No power at radio

[CO MJ]

I've got no voltage on the constant hot (but I do have ign) at my radio on my 89 mj. The manual says this comes from the etr fuse, and I have voltage there and a good fuse, so seems like my wire may be shot. The manual also says to make a repair at spice J, which according to the diagram is behind the cluster, so I pulled the dash bezel. Even if I could get my hands behind the cluster to unplug everything, it still looks like I won't have access to the spice as the harness runs inside the upper dash piece. Is there any way to make this repair without pulling the whole dash out?

 

edit:

I tested for continuity to the etr fuse, nothing. I pulled the fuse box, and it looks like there's no wire going to one side of that fuse at all. I checked all the other wires, and I get continuity to the wire for the turn signal flasher power. That's kinda weird, right? My turn signals work and that fuse is good though.

[ghetdjc320]

A continuity test is great if you’re sure you’ve isolated a single wire. Unfortunately, the level of splices and circuit sharing in the MJ/XJ is epic… 

Was your radio working recently? Look for something obvious, and try not to bypass any wiring. Normally it’s a simple fix. Do you have a factory wiring diagram? 

[CO MJ]

4 minutes ago, ghetdjc320 said:

A continuity test is great if you’re sure you’ve isolated a single wire. Unfortunately, the level of splices and circuit sharing in the MJ/XJ is epic… 

Was your radio working recently? Look for something obvious, and try not to bypass any wiring. Normally it’s a simple fix. Do you have a factory wiring diagram? 

 

It was working, I'm installing a different unit. It turned out to be a bad dome light fuse. I am using a manual for an 88, I am wondering if maybe there are some slight changes in 89. After my edit, I went back, and I was no longer getting continuity to the flasher fuse, and according to the diagrams I don't know how this could be possible, I will have to look for a potential short somewhere. Then, I noticed I was getting continuity at the dome light fuse, and it was blown. Replaced and everything seems to be working. 

I double checked, there is 12v hot to the ETR fuse, but there is definitely no wire connected to the other side. 

[ghetdjc320]

1 hour ago, CO MJ said:

 

It was working, I'm installing a different unit. It turned out to be a bad dome light fuse. I am using a manual for an 88, I am wondering if maybe there are some slight changes in 89. After my edit, I went back, and I was no longer getting continuity to the flasher fuse, and according to the diagrams I don't know how this could be possible, I will have to look for a potential short somewhere. Then, I noticed I was getting continuity at the dome light fuse, and it was blown. Replaced and everything seems to be working. 

I double checked, there is 12v hot to the ETR fuse, but there is definitely no wire connected to the other side. 

Awesome! Glad you got it fixed. 99% of the time it’s something relatively simple 

[JYau]

I don't think the ETR fuse is the fuse that provides power to the radio. From my understanding it's purpose was to supply 12V to a motor for the retracting antenna for some Cherokee models. I would suggest removing that fuse if you don't need it. I had an issue where there was a drain on my battery from that fuse. I'm not sure what wiring or connections are in place in the harness for models without the auto antenna.