I have a 98 gc 5.2 limited with some electrical issues I'm having problems tracking down.
When I bought it 8 days ago it had not shown any signs of problems buy it's developed a new issue where the interior lights don't turn of.
The first night I had an issue I turned the key on and off a few times and hit the lights with my hand and they flickered off and stayed off, next day it was fine. The day after that after I shut it down and interior lights stayed on and never went off, checked all the door switches, front ones were gone, Un plugged the rears to no avail then went to the hatch (witch had been stuck shut till two days after I bought it and finally got the hatch open) I unplugged both the window sensor and the actual hatch sensor one after the other with no results, then 30 seconds later they went off and I didn't have a problem with them for another few days when I came out to a dead battery, got it started but the lights were off, drove around a bit and later that day and at one point turned the headlights on, witch caused the interior lights to come on and stay in again.

Other note worthy info
My friend drove it last night and mentioned when he turned the brights on but then turned them back off and the indicator light stayed on until he later killed the jeep then restarted it

Also the brake light switch is broken and when I press the pedal I have to lift them the last 1/8" inch to get them off.

Other then this issue everything else works. All windows work, all power options work, heated seats work radio and all speakers work ect.

 

This might be a stupid thing for me to say, but it caught me off guard when i started driving my ZJ I picked up a week ago. The interior light slider switch on the left side of the wheel, just to the right of the headlamp/taillamp switch, controls both the interior dome light and the dash lights. If this switch is all the way to the top, the dome light comes on. Took me three days to figure out how that operated on mine.

Another thing may be any body damage or decay, repaired or unrepaired on the pillars or rockers. I know on my 95 escort, the rockers were all but completely rotted out, and the back of the door sensor/switch was horribly corroded, and I had the same sort of behavior from my interior lights at times.

 

I'm having a similar problem with my '02 Grand Cherokee WJ... does your ZJ (1998) Grand Cherokee have the EVIC (the small electronic screen at the bottom of the dash)? If so, does it show any of the doors are open when they're not? If so, you might have a faulty door sensor that knows whether the doors are open or closed... otherwise it may be the switch that controls your interior lights, which is to the left of the steering wheel/column. If it's faulty, you'll need to replace it. Finally: if you've checked your door sensors and the multifunction switch still changes the functionality of the interior lights and dimmer, it's your BCM (Body Control Module) that has a problem.

 

it wasnt stupid for you to say but i feel stupid for having experienced it, i read the manual today and saw about that switch. witch was all the way up.

Problem was solved.

 

yes it does but no it does not show any doors open because there are no sensors on any of them anymore, however it does flash at me bout the lack of a rear view mirror, witch doesnt seem to have an affect on anything else.

 

well I'm glad I just didn't know all the features of my jeep because I liked being able to brag that my jeep had no electrical issues, so now that the battery isn't draining and all my interior lights work again life is good.

 

Hmmm. I am having the same issue with my interior lights, but also noticed the EVIC is showing the rear hatch as open. If it thinks this is open, that could explain it. Sliding the switch on the lighting controls has had not effect.

 

Okay, found the hatch sensor was defective. Bypassed it and everything went out. Took it for a drive and after turning it off and exiting the vehicle, lights wouldn't go out again. I notice when sliding the dimmer switch, I can hear a relay clicking and the lights flash off then come back on. Maybe I've got a bad switch.

 

Any suggestions on trouble shooting the switch?

 

Okay, with the key in, ignition on, the lights will turn off. Once you turn the ignition to the off position, they come back on.

Any ideas on where to start looking for issues?