2002 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LIMITED H.O.

2002 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LIMITED H.O.

If the head lights are off and I step on the brakes, the brake lights come on... But the left light is dimmer than the right. When the head lights are on and I step on th brakes the brake lights come on accept for the left one goes completely out.

Anyone. Please help.

Thanks, Harold

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That usually means the bulb has gone bad. When the brake light filament goes bad, the parts can fail in a way that hitting the brakes lights up the running light instead.

Or the fixture has lost it's ground which is usually through one or more of the fixture bolts, but I am not sure on the GC, and the brake light is stealing ground through the running light's harness ground.

Going all the way out when the headlights are on implies the bad bulb though.

Mike

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Reply to
Mike Romain

Hi Mike, Thanks for your response. First thing I did was change the bulb. The issue is that when the headlights are on the running lights work... But then when I press the brakes all the lights work accept the whole left side goes out, including the running light. Im not sure but I think it all started after a recent car wash, although the fixture itself was dry inside when I changed the bulb.

Harold

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That would imply the ground then.

The brake light grounds through the fixture or it can backfeed through the running light filament to ground on it's harness connection if the ground gets lost. This lights up the running light on one side and the brake light on the other with the headlights off. With the headlights on, the power then tries to go the other way or the brake light shorts out the running light so they go off.

I do not know where the brake light ground tag is on the GC. It might be a copper strap coming from the fixture to sandwich between it and the/a bolt that mounts the light.

I test this by running a booster cable from the battery negative to the rear and then jumping a wire to the side case of the bulb to see if it starts working. If so I clean the ground.

Mike

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Reply to
Mike Romain

So in other words try cleaning the bulb contacts and strap contacts?

--Harold

Reply to
Harold Marcano

My '93 JGC Limited has an LOM (Lamp Out Module) located in a side panel in the rear. This module monitors all lamps in the rear of the vehicle, and tells you in a display on the dash when a lamp is out. Ours got extremely wet somehow, and the dealer ended up having to replace the entire wiring harness in the rear. Moisture got into the connectors and literally ate the metal away. If you have one of these LOM's, it would be worth checking the connectors plugged into it to see if there are signs of moisture.

Dick

Reply to
Dick

Sounds like a busted ground to me.

The 93 was also renowned for poor connectors in the harness. Specifically the one that runs the rear tail lamps. Thing is you have to take the inner plastic out to get to the connector. It's behind the D pillar inside. I had to replace the one on the passenger side when I put in the tow harness.

Reply to
DougW

ok, the Jeep back light is cheaply made and not cheap to fix.....disconnet both light fixtures...switch fixtures and see if the other side that works will work on the problem side....if so, you are a victum of a cheap made light....the little plastic panel that holds the lamps gets hot, it fuses together the two lights and shorts out both, not all the way but enough to mess with how it seperates signal and light functions ....NOW the expensive fix...you have to buy the the lense assembly....they dont sell the small removable module.....well you could go to a junk yard and see if can find a cheap module....good luck....

2001 Grand WJ 2000 XJ

Reply to
Mindy

Sorry it took so long. Today I will try the o'l fixture switcharoo. I will let you all know how it goes.

Thanks, Harold

Reply to
Harold Marcano

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