ericrn

Hey fella's, I am new to the forum and just picked up a 2000 XJ with only 39,000 miles. I bought the Jeep sight unseen and had it shipped to me a couple of weeks ago. This is the first time I have bought anything "sight unseen" and I am regretting it now...I was concerned that maybe it had been in a flood since there is a smell of wet carpet and alot of rust on the undercarriage but the Carfax is clean and the dealer denies any knowledge.
The issues I am having with it now are that on the way home last night the radio died(no power, no clock) but then it came back on later(now gone again. Now this morning no power to the power window(no lights to the buttons either). Is there a power supply to both? Am I dealing with a short?
Thanks in advance,
Eric

Xj88

Sounds like a short.
I demand pictures of this 39k XJ!

RTorrez1

People rely way to much on carfax. It only list the thing that are reported and nothing else. Personally if I can't see it I don't buy it.

ericrn

How do you attach a picture?

ericrn

never mind, obviously got the picture posted. I wasn't really relying on the carfax more on the word of the salesman(which was equally stupid).

Does anyone narrow down where the short would be coming from since it affects the radio and window?

CCKen

Where did the Jeep come from..what state?

Is this thing lifted, or otherwise look like it was an off-road Jeep?

As far as losing the radio and power windows, is there any other system inop, like door locks or windshield wipers?

See if the carpet in the passenger footwell is wet or looks like it was wet. Grab it at the front edge and pull it back as far as you can and see if there is evidence that the carpet was soaked.

There is a fuse panel in the passenger footwell called a Junction Block (JB). Power for the systems you describe go through the JB. There has been reports of corrosion of the JB panel causing all kinds of electrical problems. You can access the whole panel by removing its cover (single metric nut holding it on) and some trim pieces around it. Remove the cover and look around for evidence of water intrusion, sniff check the area and see if it smells musty or burnt. Look in your owner's manual under "fuses", it shows the location of the JB and the fuses.

Because the systems you describe are intermittant (?) inop I wouldn't suspect a blown fuse or circuit breaker but stranger things have happened.

The ignition switch in the ON (run) and ACC positions powers the circuits you describe as [intermittant] inop. Next time the systems act up try turning the ignition switch (engine off) to the ON position and see if they come back, if not, try ACC position and see what happens. If you don't get results in any position try cycling/wiggling the key in those positions and see what happens.

ericrn

Thanks for the reply CCKen, the Jeep came from your fine state of Michigan got it from a dealer in Royal Oak.
There are definitely no signs that it was taken off road
When I got it the passenger seat was pushed all the way forward and when I pushed it back there was a fabric softner sheet under there and the floor looked wet so I think you are on to something, I will check the JB.
I agree that it is probably not a fuse since the radio did come back on for a little bit.
Interestingly is that the power door lock doesn't work if I press the button on the door but if I use the key fob, I can lock and unlock the door??
More to come but here's another picture(maybe you can see why I got sucked in...)
Eric

Bwallace33908

I have a 94 cherokee and had a similar problem the short was coming from inside the drivers door jam a wire was shorting out touching metal. But mine just kept blowing fuses. It might be a good start though

AWP

It looks, "to good to be true". I would wager it has been through a flood. It may have been from Michigan but it may also have spent time on the east coast at the PO's other home. Could be lots of headaches. If you can find proof it was in a flood then someone should be sued. Or make the best of it and fix that good looking Jeep XJ.

P.S. Fix with the money you are awarded because of the fraud.

zombiexj

I had similar issues in my 90 and the fuse box was ssuuuppppeeeerrr corroded And fuses bounce in and out of contact.

Jamie57

As someone who also lives in the so called "Rust Belt" and has relatives in Michigan, who I visit frequently, there is no way that XJ spent any time there. Unless it was in a locked garage and the kids were locked in the basement.

Curiosity killed the cat but how much did you pay for this?

ericrn

The carfax showed that in the first two years the owner put on 31,000 miles then sold the vehicle to a woman who only put on the other 8000 miles over the next 10 years...
I checked the junction box on the passenger side and it is spotless, no rust anywhere. I am going to remove the rest of the panel this weekend and pull the carpet back to see how the floor looks. Just waiting for a day where it is warmer than -10!

caronaxtr

My XJ is a 2001, & I've got a similar issue with door locks & windows. My rig has been in PA (PO) and New York (me) it's whole life. Seems like whenever it's raining or cold/damp out the locks & window act up. otherwise everything works great..... FYI, buffalo doesn't have too many warm dry days so locks & windows workin' is a crap shoot every day!

I've heard quite a few guys say it's the window/lock control panel on the drivers side door that is the issue (replace it with new) or are any wires crimped that run in the door jam to the door? just a thought.

How much did an XJ with 39,000 miles cost in Mich.? sounds like it should be in a Museum as a historical artifact!

Good Luck!