89 cherokee blinkers, clock, & dome lights all stopped working???

[Dansjeep89]

Hi guys,

I have a 1989 jeep cherokee and last week the blinkers, clock, radio, & dome lights all stopped working at the same time. The blinkers kind of work every so often. They will blink like 2 or 3 times, but the aren't working right (the hazard light flashers work though)? Does any one know why all of those things would stop working at the same time? What do they all have in common? Oh yeah, the horn stopped working right too? The horn will work sometimes and then won't work at all?

Thanks for any help,
Daniel

[4x4grey88]

Did you replace the fuses???? There are many different fuses that seem to run together..

[Dansjeep89]

No, I didn't replace the fuses!!! But the fuses look fine!

" There are many different fuses that seem to run together"

What do you mean? Are you saying if 1 fuse goes out then other fuses might not work?

Thanks,
Daniel

[89ltd]

I would check for loose wires and connections at the starter relay where all the fusable links are. Dissconnect the battery and at the starter relay, remove the nut the holds several wires all on the one bolt and clean them up. That is the only common point they all have. The dome light fuse gets its power from the headlight switch and the radio and turn signals fuses get there power from the ignition switch, but they all meet up at the starter relay. Good luck.

[Dansjeep89]

Thanks 89ltd,

One question though. Where exactly is the "starter relay"?

Thanks,
Daniel

[89ltd]

If you follow the big positive wires from the battery, one will lead down to the starter and the other goes to the starter relay, and that is the terminal you want to clean up, tighten and check out.

[Dansjeep89]

Thanks, I will go check it out now. I am hoping this will fix the problem. I'll let you know the results...

Thanks,
Daniel

[Dansjeep89]

Hummm? I spent the last 35 minutes cleaning up the starter relay and it didn't fix the problem, but I did see something I hadn't notice before....

After I had plugged all the wires back into the starter relay I was going through testing everything to make sure I hadn't messed anything up. Well, what I noticed was if you turn on the headlights the main front 2 headlights work, the orange lights on each side of the main headlights work, but something weird happens to one of rectangle lights that are under the main headlights.

Here is what happens if you turn on the headlights:

When you turn on the headlights only the driver’s side rectangle light (that is under the main headlight) comes on and the rectangle light on the passenger side doesn’t, BUT you can get the rectangle light on the passenger side to come on if your try to turn on the right blinker??? You know how if you turn on your headlights the right blinker arrow lights up on the dash to indicate that your headlights are on? Well, if you try to put on your right blinker instead of the right arrow flashing/blinking it just turns off and the rectangle light on the passenger side comes on instead of blinking, but if you don’t try to turn on the right blinker the rectangle light on the passenger side doesn’t come on at all it just stays off???

Ok, I hope a typed that clearly??? Now knowing this new information could you possible come up with a reason that my blinkers don’t work right? I can live with my dome lights and radio not working, but I need to fix my blinkers?

Thanks You,
Daniel

[Dansjeep89]

Something weird just happened… I just went back out to the garage to move my jeep back outside and when I was moving my jeep back into the driveway I thought I would just test the blinkers again. Well, I turned on the right blinker and nothing happened, but I didn’t turn it off and right as I was getting ready to turn the jeep of the right blinker started blinking and it blink 7 times before it stopped??? I mean, it had been about a minute since I had turned on the blinker before it started blinking and when it did start blinking it only blinked 7 times?

Does anyone have any idea what is going on??? I can’t figure it out and I am afraid to take it to a shop to get it fixed because I know they would probably try to charge me a few hundred $$$’s to get it fixed.

Thanks again,
Daniel

[89ltd]

now it sounds like a ground problem, remove all the turn signal bulbs and check the sockets and connections, if you have a trailer hitch, the wiring could be shorting out there as well. Maybe replace the flasher as well, its a round metal unit that plugs into the fuse block, one for the signals, the other for the flashers. If the 4 way flashers work fine, it could very well be the flasher.

[Dansjeep89]

Alrighty, I will look into that!!! If something is wrong with the ground would that make all the above things I listed not work?

Thanks,
Daniel

[89ltd]

another thing you could check is to see if there is power on either side of the fuse with the key on. A brown wire from the ignition switch sends power to the horn relay, heater fan, rear wiper washer, cig lighter, radio,turn signals. Are all these things effected at the same time? If so, it is probably the ignition switch. Let me know.

[Dansjeep89]

Yeah, I had someone else tell me the same thing you just did. They also said something about a brown wire that comes from the ignition switch?

Yes, all those things are effected at the same time.

"another thing you could check is to see if there is power on either side of the fuse with the key on."

What fuse? and what would be the best way to check for power?

Thanks for all the help,
Daniel

[89ltd]

for example, if you pull the radio fuse out and insert a test probe, ( any cheap 12 volt test light) one side of where the fuse goes in should have power with the key on. If all of the items don't work that I mentioned in my last post, I think it would be safe to say that the ignition switch is bad. I would just replace it, or get a price having it done. The ignition switch is down under the dash mounted to the steering column. It is mounted along with the bright light switch. When you turn your key, it pushes a long rod that leads down to the igniton switch so there is no reason to remove the steering wheel, how ever, you have to take the lower dash panel off and remove the nuts holding the steering column to the dash so it can drop down to the seat, giving you room to work on it. If you take it apart carefully and remember where everything goes it is not that hard of a job. The switch just plugs into a big plug. The new switch is about $25 Canadian.

[Dansjeep89]

Thanks man!!! Tomorrow I will check it out and see what I find out!!!

Thanks again,
Daniel