jeephack Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Trying to run down a problem I'm having with my son's "new" $300 Comanche. The headlights, turn signals, and brake lights work, but I can't get the taillights, parking lights, or backup lights to come on. We have checked and replaced all the bulbs, been through the fuses and cleaned the ground behind the driver's side taillight. All to no avail. I might add that We're replacing a fender and the header panel, and while I had good access to the wiring, I swapped the headlight harness from the donor Cherokee. The wiring for the fog lamps was already on that one and I figured that if he ever wants to add fog lamps, the wiring will already be there. But I don't see how that could possibly be part of the problem since that is only one plug, and the headlights and turn signals work properly. Any suggestions will be thoroughly investigated and greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakjeep93 Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 theres a ground behind the left tailight . check that, and check the plug behind the rear tiers around the gas tank make sure its still in one piece. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeephack Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 The ground is O.K. Pulled it apart and cleaned and secured it already. I'll have to see if I can locate that plug, if I can slide my old fat arse under there. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakjeep93 Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 its right near the gas tank behind the rear tiers. goodluck :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildman Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 its right near the gas tank behind the rear tiers. goodluck :thumbsup: No.......It's just inside the rear apron, on the left side, near the LH frame rail. That connector has 4 wires to it 18 BR = RH stop/turn 18 GY/BK = LH stop/turn 18 BR/WT = Backup 18 DB = Parking lamps There is also a connector above the parking brake, on the LH kick panel, but if that was a problem, the fuel pump would not be working. You could have a problem with the wire where it runs behind the fuel tank, it could be pinched or corroded in that area. Check off the connector first, and back trace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakjeep93 Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 its right near the gas tank behind the rear tiers. goodluck :thumbsup: No.......It's just inside the rear apron, on the left side, near the LH frame rail. That connector has 4 wires to it 18 BR = RH stop/turn 18 GY/BK = LH stop/turn 18 BR/WT = Backup 18 DB = Parking lamps There is also a connector above the parking brake, on the LH kick panel, but if that was a problem, the fuel pump would not be working. You could have a problem with the wire where it runs behind the fuel tank, it could be pinched or corroded in that area. Check off the connector first, and back trace. oh opps . on my jeep its by the rear end of my gas tank. but i may have moved it at some point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildman Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 Well........I just want to make it clear for the man........The fuel tank is in front of the rear axle, and this connector is quite far behind the axle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimoshel Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 Not all pins will always go bad in a bad plug. You can have one or two good ones and the rest bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeephack Posted February 20, 2010 Author Share Posted February 20, 2010 I'm finally able to get back on this lighting problem again. I have gone through all the bulbs, replaced all the fuses, the ground behind the drivers side tail light is o.k., and the connector in front of the gas tank is in fine shape. Seeing as I have brake lights, turn signals, emergency flashers and headlights, but no parking lights or tail lights, is a bad light switch itself out of the realm of possibility? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jteckmann Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 Could be the switch, I'd check the connection on that. Other common problem areas are if a previous owner spliced in a trailer light wiring harness in the back and messed things up. Or, if it's a manual, the reservoir on the firewall is notorious for leaking into the cab, behind the fuse panel, and can cause a whole host of electrical gremlins back there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STERLING STINGER Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 its your headlight switch, or at least thats what it sounds like 2 me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 I'm finally able to get back on this lighting problem again. I have gone through all the bulbs, replaced all the fuses, the ground behind the drivers side tail light is o.k., and the connector in front of the gas tank is in fine shape. Seeing as I have brake lights, turn signals, emergency flashers and headlights, but no parking lights or tail lights, is a bad light switch itself out of the realm of possibility? If you have front parking lights and headlights, the switch is not the problem. Have you replaced the bulbs? Parking lights and taillights are the same thing, using the lower brightness filament in each bulb. It's possible that new bulbs might cure it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeephack Posted February 20, 2010 Author Share Posted February 20, 2010 I have signal lights and headlights, but no parking lights front or back, nor any tail lights. It wasn't the switch. Just got through replacing it. I do believe there has been a trailer light pigtail hacked into the wiring. Guess I'll start disecting that next. Thanks for your responses guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jteckmann Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 One other quick thought - Double check that you have the correct bulbs. I remember when I first got my MJ, I relied on the catalog up at the parts store to pick out my new bulbs, and the info wound up being wrong (maybe it was for a XJ instead of an MJ, or maybe I just made a boneheaded mistake) But anyways, I wound up with single filament bulbs where double filament bulbs were supposed to be, and it drove me nuts trying to diagnose the problem until I discovered the error. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted February 21, 2010 Share Posted February 21, 2010 Check the fuse panel. The headlights use the built-in circuit breaker in the switch, but IIRC the parking lights are fused on the panel. If the fuses look good, get a test light or multimeter, turn the light switch to parking lights, connect the negative probe to a known good ground and check to verify that you have power to the socket (or not). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeephack Posted February 21, 2010 Author Share Posted February 21, 2010 "Eagle" Check the fuse panel. The headlights use the built-in circuit breaker in the switch, but IIRC the parking lights are fused on the panel. If the fuses look good, get a test light or multimeter, turn the light switch to parking lights, connect the negative probe to a known good ground and check to verify that you have power to the socket (or not) The fuse was good and I had 12 volts to the panel, but upon further inspection, the spring clip on one end of the parking light fuse block had been spread apart and wasn't making contact with the fuse. A little tightening up of the clip, and I now have parking lights and tail lights!!! Thanks for heading me in the right direction Eagle!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDaddy Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Could be the switch, I'd check the connection on that. Other common problem areas are if a previous owner spliced in a trailer light wiring harness in the back and messed things up. Or, if it's a manual, the reservoir on the firewall is notorious for leaking into the cab, behind the fuse panel, and can cause a whole host of electrical gremlins back there. I beleieve that a previous owner spliced in a trailer light wiring harness in the back and messed things up. but how would i go aabout fixing that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now