I have a 98 2 door sport and Im having a problem with the driver side brake light, third brake light, and the license plate light.

I just noticed today that all three aren't working. Its only the driver side brake light, 3rd brake light, and license plate light. The running lights and turn signals on both sides still work. I checked the #7 fuse and the rest of the fuses at the kick panel and theyre all good.

I replaced the bulb for the driver side brake light and still nothing, that was before I realized the 3rd light and license plate light was also out.

I did notice that the wires at the top of the hatch, on the left side, under the 3rd brake light, the rubber is torn and the wires inside are torn up as well and the bare wire is exposed. Theres a few wires in there exposed and looked to be touching but nothing is shorting out and blowing the fuse. It kind of looks like a mess in there, could this be the culprit?

Im about to make a run to WalMart and pick up a mulitmeter to check some things.

Any help is appreciated

 

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well, if it is that bad then, that is a good place to start.

 

I figured that would be a good place to start but I dont know what those wires are for exactly. Ive searched around and couldnt find a lot of information on it.

Which wire is which, where they lead, and what they do are things that would be helpful. Can I access these wires by removing the panel on the hatch?

 

http://www.pacificcoastmanuals.com/j...e_manuals.html

 

Could someone just tell me what the wires are that come down into the hatch and the best way to get at them?
Theres only a few inches of space to get at the wires between the hatch and roof, should I just cut the rubber and fix the wires or is there enough slack in the wires that I could take the back panel off, pull them down, fix them, and pull them back?

 

i have a 97 2 door. looks like you would have to take the plastic molding off the top of inside and the panel off the hatch. then you will be able to splice new wires in. they would be for the plate light, third brake light and rear wiper. the other boot i would think is for the rear window washer hose. (i have 2 small boots). sure wires are color coated and you can see what they go to. will not be hard to do. just take some time...

 

It sounds like you have a non-fun job ahead of you, as you are going to have to follow each of those damaged wires in the hatch to their destinations at the various lightbulbs and motors. You will have to take the trim off of the hatch and inspect all of the wiring to see if it is in good condition and not shorting out.

A manual will have a basic wiring diagram which will help you know what what wire is what.

It would be nice if some words on a webforum had the power to just fix the car issues but in this case you will be the one digging around in the hatch of your Jeep patching up wiring. If it is any consolation, my Jeep has similar issues and I haven't wanted to fight that battle too much. I have dug around in there a bit but the jackass that owned the Jeep before me has it all hacked up... Not fun to work on.

 

When it comes to chasing down electrical issues, a wiring diagram is a life saver. Spend a few bucks on the manual. You will be able to tell the wires by color and location which is a giant help in isolating what you're working on.

 

Before you tear into that, I would check the factory connector on the drivers side behind the rear panel. If it's corroded, cut out the connector and crimp connect all the wires. I had an issue like this with mine. My rear driver's running light, liftgate open indicator and rear wiper wouldn't work. As soon as I rewired the harnesses on the drivers side, it all started working like magic.

I've been recommending this to every poster I've seen with rear light issues. If the wheel well gets a hole in it, it's only a matter of time before those connectors go.

 

Thanks, Ill check that first. I took a second look at the wires by the hatch and they werent all exposed like I remembered, my memory was playing games with me lol. Im just going to have to pull all the panels and check it all out.

I purchased that service manual so if anyone comes across this and needs it, heres the schematic for the wiring.

 

You have a trailer hitch ?

 

at the very least get the wires covered back up with insulation... You should never have exposed wires