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Wierd electrical problem

And a head's up to people still running the stock jack on a YJ...

A few weeks ago, my wife's '94 YJ started having the headlights go out every time she put them on high beam. If you switched back to low beams, in a few seconds they'd come back on. Having grown up in the 60's driving a bunch of old 50's vehicles, when she told me this I went out and purchased a light switch. It's cheap and it was always the first thing to do when dealing with the old beaters I used to drive. The circuit breaker in the switch gets weak and won't hold the current of the lights. OK, so last weekend, I installed the switch, and upon testing, found that it didn't help. So, this week(I was pretty busy last weekend and didn't get to finish looking at it)I went out with my test light and multimeter to see if I could figure out the problem. Pulled the connector off the dimmer switch and started probing contacts. Then I started jumping contacts with a fused jumper wire. Found that the fuse would pop immediatly when hooked to the high beam wire from the connector. Ah! Either a short in the harness to the front, or a bad bulb. Well, bulbs being easier to access and test, I started there and I found the problem almost immediatly. The Jeep still has the stock jack in place. The piece of the jack handle with the little "T" on the end had vibrated out of the retaining bracket and moved forward to where the little "T" on the handle was actually touching the high beam contact on the back of the bulb!!! Took the jack off and turned the handle 180° so it wouldn't vibrate out of the bracket and I was done with the repair.

-- Old Crow '82 Shovelhead FLTC 92" 'Pearl' '95 Jeep Wrangler YJ TOMKAT, BS#133, SENS, MAMBM, DOF#51, SPUNGER#2

Reply to
Old Crow
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That had happened to a neighbors YJ also, he asked for my help and it took me 2 days to trace out the problem. I fixed it and then we insulated it with rubber tape and placed some wire loom around the wire.

We also found the wire to the tail lamps severely corroded and had to replace both connectors and bulb sockets.

I had found filling them with dielectric silicon grease prevents water infiltration and keeps them lubricated. I have done this on all my vehicles for many years and have never had a corrosion issues.

Reply to
HarryS

I flipped the jack handle around, so the "T" actually keeps it from going far enough to hit the light. Then I put some new foam under all the handles so they are tight in the bracket now and I should be OK.

Yup, been doing that a long time myself. I got a tube of Ford issue dielectric grease that somebody left in a trade it about 12 years ago. It's a giant tube about the size of a tube of spot putty, and I'm finally getting to the point where I have to think about buying more. I even use it on spark plug wires.

-- Old Crow '82 Shovelhead FLTC 92" 'Pearl' '95 Jeep Wrangler YJ TOMKAT, BS#133, SENS, MAMBM, DOF#51, SPUNGER#2

Reply to
Old Crow

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