Hi there,

I have a 2001 Cherokee, other than new tires,a 3 inch lift, new bumpers, and few other small things it’s all stock.

I am having a really odd issue with my gauge cluster.
I will be driving down the road and suddenly my Speedo and tachometer will die, and my airbag light and check engine light will come on.
I can smack the top of my dash and the Speedo and tach will function normally again. But it will happen a few times every drive then eventually my odometer will read the message “NO BUS”. I believe the code is a P1698. Basically as the odometer says, no bus. So no connection to computer.

Recently, one more thing has triggered the gauge cluster to die. I’ll start the vehicle, no issues, turn on my AC, this loud hum starts and it kills every instrument in my gauge and my odometer goes out. It’s like it shorts the whole gauge cluster. But the moment I turn off my AC, everything comes back to life.

Prior to recent A/C issue, I have taken apart my dash, checked connections, found a loose connection, fixed it, and it still didn’t want to work.

the jeep runs fine, it just seems to be a really frustrating electrical issue that I can’t seem to figure out.

Any ideas? I’m at my end with this issue. Very frustrating.

 

So....the simple stuff first before taking that dash apart again? Grounds and connections.

check all your grounds, clean them up. Include your batt posts in there
check your connectors, take them apart, clean them up
Check relays and ensure they're seated correctly
Have your battery checked and load tested

Edit: when you did the dash, did you check the connections at the back of the cluster?

 

The 97+ Cherokees are notorious for having finnicky connections at the back of the instrument cluster. Been there, done that. There are two connectors at the back of the cluster that just press on, and that connection can get wonky. What I did to fix mine was take each pin on the connectors and twist it slightly so it would fit tighter into the female connector. Not too much since the connector won't slide back together if you do that, but just enough to get a firmer contact.

 

yes, both of the connectors attached to the wiring in the jeep were loose so I tried my best to secure them, I didn’t thoroughly check the connection at the gauge cluster. About to dig back in and see what I can find!

thanks for the help!

 

Well, I'd say if every time you smack the dash things work again, that's indicative for a loose connection or wire 😆