[valiant67]

I was trying to trace down an audio problem on the 1999 Dodge Dakota R/T I bought earlier this year (ended up being a bad factory amp).

While I was looking around, I found a mystery black box up under the dash. It's got a couple wires ran to a remote push button switch. A white wire to ground, a black wire that's cut off, blue and green wire that I believe tap into +12v wires in the steering column and two orange wires that are attached to the cut factory dark blue/yellow strip wire which I believe goes to the starter relay. There are no markings on the box other than a label that says 36843 and another than says Rev 30A. The box is about 3"x4" and 1.5" deep.

The truck appears to have the factory security system (has the blinking security light in the cluster) but I haven't verified that yet. Anyway it seems to make no difference if the factory alarm is armed, the truck starts and runs when the factory alarm should cut it off. As far as I can tell, the truck behaves as if there is no security system either factory or aftermarket.

Any ideas? Is this an aftermarket alarm module? Or a remote start box? I even took the cover off the box and there's still nothing I can find to ID the box.

 

[chuzz]

Maybe it's some kind of kill switch installed by the previous owner, Mark? Have you tried connecting the wires and see what happens?

 

[Bob Lincoln]

Sounds like a homemade or aftermarket anti-theft device. I'd remove it.

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Probably a remote car starter.

 

[valiant67]

I'm leaning towards the remote start. The remote start would effectively have to disable the factory alarm to start and keep the truck running.

The Dodge.com site is working again and the equipment list for my truck does say it has the security group.

 

[ImperialCrown]

It would be unusual for a manufacturer to not identify itself on the outside of the module.
Some manufacturers had raised lettering on the black plastic housings that could be hard to see under a dash. If you find an ID and model #, Google it for an instruction manual, although without the remotes it isn't worth much.

 

[valiant67]

I cut the tie and dropped the box out from under the dash and other than the numbers on the labels above there are no other markings than some arrows on the outside of the box. I even removed the screws holding the cover and could find no marking inside other than the name on a couple relays.

I'm gonna cut the box out and splice the one cut factory wire when I am off over Thanksgiving and see what happens.