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XJ Park lights

The driver's side (DS) "light out" indicator has been out on my 89 XJ since I bought it. However, the passenger side (PS) parking light is the one that was out. The PS indicator was not on. Both turn signals work.

In an effort to remedy the problem, I changed both bulbs. No luck. It seemed that sometimes everything would work and then would instantly stop. I thought the pins in the sockets may have been flattened and thus not reaching the bulb to make contact, so I pulled them out and re-bent them to fit properly. One broke, the rest had no luck in solving the problem. (This was in a 1 hour period last night)

Today I put on new/used sockets from the junkyard. At first, the DS park light and turn signal worked, the PS signal only. I switched the bulbs and both turn signals only work. Brand new bulbs make no difference.

Now I only have turn signals with no park lights up front. Irritating. All other bulbs/lights are operational. All fuses are good and the flash canister is recent.

TIA,

Carl

Reply to
Carl Saiyed
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You have a grounding issue with the affected lamp assembly. The turn signals are either completely different lamps, or they are different filiments of the same lamp. The Running Lamps are a filiment, the brake lamps are another filiment in the same bulb. The turn signals are an entirely different lamp, or they are the same filiment as the brake lamps. If you have amber turn signals, they are different bulbs, if the turn signals are red, they are the same filiment as the brake lamps. (I drive a CJ, so the configuration of the XJ is a little fuzzy to me.)

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

On the XJ front lamps the turn signal and park light are in the same bulb, different filiments. There are three wires eminating from the socket. I assume two are for +12v (one for park, one for signal) and the third is for a ground.

Thanks,

Carl

Reply to
Carl Saiyed

It seems front park/turn lamps have no ground connection. If You turn on park lights a power will go from +12v ("park" wire) to bulb, then to .... ground?- not because "ground" wire has no connection (I think); to.... "turn" wire? - not because this wire ends on open relay (turn relay). I may be wrong, but try to test by Ohmometer "ground" wire from socket to chassis or other srcow-head. Sorry for english

regards Qiq.pl XJ 4.0'89

Reply to
qiq

The light circuits have different grounds.

The signal lights are grounded through the light fixture. This means a (rusty?) screw holding the light fixture in place is the only ground for them. They also are tied in closely with the tail light fixture screws for ground.

The running lights have a wire ground. This runs to a bolt on the fender or grill. The front ones have their own ground wire I believe.

Then the main ground for all the lights is the wire strap from the back of the head to the firewall. If this is ratty, the lights will steal grounds through radios, gas pedals, etc. and this can lead to really strange things working/not working.

My bet is the front park circuit ground wire is dirty at it's bolt.

Mike

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

Carl Saiyed wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

Thanks for the help. Any clues to the location of said bolt?

Thanks,

Carl

Reply to
Carl Saiyed

It will be at the end of the loom section. I won't be able to look at mine until tomorrow. I think that should be on the front passenger side and if I remember right someone said it was on the back of the grill frame. It will be that black wire.

Mike

Carl Saiyed wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

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