Problem with an XJ

[Akula69]

I realize you guys have heard this story before, and I appreciate your responses to this one that has me stumped.

 

My daughter's 94 XJ has all of a sudden started to act strangely. None of the electronics in the cab work - no radio, no AC, no interior lights, no emergency flashers, no dash illumination, no turn signals, no key buzzer. Outside, the lights do not work. However....the car starts and runs fine without problems.

 

I was up there about two weeks ago and drove the XJ all around town for two days without any problems at all. Three weeks before that I replaced the battery and ran all new 2/0 wire for the positive and negative leads in the engine bay (all of them).

 

She told me she was driving it to the local store and all of a sudden the AC and the radio quit, then the rest of the symptoms occurred one by one. She has checked the fuses and found them to be OK (I recently replaced the fuses with the new ones that glow when they go bad).

 

Any ideas would be sincerely appreciated.

[Eagle]

This is "Ralph," correct? So if it's an automatic it can't be clutch juice dripping on the fuse panel.

[1974CJ5]

If the 94's fuel panel is in the same place as it was back in '87 (this post is irrelevant if it isn't) It could be break fluid leaking through the firewall and running into the fuse panel. Probably not that easy, just a thought.

[HOrnbrod]

I'm looking for commonality here and all I can see is a possible PDC + feed cable problem. It's a #6 AWG (or thereabouts) cable that goes through a bullet connector and terminates at the terminal block at the front of the PDC. Check the connector to be sure it's plugged in tightly, and that the 10mm termination lug nuts on the terminal block are corrosion free and tight. When I upgraded my alt I ran a bigger cable directly from the + post of the battery to the PDC terminal block. Why the connector is there in the feed cable, I have no idea.

[Akula69]

This is "Ralph," correct? So if it's an automatic it can't be clutch juice dripping on the fuse panel.

 

Yup, Ralph it is. And you are right - no clutch master cylinder.

 

If the 94's fuel panel is in the same place as it was back in '87 (this post is irrelevant if it isn't) It could be break fluid leaking through the firewall and running into the fuse panel. Probably not that easy, just a thought.

 

Fuse panel is the same location, and I have done the master cylinder/booster upgrade approximately 2 years ago. Fortunately, she knows how to check her fluid now, and she has confirmed it is not leaking.

 

I'm looking for commonality here and all I can see is a possible PDC + feed cable problem. It's a #6 AWG (or thereabouts) cable that goes through a bullet connector and terminates at the terminal block at the front of the PDC. Check the connector to be sure it's plugged in tightly, and that the 10mm termination lug nuts on the terminal block are corrosion free and tight. When I upgraded my alt I ran a bigger cable directly from the + post of the battery to the PDC terminal block. Why the connector is there in the feed cable, I have no idea.

 

Good point Don, I had ran my cable directly as well. I called her and had her check those connections (boy was she upset about laying on the ground!) and they were OK.

 

 

One thing that I was thinking about was the ignition switch (on down the column). Does it not contol all the power distribution to the items in the cab? (but it still doesnt explain the headlights....)

 

Thanks