Dash light dimming........

[drummerb86]

Hi,

I boutght my JGC about a month ago. It is a 1997 laredo with ONLY 47,000 miles.

Anyway i noticed that all the dash lights will just all of the sudden dim and brighten and dim agine and back up. This happends everyounce in awhile, its kindof bothering. No other lights do that. Do you know of anything that will fix that.

Thanks

[ChadEbert]

Wow, a year older than my GC and 60,000 LESS miles. Crap, how did you find this gem? Do a continuity check on the battery and alternator, most shops do this for free as a service. Does it happen only at idle or is it continuous even when you are cruising at a steady speed? This may reveal a voltage regulation problem.

[drummerb86]

I found it in the local news paper. If was at a dealer that we have now bought 2 cars there is the last 3 months..lol. anywho i think i will have the battery checked tomorrow, but i have a hard time believing its the batt. It will do it at like any speed, it will do it even when crousing 70 down the highway. Its got nothing todo with acceloration or anything like that. Ill keep you posted on what happends, if u have anyother idea on what it could be let me know

thanks alot!

[leowolf]

Originally Posted by drummerb86

Hi,

I boutght my JGC about a month ago. It is a 1997 laredo with ONLY 47,000 miles.

Anyway i noticed that all the dash lights will just all of the sudden dim and brighten and dim agine and back up. This happends everyounce in awhile, its kindof bothering. No other lights do that. Do you know of anything that will fix that.

Thanks

Im guessing that the automatic head lights are comming on. Make sure the sensor on the dash is clean. if it does it again just turn the head lights switch back to off and see if they come back up.

Good Luck

[glennco1]

I don't know what motor you have, but at one point there was an issue with 4.0s that the AC compressor would come on and the lights would dim before alternator kicked up its output. The solution was an additional solenoid which would trip the alternator before the AC pump

[drummerb86]

ok, I have another problem i would like to fix first. I just got my JGC back from my brother, he had it for a week up at school. Anyway the idleing is a lil messed up, it will idle at like where ever it normaly is like 500-600rpms. Then all of the sudden it will drop to like 300 rpms then jump back up to normal.

[drummerb86]

Oh sorry i have the 4 liter inline 6

[xj31]

sounds like you might have a bad headlight switch.try wiggling the dimmer knob a slight amount or press on it a little with the lights on and see if that does anything.

[arks]

Yeah, I say the headlight switch (or "module", as the dealer calls it). Costs a little over 100 bucks for the part. I've just been living with mine like that.....

[drummerb86]

Thanks for the input, i believe you are right about the switch. I messed with it and everytime i touch it when it starts to fade it come right back up, and for over 100 bucks ill live with it too. Thanks