So this afternoon, on my way down 40 my airbag light came on, immediately followed by my ABS, Check Engine, and a red light near the heat guage. The heat guage, speed, gasoline, and RPMs stopped working and the milage read "no bu5".

I pulled over immediately, turned off car, and checked all liquids...no problems there. I call my semi-mechanic brother who says it's a computer issue and to get home unless it starts running rough.

I get in and on my way home, it comes to life and all lights go off except "Check Engine" and the little red light near the heat guage...and the RPM, gas, and speed start working again.

According to google:
No bus" means the cluster is not getting a signal from the computer (either BCM or PCM, I don't remember). You've either got a loose wire, a short, or a fried computer.
I heare theres a TSB out for this, its like a 20 minute swap of the gauge cluster, get one cheap from a junk yard someplace. I believe the mileage is stored in the computer, so it will not be lost if you swap out clusters.

So, what does it mean since mine started working again? My brother can fix it I think so I don't really want to pay someone if its a simple fix for him. I'm suppose to drive home (near greensboro) Saturday morning to get my tires changed out... Help!

5/29/2008 4:53:13 PM

its a dodge, wiring issues are the least of their failures as a manufacturer

5/29/2008 5:00:33 PM

I need serious responses about this issue. Thank you.

5/29/2008 5:07:34 PM

^^lol

^how many miles does it have? and what year?

5/29/2008 5:10:18 PM

Quote :

"So, what does it mean since mine started working again?"

means you probably had a short somewhere, but you hit a bump or something and it went away.

what year? some of the older digital odometers stored their mileage in the cluster (my 98 dakota is like this) and you get the mileage of the junkyard car when you swap a used cluster in.

5/29/2008 5:29:29 PM

Quote :

"some all of the older digital odometers stored their mileage in the cluster "

5/29/2008 5:35:20 PM

^werd

5/29/2008 5:37:16 PM

^^^It's a 2000.

[Edited on May 29, 2008 at 5:43 PM. Reason : ...]

5/29/2008 5:42:27 PM

I believe all DCX cars from the late 90s on store the mileage in the cluster AND in the pcm. Whatever is stored in the cluster is what's displayed there, so if you swap clusters your indicated mileage will change but the mileage in the pcm will continue to accumulate like normal.

5/29/2008 9:39:30 PM

actually, some if not all 98+ dodges store it in the pcm. when i put a mopar performance pcm in my ram i had to have it flashed for the vin and mileage. same when the pcm in my ex gf's durango went bad. i know dakotas and neons store it there as well. i'm not positive on the stratus, but i would ASSume it to be the same. especially knowing the neon is.

5/29/2008 9:52:32 PM

So, even with the check engine light on, is my car okay to drive to work tomorrow?

My brother says it is...and if it goes out again, just my dashboard will be affected so don't speed and make sure I keep track of my gas consumption.

Is there anything that could damage my engine driving it like this?

5/29/2008 10:30:30 PM

^^ For the SRT stage kits Mopar does ask for the mileage, but Flight Systems (the company actually producing the PCMs for Mopar) does not need to put it in. The order system requires it, though.

5/29/2008 10:36:24 PM

its not gonna damage anything, driving with the cluster not working is like turning on a lamp with a burned out bulb, it just sits there

5/29/2008 10:39:27 PM

Oh, thank you. I am in the DARK when it comes to cars...(I'm working with your pun, you see....hahaha...you SEE?...ok, I'll stop)

Damn, and I wanted to call in sick tomorrow too. Oh well, trusty dodge stratus and I will have to make our way to work it seems.

5/29/2008 10:41:47 PM

^^^not sure i understand your post? it's not that ordering from flight doesn't require a flash, it's if you get any mp computer from them they will flash the vin/mileage for you before sending it if you provide them with the info. if you buy one from elsewhere, you have to have a dealer do it. maybe that's what you were trying to say though...

^yeah, it's highly unlikely it's going to hurt anything mechanically. worst case, you've got a faulty computer and some part of the engine/transmission management decides to crap out too and you're left with a non running/driving car. even the chances of that are slim though. typically, computer failures don't spread and are isolated to one general area.

[Edited on May 29, 2008 at 11:44 PM. Reason : just to clarify, ALL have the mileage in the cluster but some store in the computer as well]

5/29/2008 11:36:38 PM

^I have ordered a new PCM and had the mileage entered, and had FS flash a new VIN on a used Mopar PCM and did not provide the mileage. If you have the dealer transfer the VIN to a new to you PCM they usually don't deal with trying to match mileage between pcm and cluster.


I guess I'm saying it's a want vs need thing for Mopar/FS.

5/30/2008 8:12:57 AM

the mileage isn't going to matter the "dodge and stratus" are your worries.

5/30/2008 8:19:36 AM

^^ but if you sell the vehicle, or get it inspected and the mileage doesn't match you have to disclose that or face some hefty dmv fines and possibly prosecution for fraud, but not likely, easier to just do it right

5/30/2008 9:05:00 AM

Quote :

"actually, some if not all 98+ dodges store it in the pcm. when i put a mopar performance pcm in my ram i had to have it flashed for the vin and mileage. same when the pcm in my ex gf's durango went bad. i know dakotas and neons store it there as well. i'm not positive on the stratus, but i would ASSume it to be the same. especially knowing the neon i"

it's stored in both places actually

5/30/2008 9:18:42 AM

Quote :

"[Edited on May 29, 2008 at 11:44 PM. Reason : just to clarify, ALL have the mileage in the cluster but some store in the computer as well]"

5/30/2008 11:00:39 AM

oops

5/30/2008 11:30:36 AM

actually only german built cars, (not even us built german cars) store the mileage in the bcm

dodge and chevy store engine hours/rpm in the pcm for warranty and research purposes, ie. tracking recalls and tsbs for reflashes

only the cluster stores the mileage, the bcm and pcm get a signal from the vss, but the only logging of that signal occurs in the cluster in us vehicles, its really no different than the same old mechanical ones, you just need a computer intstead of a drill to run it back

the only other way to tell is to use a scanner and check the chip flach, and the hours come up and you could possibly estimate the mileage

5/30/2008 11:38:17 AM

^as many have said, Dodge, even on the lowly neon, has the exact mileage stored in the pcm.

Quote :

"^^ but if you sell the vehicle, or get it inspected and the mileage doesn't match you have to disclose that or face some hefty dmv fines and possibly prosecution for fraud, but not likely, easier to just do it right"

if you swap clusters for one with a lower mileage, yes. It is fairly easy for someone with a DRB3 to update the cluster or pcm with a new mileage. I haven't known anyone to actually check the mileage in the pcm unless there's a question about warranty work and possibly using a different pcm during some point in the car's life.



[Edited on May 30, 2008 at 12:26 PM. Reason : [Edited on May 30, 2008 at 12:22 PM. Reason : ]]

5/30/2008 12:19:57 PM