MHPrior80

just picked up a 97 cherokee. passanger side rear/front parking lights will not light up when headlights turn on ( but will work properly if using turn signal or pressing on the brake pedal ). the fuse under the dash i replaced with the 10 amp fuse ( was blown ) as soon as i turned the lights on, the fuse under the hood ( #13 ) blows. any ideas what i need to be looking at?

thorguy57

You have a short somewhere blowing the fuse. Start checking wiring.

MHPrior80

where would i start looking? jeeps are new to me, ive been dealing with s10/blazers my whole life.

thorguy57

Well how I usually look for a short is take out the fuse and put your meter to ohms. Put one of the leads in the side of the fuse that doesn't have the power. Put your other lead to ground. Since it is shorted it will have next to know resistance. Start moving wires around until you have more resistance and you are getting closer to the problem. If it has a towing package I would start at the rear by where they tap into the lights in the wiring. This usually seems to be where a lot of problems are found. They make short finders but not sure how well these work. I think the meter works just as well.

thorguy57

You can also use a test light method. You put the wire on 12V and stick the probe in where the fuse goes on the load side not the side where there is 12V. Pull out the bulbs and the light will illuminate since there is a ground where it is shorted. As soon as you get ride of the short the light will go out.

MHPrior80

ok thanx so much, i believe it has the tow package. are you saying to just check the harness or unplug it? fuse? sorry for all the questions

thorguy57

Your ok with all the ?'s, thats what this place is for. Pull the fuse and use one of the methods I told you about. Then start unplugging things or moving harnesses around to see when the short goes away. If you wanted you could just unplug your tow package harness and put a fuse in and see if it doesn't blow. If it doesn't that is where your problem is then you will have to figure out what part of that harness is bad. Also check around your bulbs and make sure there is not a lot or corrosion that might be causing problems.

MHPrior80

thank you again so much, im just trying to get a list of everything to look for so i can start again on it in the morning.

thorguy57

Good luck!!! Electrical problems can be a pain sometime. Just remember to think of it logically. Electricity is lazy and always takes the path of least resistance. Start looking at the lights and tow package. Look for places where the wires might be rubbing or where connections are. Wires in a loom that are properly secured will very rarely go bad.