Yet another electrical gremlin..

[ORCA]

Ok this one has been boggling me for a while now. :mad:

 

I was driving home the other night from a good day of fishing. It started to get dark so I turned the lights on. Right when I did that my radio started bugging out (power flickering) and eventually my lights went dim and my the truck wasn't running right. I turned the radio off but the entire trip back the light kept flickering dim, bright, and off.

 

Now when I drive the truck my radio still acts up (i'm thinking its' power wires are screwed up somehow...after all I installed it :roll: ). The lights are still dim and feel like they are going to kill the engine (haven't left them on long enough to though). And when I use my blinkers, they don't blink at all (they are constantly 'blinked') and goof with the engine - so I haven't used them much lately.

 

So wtf? :nuts:

[Oizarod115]

i have no idea but you might check your fuse box for clutch fluid :dunno: it sometimes drips in there and jacks everything up

 

good luck with this one man

i hate wiring issues :headpop:

[ORCA]

Ughhhh.. Looks like i'm gonna attack this one alone :roll:

[Kenosha Warrior]

Check your alty and batt. Mine went south and this happened. Radio went fine till I turned on the lights, which were nice'n bright for the next little while then they got dim, signals didn't blink, killed the radio and the lights to keep the truck running.

 

Check and maybe r/r the batt and alty and you should be set,

[JeepcoMJ]

yep. was gonna say...you're batt is close to dead and the alternator is not charging it.

 

hook it up to a charger

[Mountianrider]

If your system is charging ok and the battery is ok, then, consider a severe short. I had this happen in my J10 with the wires to the floor mounted dimmer switch. The wire had smashed to the floor and shorted. A wonder the thing didn't burn up the whole system, but it didn't and as soon as I replaced the wire the lights returned to normal. Go figure.

Now I know this is not a Comanche but the problem sounds kinda similar to my experience. Which was the first time I ever lost the head lights and had everything going goofy, cept for the current no brake light or hazards problem with my Comanche. Again, these problems can only occur at night, so just drive in the daylight and everything will be ok!

:mad:

No more vehicles newer than 1978! or maybe only one; any more is too much for a human mind to deal with!

:mad: :nuts: :headpop:

[Mitch]

:mad:

No more vehicles newer than 1978! or maybe only one; any more is too much for a human mind to deal with!

:mad: :nuts: :headpop:

 

I "kinda" feel the same:

 

No more vehicles without a factory warranty!

[ORCA]

If your system is charging ok and the battery is ok, then, consider a severe short. I had this happen in my J10 with the wires to the floor mounted dimmer switch. The wire had smashed to the floor and shorted. A wonder the thing didn't burn up the whole system, but it didn't and as soon as I replaced the wire the lights returned to normal. Go figure.

Now I know this is not a Comanche but the problem sounds kinda similar to my experience. Which was the first time I ever lost the head lights and had everything going goofy, cept for the current no brake light or hazards problem with my Comanche. Again, these problems can only occur at night, so just drive in the daylight and everything will be ok!

:mad:

No more vehicles newer than 1978! or maybe only one; any more is too much for a human mind to deal with!

:mad: :nuts: :headpop:

 

That is I think what is going on. I have a sleeew of electrical upgrades running throughout the truck. Maybe it's time to strip them all out and fix this darned problema :nuts:

 

I'm also going to check the battery and alternator when I get a chance. Also might be time to invest in a good battery charger. Any recommendations? Craftsman?

[Pete M]

Also make sure that your battery cables and their connections are perfectly clean and non-corroded.

[Bacon]

i had similar issues going on a while back. the internal regulator in the pcm was fubared and all sorts of weird things were happening, including my lights turning off out of nowhere(not fun late at night with no street lights on a twisty country road) i replaced my puter, and everything is better now. well, regarding this issue anyway.

[ORCA]

i had similar issues going on a while back. the internal regulator in the pcm was fubared and all sorts of weird things were happening, including my lights turning off out of nowhere(not fun late at night with no street lights on a twisty country road) i replaced my puter, and everything is better now. well, regarding this issue anyway.

 

Wow sounds expensive. I'm surprized this thread is still going cause I haven't touched the truck since the ZJ came around.

 

Maybe it's about time I do some work on that thing... I'll start by hunting down this gremlin. :mad:

[HellCreek]

Bad grounds can also make you pull your hair out. Check especially the one behind the driver's tail light.

 

I also had a weird electrical problem with the lights on my '89. Everything worked perfectly until I stepped on the brakes, and then everything went dim, including the dash lights and radio. I checked the ground that I mentioned and the brake light switch. I finally removed the bulbs from all of the turn signals, one at a time, and checked by stepping on the brakes with all of the lights on, and I found the culprit. One of the stop and tail lights was defective - the stop and running filaments were wired together causing a short in the entire system. I replaced the bulb and all is well. Sometimes it is the smallest things that give the biggest problems.

[carnuck]

Ground wire on the engine block is where I look first

[ORCA]

Bad grounds can also make you pull your hair out. Check especially the one behind the driver's tail light.

 

I also had a weird electrical problem with the lights on my '89. Everything worked perfectly until I stepped on the brakes, and then everything went dim, including the dash lights and radio. I checked the ground that I mentioned and the brake light switch. I finally removed the bulbs from all of the turn signals, one at a time, and checked by stepping on the brakes with all of the lights on, and I found the culprit. One of the stop and tail lights was defective - the stop and running filaments were wired together causing a short in the entire system. I replaced the bulb and all is well. Sometimes it is the smallest things that give the biggest problems.

 

Awesome thanks! I'm on it, i'll let you know how it goes.

 

Ground wire on the engine block is where I look first

 

I have checked it before, and it always seemed fine to me. Maybe it's time for a nice cleaning.