So when I press the brakes with the lights off, my front running lights and dash lights come on. The head lights work, brake lights work ( execpt for the high mount), all fuses are good. Electrically everything else functions as it should. Any input would be helpful, or knowlage on where to aquire a 97 fsm ( I actually had one, but my computer crashed and all my data was lost).

Thanks!

 

I'm gonna guess the socket (s) arnt' properly grounding. (When you hit the brake, it goes around through)

Just a guess. One easy test is to go right from Bat. Neg, directly to the metal of a socket. (an old vacuum cleaner cord works..). At least a couple times that test "shined some light" on my problem. Once the whole Toyota bed was not grounded.

On my 90 that ground is poorly designed, messed up a couple times.

 

Update: after mucking about it for a bit ( removing the dash and cluster to access the headlight switch and rear left pannel to access the rear wiring) I've jostled something loose causing me to loose running lights in all 4 corners ( position 1 headlight swich). The dash lights have quit coming on with the brakes and only the right front marker comes on when the brakes are pressed. Headlights, brake lights and turn signals still work.

 

I'd check that fuse again. I still suspect the ground, having seen that a few times.

The plug on the headlight switch is known to melt and screw up also..

 

I was thinking a ground issue, although backprobing the socket and checking the resistance yielded no issues. The socket of the headlight swich isn't melted, but I'm not convinced the swich it's self isn't bad. I'm not entirely sure how the running lights are wired to the headlight swich, so it makes it difficult to eliminate it as the issue.

 

It's the metal socket for the bulb(s) , that causes goofy things when it is not grounding. It will try to ground back through the "other" filament. On that Toyota, the front running lights would come on when I hit the brakes for instance. When I touched a wire from the Neg battery post to the bulb socket, it all got really clear. No ground. Supper easy test. If you have jumper cables you only need another 5-8 feet of wire.

 

Ah, I understand what your getting at. I've already preformed the test you mentioned, but instead of using a cable to the battery I used a multimeter to check how much resistance on the ground side of the circut. The bulb grounds are ok, the problem is somewhere else in the circuit.

 

Gotchya' Yea, I thought of mentioning a resistance check. For me, just too easy to eliminate all the potential boogers and connect the thing direct. ( I have a mile of wire here)

Boy, I was scratching my head when those front running light's on the Toyota would come on when I hit the brake. Thought I nailed yours! I'd still be watching grounds. Hope someone more helpful comes along. Merry Christmas! (anyway). Or the Solstice actually matters.

97, so you have a PDC? there under the hood? OK Ken, or Cherokee (or somebody), don't those get funky underneath? Call me "stuck on stupid", but I still suspect a ground.

 

Just thought id update the situation. Its fixed So what ended up causing the root of the problem was the connector in the right quarter for the right tail light assembly. The corrosion bridged the power from the brake light to the running light. So when the brakes were pressed, power was feeding to all the running lights. As for what happened later (loosing all the running lights), the headlight switch was the problem. I don't know if the power back feeding through the running lights damaged the internals of the switch, but when i disassembled the dash i likely jostled something loose in it, causing it to fail.

Either way, all fixed. Thanks DFlintstone!

*still looking for s 97 fsm tho, its a pain in **** not having one for electrical diagnostics

 

goood reading here...http://www.jeep4x4center.com/knowledge-base/index.htm

 

Yea....maybe..... If the ground in that connector was shot, and cleaning it brought it it back it might look the same? IDK! Yep, the stack rocks! (even for that new stuff from the late 80's).

 

Well I am having a similar issue and I've been unable to solve it. My dash lights continue to go out because fuse #19 keeps blowing. I've removed the aftermarket stereo, I've taken apart the dash and searched wires, I've replaced the headlight switch, and recently I've removed this red wire going from fuse #16 if I remember correctly. Removing that hot wire from power seemed to have solved it, for about 2 days. And now fuse 19 is blowing again. Please can someone help me out?

(All my other lights work fine, only issue is dash lights and heat/ac lights and the 2hi,4hi,n,4lo lights)

 

no real help here. find out what's on that fuse.....

 

I know whats on the fuses. I have a chilton book and the owners manual. But that doesn't help me to find out whats causing the fuse to blow after I've damn neaer overhauled the entire system.

 

If a wire chafes going around a rough or sharp edge, it's the last thing you will spot, as it's underneath of the curve down behind and under.

I got a dui the day after I used a trailer with a short in the dash-tail circuit. The trailer was 300 miles away, but I was in the wrong place. Meaning...the trailer wires can blow that fuse, and you TOO can help train a new deputy!