So I fix one issue and now I have another. I just recently finished putting an auto trans back into my newly purchased XJ after the previous owner attempted a manual trans swap but never finished. I drove the jeep home the day I bought it and everything was fine. Swapped transmissions, backed it out of the garage and now I have no gauges, rear wiper is stuck on, defrost is stuc on, no turn signals, and odometer displays "no bus". I had a similar defroster issure with a previous 01 XJ I had. I guess the defrosters function goes through the cluster. Part of the swap back to auto involved removing the manual trans pedals which required the drives side lower protion of the dash and steering column to come apart. Nothing was unplugged but Im wondering if that could some how be related. The jeep starts, runs, and drives fine otherwise. Im going to go ahead and order the wiring harness to replace the cluster plugs as noted in the TSB for this issue but I dont have high hopes of it fixing this just because it was working before hand. At 6 bucks for the harness its worth a shot. Anyone encounter and fix this issue before?

 

I'd guess you disturbed the connectors @ the cluster. Have you tried giving them a shake, or smacking on the dash?

 

Try messing with the connectors at the ecu. When you swapped back to an automatic did you make sure to put in a ecu from an auto?

 

It always had an ecu from an auto. That was never changed. Like I said the previous owner went as far as getting a stick trans in and working. When I bought it 4x4 was hooked up, had no front shaft in, and CEL because the computer was looking for an auto trans.

I tried everything with the plugs on the cluster with no change.

 

No bus is a gauge cluster issue (most commonly) and is corrected by pushing on both sides of the cluster, toword the hood, then it should go away.

 

mine used to do that i just stopped caring...mine has gone away for a while i hope.

 

If that doesnt work, its actually the "bus" its a sensor somewhere, do a search. But its almost always the cluster.

 

Too many unrelated problems to be a single issue like the instrument cluster.

The defrost doesn't go through the instrument cluster. The defrost function is controlled by the center selector on your AC/Heat control panel (vacuum actuated valve on the HVAC unit.

Looks like there is alot of collateral damage under the dash. You should check each electrical connector and the vacuum connector on the back of the AC/Heat control panel.

 

Youre thinking of defog, on the windshield, which is controled by the hvac. I am talking about defrost, on the hatch, which is a separate switch that is tied into the same canbus as the cluster, hense why it is maulfunctioning

 

I had moisture in my cluster/contact points which played hell with mine. Usually mph,rpm,oil,check eng light, check gauge light.
This usually happens to mine most winters and cold months. A little liquid contact pushed the liquid out and now working just fine.
May help...

 

With all your problems, terminology between defog and defrost shrinks to insignificance. You need to unf*** the wiring under your dash.

Actually, I'm not thinking of "Defog". Defrost is a term applied to the front windshield "Defrost". There's a "Defrost" actuator on your HVAC unit that "Defrosts" the front windshield.

The CCD Data Bus on the XJ Jeeps is not a CAN bus. CAN didn't come along until 2003, and in the Jeeps, 2005. The rear hatch window "Defrost" feature does not go through your CCD Data Bus, or Instrument Cluster. Believe me.

 

X2

 

No

 

Fixed! Was something stupid. The person I bought this jeep from didnt seem very mechanically bright and what I found solidified that assumption. He mentioned having done a heater core. Under the passenger side of the dash was a ground lug with a few grounds on it. The nut however was only on a few threads. How the cluster ever worked when I bought it ill never know, but atleast its fixed