Electrical problem i need fixed fast!!!

[BigDaddy]

I was pulled over last night for not having any running tailights. my brake lights and blinkers do work though. I have a 1989 comanche 4.0 litre I6 manual tranny, 2wd. 142,000 miles. About 4 weeks ago i started getting the smell of an electrical fire, wasnt sure so i pulled over to check everything, when i was looking for it i couldnt help to notice a good amount of smoke coming from around my feet and a fuse was completely melted and i needed pliers to take it out. Now i am without dash lights, running lights in the rear and front parking lights. I received a waivable ticket that if i fix it withing 10 days i don't get penalized. My best guess is that i have a bad ground somewhere. Can someone tell me exactly where it is and what i need to do to get to it and make a new connection. :help:

[-600JeepMJ]

you have bad short! a bad ground just stops things from working.

 

if you have not down loaded the electrical manual do so, and then start tracing your wires from the fuse box out. look for any wires that have chaffed though and have grounded out cosing the short. also make sure you have the right bulbs in your tail lights.

 

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=12734

[Automan2164]

Automatic or stick?

 

Rob L.

[BigDaddy]

Automatic or stick?

 

Rob L.

 

stick!

[BigDaddy]

you have bad short! a bad ground just stops things from working.

 

if you have not down loaded the electrical manual do so, and then start tracing your wires from the fuse box out. look for any wires that have chaffed though and have grounded out cosing the short. also make sure you have the right bulbs in your tail lights.

 

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=12734

 

i have downloaded the wiring manual but I am new to working on vehicles and no one around to help me out. Do you have any ideas where the ground connections are exactly on my truck so that would make things a little easier for me

[Eagle]

If your rear turn signals and brake lights work, your problem is NOT a bad ground. Also, a bad ground would not blow a fuse. You are not dealing with a bad ground, which occurs AFTER the bulbs in the circuit. You are dealing with a short circuit somewhere BEFORE the bulbs.

 

The question about transmission was (I assume) asked because often the clutch master cylinder seeps clutch (brake) fluid past the seal. The fluid runs through the firewall on the rod and drips into the fuse box. It's brake fluid -- it is extremely destructive to electrical components. You may have a fried fuse panel.

 

Or you may have a broken or abraded wire somewhere between the fuse panel and the taillights.

[BigDaddy]

If your rear turn signals and brake lights work, your problem is NOT a bad ground. Also, a bad ground would not blow a fuse. You are not dealing with a bad ground, which occurs AFTER the bulbs in the circuit. You are dealing with a short circuit somewhere BEFORE the bulbs.

 

The question about transmission was (I assume) asked because often the clutch master cylinder seeps clutch (brake) fluid past the seal. The fluid runs through the firewall on the rod and drips into the fuse box. It's brake fluid -- it is extremely destructive to electrical components. You may have a fried fuse panel.

 

Or you may have a broken or abraded wire somewhere between the fuse panel and the taillights.

 

I am pretty sure no brake fluid has dripped onto my fuse panel. So i should just follow the wires from my fuse panel to my rear tail lights looking for any abrasion or cuts in the wire? how would i go about fixing that if the wires were damaged?

[Automan2164]

Take out the bad section of wires, and replace it with a good strand of the same gauge. Always solder and shrink wrap any splices. Or, you could go the cheaters route, and get the butt connector that has the solder and the shinkwrap all in one. :D

 

Rob L.

[-600JeepMJ]

jeep magazine has a good wright up on wiring.

 

http://image.jpmagazine.com/f/32731143/ ... k_tube.jpg

 

:typing:

 

http://www.jpmagazine.com/techarticles/ ... index.html

[kro10000]

My MJ melts fuses randomly, its because of the brake fluid that dripped on the panel, I can't have the truck down long enough to fix it so I just replace fuses as they melt

[Puritan21]

My MJ melts fuses randomly, its because of the brake fluid that dripped on the panel, I can't have the truck down long enough to fix it so I just replace fuses as they melt

 

 

I hope you carry a fire extinguisher on board!! :yes:

[89comanchesleeper]

my mj was doin the same thing. i noticed a small amount of brake fluid on the fuse block. mine was blowin the fuse for the dash/runnin lights and the blower motor fuse. i stuffed a shop rag around the clutch linkage till i could fix the leak. but anouther problem i had was the prongs in the block for thos two fuses were lose. given it a bad connection and meltin fuses i unscrewed the fuse block and pulled the wires out for them two fuses took a pair of pliers and clamped them tight then pushed them back in there location. now my fuses fit snug in there and arent meltin any more. hope this helps!! :cheers:

hay if any thing take a clothes hanger and cut a peice off and bend it and stick it in the slot and turns your lights on lol a sure way to see if there is a short. i wouldnt recommend doin this tho. might fry every thing lol

[BigDaddy]

I was pulled over last night for not having any running tailights. my brake lights and blinkers do work though. I have a 1989 comanche 4.0 litre I6 manual tranny, 2wd. 142,000 miles. About 4 weeks ago i started getting the smell of an electrical fire, wasnt sure so i pulled over to check everything, when i was looking for it i couldnt help to notice a good amount of smoke coming from around my feet and a fuse was completely melted and i needed pliers to take it out. Now i am without dash lights, running lights in the rear and front parking lights. I received a waivable ticket that if i fix it withing 10 days i don't get penalized. My best guess is that i have a bad ground somewhere. Can someone tell me exactly where it is and what i need to do to get to it and make a new connection. :help:

 

I went to O'reilly's and bought a new fuse and soon as i put it in it blew, so I'm pretty sure there is a short somewhere in the wire. :wall:

[BORDENCOMANCHE]

I fixed this problem today, took me all of an hour. I bought 2 marker lights, a roll of 12 gauge wire (although wasn't neccessary for 12 gauge), and a fuse, some quick connect female connectors and a switch; cost me all of 35 dollars.

 

Yep, I screwed the marker lights into my back bumper (that is all beat to hell) and wired them direct from the battery to the switch to the lights and grounded off a piece that ran parrellel between my frame. (For some reason the bumper won't ground).

 

Its legal, it looks like @$$, but it works.

 

I had same problem, no marker lights, but I got my fix. temporarily