Seanxjco

Can any of you guys please help me identify these cables/connectors? They're just hanging disconnected in the bay. I'm trying to find out if they should be hooked up and if any of this is preventing my brake lights from working. Thank you!












That yellow cable runs from the positive terminal off the battery.

CCKen

What is this, a Volkswagen?

Seanxjco

Lol . Why would you compare it to a Volkswagen? Lol
Its a 1993 Cherokee 4.0

Red9Beard4

I've been wondering the same thing. All my lights work, and other electronics that I've noticed, (haven't really driven my xj too much yet), but I've had some of the same connectors hanging around my battery. I want to say these are probably for some select features that weren't installed from factory, but I could be, and am probably wrong, lol. Have you traced your harness back yet to find where you are losing power at? And do your dash lights come on?

Red9Beard4

Ah, you said brake lights, not running lights. Ignore my dash light comment. Have you checked your brake light switch?

Seanxjco

Yeah I got a new brake switch yesterday and that didn't change anything. Everything works fine, except my brake lights. At first only the passenger side light was out, now both of them. I got rid of this lose wiring underneath the dash for an old breathalyzer I'm guessing. I was sliced into the yellow wire in the harness under the drivers side dash. So I just cut it off and connected it together. I doubt that is the problem though.

Red9Beard4

I just had to rewire the underside of my 94 sport 4.0 due to a terribly wired aftermarket alarm system. I can post a picture when I get to my house of my harness underneath, so you can see if anything looks astray. Lot of wires under there. Do you have power coming to the switch and going out? May be shorting toward the back.

EDIT: Forgot to add, the yellow wire should run to your ignition switch, if it's the one I am thinking of. Can you post a picture of your wiring under the dash? Mine was a 3 hour mess, lol.

Seanxjco

I haven't checked the power to the switch yet. And yeah I'm almost positive you're right about the yellow wire being ignition. Its just weird because everything else works fine. I'll take some pics, they're not the best, but I can post better ones when I get the trim off.

Red9Beard4

I double checked and it is the ignition wire, and you're right, it's not an issue man. I'd upload a picture out of my Chilton's Manual for the rear lighting wiring diagram... but for some reason it only has 1997 and up models for those. Wtf.

To start, what ever these two connectors are (probably stock alarm?) They don't apply to me.
The second picture is the best view I could get of the wires coming out the brake light switch. They should go straight into a connector, and then out the other into the rest of the main harness bundle.

Seanxjco

I'll attach pics of mine. Also do you see any fuses I might be missing in my fuse box?

Seanxjco

Is there a brake light fuse there ? I was trying to find a diagram but mine seems like a different fuse layout

Red9Beard4

The 15 amp fuse up to the top left is the hazard fuse and brake light fuse. I'd check to see if your hazards work. I think they're usually tied into park lights, tail lights, etc as well though. There should be a 20 amp fuse in the engine bay, one closest to the battery, check that one, or really all of them lol. Any chance on irony that your switch was bad and now your bulbs are just blown? :P
Have you checked for power anywhere yet?

Seanxjco

I checked and cleaned the fuses. And still nothing. Hazards work, just like everything else, except the brake lights. This is so frustrating lol. Electrical is my weakness, I'm an amateur when it comes to that. Could you help me out and explain exactly how to test it? I have a multimeter and haven't learned how to test switches. Thanks man

Red9Beard4

Do you have cruise control, and if so does it work?

Not having access to a wiring diagram, all I can really say is shoot and miss on the wires bud. I'll try to find something though. For now, pretty much disconnect brake light switch, turn your multimeter to dc voltage continuous, find a good spot to stick your ground probe to on the Jeep, then touch prongs coming from the wire harness end for any voltage. You may find a couple. Any prongs that don't show voltage find what wire it belongs to and write it down or mark it, plug the switch back in. Find a way to depress the brake to engage the switch and check the wires that previously had no voltage. Just carefully stick though their insulations (stabbed myself too many times). If no change in any wires, it's a bad switch.

I would also start checking for pinches in your harness at your hatch.

Seanxjco

OK thanks man. I don't have cc. So after testing it. The pink wire was at 12v, the white wire right below it was at 015 before hooking the switch. Everything else was 0. After I hooked the switch back up the pink wire which I guess is power stayed at 12 and the white wire right below it that was at 015 before hooking the switch up, went to 12 when testing with the switch hooked up.