Rhys Chalmers Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 Hey y'all. Due to this pandemic I'm out of the job and have loads of time for my comanche project! Hurray! I bought my 87 with a lot of electrical issues and a bad motor. While I sorted out the motor with a used 96 high output, the electrical issues are driving me nuts. Here's my main issue: No turn signals on either side, no illumination on the dash indicators. The hazards do work fine though. I've replaced a few parts and don't know where to go next. It has new turn signal switch (not fun) and a new turn signal fuse, as well as a new negative battery cable. I've yet to go through some of the grounds and that's what I plan on fiddling with today, but I was wondering if there is anything else I should be looking into? There's also a weird thing going on where the driver side brake light is always on even when the car is completely off. In order to keep the battery healthy and the bulb from burning I have it on a battery maintainer but I'm not sure if this is pointing me to the real problem or is a different headache altogether. Thanks for any help/advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 I assume you've swapped the hazard and turn pots? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhys Chalmers Posted March 25, 2020 Author Share Posted March 25, 2020 Hey Pete! Thanks for the quick reply. Excuse my lack of knowledge but I'm not sure what you mean by pots. Do you mean the fuses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhys Chalmers Posted March 25, 2020 Author Share Posted March 25, 2020 I found your response to this issue from a couple years back and I did try switching the fuses but it did not work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 they aren't fuses. they are little devices that turn on and off over and over to turn the lights on and off. you may need to break out the multimeter and track down where the power stops. hopefully one of the guys that is more versed in the connectors will stop by and chime in. since the hazards work that should help with determining where the power goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coman Posted March 26, 2020 Share Posted March 26, 2020 Good afternoon. My 87 Comanche had the same issues. I did most of the ground refresh list with no improvement. I also removed the connector block under the hood. No change. Finally the forum masters found a reference to the main power switch connected to the ignition key switch. This switch is on the steering column. It wasn't much fun to replace and I still need to adjust the whole thing but the intended functions have been fixed. Now my brake lights are always on unless I unplug 1 brake switch wire. I noticed the switch was really warm. Good luck to you. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhys Chalmers Posted March 28, 2020 Author Share Posted March 28, 2020 Hey guys so I don't think I'll be able to get working on it again until tomorrow but I just wanted to say thank you to Pete and Coman for responding. This forum is awesome and you guys are awesome! I'll update as soon as I get more info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 and don't forget to be proactive and run through all of Cruiser's MJ tips. it covers all the more common wiring issues. link is in the link in my signature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhys Chalmers Posted April 1, 2020 Author Share Posted April 1, 2020 So after some more research I've read that a leaky MC can cause havoc on the electrical components since it's directly above the fuse box! I recently had the MC replaced but did not think about the damage all that brake fluid may have been causing for many years. This combined with a leaking windshield has done a number on it. I took apart the connection at the firewall and sure enough it's incredibly nasty! Upon closer inspection of the fuse box I noticed how loose some fuses were and it appeared there was severe corrosion and a couple connectors missing. My plan is to clean the connections and do my best to clean/ fix the fuse box. The picture I included has the state of the connector on the engine side of the firewall (left side cleaned up and right side still dirty) Not sure if this will solve my problem but it seems like a good place to start. I really hope I don't have to get/rewire another fuse box Thanks again everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 yeah, that's another common MJ issue. glad you were able to find the problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhys Chalmers Posted April 5, 2020 Author Share Posted April 5, 2020 Final update! Managed to snag a fuse box from an 87 Cherokee for 30 bucks. Took a long time but I swapped over all the wires and viola! I now have turn signals and the brake light issue has gone away. Such a relief! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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