does anyone have any idea why my lights flicker, all my light inside and out

510

Asked by troyvega Nov 26, 2012 at 05:37 PM about the 2008 Dodge RAM 2500 Laramie Quad Cab 4WD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

my lights flicker when on inside and out my dash,head lights interior everything

38 Answers

33,845

what engine is it equipped with. and does it do it all the time or just when you start it in the morning or after its sat for a long time?

28 people found this helpful.
61,115

Diodes in the alternator are going, this is most noticable at idle. Check for bad connectons at battery , alternator and grounds.

27 people found this helpful.
33,845

Not necessarily Chrysler charging systems are highly based off of battery temperature. This truck has battery temperature sensors in the battery tray, dodge trucks cycle the PCM controlled voltage regulator on and off at a set voltage of 12.8 volts until the batteries reach a specified temperature, this will cause dash, over head, and head lights to pulsate.

49 people found this helpful.
510

It does it once the lights get turned on and has gotten worse sometimes more then others, its like i have huge amp in there. lol, I have had people pull over thinking I was a cop behind them. not sure if I need to take it to dodge or I can fix it just need some guidance

37 people found this helpful.
33,845

Does it happen all the time, or when the truck is cold like has sat over night, or for a number of hours?

22 people found this helpful.
715

My '03 Cummins equipped truck does the same thing when the grid heater kicks on and off. I can watch the lights in the truck dim and my headlights will slightly dim and then come back on. Only notice this when it's cold enough for the grid heater to come into play.

8 people found this helpful.
61,115

Thats just because the heater draws alot of current. Similar things happen when ac kicks on or things like that.

4 people found this helpful.
33,845

The grids only make the lights flicker because on a cold start the BCM is reading battery temp, and only charging at a 12.5 volts just enough to keep from damaging ECM contained injector drivers. chrysler picked a shitty way to build their charging system which is why I run a GM style 1 wire alternator on my 05 Cummins.

13 people found this helpful.
715

I was stating this fact as a possible solution to the OP, not looking for an answer to a problem. Maybe this is what he is noticing.

6 people found this helpful.
33,845

Yeah thats what I was gonna tell him if he replied to my question that I asked like 4 posts up about ambient temperature, my guess is he figured it out himself haha

3 people found this helpful.
65

it is just the grid heaters turning on and off, no problem normal operation

6 people found this helpful.
360

It is not the grid heater, listen to the symptoms. He didn't say dimmed down, he said pulse like cop headlights. I have had many Dodge trucks, and now my '07 is having this pulsing problem. Instead of guessing, it would be nice if someone who really has had this happen and had it fixed would reply.

36 people found this helpful.
33,845

Sorry, let me just miracle it fixed. I dont even know why I continue to put information out on this any way. its absolutely useless talking to what 90% of the time are knowledgeless people. If you want your truck fixed, drive to Conway, South Carolina, and I will gladly fix it for you instead of just give away good information and starting points that youre going to ignore any way. but I just want to know, if youre so sure that its not the grid heater, why your problem fixed?

23 people found this helpful.
165

my 08 dodge with cummins does the same. interior and exterior lights dim and brighten & the engine lopes at an idle. I turn the blower motor fan on high it stops and everthing is normal. I come out in the morning and sometimes I need to jump start it and sometimes I dont. I dont know if it is a battery or the alternator. It doesnt do it all the time but more frequently in the last couple weeks now.

16 people found this helpful.
90

I have the same issue with my '08 Cummins. The interior and headlights pulse. They will do that for a while and then they will quit, only to start again later. At first I noticed it more when it was cold, but now I have seen it do this at 60 or 70 degrees. I took it to the dealer 2x and each time I was told it was a known problem and the turbo pre-heater draws so much current it causes the lights to pulse, I don't know if that is accurate or not, but sometimes people pull over and get out of my way. I guess they figure it is a police truck behind them.

9 people found this helpful.
40

I know exactly what he is talking about. It has nothing to do with the truck being a diesel. My 1993 Dodge W-150 which is gas does the same thing. My head lights and dash lights flash off and on. I have replaced the light switch and the plug in the switch plugs into. Still haven't found the solution.

4 people found this helpful.
90

I went through an alternator and that didn't help. Found out it was one of my batteries!!! Stopped flickering when I replaced my bad battery. Guess the alternator was wigging out and spasms when one battery goes out.

9 people found this helpful.
60

Thank You all...Glad to know I am not alone. Just scary to be driving at night and my headlights go off...I called dealership where I bought truck and the service dept said they never heard of this and since I am out of warranty would charge me 95 dollars to look at it. I am going to cancel appt ...Doesn't seem like anyone has had luck fixing. Truck is a 2013 bought new. Now has 23k on it. Just started doing it a lot recently...frustrated.

6 people found this helpful.
30

I had this exact problem on my 04 Mitsubishi eclipse. One of the only aftermarket parts was a pep boys alternator. Everything tested fine, battery was fine, grounds everything. No one could figure it out. But I noticed that the lights flickered more when I gave it gas. So I put a meter on it, and as always it showed the proper voltage when idling etc. Then I watch the meter while I reved the engine and it went all the way up to 15.4 V So it was a bad voltage regulator. Pep Boys replaced the alternator under warranty and the problem was fixed.

3 people found this helpful.
80

Let me confirm 2 things. My 2008 6.7 had it's light flickering basically all the time. It was the grid heater relay. My 2007 6.7 I'm in now has no grid heater or grid heater relay I checked power connections . Recently changed belt n water pump. I double checked belt configuration. Now what

8 people found this helpful.
90

Had exact same problem. One bad battery. Changed out batteries and no more problems. 07 Ram 6.7.

9 people found this helpful.
70

Ours was the ground wire to the bright/dim switch. It was connected to plastic by a metal screw. My husband screwed it to a metal plate and it works fine. Plastic got old and broke causing the ground wire to juggle loose from the natal screw.

7 people found this helpful.
30

I have a 2013 with 5.7 Hemi. I have the same issue with all lights (in and out) flickering. Dodge shop said it was battery. I replaced the battery. Checked alternator for diode ripple, but diodes are good. Dodge said it is NOT the computer. Lights still flicker but I can't find any loose ground wires. Any thoughts or direction?

3 people found this helpful.
50

I’m having the same issue on my 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 with the 4.7. I replaced the alternator yesterday thinking that was the issue. It appeared to fix it but now it is back to the same thing and worse today. My amp gauge jumps all over the place, idle is crazy, check engine light came on today, truck stalls out, radio resets while I was driving down the road, lights flicker. I guess I’ll test the battery, but everything works fine when the truck is not running.

5 people found this helpful.
40

My 1994 Ram 150 does the same thing. After running the lights for 5-10 minutes, the headlights along with the dashboard lights all start flickering on and off. It only does this if I run my lights on bright. So at this point I just always keep them on dim until someone can tell me what is going on.

4 people found this helpful.
40

Mine also flicker.... 2000 2500 Cummins. But it’s kinda like if it had an alarm where the lights flash, just not as bright.... inside and out.... stops after a few minutes but it’ll start up when the door opens. Even with key out/ignition off

4 people found this helpful.
30

Last week while I was driving I-205 & then I-5 1997 dodge ram diesel turbo cummins 2500 pickup when it got dark both headlights went out & I had to hold the highbeam lights on the whole time because the clicker won’t work. The brake lights and taillights all worked in the blinkers. When I finally got home and was turning my truck to back into my driveway all of a sudden the headlights came on and even the clicker on the highbeams worked properly. And then as I was turning my wheel a little and applied my brakes the headlights went out and the clicker on the highbeam lights would not stay on without me holding it again. I’m new to the area and have no idea who can help.

3 people found this helpful.
60

no answer to this problem: I've been running a separate regulator on my dodge. After two years lights inside and out oscillate. checked alternator (good) checked regulator (good) I do hear what seems to be a vent flap open and close inside the cab. You know like when you turn heater on and change direction of flow of air inside the cab..... the vent opens or closed accordingly and all the time.... almost every 30 seconds . . . not sure if that has any value to this post of flickering light (I have the same issue) ANY HELP HERE

6 people found this helpful.
30

just the dash board lights flicker off and on.. Still have warrenty however my parents bought it from me and i bought it clear across the state. so long ass drive any answer before i go today the outside lights dont blink 2013 Dodge Ram 1500

3 people found this helpful.
10

This problem just started for me . Funny smell in cab like metal after grinding it. Now head lights turn dim to brite by them selves repeatedly also dash lite won't come on like it use to. Can you help?

1 people found this helpful.
10

i don't know if this will help any one or not my issue was simply the alternator. it looks like i got lucky. thanks for the help ya'll .

1 people found this helpful.
10

I have a 07 3500 with a Cummins 6.7.when you turn the wipers on intermittant.they run constant and the washers stay on.when you turn on the head lights.they stay on dim are high.what ever the truck desides.ive already replaced the fuse box under the hood.still does the same thing

1 people found this helpful.

2016 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi.... Had the flicker as well for 2 years. Alternator always tested fine and so did the battery. I changed the Battery to a Duracell Ultra Platinum AGM BCI for $220. At the same time I ordered LED Headlight Bulbs and LED Fog Light Bulbs. Flicker is now gone. LED lights are way brighter. Not sure which one fixed it (probably battery) but also using LED bulbs I am only drawing 1/3 of the power I used to. That is what fixed my issue.

@Kasper6969. Did you ever find a solution? I'm having the same light issues and the mode door flapping noise as well. It seems to be worse when its set to defrost or the defrost and mixed mode and when the ac is on. But either way its noticeable when driving and more when at idle. Been driving me crazy for almost a year and the more I dig and look for a solution the more confused I get, nothing worse than working with mobile and 12v for a living and having this issue and not be able to fix it lmfao. Hope you got yours fixed if so help a man out

Dan Connell, I would like to talk to you about my truck. Can you please contact me. TJ Lockhart tjlockhart@live.com. Thank you

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