Cheapamanche

It's one of the green fusable links coming off my starter relay. According to the manual it's the link connected to my ignition switch. My orange link to the fuel pump and the ecu is fine.

I counted wrong. It branched off into 3 red wires.

If I had a little more cash I could deal with it a little better. I'm going to have to get it good enough for work for a couple of weeks because I just don't have the funds to replace anything else for a while. Fortunately chasing shorts is free. I did pull back my fuse box and didnt find any bad wires. A couple of the connections were loose and I tightened them with a pick. Will be cleaning it as the day goes on.

Your right, I need to tear into the fuse box. I have been putting it off but it looks like I can't anymore. I'll go through your old thread. As a side note, I just ordered some comancheclub stickers! I really appreciate all the help from you folks. As I get more experience I'll be able to return the favor some day. You guys are really cool and I'm happy to be a part of this group.

So I traced the burnt green fusible link to my ignition switch. Looks like I know what I'll be replacing. The confusing thing is that even with it blown I can start and kill the engine. I'm guessing that the ignition has been hotwired somehow. I didn't mention that the cylinder comes out with the key. I'm guessing I'll find another mess once I have replaced the ignition... crapola... my guess is that they wired it into my headlight switch somehow because I can't kill the engine if my headlights are on. Why do people try to do these stupid hack jobs instead of fixing it right? It would have been so much easier for them and me.

Wow this is really helpful. Thank you. So it looks like I'm getting no power to my orange and black wire on my starter relay. I believe this is my fuel pump. When I fixed the fusable link it would send power to my fuel pump and cause it to prime. Then after starting it I was unable to kill the engine unless I pulled one of the wires to my fuel pump resister. What's confusing is that my fuel pump still primes and runs without the power to it... am I missing something?

I'm sure the problem is in my fuse block. I had a mc leaking on it when I bought it. I do have a test light. A fused jumper is a great idea. Thank you. The hay es for it is junk. I buy a book for every vehicle I own but this has proven to be the least useful off all the books I have purchased. Come to think of it, I usually buy Chiltons but all I could find at my local parts stores were haynes...

Thanks for the quick replies. I have refreshed all my grounds and added grounds, cleaned every connector, cleaned my c101 connector which is on my list to replace soon. I fixed all my vacuum leaks, replaced all sensors that didnt test right including IAC, O2 sensor, cts. I still need to replace my headlight switch. My TPS is set to 17% and the sweep is smooth from closed to open throttle. Still, I ordered a replacement tps from rock auto. I remember cruiser54 saying somewhere that just because it tests right doesnt mean it is functioning right. Front blinkers are still buggy. Throttle body is clean. Relays all check good. Fuel pump still primes with key on. You are right it is a mess under here. I'm trying to figure out where the 4 red wires go from my blown fusable link so I can figure out why it tripped. I have a Haynes but my ability to follow electrical diagrams is poor.

I have a blown fusible link coming off of my starter relay. It's the one that splits off into 4 red wires. When I repaired it the engine wouldn't shut off with key off. I think one of the wires goes to the fuel pump because touching the 2 ends of the link make the pump prime. Even with the key off... I thought I was a pretty good shade tree mechanic until this comanche. Its giving me a run for my money, and running off with my money.

Hahahaha. It looked like my battery leaked a little onto the line and it melted it. don't over fill your battery. Lesson learned.

Cool cool. My issue was a broken vacuum line. The small hard line running from the vacuum canister under the bumper had a large slit in it. Man was it a pain to find.

My guess is that the buckets in your eliminator were swapped for a bench. I have considered doing this to mine as I have very wide shoulders and the the buckets are dreadfully uncomfortable. Plus I have kids and a bench would be nice. Does anyone else think the buckets were uncomfortable? I'm an ex bodybuilder so maybe my width is a personal problem.

I know they sell them at harbor freight if you are real tight on money. The [FREE] method is still a screwdriver. It works surprisingly well and everyone has a screwdriver laying around.

I'm not sure I follow you. You said it sounds like it's coming from the back but then said it sounds like it's coming from the belt which is in the front of the engine. You could try taking a long screwdriver and placing the tip on the location where you think the sound is coming from then placing the handle on your ear. The sound will travel through to your ear and amplify it. This also helps to pinpoint the location. Can you describe what sound I should be listening for? I couldn't really hear anything from the audio clip that sounds out of the norm. Maybe someone on here with a better trained ear can pinpoint the sound better? Oh and if you think the sound is coming from the belt or a pulley, don't try the screwdriver trick. Hahaha

I got a chance to tinker with it for just a little today. When I turn the headlight knob, it controls the brightness of my running lights instead of my instrument lights. 🤔

Your probably right. It's in rough shape.

I think on of the reasons I love my MJ so much is because their abnormal to find. At least around my area in Oregon. They are different and most people don't know that Jeep made pickups. For me the abnormality of it is why I put up with all its quirks. Especially my strange obsession with the Renix versions. I have had 2 Renix XJs and now my comanche. Why do I torture myself so much?

That's a great idea on pulling the fuses. I will do that. The back of the fuse box is pretty crummy. I had a master cylinder leak a while ago. Maybe I should unload a whole can of electric parts cleaner on the thing to try and clean it out a little before deeper surgery.

That's really strange. But hey! You figured it out. I hate how solving one problem always opens another can of worms ya know?

Check your manifold bolts. Sorry I had to say it 😉

I have a 1988 comanche 4.0 that occasionally stays running with the key off if my headlights are on. When I turn back the ignition the dash lights dim down and I have to turn off the headlights to kill it. Maybe it's always done this and I only notice it when I forget to turn them off first. Now obviously this is an electrical problem but I have no idea where to start. My fear is one day I won't be able to kill it even with switching the lights off. I have completed steps 1 through 5 and other random ones. Could this have something to do with the fuse box? I just have no idea where to start.

I fixed my grill 😆

This is mind blowing. I have read tons of stories where people call managers and even owners and they get refunds. I know that sometimes after getting boned like this it's easy to say to your self oh well but a simple call wouldn't hurt and would worst case scenario piss you off and waste 20 minutes of your time. The positives could be a partial refund or full refund. I would just make the call.

I screen shotted this. Thank you very much.

Thank you sir.