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Help No Tail Or Dash Lights

M

muddydirtyxj

NAXJA Forum User
MY 89 LAREDO KEEPS BLOWING FUSES FOR TAIL LIGHTS AND DASH. BREAKS AND REVERSE LIGHTS WORK FINE BUT NO TAIL. PLEASE HELP BEFORE I GET ANOTHER TICKET:angel:
 
Muddy,

The first thing that comes to mind is the light switch in the dash. All the lights you are having problems with go through that switch.

I'd change it out. Mine on my 88 XJ failed in March when I was 200 miles from home. Nothing like chaning it on the parking lot of a parts store at 7 pm.

I paid less than $15 for the switch. Have the parts guy explain how to remove the pull handle from your old switch. It a little easier job if you remove the lower trim panel off the dash.

Martin
 
lights

Had this problem,almost sent me to the looney bin.
LOOK at your fuse panel,in the lower left corner there should be
a "module"(mine was blue) @3.0"L1.5"W.50D.This is the "Chime Module"
This "module" sounds when lights are left on,operates seatbelt light.sounds when key left in ignition.
The module can be pulled by pushing the release tab to the left.
You may have to push the left kickpad back a little to see the release tab.
Replace the fuse for instrument panel then turn the headlights on.
This is another one of those JEEP THINGS.
Pulled my module @2 yr ago never did put it back.
 
Sounds crazy, but it happened to my brother's wifes jeep. We fixed it by tracking down the short to a exposed wire in the wire loom in the rear hatch. It will be on the right side at the top when you open the hatch and in that loom you may have a wire exposed to metal shorting out things. Give it a look.------kyle
 
One other thing to look at is the door switchs. I had the same trouble in my '63 Chevy Impala years a go. Of course being young and stupid, I stuck a piece of aluminum foil where the fuse went and then looked for the smoke.

I think any of the switches can be suspect - doors, the light on the roof if there is a switch and the ones that others have suggested.

Tom Dennis
 
I had a similar situation with my 90. The right front turn signal socket had rusted and wasnt working right. It caused all of the turn signals to stay constantly lit and the signal lights in the dash also always stayed on. If I were you, I would pull all of the lights and sockets out and make sure they arent rusted or damaged in any way. It almost drove me insane trying to figure out what the problem was. I started laughing when I found out what it was. I tracked down wiring throughout the entire truck, pulled panel after panel trying to find a defect somewhere. I had also replaced all of the lights. Just one of those things. Good luck.

90red
 
I think offroadman83 is right on the money. If you pull the hatch cover you'll find the culprit. I was changing my rear speakers when I noticed a plug was unplugged. "Hey, this thing needs to be plugged in," I said. Plugged it in and tail lights and dash lights quit working although brake lights and reverse lights kept working.
If your standing facing the rear of the jeep it will be on your left hand side. Yours would make the third xj I know of to encounter this problem.
 
Well there's a lot of suggestions here.

Did you put in an aftermarket cd player or anything lately? Did you pull the gauge cluster recently? Some bare wires or a misaligned electrical connection will also blow the fuse from the dash lights so when all else fails check that.
 
Ten years after the last post in this thread, it was resurrected to save me!

I had put in rear speakers a while back, and had the rear hatch cover still off, looking for a rattle. As 90XJDave said above, I saw a connector unplugged on the driver's side, and plugged it in. (It's not the one for the window defroster).

Tonight, I had no dash lights, parking or tail lights, and was blowing a fuse. Electrical is NOT my specialty, and I was dreading tracking down the problem.

I unplugged the mystery plug, put a new fuse in, and everything works. Now, what is that plug for? Another mystery!

Thanks again NAXJA!
 
Note from DJ
According to my 88 Cherokee Electrical Troubleshooting Manual it looks like the White wire with the female connector is C318 it was for an optional license plate light hook up and the black wire with the male end is C320 which is the ground wire for this same optional light.

My advice tape up that White wire connector so you don’t make that mistake again and that will also prevent an accidental short in the future.
 
Note from DJ
I got mine on E-bay for $20.38 with shipping.
Make sure it is orange in color and has a spiral binding; my ’88 one is 130 pages long.

It is titled;
ELECTRICAL TROUBLESHOOTING
1988 CHEROKEE/WAGONEER
 
Last edited:
That's the one. I just checked ebay, nothing. You got a great deal! I paid $59 from a place called Faxton Automotive books. They have a great selection of manuals. Even have original owner's manuals. This will help me a lot. Thanks DJ!

Greg
 
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