Help!! Electrical problem!!

Hello

I have a '97 wrangler, with electrical problems. This afternoon, the instrument cluster, radio, and interior lights stopped working. The headlights, turn signals, heater blower, all exterior lights, windshield wipers, work fine. The instrument cluster lights up, and the idiot lights seem to work, but the gauges are all dead. The odometer is also blank (digital). Even though I could not figure out a relationship between the cluster and the radio, I removed the cluster and slightly bent the pins, but no change. I checked every related fuse on the fuse panel and under the hood in the power panel, with no luck. I also checked fuses I thought were unrelated.. all look good. I switched the asd and the fuel pump relays, and everything is still the same. The jeep will crank and run. I am at a loss here. Something similar happened about a month ago, but everything started working ok and has been fine until now. I looked for ground wires under the dash, and really couldn't find anything to check. HELP!

cal

Reply to
Cal
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Reply to
L.W.(ßill)

Thanks for the help Bill, but I have already tried this. I have bent the pins as described and reassembled, but everything is still the same. Any other ideas?

thanks cal

Reply to
Cal

Reply to
L.W.(ßill)

The TJs have issues with the dash having a good ground as well as that crappy power plug.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Cal wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

Well, more problems found. Not only do none of the gauges,radio, courtesy lights work, but the diagnostic connector under the steering column has no power to it at all. I'm starting to wonder if the computer is halfway crapped out....I have checked every fuse, and they are all ok. I found a loose ground strap on the engine, fixed that, but can't find anything that grounds under the dash..

cal

Reply to
Cal

Cal

I ran into the same problem on a cherokee. Turned out to be a bad ignition switch. The ignition switch would also get very hot while the jeep was running, so hot that it would almost burn your hand . Have you checked the ignition switch yet?

Mike

Reply to
Mike

Thanks for all the responses. I eventually narrowed down the problem to most likely a bad wire. I didn't have the time to keep trying to locate the troublesome wire myself, and ended up taking it to a mechanic. The problem turned out to be a wire that had to be replaced from the power distribution center to somewhere under the dash, I think the large bundle of connectors to the left of the steering column. It took the mechanic, with a lot of electrical experience, 3 hours to locate the problem and repair it, so I don't feel so bad about my efforts after all. I'm going to take a better look at it tomorrow to see just what was done. After studying the haynes manual, I decided that it had to be the wiring that fuse 17 protects in the power distribution center. It will be interesting to see if I was right. Too cold and too dark outside now to go look. Thanks again for all the replies! (My wife picked the jeep up. She asked what was done to correct the problem. The service guy apparently thought that she wouldn't understand , so he said "have your husband call if he has any questions." ??? Needless to say, she wasn't happy. Do any of the lady posters out there have this kind of problem when you take your vehicles to be serviced??)

cal

Reply to
Cal

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