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Turned off the engine, but the radio and HVAC kept running

Anak

Stranger
NAXJA Member
What new trick is my Jeep up to now?

When I turned off the engine the radio and HVAC stayed on. Yes, this is a feature in some vehicles.My Suburban does this. But my Suburban will also turn this feature off as soon as I open a door and thereby not run the battery down. Not so in my XJ.

Cycling the ignition switch did nothing to change the problem. Starting the vehicle and shutting it off a second time did resolve the problem. And the next time I turned the vehicle off things behaved as they should have. So this was a one time fluke. So far. However I now have to wonder when it will happen again.

And without the problem making itself evident I don't have anything to work with to chase down the root cause. My best guesses are the ignition switch itself going bad, or a relay sticking.

On a '96 XJ is the ignition switch attached to the base of the column like on a GM vehicle, or is it buried in that large bulbous box at the top of the steering column, just behind the steering wheel?

Any suggestions as to which relays would be the most likely culprit? Is there one particular relay which both radio and HVAC run through?

Intermittent problems are the most fun to diagnose.
 
I would look at the wire harness in the drivers door for short circuits to ground and I would look at the backside of the fusebox for corrosion related to water leakage.

Door wire harness issues, and water leakage are as common as cracked manifold.
 
I will check those, but I think they are a bit unlikely. Doors are manual everything. Only thing wired in the doors are speakers. And this XJ has been a SoCal native for most of its life, and it now gets a garage to sleep in. It is relatively rust free.
 
Money on the key cylinder. Acted just like key in ACC position

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Simple inspection that conclusively rules out common malfunctions. Ignition switch failure is a likely suspect.


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Money on the key cylinder. Acted just like key in ACC position

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

That was what it seemed like. I tried cycling the key several times, all the way back to "Acc" and then forward to "Run". None of that made any difference until I re-started the engine and then shut it back off.

However, would that be the key cylinder? Or the switch the key cylinder engages with?

I have not had a Chrysler column apart as I have had Chevy columns apart, but I am expecting there is a lock cylinder which engages with a switch, and that the two are distinct components. Is it likely the lock cylinder has broken in such a fashion that could intermittently still work correctly? My experience with automotive lock cylinders leads me to expect cheap pot metal. If cheap pot metal fails it typically fails in such fashion that it will never work again. However, at the moment the Jeep is working just fine (I drove it today, three different stops, no repeat of the issue).

I don't have time to tear things apart right now. Unless the problem forces the issue I have other priorities I need to be working on. At the moment I am trying to collect information so I can more intelligently approach the problem once I get a chance.
 
That was what it seemed like. I tried cycling the key several times, all the way back to "Acc" and then forward to "Run". None of that made any difference until I re-started the engine and then shut it back off.



However, would that be the key cylinder? Or the switch the key cylinder engages with?



I have not had a Chrysler column apart as I have had Chevy columns apart, but I am expecting there is a lock cylinder which engages with a switch, and that the two are distinct components. Is it likely the lock cylinder has broken in such a fashion that could intermittently still work correctly? My experience with automotive lock cylinders leads me to expect cheap pot metal. If cheap pot metal fails it typically fails in such fashion that it will never work again. However, at the moment the Jeep is working just fine (I drove it today, three different stops, no repeat of the issue).



I don't have time to tear things apart right now. Unless the problem forces the issue I have other priorities I need to be working on. At the moment I am trying to collect information so I can more intelligently approach the problem once I get a chance.
Absolutely

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
My '98 has a few times killed the battery overnight, and I thought it was because the keyway was worn enough that I had turned it to ACC on accident when removing the key, and gotten out of the Jeep and closed the door quick enough I didn't notice. Not sure whether this helps but I will be following this thread.
 
Ah. Must be one from a 97+, looks like a different shape from my 92.
 
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