to work out a fair price as well.



My first thought is to make sure that all of the battery connections and grounds are clean and clear the codes and take it for a drive to see what new codes come up but have not done this yet.



I did proceed to pull the following codes using my STC3 that are currently stored.

P0046 VGT Solenoid Turbo/supercharger boost control solenoid circuit range/performance Open circuit, control circuit short to voltage, control circuit short to ground, faulty solenoid, faulty PCM

P0102 Air Flow Circuit low input

P0113 IAT Intake air temperature circuit high input Short to voltage, open in signal return, faulty sensor, faulty PCM

P0341 CMP Camshaft position sensor A circuit range/performance (bank 1 or signal sensor) Camshaft sensor circuit

P0403 EGR Exhaust gas recirculation control circuit Open circuit, short to ground, short to voltage, faulty valve, faulty PCM

P0460 FLI Fuel level sensor circuit Open circuit, short circuit, cluster, tank unit, open return



P0480 VFAN Fan 1 control circuit Short to voltage, short to ground, open

P0500 VSS Vehicle speed sensor A Faulty sensor, circuit failure, PCM failure, trans failure, TR failure

P0528 FSS Fan speed sensor circuit no signal Mechanical failure, short to voltage, open circuit, short to ground

P0562 PCED System voltage low Charging system failure

P0645 PCED A/C clutch relay control circuit A/C circuit, A/C relay

P0649 PCED Cruise control lamp control circuit Circuit continuity

P0670 GPCM Glow plug module control circuit Short to voltage, short to ground, open circuit



P1378 INJ Module FICM supply voltage circuit low Faulty connection, fuse, faulty relay, short to ground, charging system

P0730 Incorrect gear ratio - gear control malfunction

P2700 Transmission Friction Element "A" Apply Time Range/Performance



This is lower on my to do list but I would still like to eventually get this resolved.

Any help is appreciated. Thank you.



Rob