With the harness disconnected and all the wires taped up, from the
radio. (the wires are not connected to anyting, not even the radio
harness.) with all the bulbs out and I mean park lights tail lights
side marker lights and turn signals, and with the chime/buzzer module
out and the 5 amp instrument fuse out, and the instrument panel off, it
still blows a fuse the instant you turn on the headlight switch. So its
practicly back to the way I got it minus ( the dash still tore apart
and all the kick panels off and the panels under neath the steering
colum.) I just don't get it, it has to be a dead short somewhere. I'm
lost........

Thanks for the help

Dave

 

The method given below will find a shorted bulb, but not necessarily a
shorted wire section or socket. Over fusing can cause a short, or
exacerbate an existing short, by melting insulation and causing
conductors to touch. This is a nightmare, because it will cause
symptoms that just don't make sense, and necessitate taking apart the
harness to find the wires that are shorted together. Nobody likes a
fused-solid harness, where one cannot even separate different strands
of wiring or determine which color is which. I am not saying that this
is the case with this vehicle, but it will be, and soon, if you don't
start tracing wires and finding the fault, as Mike recommends.

It takes some skill and experience to find a fault in wiring that is
all wrapped up, using just an Ohm meter. (I have decided that Ohm
should be capitalized. It is a proper name. So are Volt and Ampere.)
But you can always unwrap the harness and look for physical signs of
damage. You should probably do this anyway.

Earle

Mike Romain wrote:
> I think you need to stop and go back to the basics.
>
> It was working fine before you decided to 'fix' broken wires and put the
> radio back in. Correct?
>
> Therefore I highly recommend you stop trying to look for more trouble
> and go back and unfix 'every' connection you taped up or re-connected
> because it 'looked' right or was cut. The cuts could be related to the
> radio plug.
>
> Some radio harnesses mate up power lines in the plug before they go into
> the units and some split up lines inside the plug where you can't see.
> This is for radio lights, memory, antenna, ground and power. That cut
> line might have been a dead short that you connected back up.
>
> You 'know' you have radio or radio harness troubles because it used to
> kill the battery when the radio was plugged in, 'BUT' you said it was
> wired wrong so you fixed it... You need to un-fix it.
>
> You have already pulled out 'all' the park circuit and dome light bulbs,
> right? That totally eliminates them as suspect. Therefore it is likely
> under the dash. The bulbs do internally short sometimes.
>
> The orange wire is the oil pressure sender wire.
>
> The last couple wiring nightmares I personally had dumped in my driveway
> were both a case of bad fixes causing more headaches. I had then remove
> their fixes and bingo we found the troubles using my multimeter on
> volts.
>
> The fact that you pop a fuse as soon as the switch comes on makes it
> harder to track down.
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>
> Dave G wrote:
> >
> > Nope it does not have a trailer hitch. The Fuse still pops with the
> > radio un plugged. The night I drove the vehicle with the headlights on
> > the radio was plugged in sitting on the passenger seat it was just not
> > mounted in the dash. Again I don't think the radio is the problem cause
> > even with it un-plugged it still blows a fuse. The only thing I can
> > think of is a dead short but, how would I isolate it with the meter to
> > know if its screwed up in the front or in the back. Like I said before
> > I'm not good with elecricity. This is the first time I've encounter
> > these kinds of problems, I never had these problems before in any of
> > the previous vehicles I've owned. Heres a few pics to show you guys
> > some of the things I'm talking about, and dealing with.
> >
> > Pic 1 is of the wire on the radio harness "That is not used" and of
> > where the wire was cut and my repair job.
> >
> > http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=sotzqx
> >
> > Pic 2 is of the wiring harness that is used and the one that is not
> > used.
> >
> > http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=sou3di
> >
> > Pic 3 There is an orange wire that is coming off of a part I have no
> > idea what it is. The wire is real thin and oranage and ends at nothing
> > next to my gas pedal.
> >
> > http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=souw4m
> >
> > Pic 4 Here you'll see where the orange wire from pic 3 ends up and does
> > anyone know what that connector is by the gas pedal? It has 3 black
> > with white stripes going into it, it breaks off from the main harness
> > that goes to the computer?
> >
> > http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=sov68x
> >
> > Pic 5 Is My Nightmare!!!
> >
> > http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=sovb5j
> >
> > Thanks you all for the help and thanks for the ridicule (I'm glad some
> > people finds this ammusing)
> > I'll figure it out, some way.
> >
> > Sincerely
> >
> > Dave

 

The method given below will find a shorted bulb, but not necessarily a
shorted wire section or socket. Over fusing can cause a short, or
exacerbate an existing short, by melting insulation and causing
conductors to touch. This is a nightmare, because it will cause
symptoms that just don't make sense, and necessitate taking apart the
harness to find the wires that are shorted together. Nobody likes a
fused-solid harness, where one cannot even separate different strands
of wiring or determine which color is which. I am not saying that this
is the case with this vehicle, but it will be, and soon, if you don't
start tracing wires and finding the fault, as Mike recommends.

It takes some skill and experience to find a fault in wiring that is
all wrapped up, using just an Ohm meter. (I have decided that Ohm
should be capitalized. It is a proper name. So are Volt and Ampere.)
But you can always unwrap the harness and look for physical signs of
damage. You should probably do this anyway.

Earle

Mike Romain wrote:
> I think you need to stop and go back to the basics.
>
> It was working fine before you decided to 'fix' broken wires and put the
> radio back in. Correct?
>
> Therefore I highly recommend you stop trying to look for more trouble
> and go back and unfix 'every' connection you taped up or re-connected
> because it 'looked' right or was cut. The cuts could be related to the
> radio plug.
>
> Some radio harnesses mate up power lines in the plug before they go into
> the units and some split up lines inside the plug where you can't see.
> This is for radio lights, memory, antenna, ground and power. That cut
> line might have been a dead short that you connected back up.
>
> You 'know' you have radio or radio harness troubles because it used to
> kill the battery when the radio was plugged in, 'BUT' you said it was
> wired wrong so you fixed it... You need to un-fix it.
>
> You have already pulled out 'all' the park circuit and dome light bulbs,
> right? That totally eliminates them as suspect. Therefore it is likely
> under the dash. The bulbs do internally short sometimes.
>
> The orange wire is the oil pressure sender wire.
>
> The last couple wiring nightmares I personally had dumped in my driveway
> were both a case of bad fixes causing more headaches. I had then remove
> their fixes and bingo we found the troubles using my multimeter on
> volts.
>
> The fact that you pop a fuse as soon as the switch comes on makes it
> harder to track down.
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>
> Dave G wrote:
> >
> > Nope it does not have a trailer hitch. The Fuse still pops with the
> > radio un plugged. The night I drove the vehicle with the headlights on
> > the radio was plugged in sitting on the passenger seat it was just not
> > mounted in the dash. Again I don't think the radio is the problem cause
> > even with it un-plugged it still blows a fuse. The only thing I can
> > think of is a dead short but, how would I isolate it with the meter to
> > know if its screwed up in the front or in the back. Like I said before
> > I'm not good with elecricity. This is the first time I've encounter
> > these kinds of problems, I never had these problems before in any of
> > the previous vehicles I've owned. Heres a few pics to show you guys
> > some of the things I'm talking about, and dealing with.
> >
> > Pic 1 is of the wire on the radio harness "That is not used" and of
> > where the wire was cut and my repair job.
> >
> > http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=sotzqx
> >
> > Pic 2 is of the wiring harness that is used and the one that is not
> > used.
> >
> > http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=sou3di
> >
> > Pic 3 There is an orange wire that is coming off of a part I have no
> > idea what it is. The wire is real thin and oranage and ends at nothing
> > next to my gas pedal.
> >
> > http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=souw4m
> >
> > Pic 4 Here you'll see where the orange wire from pic 3 ends up and does
> > anyone know what that connector is by the gas pedal? It has 3 black
> > with white stripes going into it, it breaks off from the main harness
> > that goes to the computer?
> >
> > http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=sov68x
> >
> > Pic 5 Is My Nightmare!!!
> >
> > http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=sovb5j
> >
> > Thanks you all for the help and thanks for the ridicule (I'm glad some
> > people finds this ammusing)
> > I'll figure it out, some way.
> >
> > Sincerely
> >
> > Dave

 

The method given below will find a shorted bulb, but not necessarily a
shorted wire section or socket. Over fusing can cause a short, or
exacerbate an existing short, by melting insulation and causing
conductors to touch. This is a nightmare, because it will cause
symptoms that just don't make sense, and necessitate taking apart the
harness to find the wires that are shorted together. Nobody likes a
fused-solid harness, where one cannot even separate different strands
of wiring or determine which color is which. I am not saying that this
is the case with this vehicle, but it will be, and soon, if you don't
start tracing wires and finding the fault, as Mike recommends.

It takes some skill and experience to find a fault in wiring that is
all wrapped up, using just an Ohm meter. (I have decided that Ohm
should be capitalized. It is a proper name. So are Volt and Ampere.)
But you can always unwrap the harness and look for physical signs of
damage. You should probably do this anyway.

Earle

Mike Romain wrote:
> I think you need to stop and go back to the basics.
>
> It was working fine before you decided to 'fix' broken wires and put the
> radio back in. Correct?
>
> Therefore I highly recommend you stop trying to look for more trouble
> and go back and unfix 'every' connection you taped up or re-connected
> because it 'looked' right or was cut. The cuts could be related to the
> radio plug.
>
> Some radio harnesses mate up power lines in the plug before they go into
> the units and some split up lines inside the plug where you can't see.
> This is for radio lights, memory, antenna, ground and power. That cut
> line might have been a dead short that you connected back up.
>
> You 'know' you have radio or radio harness troubles because it used to
> kill the battery when the radio was plugged in, 'BUT' you said it was
> wired wrong so you fixed it... You need to un-fix it.
>
> You have already pulled out 'all' the park circuit and dome light bulbs,
> right? That totally eliminates them as suspect. Therefore it is likely
> under the dash. The bulbs do internally short sometimes.
>
> The orange wire is the oil pressure sender wire.
>
> The last couple wiring nightmares I personally had dumped in my driveway
> were both a case of bad fixes causing more headaches. I had then remove
> their fixes and bingo we found the troubles using my multimeter on
> volts.
>
> The fact that you pop a fuse as soon as the switch comes on makes it
> harder to track down.
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>
> Dave G wrote:
> >
> > Nope it does not have a trailer hitch. The Fuse still pops with the
> > radio un plugged. The night I drove the vehicle with the headlights on
> > the radio was plugged in sitting on the passenger seat it was just not
> > mounted in the dash. Again I don't think the radio is the problem cause
> > even with it un-plugged it still blows a fuse. The only thing I can
> > think of is a dead short but, how would I isolate it with the meter to
> > know if its screwed up in the front or in the back. Like I said before
> > I'm not good with elecricity. This is the first time I've encounter
> > these kinds of problems, I never had these problems before in any of
> > the previous vehicles I've owned. Heres a few pics to show you guys
> > some of the things I'm talking about, and dealing with.
> >
> > Pic 1 is of the wire on the radio harness "That is not used" and of
> > where the wire was cut and my repair job.
> >
> > http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=sotzqx
> >
> > Pic 2 is of the wiring harness that is used and the one that is not
> > used.
> >
> > http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=sou3di
> >
> > Pic 3 There is an orange wire that is coming off of a part I have no
> > idea what it is. The wire is real thin and oranage and ends at nothing
> > next to my gas pedal.
> >
> > http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=souw4m
> >
> > Pic 4 Here you'll see where the orange wire from pic 3 ends up and does
> > anyone know what that connector is by the gas pedal? It has 3 black
> > with white stripes going into it, it breaks off from the main harness
> > that goes to the computer?
> >
> > http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=sov68x
> >
> > Pic 5 Is My Nightmare!!!
> >
> > http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=sovb5j
> >
> > Thanks you all for the help and thanks for the ridicule (I'm glad some
> > people finds this ammusing)
> > I'll figure it out, some way.
> >
> > Sincerely
> >
> > Dave

 

What a **** off eh....

I will take a guess that the headlight switch itself has melted down
internally then. I would be removing it and testing it.

Headlight switches do melt down internally. This can be from halogen
lights with no relay or even from an extra 25 amp feed on the park light
circuit.

I recently melted down my 'new in 2000' headlight switch. Just from
running replacement 'normal, not high powered' halogen headlights
without a relay. My 86 CJ7's switch was designed for 'normal' GE
headlights, not halogen.

Oh... There was one cut black wire you mentioned 're-connecting'.....

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

Dave G wrote:
>
> With the harness disconnected and all the wires taped up, from the
> radio. (the wires are not connected to anyting, not even the radio
> harness.) with all the bulbs out and I mean park lights tail lights
> side marker lights and turn signals, and with the chime/buzzer module
> out and the 5 amp instrument fuse out, and the instrument panel off, it
> still blows a fuse the instant you turn on the headlight switch. So its
> practicly back to the way I got it minus ( the dash still tore apart
> and all the kick panels off and the panels under neath the steering
> colum.) I just don't get it, it has to be a dead short somewhere. I'm
> lost........
>
> Thanks for the help
>
> Dave

 

What a **** off eh....

I will take a guess that the headlight switch itself has melted down
internally then. I would be removing it and testing it.

Headlight switches do melt down internally. This can be from halogen
lights with no relay or even from an extra 25 amp feed on the park light
circuit.

I recently melted down my 'new in 2000' headlight switch. Just from
running replacement 'normal, not high powered' halogen headlights
without a relay. My 86 CJ7's switch was designed for 'normal' GE
headlights, not halogen.

Oh... There was one cut black wire you mentioned 're-connecting'.....

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

Dave G wrote:
>
> With the harness disconnected and all the wires taped up, from the
> radio. (the wires are not connected to anyting, not even the radio
> harness.) with all the bulbs out and I mean park lights tail lights
> side marker lights and turn signals, and with the chime/buzzer module
> out and the 5 amp instrument fuse out, and the instrument panel off, it
> still blows a fuse the instant you turn on the headlight switch. So its
> practicly back to the way I got it minus ( the dash still tore apart
> and all the kick panels off and the panels under neath the steering
> colum.) I just don't get it, it has to be a dead short somewhere. I'm
> lost........
>
> Thanks for the help
>
> Dave

 

What a **** off eh....

I will take a guess that the headlight switch itself has melted down
internally then. I would be removing it and testing it.

Headlight switches do melt down internally. This can be from halogen
lights with no relay or even from an extra 25 amp feed on the park light
circuit.

I recently melted down my 'new in 2000' headlight switch. Just from
running replacement 'normal, not high powered' halogen headlights
without a relay. My 86 CJ7's switch was designed for 'normal' GE
headlights, not halogen.

Oh... There was one cut black wire you mentioned 're-connecting'.....

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

Dave G wrote:
>
> With the harness disconnected and all the wires taped up, from the
> radio. (the wires are not connected to anyting, not even the radio
> harness.) with all the bulbs out and I mean park lights tail lights
> side marker lights and turn signals, and with the chime/buzzer module
> out and the 5 amp instrument fuse out, and the instrument panel off, it
> still blows a fuse the instant you turn on the headlight switch. So its
> practicly back to the way I got it minus ( the dash still tore apart
> and all the kick panels off and the panels under neath the steering
> colum.) I just don't get it, it has to be a dead short somewhere. I'm
> lost........
>
> Thanks for the help
>
> Dave

 

I pulled the headlight switch and it looked fine but I replaced it
since it was only 11 bucks, to no luck. Tommorrow I'm taking it back to
the guy I got it from, he said he would give me a hand in looking for
it. I'll let ya all know how it goes.

Dave

 

I pulled the headlight switch and it looked fine but I replaced it
since it was only 11 bucks, to no luck. Tommorrow I'm taking it back to
the guy I got it from, he said he would give me a hand in looking for
it. I'll let ya all know how it goes.

Dave

 

I pulled the headlight switch and it looked fine but I replaced it
since it was only 11 bucks, to no luck. Tommorrow I'm taking it back to
the guy I got it from, he said he would give me a hand in looking for
it. I'll let ya all know how it goes.

Dave