mdtobe

Hi everybody,

I've seen similar inquiries to mine but I'm not finding any answers that seem to apply to me (except perhaps that it might be a grounding problem and I am about to go out to the garage and check the grounds - but I'm not sure where all of them are). Anyway, for a while now the factory radio and its display have been cutting in and out. It is definitely load related, as it happens more if the volume is turned up high and it happens at even lower volumes if there are a lot of other electrical accessories turned on. I've had both the battery and the alternator tested at Autozone and both checked out fine. The problem has reached the point where even while driving without the lights on and the fan just on low, one can't have the radio up even at a medium volume without it constantly cutting in and out. Also, my mileage dropped from around 16 mpg to around 12.5 mpg about six months ago (right around the time the radio problem became worse), and despite changing the air filter and spark plugs the mileage is still down. No codes are being thrown at this time.

I'd appreciate any ideas, and also would like to know where all the ground points are on a 1998 Cherokee XJ so that I can be sure to check/clean all of them.

Thanks!

John

mdtobe

To add to the mystery:

I inspected things and the radio anti-interference ground strap that runs from the rear-most cylinder head stud to the firewall is literally falling apart with rust. I'm hoping that might be causing the problem and will order a new one (but I don't see how as it really does not ground the radio at all but being uninsulated metal, somehow is supposed to eliminate electrical interference to the radio).

But in the meantime: When I start it now, the dashboard lights are unusually dim (though the headlights are fully bright), the radio will not play or even show its display at all, and weirdly, the two turn signal indicators glow very faintly. By pure happenstance I found that if I rotate the headlight switch and manually turn on the interior lights, everything returns to normal (radio plays, display lights up and dashboard lights reach fully brightness). Switching off the interior dome light causes everything to revert back to being messed up. But if I cycle that interior light switch a few times, everything clears up and continues to function correctly. ?????????

Turbo X_J

2nd post down

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/int...-wires-164364/

mdtobe

Thanks!

And by the way, being a trumpet player, I really appreciate Psalm 150:3-6!

Djbtraxxas

Hoping this can fix mine too. I'm having the same issue