Need help guys finding the grounds for these lights

turn signal, stop lamps, and park/tail lamps each have a separate fuse in the fuse block. Maybe I was reading something wrong, but I was under the impression that the tail lamps were not working, not the turn signals. Yes, no, maybe so??
 
yes the turn signal work front and back the front drivers side has a short in the socket but putting some tape on the bulb to the socket helped the short in the socket it blinks faintly lol but that only the front driver side all others work fine
but so do my stop lights
my only lights that dont work are the instrument cluster lights and the tail lights
 
were it mine, I'd fix the driver side front turn signal correctly first. If you've got to use tape to get it to function, it's still suspect. Because the parking lamp and turn signal share that socket, any internal short in that socket can cause the fuse to blow.

once that problem has been fixed correctly (new socket) and the turn signals function correctly (blink and illuminate at full candlepower) you can proceed to the next problem. It won't help to try to eliminate unknown causes when you still have a known possible cause that's unrepaired.
 
ok well i brought a new GM socket that fixed this problem at first lights work and all then it just stopped is it because of the Gm socket or because maybe i wired it wrong (maybe)
or should i try to find a new socket thats made for the xj
 
you're killing me with the "brought"...... please, use to word designed for your intention: bought. Sorry, it's been killing me since you "brought an IAC" when you were having idling problems before.

As for the wiring, there is no way to say "yes" or "no" without seeing what you've done. It is more likely that it is wired incorrectly than the plug being "incompatible" due to it's intended application (assuming both sockets were dual filament, positive switched, negative ground applications)

Start again with a salvage yard socket with a few inches of wire still attached and match the colors if need-be. Don't quit on that project to check something else until turn signal functions correctly. From there, try another fuse for the parking/tail lamps and see if it still blows.
 
inn your "emergency" post you made, i told you that your tail lights dont work if your dash lights dont work. could be a bad head light switch or in my case on my 89, it was from a bad connection in the fuse block. the power side of the fuse pulled from the back of the fuse block and no power was going through the fuse. the fuse looked good, but when tested, had no power through it.

use a test light to see if power is going through the fuse, dont just look at the fuse to see if its broken. its been awhile since i had the problem, so i forget what fuse it is.
 
inn your "emergency" post you made, i told you that your tail lights dont work if your dash lights dont work. could be a bad head light switch or in my case on my 89, it was from a bad connection in the fuse block. the power side of the fuse pulled from the back of the fuse block and no power was going through the fuse. the fuse looked good, but when tested, had no power through it.

use a test light to see if power is going through the fuse, dont just look at the fuse to see if its broken. its been awhile since i had the problem, so i forget what fuse it is.

well i change the head light switch (bought brand new) like yall told me trying to fix the same problems and i doubt im not getting any power to the parking lps fuse cause every time i put a fuse in it blows so there has to be power there right
just for curiosity sake while poking around the fuse box i noticed the a 5 amp fuse down there had no power goin through to the fuse i forget what fuse it is!
 
well i change the head light switch (bought brand new) like yall told me trying to fix the same problems and i doubt im not getting any power to the parking lps fuse cause every time i put a fuse in it blows so there has to be power there right
just for curiosity sake while poking around the fuse box i noticed the a 5 amp fuse down there had no power goin through to the fuse i forget what fuse it is!

was anything burnt on the head light switch wiring harness? mine was burnt and i had to rewire it. if a fuse blows when you put it in the fuse block, you have a short curcuit. does the fuse blow right when you incert the fuse in the fuse block or just when you pull the headlight switch.
 
just when i pull the head light switch but then again i never actually tried to start the jeep and see if the parking lights run by themselves
also i do you get a good look at the headlight switch anyway its so small up there and so little slack on the harness i couldnt pull it down enough to get a look it was hard enough tryna get the thing plugged in
 
At this point, to make it simple and avoid confusion about which light is which, wouldn't it be easier to take out all the outside bulbs except the headlights and then see if the fuse still blows. If it does, disconnect your new GM socket that you wired in. Make sure the wires there are not touching anything after they are disconnected. Then test to see if the fuse still blows.

Let let us know what happens and we go to step 999 (LOL)
 
At this point, to make it simple and avoid confusion about which light is which, wouldn't it be easier to take out all the outside bulbs except the headlights and then see if the fuse still blows. If it does, disconnect your new GM socket that you wired in. Make sure the wires there are not touching anything after they are disconnected. Then test to see if the fuse still blows.

Let let us know what happens and we go to step 999 (LOL)

lets take this step by step even though their are alot of issues lets start with
problems: Parking lps fuse blows every time a fuse is put in and the head light switch is on,

why does this happen? Bad ground? Or is a power wire grounding somewhere? which make this happen?
 
Did you unplug the rear lighting the way I told you? If you did, and the fuse did not blow, the problem is in the rear lighting. iIf the fuse blew again, move on to the front lights.
I believe The connector for all the front lights is underneath the air box under the hood on the drivers side. loosen/remove the hoses and clamps, take out the air filter and remove 3 13mm bolts in the bottome of the air box. underneath the box you should see a flat black connector with 6 to 8 wires in it. Disconnect it which takes all the front lighting out of the circuit. if the fuse doesn't blow, your problem is in the front.
 
ok
where you told me to unplug the back lights at under the jeep there are no light wires
just the fuel pump wires.... The only connectors i see are in the rear panel driver side right where the spare goes also i think there is another one on the opposite side right behind the passenger tail lights/parking/brake/ etc..... thing is its not just one its more that one connector back there so how do i know which one to unplug is everything back there just for the lights also?.......... I need this jeep its my only means of movin around out here... lol

but in the front i know for sure that there is no connector for the front lights under the airbox is there another location for it maybe along the firewall driver side maybe tape with the harness? I take the air box out all the time and i never seen no connector underneath it... its a 88 Xj 4.0 straight six
but i think i understand what your saying we need to find out what side is causing the problem and its seems like a fast way to find it but i need to know what & where the connectors might be
 
Yes, we're trying to isolate the short to see whether it is in the front or the back.
the plug for the taillights is under the rear of my Comanche, but it might be inside the cabin on the cherokee. Any flat black connector with 6 or so wires in it should be for the lights......all we have to do now is find the connectors and unplug them to isolate.
 
I know that it sounds strange, and you may not believe me, but I spent the better part of a month trying to figure out the same problem on my 88. The problem ended up being the socket for the key lock cylinder for the ignition. It has something to do with the warning buzzer and thats why it is connnected to the lights. I just unplugged mine (under steering wheel). Just another thing to check, although its probably something that you effed up with that gm socket you wired up or something.
 
BTW I thought this was a serious matter, but you LOL 6 times already in this thread, maybe you should start taking our advice seriously.:banghead:
 
sorry 88 wagonman trust this advice im getting is the only thing keeping me.... lol......
or i would have pulled my hair out by now, If it wasn't for ya' I would have been lost a year or so ago!!
Seriously I know I must be annoying but I'm really terrible at this electrical stuff so I'm trying to understand why I'm doing what, thanks for the patience...

So it might be more then one connector than Shorty? for the rear i mean...
as long as its a flat black connector take it out right!
 
you don't take out the connectors, just pry up the little tab on the side and pull the 2 halves of the connector apart. When you are finished, you just plug them back together.
the connector for the front is on the drivers side, in front of the air box, usually taped to the radiator support.....
 
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