dustin g

I was out doing a light wheeling trip today and my power gauge maxed out. The check gauges light comes on but the Jeep runs perfect. Then after a couple miles my entire instrument cluster dies and comes back on at random. Again the Jeep is running fine so I'm thinking a bad connection? I'm clueless when it comes to electrical issues. If anybody has any ideas please help.
Thanks

shua96ZJ

I am having the same problem with my 96ZJ, did you figure out what it was? I was thing bad ground, Bad BCM, or bad switch or relay in the light system somewhere. Any help would be greatly appreciated

leadpipe58

I have been working on this problem.My dash cluster,power window,and locks stop working.I have A 97 GC.
I removed the dash cluster (easy) and was able to reach a bunch of clips and wire bundles.I tighten and squeezed all plugs I could reach.Every thing worked great for about 100 miles.So that tells me I am in the right area you can not get your hand in there to take plugs apart to check.I will be taking it apart and try again.
Here is A wiring link that was a big help.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/10078577/J...ring-diagrams-
There is a 100 wire plug.It is a series of plugs and I bet that is were the problem is.
Give it a try.Good luck.I will be watching.

dustin g

So I took off the alternator yesterday morning to have it bench tested. It failed and was squeaking. So I replaced it. Drove the Jeep for 1 mile and issue is still present. Since I'm not great at electrical stuff I took it to my mechanic. He said it is charging at 19v. Should only be 13-14v. He hooked up to the pcm and it read it was regulating to just over 13v. He reset it anyways and it still was overcharging. What else could this be? I will be checking connections today. I read somewhere that if a ground somewhere on the engine is loose or has come off this can happen as the pcm isn't getting a proper read on the voltage so it ramps up the voltage to adjust and signals the check gauges light. Does this make sense?

shua96ZJ

So my Gauge issue has seemed to resolve itself after replacing my bottom radiator hose! As I said before my VIC went out shortly before the Gauges started acting up. Also it was affecting my windows, door locks, interior lights. I am wondering if this is the way the computer in my jeep lets you know something is wrong? I fixed the hose over a week ago, and haven't had a issue with the gauges since. It know it sounds strange, but maybe the computer knows the VIC isn't working, and this is how it lets you know to check under the hood. I will post again if it starts acting up

dustin g

Ok I got it all figured out. After the alternator replacement and all connections checked it still was messed up. I took it to an auto electric shop and they found a short within the wiring harness that was bridging past the pcm and causing the alternator to bypass the regulator in the pcm causing it to run full blast thru the system.
It was an expensive fix but it was worth it to find this before I blew out all my electric stuff.