Strange Electrical Phenomenon

(did I spell that right???) :biggrin:

I started up my X today to go to the store, and halfway there I punched the radio knob for some tunes...Nothing happened...No clock, either...And no dashboard or instrument lights...Outside lights worked, however...

At the first chance, I pulled over, shut the X off, and restarted...Everything worked...

Last thing I did last night before shutting down was extract a CD and then shut the X down...

Anyone else ever have this happen???

Is this a preview of problems down the road???

Am I paranoid enough??? :rolleyes:

I have known a couple of people to have trouble with the instrument cluster doing just exactly what you describe. I have also heard of trouble with the rheostat for the interior lights dimmer going bad. Check both.

Am I paranoid enough??? :rolleyes:


Hmm...Sounds like a conspriacy. Maybe the government, Maybe the Jeep people...maybe...
:evillol:

Have you installed any new components to the X? If you have, you might have caused an overload somewhere that tripped a cut off to prevent damaging any of the trucks components.

Have you installed any new components to the X?

No, nothing. I didn't even wash it (yes, I actually wash mine - I'm even 1/4 through waxing it!).

You guys bring up a point I didn't even think about though - does this vehicle use breakers or fuses??? I know where there is a fuse box, 'cause I pull the cover off every time I try to open the hood... :mad:

But are there also breakers (those little alum boxes about 1/2" x 1") somewhere in here??? :sly:

(Your government conspiracy theory reminded me of an old Mission: Impossible where they had a stick-shift Porsche wired for remote control; real barn-job robotics)...

"You're just too good to be true...
Can't take my eyes off of you...
You'd be like heaven to touch...
I want to hold you so much...
At long last love has arrived...
And I thank God I'm alive...
You're just too good to be true...
Can't take my eyes off of you..." :iceslolan

Interior lights are fused and would not be intermittent. A fuse is either blown or it's not. The circuit in an X is rather weird compared to American vehicles. The rheostat varies ground instead of voltage. I discovered that the hard way when wiring up the light in my voltmeter. I would tend to look at something electronic in the case of intermittents or a loose ground wire. If you bought a service manual for your truck it should be pretty easy to verify the ground connection. If that checks good I would lean towards electronics. If it is the instrument cluster, you would be number three that I have heard of. One on a 2000 and one on a 2001.

Interior lights are fused and would not be intermittent...

AFAIK, this was instrument cluster/radio backlights only. And the clock - and the radio would not work. As soon as it gets dark, I'll try out the rheostat. (It was a sunny day today).

I didn't think to check the temp/compass display. But the exterior (running) lights, and turn signals, did work.

Ground at the rheostat, you think???

Did the stereo not work at all or did the lights on it just not come on? i would think that the radio coming on would be independent of the lighting circuit unless the stereo needs to sense power from the lighting circuit in order to turn on?

In any case, if the instrument lights don't come on it is probably the dimmer dial. Mine is bad too so my instrument lights don't always come on. All I have to do is touch the dial lightly and they come back on. Someday I will replace it!

Hope that's all it is for you!

Did the stereo not work at all or did the lights on it just not come on?

Stereo didn't come on. Stereo lights didn't come on. Lights on heater controls didn't come on.

Today it all worked OK. I tried wiggling the dimmer wheel; it seems to work OK.

I dunno...Maybe just an electrical glitch...But I'll keep my eye on that dimmer switch...Maybe take it out and clean the connections...If I can figure out how to get it out...(Still haven't figured out the Nissan fuel tank connections...Or the trailer hitch wiring harness plug...)

Same thing happened to me last week. :banghead:
No stereo lights at all. Stereo would not respond to steering wheel controls nor panel controls. It did turn on when I ejected a CD. It has been working fine since.

Same thing happened to me last week...It has been working fine since.

Same here. I wonder if maybe it's a patina buildup from lack of use (of the dimmer). The electrical conductors get a slight coating of oxide and don't always make a good connection.

I had a similar patina problem with my Harley starter relay. (If you own a Harley, you'd better expect to push it)...