'89 Underdash Electrical Problems...stumped

[CRF136N]

Hey, it been a while since I posted as I sold my last beloved MJ a few years ago now due to finances :( I'm back in the mj game now though with my latest find -ok, score-...a super clean 1 owner '89 MJ Pioneer 4x4 5-spd short bed; always garaged, always in a dry climate so NO rust, 95% original aside from passenger door repaint due to parking lot bang in 2009, otherwise the original 'colorado red' paint still shiny and flawless aside from a couple door dings and scratches...no dents...and...85,000 ORIGINAL MILES, all documented :D. Heck, I even got the original dealer sales papers, original invoice, build sheet, owners manual and a stack of service papers lol.

 

OK, bragging aside, I am glad to see the ComancheClub still goin strong; different layout than before, I like it. Anyway, going to have to pick your brains on the one quirk of this beautiful jeep, see if any of this sound familiar to anyone. I suspect a bad ground, but I checked as much as I can access and everything checks out fine....the running lights don't work, as with the dash lights, but the headlights work fine. The guy said he had intermittant issues with the brake lights, but they work flawlessly for me. The tachometer worked fine until I almost got it home, then it stopped working, unless I either kick the e-brake mechanism or push in the clutch.?. The turn signals click through the stereo. So far thats all I have found; I know its something stupid and simple but the gremlin is hiding somewhere and I can't find its hiding spot! I noticed the clutch master was leaking a little onto the fuse box, not dripping wet but moist; pulled the fuse box out from firewall and aside from being kinda damp there is no sign of corrosion or issues. The stereo, clock, dome lights and heater all work fine. Anyone have any suggestions? I am in the process of getting her all serviced and tuned up right now so I'm not driving it much yet, but if I notice anything else in relation I will post an update. Thanks in advance :)

[Minuit]

The dash electronics (on my 91, at least) are grounded by a little tab attached to the metal part of the upper dash panel. Is that the one you checked? If not, that's where I would start. The leaky master cylinder is a major issue that you should solve before it leads to bigger problems, and it might even be the cause of the gremlins you speak of.

[cruiser54]

Click on the link in my signature and start with Renix Ground Refreshing, then, Connector and Relay Refreshing, The Instrument Panel Ground upgrade should also be considered. Welcome back!!

[Biotex]

I'd start by refreshing all grounds, then clean the connectors with electrical contact cleaner, along with the fuse panel. I'd also make sure all the correct bulbs are in the sockets.

 

Read thru Cruisers tips here:

http://comancheclub.com/topic/36382-cruisers-renix-tips/

[CRF136N]

Wow; that is great! I hadn't even considered that ground jumper from the dash to the frame, but even though that groundpoint looks fine it makes perfect sense to do so, lots of other fantastic ideas on there too! Thank you! I am going to try these things out and report back. Stuck on the cooling system right now, flush #3 and still getting crud out, don't think this guy ever had the cooling system flushed :/ not taking any chances and just replacing everything there (rad, w.p., thermostat, hoses and all; I just hope the freeze plugs havent been too badly comprimised). Def got the clutch master on the list too; just going through this thing with a fine tooth comb and going to replace everything I even suspect may be due...even if it is a renix 4.0, with a pukegoat ba/10 5-spd and a d35 out back, I'm bound and determined to preserve this one as an all original unmolested rust free MJ that remains reliable enough to get in and drive anywhere; even planning to keep the miles low using it for minimal tasks like hauling my dirtbike to riding areas and a few other things, otherwise I got a little 4-banger Scion TC as my daily driver to rack up miles on and save a few $$$ on gas :) (oh ya, and a moneypit xj as my toy...but thats another story lol)

 

Anyway, thanks again and I will start chasing the gremlin and see if I can get these electrical woes solved.

[CRF136N]

OK, so I have gotten caught up enough on some of the other stuff to get a good look at the electrical issues; it is in fact the fuse box.  Apparently the leaking clutch master has done enough damage over time to where it compromised the fuse box.  Pulling all the fuses out I found it is bad connections and loose fuse terminals in the box, a couple of which are broken completely (like the parking lights)  if I wiggle wires around in the back of the fuse box the dome lights dim and go bright again as the fuse prong connection makes good/bad connection with the fuse.  This looks like a disaster as all the wires going into the fuse box are the same ones spread throughout the cab of the truck.

 

I want to repair this in full; obvious solution is to replace the fuse box altogether but to do it right is going to be quite the procedure with all the wires.  Since this seems to be a known problem, has anyone found a reasonable solution?  I suppose I can narrow down the bad connections where the box is damaged too badly and get a second universal fuse panel for those, but I would prefer a more factory original finish.  It actually seems to have compromised the little copper connectors more than the box as the box looks fine other than being damp.  Some fuses are bone dry, and some are damp.  The damp ones are mostly the bad connections and have a black goo on the fuse blades; the little plastic housing on some of the fuses had ruined the fuse by breaking apart as I pulled the fuse.  I am going to go through every connection one at a time as I am having luck with using a little sharp tipped poker and bending the copper connectors together so they clamp on the fuse blades better; I'll have to figure out the broken female connectors in the box when I get there.  I want to get all this brake fluid off the fuse box assembly altogether, and its in places I can't get to...thoughts on disconnecting the battery and with a backsplash and catch can hit the whole fuse box with brake parts cleaner spray and let it dry fully before I reconnect everything?  I don't know what else to do but I last thing I want is for this to get any worse or even worse an electrical fire cause that would ruin my day REAL quick!

 

(and yes, the leaking master cyl has been replaced now)

 

As always, thanks in advance for any info.

[armyofchuckness]

Were you able to fix this problem? I had the same thing happen on my 86 Comanche. I've got a replacement, but it looks like it's gonna be a major pain to replace. Any insight from someone else who's done it this way would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to keep mine factory looking as well.