TIPM Bypass Cable (Simple) for Micro2 Fuse Slots

1) How fast do you ship?  My vehicle will not start.

Answer: 99% of all orders will ship the same day if the order is received before 2PM ET.  Further details are available on our Shipping and Deliveries information page.

2) How long can I drive with the cable? Is it a permanent solution?

Answer: Many people have used our cables for extended periods of time (3+ years), but we prefer to list it as a temporary solution due to the limitations listed on this product page. Our cables mainly serve as testing tools to determine TIPM problems, but thousands of people use them to stay on the road. Although we do have other more permanent solutions for a different style fuse box and fuse type, we have not yet developed these products or services for the micro2 fuse version. 

3) Will your cable leave a closed circuit with constant 12 VDC power to the fuel pump when the vehicle is off?

Answer: No. When using our bypass cable, power is only delivered to the fuel pump when in ACC mode or while the vehicle is running. Your fuel pump will not be powered on when the vehicle is turned off. However, if your faulty old relay is stuck on, you must remove the lower 20 amp fuse on the F70 end of our cable in order to completely disconnect it from the fuel pump circuit.

4) What percentage of people have a no start condition with their fuel pump relay compared to those who have their fuel pump stuck on when the vehicle is off?

Answer: Based on the thousands of phone calls we've received since August 2014, we would guess that 65% have a fuel pump relay that won't engage (crank no start), 20% have a fuel pump relay that is stuck on (draining their battery), and 10% have a combination of both. 5% experience stalling while driving.  It's not uncommon for relay failures to switch from one failure mode to another.

5) My battery keeps draining. How can I temporarily fix my fuel pump relay "stuck on" situation without using your TIPM cable?

Answer:  The proper term for this situation is "parasitic draw".  Turn the vehicle off, go the rear of the vehicle near the fuel tank, and listen for pumping noises to see if fuel pump is still on. If so, remove fuse F70 (labeled "fuel pump") only when your vehicle is off, which will prevent power being delivered to the fuel pump. You can also install any of our products to prevent battery drainage due to stuck on fuel pump relays.

6) Is the TIPM bypass cable still effective if the external fuel pump relay recall has been added?

Answer: Although no recalls have been issued for vehicles with micro2 fuse slots in their TIPM and the likelihood of having an external relay is quite small, it's worth noting that our TIPM test/bypass cables will not normally work if any type of external relay has been installed in the vehicle.  Most external relay installations involve cutting numerous fuel pump wires leading in/out of the TIPM, thereby disconnecting the existing fuel pump relay circuit from the fuel pump.  To identify if you have an external fuel pump relay, read more here. 

7) Are any safety mechanisms affected by faulty fuel pump relays or bypass cables?

Answer: If the vehicle shuts off power to all 12 VDC circuits on the TIPM during a crash (specifically F91), then all original safety mechanisms should work properly. However, it is unknown how it will affect any safety mechanisms that shut off power to your faulty fuel pump relay only because we have not crash tested a vehicle to study it. Modern vehicles remove power to the fuel pump via the fuel pump relay in order to prevent feeding fires. This situation would require a crash coupled with a fuel line breach and fire. Keep in mind that all faulty fuel pump relays currently have the capability to be stuck in the "on" position, which is a safety issue to begin with. Many TIPMs have arrived in our shop with fuel pump relays that are stuck on, which would cause a fuel pump to remain on during a crash. Every vehicle with a faulty fuel pump relay is currently a safety hazard and your vehicle manufacturer isn't doing anything about it, except for 2011-2013 Dodge Durangos and Jeep Grand Cherokees per the fuel pump relay recall. 

8) In bypass mode, my car only starts on the second attempt or won't start in cold weather. Is this normal?

Answer: It's rare, but it's possible that some TIPMs won't power on the F91 circuit during the starting process. We have seen this on other style TIPMs, but none have been reported on the style of TIPM shown on this web page.  We've performed some testing/research to determine that it's likely attributable to the TIPM cutting off all unnecessary power draw during the starting process in cold weather or with lower battery voltages. With no power to F91 during the engine cranking process, the TIPM cable can't deliver power to the fuel pump via the F70 fuse slot. There are two workarounds: (1) Cycle your key or start button to ACC and RUN mode, then start the vehicle; (2) In extreme cold weather, move the TIPM cable from F91 to F90. Start the vehicle and then move the cable back to the left slots of F91. Keep in mind that plugging into F90 forces the fuel pump to remain on all the time, so you'll need to return it to F91 while the vehicle is running or after driving. This isn't an issue with our cable, rather it's how the TIPM handles cold weather starting.

Low battery voltages may be due to your faulty relay being "stuck on", which powers your fuel pump when the vehicle is off until it partially or completely drains your battery. It's complicated, but some faulty fuel relays fail in different ways. They may fail early on by simply not allowing power to pass through the F70 fuse and on to the fuel pump. Then they can switch to being "stuck on", which keeps your fuel pump running when the vehicle is off. You'll need to remove the lower yellow 20 amp fuse on the F70 end of our cable to completely disconnect the faulty relay from the fuel pump circuit and prevent battery drainage. The next time you try to start it and it fails, hook up the alligator clip to ground and watch the green light if you have the LED version of our cable. If the green light comes on when you turn the key to ACC, but then goes out only during the starter cranking process, your battery voltage is likely low. Charge your battery and/or make sure the lower fuse on the F70 end of our cable is removed. If your fuel pump is receiving power during the starting process but still fails to start, you might: (1) Have a faulty fuel pump (please use our cable to test your fuel pump), (2) Have no gas in the vehicle, or (3) Have a faulty crankshaft sensor or other problem that is outside of our knowledge base. Keep in mind that our TIPM cables have always been advertised as temporary solutions. Permanent solutions are available through us for some fuse and fusebox types, and we offer great discounts to those who've purchased our TIPM cables.

9) With the cable installed in the F91 slot, does the rear power adapter work and can my kids use it to power their hand held games or cell phone?

Answer: Yes. If you keep both fuses on the F91 end of the cable, then you can use it for other things that don't draw too much power (ie. cell phone, ipad, etc.). Fuel pumps normally consume around 8-9 of the 20 amps on the circuit.

10) Why won't your cable work on my 2007-2010 Ram truck, Chrysler 200/300, Dodge Charger, or Dodge Avenger? What does the typical fuel pump circuit look like that permits the bypass/test cable to work?

Answer: Most vehicles will allow our TIPM bypass/test cable to work, but please note that we have not been able to test every vehicle.  For a TIPM cable to work properly, the following must be true:

The order of components in the fuel pump circuit must be: +12 VDC ---> Fuel Pump Relay ---> Fuse Slot ---> Fuel Pump.  You can easily test for this arrangement using a test light or multimeter by detecting the absence of 12 VDC on the fuel pump fuse slot when the vehicle is off.  As long as your fuel pump relay is not "stuck on", detecting 12 VDC on the fuel pump fuse means a TIPM cable will not work.  To summarize, you must not detect 12 VDC on your fuel pump fuse for a TIPM cable to work and your relay must come before the fuse slot when power flows through the circuit to the fuel pump.  If a fuel pump relay is downstream of the fuse slot, you can't easily test the relay and you can't inject power to feed the pump.  Many 2010 and older Dodge Ram trucks cannot utilize a TIPM cable because the fuel pump relay comes after the fuse and you'll detect 12 VDC on the fuel pump fuse when the vehicle is off.  Since a fuel pump relay failure often means no power at the fuse or pump when the vehicle is starting or running, the arrangement of the circuit shown below benefits us since we can inject +12 VDC power via a TIPM test/bypass cable into the 20 amp fuse slot to power the fuel pump.  For details, see our wiring diagrams section.

Any alternate power source for the cable (ie. cigarette lighter, run/start relay, etc.) must ideally provide 12 VDC only when the vehicle is starting or running.

If you own a 2007-2010 Ram truck, we can only recommend a used TIPM at this time since none of our products will work and a TIPM repair is very difficult due to surface mount relays that are very close to each other.   The same used TIPM recommendation likely applies to Chrysler 200/300, Dodge Charger, and Dodge Avengers.  We have heard of some success with a 2009 Dodge Challenger.

11) Why does my remote start still work after installing the TIPM cable? Why is remote start listed as a limitation of the TIPM cable?

Answer: It's complicated, but your remote start may still work if you still have the lower fuse installed on the F70 end of our cable. If your old faulty relay is working intermittently, remote start will still allow the vehicle to start when the relay is having a good day. By removing the lower fuse, which is needed in case the old faulty relay gets "stuck on" and it drains your battery, it will completely disconnect the relay from the fuel pump circuit - killing any remote start capabilities. Remote start is listed as a limitation because the TIPM might remove power to the F91 circuit and other unnecessary circuits during the starting process. It devotes the extra power solely to the starting process, and that includes the bad relay. When bad relays are powered with higher voltages voltage, they often work better. Since the F91 circuit has no power during remote start (and in some cases, when the battery voltage is low), our TIPM cable may not receive power. This isn't a TIPM cable issue - it's simply the way the TIPM deals with power.

12) My 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan is having problems starting - sometimes a grinding sound and sometimes it starts fine. Would the fuel pump relay cause this issue?

Answer: Yes, it's possible.  Fuel pump relays often fail by clicking on and off very fast. Sometimes they click on fast enough to stay running and sometimes not. When your vehicle detects that is has "started", it disengages the starter solenoid. If the fuel relay is still clicking on/off just enough to keep it running, but not fast enough for to detect the vehicle is running, the solenoid can stay engaged in the flywheel, creating the grinding sound. It sounds like this because it is indeed slowly grinding the teeth off your flywheel and solenoid..

13) My car still won't start with the TIPM test/bypass cable installed. What might cause this?

Answer: The following are possible causes for this situation while using our cable:

1. TIPM test/bypass cable isn't hooked up to the proper fuse slots. It must be connected between F70 and F91.
2. Check cable fuses. Some people accidentally touch the cable to ground while plugged in to the TIPM, which may blow a fuse.
3. Make sure the top fuses on each end of our TIPM test/bypass cable are installed. Top fuses permit power to flow from one end of the cable (F91) to the other (F70). Bottom fuses allow the original fuse slot to function normally.
4. Have you checked your fuel pump using the TIPM test/bypass cable to see if it's working? A fuel pump pressure test is something else to keep in mind if all else fails.
5. Do you have gas in the vehicle? Is your fuel gauge working properly?
6. It's quite rare, but sometimes the TIPM can kill power to the F91 slot during the engine cranking process. This may happen in cold weather or with car batteries that have been drained recently.  Temporarily move the F91 end of our cable to F90, which provide full-time power to the fuel pump and try to start the vehicle. Then, while the vehicle is running, quickly move the cable back to F91, allowing your vehicle to charge the battery to sufficient levels. If the vehicle still won’t start with the cable providing full time power from the F91 slot, you likely have a problem beyond the fuel pump and fuel pump relay.
7. Verify an external relay is not already installed, as our cables are incompatible with them.  Change the external relay if present.
8. Check/replace your camshaft and/or crankshaft sensors. There are dozens of things that can prevent a vehicle from starting, beyond the fuel pump relay issue that our cable was designed to solve. 

Remember, our cables only allow power to pass from one end to the other.  If your TIPM won’t provide power to the cable, no power will be available to the fuel pump. 

14) My vehicle is experiencing problems since installing the cable. Is the cable at fault?

Answer: No. With tens of thousands of cables in use worldwide, we know exactly how our cables interact with TIPMs. Our TIPM bypass/test cables are nothing more than jumper cables that permit electricity to move between two points. Instead of using the electricity flowing through a faulty fuel pump relay to power your fuel pump, we use electricity from another source (the rear power adapter). Your faulty fuel pump relay and the rear power adapter both use the same 12 VDC source inside the TIPM. When using the cable, your power adapter circuit doesn't know or care that it's actually powering the fuel pump.  Our TIPM bypass/test cables won't cause any warning lights, check engine lights, alternator, starter, or air conditioning problems. Dodge, Chrysler, Ram, Jeep, and VW vehicles and their TIPMs are well known for electrical problems in each of these items.  Note that a faulty fuel pump relay will never trigger any codes as they are no sensors to detect a fuel pump relay failure or lack of power to the fuel pump.

If you do get a "check engine" warning light, we always suggest you obtain an OBDII scanner and plug into your OBDII port to identify the particular code. This will tell you what the problem is. Or you can often take your vehicle to a local auto parts store where many of them will read the code for free.

15) Why couldn't my dealer or mechanic figure out that the fuel pump relay was faulty?

Answer: It's VERY common for dealers or mechanics to improperly diagnose fuel pump relay problems. The most common misdiagnosis is a faulty fuel pump, which will cost you around $600-$1000. Reasons for improperly diagnosing fuel pump relay problems include:

• Relay failures are often intermittent
• Selling you a TIPM at $1500+ is more profitable
• Faulty relays won't normally result in vehicle faults/codes
• Many people don't understand vehicle electrical systems
• TIPMs are not a user or dealer serviceable part (i.e. they're not allowed to work on the parts inside)
• They don't know how to properly test fuel pump relays

Fortunately, fuel pump relays are our specialty and we can often diagnose problems over the phone or via email.

16) Nothing happens when I turn the key.  Is the cable at fault?

Answer:  If you're turning the key and nothing happens, then you likely have a starter issue, dead battery, bad alternator, or wiring problem.  This type of problem is not related to the fuel pump relay, nor does it have anything to with our cable or the entire fuel pump circuit.  Our cable simply delivers power to the fuel pump.  If your vehicle is unable to power the starter to rotate the flywheel, which must happen prior to the delivery of fuel, then you'll want to focus on the solutions listed below.

Corroded battery terminals can cause the inability for the battery to deliver 12 VDC to the starter.  A faulty alternator can prevent the battery from being charged properly, resulting in a dead battery.  Note that many 2011 vehicles were recalled for bad alternators.  You may want to check to see if yours was on the recall list. Check your starter plug-in relay that is located next to your fuses on top of the TIPM. Starters, which have become extremely difficult to change on your own, are known to fail (often resulting in an intermittent clicking sound).  Also, modern TIPMs control the ability of the alternator to deliver current to charge the battery when driving.  Some of our customers had to replace their TIPM with a used TIPM.

17) Will it still work if my vehicle doesn't have a rear cigarette lighter?

Answer:  Yes.  Regardless of the presence of a rear cigarette lighter (power adapter) for the F90/F91 circuit used by the cable, the infrastructure in the TIPM fuse box is still there to accommodate our cable.  This situation mainly applies to 2013 and newer Dodge Ram owners.  The cable still works perfectly on these vehicles with the F90/91 slot providing either full-time or key-on power, as desired, depending on the cable configuration you desire.

18) Is it a problem if my fuel pump relay delivers 12 VDC while the TIPM bypass cable delivers 12 VDC from the rear power adapter circuit at the same time?

Answer: No. As long as one of them delivers 12 VDC to the fuel pump, your car should start. If both provide 12 VDC, your fuel pump still sees 12 VDC and it pumps as expected. If you'd prefer to disconnect the TIPM-mounted fuel pump relay and rely solely on the TIPM bypass cable to provide 12 VDC, then remove the lower fuse on the TIPM bypass cable that is connected to F70 (this is actually how you combat a fuel pump relay that is stuck in the ON position).

19) My factory remote start isn't working or the vehicle shuts down after a few seconds when using remote start. What causes this?

Answer: Our TIPM cables work perfectly with the factory remote start and we often find that these types of problems are the result of the vehicle disabling remote start capabilities before or after the starting process. Most vehicles will disable remote start if any of the following conditions are not met:

1. Check engine light not illuminated
2. Shift lever in PARK
3. Doors closed
4. Hood closed
5. HAZARD switch off
6. BRAKE switch inactive (brake pedal not pressed)
7. Ignition key removed from ignition switch
8. Battery at an acceptable charge level
9. Remote keyless entry PANIC button not pressed
10. Fuel meets minimum requirement

The engine can be started two consecutive times (two 15-minute cycles) with the remote keyless entry transmitter. However, the ignition switch must be cycled to the ON/RUN position before you can repeat the start sequence for a third cycle. With a TIPM cable in place, remote start problems are normally attributable to one or more of the items listed above if you can start your vehicle with a key or pushbutton, but not with the keyfob.

Hard copy color instructions are sent with each cable purchase