31st May 2003, 11:21

Concerning the Jeep TJ electrical problems...

The problem is that the pins on the back of the instrument cluster ONLY ON THE TJ MODELS don't fit snug enough into the connector...

Simply take the cluster off and put a gentle curve in each pin and the problem will be gone...

...someone does/did have a detailed (with pictures) web page dedicated to fixing the problem... search the web..

..if you're mechanically inclined at all...you'll have the problem fixed in about 45 minutes tops...

8th Jun 2003, 15:53

We own a 1997 Wrangler which has serious electrical issues. When using the turn signal the windshield wipers go on and do not turn off. We have taken it in and the best they can do is disconnect wipers and we have to reconnect if need to use them. Whats weird about this is the blinker and wipers (from what we were told) are separate and don't have anything to do with each other electrically. The interior lights blink on and off... when Jeep isn't even running. And the real frustration now has become 5 times out of 10, it won't even start. It has been in to the mechanic (several different mechanics) for numerous weeks and still has the same unreliability of starting and weird electrical behavior. This vehicle is not abused and very well taken care of. Any clues...anyone?

7th Jul 2003, 16:53

My turn signals just stopped working. Any idea what this is? Good thing I know my hand signals.

6th Aug 2003, 08:57

A good amount of these problems are due to that faulty connectors. The rain is also a big culprit- and as for the fella up top talking about how great his YJ was-- ya- great buddy-- the YJ doesn't have these parts- that's why you don't have a problem. I had a YJ- some guy decided to smash it for me- now I have a TJ-- YJs were much more durable than TJs-- but TJs are much more able- their only downside is the electrical stuff.

Most of your problems may be with a shorted clock spring, or a wet Throttle sensor-- which is what I'm going through now- anyone know where I can get a new one?

30th Nov 2003, 21:11

Well...I've joined the list of TJ owners having electrical problems. I have a 99 Sahara I bought from a local dealer 10 months ago, and started having problems with my radio and blinkers not working at times shortly after I got the vehicle. I can turn off the ignition switch and restart the vehicle, and the problem goes away for awhile. Now, in addition to that, my gages will all stop working and the airbag light will come on. I can hit a hard bump in the road, and the gages will start working again. I just dropped it off at the dealer as I have an extended warranty, and told them I don't want the vehicle back til its fixed. No sense in driving it like that! The radiator is leaking around the top, and they will have to repair/replace that also. I'll post the fix on this website as soon as they figure it out and fix it.

6th Jan 2004, 22:54

Hello

Tonight, I was driving, and my dash cluster and all of my other lights in my dash for night driving went out. I have a 2001 Wrangler SE. If anyone could help me, Please shoot me an email, Gigebo@comcast.net

Thanks for your time.

25th May 2004, 21:50

Hello.

I am having a similar problem, my 4WD light is not working. When I start my Jeep and it checks the gages all of them come on except the 4WD light. I pulled the cluster out and changed the light, but no fix. My 4WD works just not the light. Jeeps are awesome I have always owned one, but the TJ's and this electrical problem makes me want to get my old YJ back.

31st May 2004, 09:55

I have a 99 jeep wrangler sport. For some reason when I put on my left blinker and brake, the blinking stops and I'm not sure what happens on the outside. My boyfriend was following me and said my hazards came on and were flashing. It also only seems to happen when its hot outside. I was hoping someone could help me fix this. My boyfriend is very good with instructions (I don't know anything about vehicles, but love my jeep). I would be greatly appreciative for helpful advice. my e-mail is khabx50@sbcglobal.net.

16th Jun 2004, 22:15

I have a 97 jeep wrangler that has been having some electrical malfunctions. This is the third time that I am working on it. The second time around I replaced the battery, cables, wires etc.. anything that was coming to or going away from the battery. It worked great for 5 months. I came home one Friday night about 2 weeks ago and it did not start the next morning. My brother came down this week to Dallas to help me with it. After a lot of digging around and tracing wires... we found out that the security alarm that was installed... by either the previous owner or factory... looked more like previous owner to tell you the truth. anyway we removed the alarm system. When the alarm was installed they had spliced the ignition wire and redirected one to the alarm and then returned to the other spliced wire. As I said we removed the alarm and redirected the spliced wires to their original wires and the dang thing started right up. I don't know if any of you have alarms installed, but this was the cause of my electrical problems... I hope this helps.

8th Dec 2004, 18:23

Bought my '99 Sahara new. At only 200 miles, lost all gauges as described above. Dealer was aware of tech bulletin addressing the Mechanical Instrument Cluster (MIC) connector needing to be replaced all together. Took the Jeep in and had it "fixed" per the tech bulletin. Problem has resurfaced in 2004. Called dealer back to let them know that they didn't "FIX" the problem. When the dealer looked at the computer records, he found that the connector had only been reworked (NOT replaced). I let them know that this is not a wear and tear item and they should complete the job they started 5 years ago. I got a call back from the service manager and he agreed to do it right this time... at no charge. Hats off to him.

Please lean on your dealerships about this one as there is a tech bulletin out there addressing this exact issue. Wish I knew the number.

BTW...my plastic radiator sprung a leak after about 4 years. If you should spring a leak around the top part of your OEM radiator, I would advise replacing the whole radiator with an aftermarket radiator made completely of metal. They can be repaired.

4th Jun 2005, 20:36

I have a 1997 wrangler. When the humidity is high (mostly in the mornings or during rainshowers), my left turn signal comes on when I hit the brakes. It doesn't flash, but rather stays on.

This morning I jump in the jeep and take off and now it is trying to stall out on me. I replaced the distributor cap, rotor, and plug wires to no avail. I truly love my jeep, but I am growing increasingly impatient with these annoying electrical issues.