Dakota Clock Problem

From : fbob

Q: i recently had an engine warning light come on that was diagnosed as a split vacuum line associated with the fuel system. this was diagnosed at a general auto repair shop since the truck is long out of warrantee year 2001 90000 miles. when i got the truck back the clock was off by about three hours. i assumed that they had disconnected the battery but all the programmed radio stations were still there. i reset the clock to the correct time but the next morning it was off again by nine minutes. i have reset the clock several times now and within a few hours it is reading incorrectly again. i know that incorrectly connecting diagnostic equipment can play hell with some of the electronics and i assume there is some relationship between the repair i had done and the clock problem now but there is no way i can prove it. what i am looking for is information on the repair of the clock. can anyone tell me if there is a separate module of some sort that controls the clock and can be replaced or is this not a component system meaning that the radio and cd player have to be replaced just to get the clock to tell the proper time the truck is still in perfect condition and i hate to have something as tacky as an auto parts store clock stuck to the dash board with tape over the oem display but im also not too hot on spending the money for a new radio and cd player to fix the clock. im heading up to the repair shop shortly to talk to them about it but i already know what their response will be so i thought id try for info here. i have already searched alldata.com and they dont have any info on the clock. any information will be greatly appreciated. dave .

Replies:

From : john

when the radio is made there is a tester on the production line that measures the frequency of the quartz crystal and computes an offset so that the clock keeps the correct time. this offset is stored in a eeprom location in the radios micro controller. it appears that your radio has lost or scrambled that offset number from internal eeprom memory. on fri 2 apr 2004 121527 -0600 fbob farmerbob@iowatelecom.net wrote i recently had an engine warning light come on that was diagnosed as a split vacuum line associated with the fuel system. this was diagnosed at a general auto repair shop since the truck is long out of warrantee year 2001 90000 miles. when i got the truck back the clock was off by about three hours. i assumed that they had disconnected the battery but all the programmed radio stations were still there. i reset the clock to the correct time but the next morning it was off again by nine minutes. i have reset the clock several times now and within a few hours it is reading incorrectly again. i know that incorrectly connecting diagnostic equipment can play hell with some of the electronics and i assume there is some relationship between the repair i had done and the clock problem now but there is no way i can prove it. what i am looking for is information on the repair of the clock. can anyone tell me if there is a separate module of some sort that controls the clock and can be replaced or is this not a component system meaning that the radio and cd player have to be replaced just to get the clock to tell the proper time the truck is still in perfect condition and i hate to have something as tacky as an auto parts store clock stuck to the dash board with tape over the oem display but im also not too hot on spending the money for a new radio and cd player to fix the clock. im heading up to the repair shop shortly to talk to them about it but i already know what their response will be so i thought id try for info here. i have already searched alldata.com and they dont have any info on the clock. any information will be greatly appreciated. dave .

From : mike simmons

the clock anomaly is unrelated to the previous repair. the only thing that you might try is to pull the fuses there are more than one! to the radio for about five minutes and then reinstall them. reset the clock and keep an eye on it for a day or two. if it still loses/gains time then a radio repair shop will be your next stop. gunbunny is correct in the repair pricing. chryco service manager member sae when the radio is made there is a tester on the production line that measures the frequency of the quartz crystal and computes an offset so that the clock keeps the correct time. this offset is stored in a eeprom location in the radios micro controller. it appears that your radio has lost or scrambled that offset number from internal eeprom memory. on fri 2 apr 2004 121527 -0600 fbob farmerbob@iowatelecom.net wrote i recently had an engine warning light come on that was diagnosed as a split vacuum line associated with the fuel system. this was diagnosed at a general auto repair shop since the truck is long out of warrantee year 2001 90000 miles. when i got the truck back the clock was off by about three hours. i assumed that they had disconnected the battery but all the programmed radio stations were still there. i reset the clock to the correct time but the next morning it was off again by nine minutes. i have reset the clock several times now and within a few hours it is reading incorrectly again. i know that incorrectly connecting diagnostic equipment can play hell with some of the electronics and i assume there is some relationship between the repair i had done and the clock problem now but there is no way i can prove it. what i am looking for is information on the repair of the clock. can anyone tell me if there is a separate module of some sort that controls the clock and can be replaced or is this not a component system meaning that the radio and cd player have to be replaced just to get the clock to tell the proper time the truck is still in perfect condition and i hate to have something as tacky as an auto parts store clock stuck to the dash board with tape over the oem display but im also not too hot on spending the money for a new radio and cd player to fix the clock. im heading up to the repair shop shortly to talk to them about it but i already know what their response will be so i thought id try for info here. i have already searched alldata.com and they dont have any info on the clock. any information will be greatly appreciated. dave .

From : gunbunny31

the display in the radio is actually a common problem. this is not related to any other work done to the car. the radio is not within the diagnostic circuit. the chrysler radios can be repaired but its not always cheap. the repair is anywhere from $165.00 to $270.00 depending on the radio. check with a outside repair shop. it may be cheaper. chrysler has all of theirs done thru t.e.hunt. i am sure that there is a electrioncs repair shop near to you. if you reply with the part # off the top of the radio i can tell you how much exactly. .