Joe Dirt

The fuse for the lighting in my dash blows instantaniously when I put in a new one. I obviously have a short somewhere. Any ideas where to start?

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95 4 Dr Green, XJ, 4L, Auto, 8.25 rear axle w/29 spline shafts and Detroit True Track, 4.10 gears, 3" Rough Country lift, 1" spacer, SYE, Rusty's fenders, 32" tires, 8K winch, Hanson front bumper, JCR rear bumper & sliders.

The crisis does not make the man, but only exposes what is already there.

jeepn_83

right behind the gauge cluster check the wiring there to start

JeepingDan

Have a after market radio? There might be a exposed wire for the dimmer that was in the factory radio grounding out.
Happened to me once. because somebody didint tape it off.

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redmuck

or any wire that has been cut and not taped off, while new radio was put in, thats what happened to me.

Madbutcher

i got the same problem on my 90 xj.. and i think it is the headlight switsh. i will order a new ant test it out

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1990 Mod 2 Door Xj 4.0l. Renix 32x11,5 kumho road venture kl71

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BLACKSPORT

also check to see if your running lights are going out when you turn them on, assuming that this is when the fuse pops as one of your lights may have water or another type of short causing this. This is what happened to a car of mine. Payed like 150 for it to be fixed at a shop to realize that it was my side marker light that was filling up every couple of rains.

winston427

To anyone having this issue, does the fuse blow as soon as you turn on the headlights? Have you recently been inside the rear hatch replacing speakers? Did you happen to find a small round connector on the drivers side of the hatch that was disconnected? Did you reconnect it thinking it was for something else? If yes, pull the hatch cover back off and disconnect that wire. It is for the license plate light on vehicles equipped with factory rear tire carriers. The stock plate location is cover by a tire carrier so the plate gets moved over to keep it visible. When both connectors are plugged up it creates a ground fault circuit that blows the fuse controlling the gauge light and tail lights.

I found this out after tearing apart half of my XJs wiring trying to find a short.

winston427

Just to clarify what the connector looks like. This is it after I realized what the problem was and it decided to melt from the short.

RkyMtnH

When it comes to a wiring problem , it could be anywhere . My XJ kept blowing a 15 amp fuse under the hood constantly . Closing any of the doors or the trunk , hitting a pot hole or just driving down the road . A good friend of mine , an ACE mechanic , looked at it . After checking the obvious places , hood and dash areas . He focused on the inside of the Jeep . It ended up being the wires that goes to the brake lights . The wire bundle was ran around , not through the hole in the body it was supposed to . It rubbed the rubber coating and the paint off to where it would short out and blow the fuse . It took about 3 hours to find it . Like I said . When it comes to a wiring problem , it could be anywhere . Don't just focus in one spot .

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87 Comanche 4.0, AX-15
89 YJ going thru the D44(front is in), AX-15 swap, 5.38's , full spool rear, Spartan locked front.
78 FSJ Chief Wide Trac, 360 , D44 F/R .
97 XJ - in Avatar - Gone --
Active member of The MARYLAND JEEP CLUB

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Joe Dirt

I spent the weekend tearing the dash apart. Previous owners have spliced the crap out of the wiring in the dash for who knows what. I've removed the loose ends in the dash, but no help. The fuse blows immediately. The headlights stay on, when the fuse goes, but the dash lights and taillights go out. I'll have to check in the rear hatch for that wire. My son was messing around in there to see the speakers inside.

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95 4 Dr Green, XJ, 4L, Auto, 8.25 rear axle w/29 spline shafts and Detroit True Track, 4.10 gears, 3" Rough Country lift, 1" spacer, SYE, Rusty's fenders, 32" tires, 8K winch, Hanson front bumper, JCR rear bumper & sliders.

The crisis does not make the man, but only exposes what is already there.

Madbutcher

tell me how it goes.. i still think it's the headlight switch

__________________
1990 Mod 2 Door Xj 4.0l. Renix 32x11,5 kumho road venture kl71

Add you jeep to The Sequential XJ Thread http://www.cherokeeforum.com/f59/sequential-xj-thread-64577/

My Music on RYM