Davinator61
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Kent, Washington
As the title implies, I discovered this problem while I had the Steering Column apart yesterday afternoon to check the Combination and Turn-Signal Switches for Contact and Wiring Short-Outs as possible causes of my Intermittent-Blown-Parking-Lights-Fuse problem, which had been plaguing me off and on since I bought the 1991 Jeep Cherokee Laredo 4.0L in question in 2004.
After having gotten a mostly-complete electrical diagram from Mitchell-On-Demand, through the school I had attended from 2005-2007 for their Automotive Technology Training Course, I had unsuccessfully tried to trace the problem down on several occasions before yesterday's Steering-Column-Tear-Down to find the cause of this most recent Blown-Parking-Lights-Fuse-Spate.
I found that the Key-In-Ignition-Switch Sensor, which is a Normally Open Switch itself, was broken into two distinct pieces, one of which only came out of its placement slot once the Steering Column Barrel was removed. THAT had been the piece that had caused the rest of the switch to short out occasionally as it had, as it was a electrically conductive Steel Lever Spring, and had completed a short to ground, between the Sensor Contact Plate on the Turn-Signal-Switch and the and the cast iron or "pot-metal" part of the Steering Column behind its mounting point, once it had completely broken off from the rest of the KIIS Sensor.
Needless to say, I was OVERJOYED about having found the culprit cause of this one MAJOR Electrical System Bugbear, which had been plaguing me for as long as it had, even though I was not too happy about the prospect of trying to find a replacement part for said KIIS Sensor from the manufacturer, as the part was likely a hold-over from Jeep's AMC years of parts-sourcing, even though it was a Chrysler Era Cherokee.
Since completely removing the broken part would not make my "Pride and Joy" inoperable in any way, shape, or form, I reassembled the Steering Column, hooked the battery back up, inserted a new fuse into the Parking Lights Fuse Slot and "Wa-La", NO blown fuse! That and the Parking Lights SEEM to now be working a little brighter too.
So, if any of yous are having an issue with the Parking Lights Fuse blowing either intermittently, or all the time with the Ignition Key Switch "OFF" and Engine Not Running, as with my vehicle, just add the KIIS Sensor to your list of suspects, as it is a rather flimsy-looking part to begin with, and likely prone to failure after more than ten years of use/abuse/neglect.
It should also be noted that the Ignition Key Lock Tumbler Assembly had been replaced at one point by the previous owner(s), which may have also contributed to the KIIS Sensor's broken state. It's entirely possible that someone may have tried to steal the Jeep from its previous owner(s) by jimmying the Ignition Key Lock with a screwdriver, damaging the KIIS Sensor in the process. If this sort of thing has also happened to any of yous, it may be in your vehicle's best interest to check the KIIS Sensor's condition, while having the Ignition Key Lock Tumbler replaced/re-keyed.
In any case, what has happened to me with my vehicle may also be the cause of the same problem(s) some of yous are having with your vehicles, so you should keep this probable cause in mind when trying to find the short to ground that's causing YOUR Jeep's Blown-Parking-Lights-Fuse-With-Key-Off-Engine-Not-Running issue(s). Just my Two-Cents-Worth...
P.S. Feel free to post comments and questions regarding this thread, as I'm all too happy to help my Fellow Jeepers as best as I'm able...
After having gotten a mostly-complete electrical diagram from Mitchell-On-Demand, through the school I had attended from 2005-2007 for their Automotive Technology Training Course, I had unsuccessfully tried to trace the problem down on several occasions before yesterday's Steering-Column-Tear-Down to find the cause of this most recent Blown-Parking-Lights-Fuse-Spate.
I found that the Key-In-Ignition-Switch Sensor, which is a Normally Open Switch itself, was broken into two distinct pieces, one of which only came out of its placement slot once the Steering Column Barrel was removed. THAT had been the piece that had caused the rest of the switch to short out occasionally as it had, as it was a electrically conductive Steel Lever Spring, and had completed a short to ground, between the Sensor Contact Plate on the Turn-Signal-Switch and the and the cast iron or "pot-metal" part of the Steering Column behind its mounting point, once it had completely broken off from the rest of the KIIS Sensor.
Needless to say, I was OVERJOYED about having found the culprit cause of this one MAJOR Electrical System Bugbear, which had been plaguing me for as long as it had, even though I was not too happy about the prospect of trying to find a replacement part for said KIIS Sensor from the manufacturer, as the part was likely a hold-over from Jeep's AMC years of parts-sourcing, even though it was a Chrysler Era Cherokee.
Since completely removing the broken part would not make my "Pride and Joy" inoperable in any way, shape, or form, I reassembled the Steering Column, hooked the battery back up, inserted a new fuse into the Parking Lights Fuse Slot and "Wa-La", NO blown fuse! That and the Parking Lights SEEM to now be working a little brighter too.
So, if any of yous are having an issue with the Parking Lights Fuse blowing either intermittently, or all the time with the Ignition Key Switch "OFF" and Engine Not Running, as with my vehicle, just add the KIIS Sensor to your list of suspects, as it is a rather flimsy-looking part to begin with, and likely prone to failure after more than ten years of use/abuse/neglect.
It should also be noted that the Ignition Key Lock Tumbler Assembly had been replaced at one point by the previous owner(s), which may have also contributed to the KIIS Sensor's broken state. It's entirely possible that someone may have tried to steal the Jeep from its previous owner(s) by jimmying the Ignition Key Lock with a screwdriver, damaging the KIIS Sensor in the process. If this sort of thing has also happened to any of yous, it may be in your vehicle's best interest to check the KIIS Sensor's condition, while having the Ignition Key Lock Tumbler replaced/re-keyed.
In any case, what has happened to me with my vehicle may also be the cause of the same problem(s) some of yous are having with your vehicles, so you should keep this probable cause in mind when trying to find the short to ground that's causing YOUR Jeep's Blown-Parking-Lights-Fuse-With-Key-Off-Engine-Not-Running issue(s). Just my Two-Cents-Worth...
P.S. Feel free to post comments and questions regarding this thread, as I'm all too happy to help my Fellow Jeepers as best as I'm able...
