Short answer yes, RCM communicates with the PCM/Bcm via the can buse but, has also been known to be caused by a faulty brake light switch or a bad connection at the brake light switch which is mounted on the brake pedal arm under the dash. Other causes also but less common. Another common cause of a lot of the ailments of this cars electrical system is poor or bad ground connections, you should inspect disassemble clean with a wire brush reassemble with Dielectric grease all the ground connections under the hood including the one right at the secondary air injection pump, they may look clean but because they are dissimilar metals oftentimes they create a film of oxidation between them, when you add all of the connections together they create a lot of resistance that is not supposed to be there which in turn increases the Load on the electronic components which causes them to overheat and prematurely fail. We have several electronic engineers on this forum who can better guide you then me, they may chime in and offer some additional advice. Hope this helps

 

This is very helpful, thank you very much! Are there any guides with pictures for where the grounds are located? I searched but didn't turn much up. I'd be more than happy to inspect each one but I'm not really sure what to look for or where I should be looking. I'm going to take another look at the RCM - I suspect that even though the solder looked OK at first glance, it might not hurt to go ahead and touch up all of the connections that look even a little questionable. I just hope that I didn't damage anything on the RCM when I pulled it out last time; I was worried I might have scratched some traces or something on the board.

Any additional input is greatly appreciated - I love this forum!

 

Yes the repair manual is available to download on this forum and has all of the information you need, most of the ground connections are pretty obvious look for wires that are bolted to the fenders on both sides including the battery ground cable and as I said earlier the ground wire that is bolted at the mounting clamp on the secondary air injection pump.

 

Breakneck
The PO410 isn't caused by the bad solder joints. They cause the Mystery No Start problem.
It's the contact for the air pump relay in the RCM that are bad (burnt).

 

Alright, so it's basically the same process of touching up the solder points on the relay associated with the air pump? Which relay on the rcm handles the air pump? I think I remember seeing four or five relays. I guess I'm confused on what fixes what.

I'm approaching the point where I'm going to just have to buy another rcm, I've gotta get smog tested soon.

 

The relay has to be replaced. It's the relay on the far edge of the RCM (other edge is a blank for a relay).
I've repaired a zillion of these.
I replace the relay, do the bad solder joints and hook you up with the Me So Horny mod (horn works w/o key). $27


Email me tighed1@hot mail.com if interested.

dj

 

I would certainly consider that if it wasn't my daily driver and only vehicle. I think I can probably replace the relay myself. Thank you very much for your input, though. I wouldn't have known it was the relay and not the bad solder joints. Do we have a part # for that relay in this thread?

 

I ordered the relays from onlinecomponents.com they are $3.80 each. Unfortunately, they have a minimum $50 order, wasn't a problem for me as I have several electronics projects in work and just ordered other parts at the same time. The link to the relays is: http://www.onlinecomponents.com/amer...tml?p=10618644
I also ordered a new RCM from autoplicity for $145. The module can be found at: Standard Motor Products RY1562 Standard Relay | Autoplicity
I also had the stealership in town look up the module, but almost fainted when they quoted me $2000! Yes there is NO DECIMAL POINT in that number.

 

I have been trying to get this same problem resolved on my xfire for the past two days. we have re-soldered the RCM; we replaced the battery. we want to test some relays but we can't find them.

can anyone provide a diagram of the big fuse box on the passenger side of the car? i have a 2004 xfire manual non-srt.

we can't find the starter relay. We have been looking for hours trying to find where it actually is. we even bought the service manual but we can't find where this bugger is at.

if you can help out, id appreciate it.

 

The relays discussed in this thread are mostly inside the RCM

 

The electrical component locations are described in this PDF.CLICK

 

Thanks 180, I saved this.

 

Thanks for the reply

We exposed the "pulse module" on the drivers side and found the actual relay for the starter...

When we manually press the relay to the closed position, the car will crank and we can see the fuel pump relay go to the closed position in the RCM.

We also have the clutch switch bypassed with a jumper.

Although with both of these conditions being "true", the car will not run...

What would keep the car from running even though we can engage the starter and see the fuel pump relay engaged?

Does the '04 model come equipped with the ASR (auto shutdown relay)? If so, where is it?

We also have a hard time engaging the starter from the key. The starter at times will engage from the key, but it appears the voltage in the battery needs to be > 12.5v.

Could this be something to do with an anti-theft module issue?

Thanks again

 

So the car won't engage the starter on it's own?
And the car won't run IF you get it to turn over as you described?

THen check to see if the output of hte Engine Control Relay (on the RCM) is getting to the PTCM.
That output not only "allows" the PTCM to operate the plugs and injectors, it also is required for the PTCM to command the pulse module to engage the starter.

 

By chance does the radiator fan spin up really fast when the key is put to the ON position?
That's an indication that the engine control relay is not engaged.

 

The fan does not spin up when turned to on...

I did remove the relays and witnessed this scenario, but with everything as it should be this does not happen.

This is correct, the car will not engage the starter, well it is very intermittent and is more on the not engaging rather than engaging.(It sometimes will engage)

When the car does engage the starter from the key, it is like it is not getting gas. Same scenario when we manually toggle the starter relay.

I tried to follow the FSM for the electrical pinouts on the RCM to the PTCM, although I couldn't figure out what pin is what...(What connector/pin ect ect).

So to bypass this issues, I tried to "beep" via a multimeter from the RCM engine control relay to EVERY pin in the wire harness to the PTCM and did NOT find a beep signal.

I am assuming the clutch switch still needs to be bypassed and the ignition in the ON position?

Another note is I can see the fuel pump relay DISengage after a few seconds of trying to start the car.

Thanks again for the help, much appreciated.

 

Thanks for the link for the relays. That price for the RCM is a little high compared to other sources. RockAuto.com sells the exact same Standard Motor Products Part Number for just under $129.

As far as the dealer quoting $2k for the RCM, that's just ridiculous! I'd report him to the respective BBB (Better Business Bureau) for price gouging. The Chrysler Part (5099007AA) from OEDiscountParts.com, which is a Chrysler dealer in western NC, is only $244.80 against an MSRP of $340.

Later,

 

Replaced the pulse module. The old one had charge coming from 1B but not 1F. The new one had voltage flowing through both. Still no start...

I should also note that the car was in a minor accident in May. I was hit on the right door. I just got the car out of the body shop on 7/11. They replaced the door and did a bit more body work. Nothing under the hood, I dont think.

 

I am so glad I joined this forum. The caliber of people and the intellect is amazing along with the desire to help one another through the troubleshooting process. I wish there was a national rally every year so members from across the country could get together, food for thought.

ffmdicpete

 

There IS a national rally ( or 2 ) every year :
1. The Tail of the Dragon get together at Fontana Village Inn in NC usually at the September/October weekend.
2. A CAA across America rally, site changes ever year. Last year was Eureka Springs, AR, this year was held in Yakima, WA.