Journey Dash Indicator Light Problem

[Demoman]

I have recently been having a problem with the dash indicator lights on my Journey 39QD. Sometimes when you go over a harsh bump in the highway all the indicator lights will come on at the same time for a few seconds. They will all go off then and everything works fine sometimes and other times the guages will freeze in place until you stop and restart the unit. The dash gauge computer has been replaced once and this did not fix the problem, unit is back at frieghtliner for same problem.

Has anyone else had this problem? If so what was done to correct it.

Thanks for any info.

Steve

[Demoman]

I have recently been having a problem with the dash indicator lights on my Journey 39QD. Sometimes when you go over a harsh bump in the highway all the indicator lights will come on at the same time for a few seconds. They will all go off then and everything works fine sometimes and other times the guages will freeze in place until you stop and restart the unit. The dash gauge computer has been replaced once and this did not fix the problem, unit is back at frieghtliner for same problem.

Has anyone else had this problem? If so what was done to correct it.

Thanks for any info.

Steve

[El Jeffe]

2002 Journey DL 39QD 23,900 miles

No problem so far with dash indicator lights.

[Rick Buddrus]

Not yet. Don't want any part of this one.

[Zimectrin]

Have not seen a problem with ours.

Your description seems to look like the self check at power-up. Does the TV antenna check light and buzz also come on?

[Demoman]

Steve, The buzzer does not come on and I am not sure the antenna light comes on when this happens. It reaaly isn't like start up, they all come on at the same time and go off at the same time.

Steve

[RKL2]

Steve...had this problem and it got progressively worse to the point that the transmission started to default to 2nd gear from 6th and then defaulted only to neutral and finally all lights came on after a rumble strip and engine shut down with no restart on the engine.....
after 3 Freightliner service centers tried to find it (on my mionth long trip out west) and 2 Allison centers tried to find the problem, a tech at the 4th Freightliner shop correctly diagoned the problem....a loose (only 7 volts and sometimes no volts) and finally broken (?) 12 volt or ground wire going to the VCU black controller box above the engine....this box also feeds the Allison CPU...
Tech said it was impossible to trace the wires as they are in harnesses which tie into other harnesses etc. Tech installed two new wires, a hot and ground wired directly to the chassis battery and problem dissappeared for 2000 miles until I put my lights on in a rainstorm....then complete engine shutdown on a 70MPH interstate....no power to anything on the chassis...After the initial panic I finally thought to check the 15 amp fuse the tech had wired into the new 12Volt wire and was belated to find it was blown....replaced it with a 20 amp fuse and everything came back on... did not use headlights.....all this happened on a 7000 mile trip around the west.....
when I got home yesterday I noticed that the new wires the tech had installed were thinner than the wires he spliced into and the in line fuse wire was 1/2 the size of the smaller wire.....I am guessing this is was shut me down with the headlites extra draw....Since the VCU box has all the relays for ABS brake lights, headlights and ignition, ect.
At this point I think it is apparent that the new wires and fuse are undersized...and the fuse blew when I turned on the headlites...I will replace with correct wires and fuses after I call Freightliner for advice.....Spent over $800.. trying to find the problem with Alison and Freightliner pointing fingers at each other.
Hope this helps and that this may shed some light on your issue....The VCU box, if that is the correct name, it mounted above the engine on mine, next to 2 silver boxes, one for the Allison and the other I think for the air....
The wires they spliced into were in the harnesses that plug into the VCU box....there are 2 hots, one from the ignition and one from the chassis battery...there is only one ground....If your problem gets worse, you might advise the tech on my experience and save a lot of time and $ if not under warranty....After I talk to Freightliner I will post their advice......
Believe me nothing is as exciting as being stranded on the interstate in a bad rainstorn with no lights and your tires on the white edge stripe....First thing is abandon ship and head for the grass.....then try to figure out the problem and call for help....good luck...I still panic when I hit a big bump even after 2000 miles on no problems....good luck RKL

[RKL2]

Update on electrical shutdown problem...The VCU is actually called a VIM which controls the vehicle warning lights panel and powers the transmission controller electrics..
A Freightliner dealer spliced a line into the VIM 12v supply line from the battery to get me out of his shop. This line failed when a week later I turned on my headlights and overloaded the thin wire they installed
Also on the same output stud is the main chassis electrical and ignition wiring connection....my problem was a failed 135amp resettable circuit breaker located at the rear passenger side frame rail..
as this started to fail over time, at each bump, warning lights flickered , the transmission started defaulting to 2nd gear from 6th and finally wouldn't power up at all and finally the 12v electric for the chassis and ignition quit entirely on the highway. Only by running a 10 guage jump wire from the battery to the output stud on the breaker was I able to power up and make it home from Wyoming...I replaced the breaker today and all is well...Will still keep my jump wire...and extra breakers (made in Mexico.) I assume the breaker broke over time due to road bumps...It was rattling when I took is off and had no contunity.
hope this may be a heads up for you and save you time and expense in searching the myriad of wire harnesses looking for a broken wire or a broken connection.....learned on this forum to start at the battery and go forward and not at the other end of the wires where the equipment is . The broken breaker was the first connection after the battery . RKL

[jvolkens]

Had the exact same problem with my journey 39. Freightliner cleaned all ground wires and it solved problem.

Jon

["007"]

Thats right those dirty loose gnd's will do it every time. "007"