Author Topic: Stupid Jeep  (Read 5554 times)

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Offline Mozman68

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Stupid Jeep
« on: August 30, 2009, 04:41:07 PM »
I think I have a short somewhere...but maybe it is something else.  This problem has appeared on and off for about the past year.  Never seems to remain for more than a day or two, but has been pretty bad the past week.

I keep thinking it has something to do with my rear lights as the wires have had to be re-connected a few times due to their exposure to the elements over the past year thanks to my fancy flat fenders.

Yesterday, I lost my back up lights...completely re-wired them...nothing....and now I don't think the power is even coming from the source wire as the back-up camera will not initiate, which means there is no power going through the hot line at all....checked all of the grounds.  Battery and alternator checked out fine last weekend at autozone....any thoughts??

Video of my crazy gauges below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoAJxdXIQ68
2009 Audi S5....what....its 4wd...sort of....

Offline Jeffy

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Re: Stupid Jeep
« Reply #1 on: August 30, 2009, 07:11:18 PM »
I wish I had that kind of acceleration!  :lol:

Your CEL is on.  What's it say? 
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Offline sharpxmen

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Re: Stupid Jeep
« Reply #2 on: August 30, 2009, 07:28:28 PM »
I think I have a short somewhere...but maybe it is something else.  This problem has appeared on and off for about the past year.  Never seems to remain for more than a day or two, but has been pretty bad the past week.

I keep thinking it has something to do with my rear lights as the wires have had to be re-connected a few times due to their exposure to the elements over the past year thanks to my fancy flat fenders.

Yesterday, I lost my back up lights...completely re-wired them...nothing....and now I don't think the power is even coming from the source wire as the back-up camera will not initiate, which means there is no power going through the hot line at all....checked all of the grounds.  Battery and alternator checked out fine last weekend at autozone....any thoughts??

Video of my crazy gauges below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoAJxdXIQ68

did you try jumping the tranny rear drive switch? won't be related to the speedo but could be the reason your backup lights won't come on (or maybe the connector came loose).

that speedo thing - since it is driven by a sequence of impulses (and this is just brainstorming, can't tell for sure) i'm thinking you could get full 5v on it somehow (or 8v since i dunno what is your sensor powered at)  - so it's either a short in the harness that goes to the speedo sensor or the sensor itself, or it's the actual speedo that is shot - now, since i think it goes to the ecu first could be something else, but this is what i can think of.
'95 YJ, NSG370 6spd / Hurst shifter, Dana 300 + 4:1 Doubler / tri-stick, Custom skid, Super D35 / Auburn LSD / 4.88, 35x12.5x15 BFG KM2, 64mm t/b, 1.7 RollerRockers, MkVIII e-fan, Dual Diaph Booster
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Offline FourbangerYJ

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Re: Stupid Jeep
« Reply #3 on: August 30, 2009, 08:07:13 PM »
I wish I had that kind of acceleration!  :lol:

Your CEL is on.  What's it say? 

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Offline Mozman68

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Re: Stupid Jeep
« Reply #4 on: August 30, 2009, 08:12:12 PM »
Yeah...at first I thought there may be some sort of wormhole in my driveway....

The CEL has been on for years....usually comes up as a fuel vapor issue (something must be loose back by the filler cap).

Having it checked again tomorrow.
2009 Audi S5....what....its 4wd...sort of....

Offline jagular7

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Re: Stupid Jeep
« Reply #5 on: August 31, 2009, 07:26:13 AM »
You can check the gauges as well with the mileage trip button. IIRC you hold it down with key in run position. Then watch the gauges go ballastic. But that usually corrects itself.

I had my speedo and temp gauge do some high stuff as well. I went to do the computer code check and didn't do it right. I think I held the trip button down with the key in the on position. It corrected itself. Oh, 97 TJ.
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Offline Mozman68

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Re: Stupid Jeep
« Reply #6 on: August 31, 2009, 09:58:29 AM »
Yep...I did that last week when it popped up.

Quick update...found that the rear light fuse was blown...a new fuse blew immediately as well, so I'm starting there just for the heck of it.  Could a bad relay cause that??  I think I have a spare laying around.  Spent half the day yesterday ripping into the rear light wiring and think it is fine...do not want to do that again today, so looking for quick things to check.
2009 Audi S5....what....its 4wd...sort of....

Offline Mozman68

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Re: Stupid Jeep
« Reply #7 on: August 31, 2009, 11:16:14 AM »
Disconnected the relay and the fuse doesn't blow and the back-up LED lights work...so the problem is in the wiring to the bumoer mounted back-up lights...hopefully easy enough to find now.  Still doesn't explain the speedo...tried disconnecting the speedo wire to see what happens, but I haven't been able to separate the two pieces....grrrrrrr
2009 Audi S5....what....its 4wd...sort of....

Offline sharpxmen

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Re: Stupid Jeep
« Reply #8 on: August 31, 2009, 11:17:37 AM »
Quick update...found that the rear light fuse was blown...a new fuse blew immediately as well, so I'm starting there just for the heck of it.  Could a bad relay cause that?? 
a bad relay won't blow your fuse. not sure if your harness still has the weatherpack connectors for the rear lights, if you do you can unplug those and see if you still blow the fuse - that way you can isolate at least the area where the problem is.


EDIT: just saw you had another post after this one - which relay did you disconnect and which fuse is getting fried (getting a bit confused since you said that the backup lights are working once you did that).
« Last Edit: August 31, 2009, 11:20:59 AM by sharpxmen »
'95 YJ, NSG370 6spd / Hurst shifter, Dana 300 + 4:1 Doubler / tri-stick, Custom skid, Super D35 / Auburn LSD / 4.88, 35x12.5x15 BFG KM2, 64mm t/b, 1.7 RollerRockers, MkVIII e-fan, Dual Diaph Booster
Latest: Corbeau BajaRS heated seats :dance: keeping warm the rear end

Offline aw12345

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Re: Stupid Jeep
« Reply #9 on: August 31, 2009, 11:45:10 AM »
Your speedo problem is unrelated to your backup lights.
When gauges start sweeping like that it means its not getting info from the sender or the ecm most likely cause is moisture on the circuit board or a poor connection at the connector on the back of the instrument cluster
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Offline Mozman68

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Re: Stupid Jeep
« Reply #10 on: August 31, 2009, 12:11:38 PM »
Thanks...there are two sets of back-up lights...ones in my LED's and a pair in the bumper....

Undid the relay for the bumper lights and that fixed the fuse issue since the factory wire goes to the tail lights first and then to the bumper mounted lights.




Tried disconnecting the speedo switch at the transfer case to see if that affects the gauges, but I can't get it disconnected...grrrrr
2009 Audi S5....what....its 4wd...sort of....

Offline sharpxmen

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Re: Stupid Jeep
« Reply #11 on: August 31, 2009, 12:17:07 PM »
Thanks...there are two sets of back-up lights...ones in my LED's and a pair in the bumper....

Undid the relay for the bumper lights and that fixed the fuse issue since the factory wire goes to the tail lights first and then to the bumper mounted lights.


Tried disconnecting the speedo switch at the transfer case to see if that affects the gauges, but I can't get it disconnected...grrrrr

ok, i understand now how the backup lights are setup :)

before you disconnect the speedo sender check the codes - if it looses connection like aw suggested you I think you would get a code, if it's a short in the harness i don't think you would though.
'95 YJ, NSG370 6spd / Hurst shifter, Dana 300 + 4:1 Doubler / tri-stick, Custom skid, Super D35 / Auburn LSD / 4.88, 35x12.5x15 BFG KM2, 64mm t/b, 1.7 RollerRockers, MkVIII e-fan, Dual Diaph Booster
Latest: Corbeau BajaRS heated seats :dance: keeping warm the rear end

Offline neale_rs

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Re: Stupid Jeep
« Reply #12 on: August 31, 2009, 12:56:50 PM »
Your speedo problem is unrelated to your backup lights.
When gauges start sweeping like that it means its not getting info from the sender or the ecm most likely cause is moisture on the circuit board or a poor connection at the connector on the back of the instrument cluster

When this happened to my Neon (another Chrysler product)  it was the battery going bad.  So it seems like low voltage in general can cause this strange behavior.
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Offline Mozman68

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Re: Stupid Jeep
« Reply #13 on: August 31, 2009, 12:58:25 PM »
When this happened to my Neon (another Chrysler product)  it was the battery going bad.  So it seems like low voltage in general can cause this strange behavior.

Had that checked last week, but I would liek them to check it while it is acting crazy like this.

Last week, the second I pulled in the parking lot it went away...right before he hooked the tester up... :brick:
2009 Audi S5....what....its 4wd...sort of....

Offline Mozman68

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Re: Stupid Jeep
« Reply #14 on: August 31, 2009, 04:27:54 PM »
AutoZone re-confirmed that the battery is good...then they went to check the error codes.

3 times... machine came back as an error and couldn't read the codes....so....computer module problem under the dash??
2009 Audi S5....what....its 4wd...sort of....