Vineyard86manch Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 Hey guys aside from registering my mj this is my first post to the site and I’ll preface this post by saying I’m pretty much a novice when it comes to cars aside from the basic stuff. I bought an ‘86 a few months ago and I DD it and plan to for a long time so I figure I should learn everything I can about it. I know down the road I should just replace all the wiring, but I’ve been having a strange issue with my directionals that I thought some of you guys may have come across. For the past couple months the left directional has worked half the time. I’ll drive it to the dump and it will work, then I’ll turn it back on to leave and it doesn’t. The right directional has always worked. Mind you I live on an island where the top speed limit is 45 so the hand signal has been fine for now. But I’m taking the truck off island for a little road trip through Mass and NY and functioning directionals would be nice. Now I know this could be a number of things but I’m kind of wondering where the best place to start would be. Thanks y’all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzimm Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 Welcome! You should start be going through cruisers renix tips. This will eliminate most, if not all issues you have or will have right off the bat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeep Driver Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 Could be anything from poor grounds to corrosion in a socket to the switch itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 Yep. I wouldn't be thinking a harness would need replacement...... Do the Tips!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 Start by checking the bulbs and the sockets. The parking light sockets in the early XJs and MJs are often a problem. When you try to signal left, does it not light up at all, or does it light up and not blink? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vineyard86manch Posted September 2, 2018 Author Share Posted September 2, 2018 Thanks for the advice y’all! Yeah when it isn’t working it lights up but doesn’t blink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 First thing I would do is to turn on the hazard flashers and walk around the truck, checking to be sure that all the bulbs on all four corners are working. Remember that the taillights have two bulbs in each, and they should both blink. If you find a bulb that's not working, there's your problem. If it isn't a burned out bulb, stop in at your favorite auto parts chain store and buy a new blinker module. The factory ones are load-sensitive -- if one bulb burns out, they're supposed to change the blink rate to warn you that a bulb is out. That doesn't work if you tow, though, because the added load of the trailer lights makes them blink too fast. So they make heavy-duty flashers that always blink at the same rate. Plug one of those in and see if it cures the problem. (Just be sure you plug the new one into the socket for the turns, not the hazard flasher.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manche757 Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 Vineyard, Kalispel's winters are tough. The pics you posted on June 9 suggest the MJ was kept out of the weather and out of the sun.Body and chrome look flawless. Red interiors fade the worst. Curiously, your seat covers and dash are not. Both original? You should post pics with your profile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vineyard86manch Posted September 3, 2018 Author Share Posted September 3, 2018 Hi manche757! Aside from a few small dents along the rockers the body is in great shape. Not visible in the photo of it with its original paint is a bit of surface rust along the rockers. Loved the original patina but a fresh paint job was a compromise with the wife, who was not keen on the purchase at all. she loves the truck now of course:) Dash and interior are original. I was skeptical at first but after opening up the dash to replace the radio with a factory replacement and pulling out the carpet to check the floors I realized it was previously unmolested. The headliner does sag and I eventually will replace it. I too am surprised by the condition of the dash, it doesn’t have even a hint of cracking. The original owner smartly undercoated the vehicle and the frame is spotless. Still finding out quirks about this truck but I’d love to chat with the original owner and thank him:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vineyard86manch Posted September 3, 2018 Author Share Posted September 3, 2018 @Eagle thanks a ton for the advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manche757 Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 On 9/1/2018 at 7:50 AM, Vineyard86manch said: But I’m taking the truck off island for a little road trip through Mass and NY and functioning directionals would be nice. Now I know this could be a number of things but I’m kind of wondering where the best place to start would be. Thanks y’all How did the First trip in the 86 go? How did a chap on Martha's Vineyard find an MJ in Kalispell? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMO413 Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 I had to replace both front sockets to get mine to work. If you look inside the socket where the bulb goes the ground likes to rust off. Bought mine at the local Napa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vineyard86manch Posted September 26, 2018 Author Share Posted September 26, 2018 15 hours ago, Manche757 said: How did the First trip in the 86 go? How did a chap on Martha's Vineyard find an MJ in Kalispell? Hey man it went even better than I expected, and I was pretty loaded down too. With the 2.5 it is definitely happiest cruising at 50-55 so we took backroads most of the way. Had great weather for the drive too. It sounds corny but I really love the idea that this truck is having a second life and being put to good use. As for finding this truck way up there, I had been scouring Craig’s and eBay for an mj that was stock and wasn’t too rusted out. I first saw this one on eBay about a year ago going for about $4k. Above my budget so I kind of forgot about it for a few months. My wife and I spend our winters in Salt Lake City, and I happened upon the truck still for sale on Craig’s in February for $2400. I luckily had a friend in Whitefish who saved me a ten hour drive to go look at it. Honestly I kinda hoped it was too good to be true, but he spoke highly of it so I offered the owner $2100 and he agreed. The guy I bought it from was the second owner, a young guy who enjoyed the truck but was looking for something more practical. I flew up to kalispell and drove it down to SLC in mid March. It’s here on the island and I’ve done a few minor things to it but I don’t have any plans to make it a crawler or anything. A friend is re-creating the the three stripe hockey stick decals as well. I’ll be sure to post pics of the progress. Thanks for the interest and for the advice with the electrical, I learn a little something knew about this truck all the time. 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