Gauges don't work after new stereo head unit install

[sgtjdgelinas]

No problem! Sounds like you may have sort of figured it out. It clearly has something to do with your new headunit, and likely the way it was wired.

I'm glad you tried this our first, last thing I would want is for you to go wasting time trying a bunch of other stuff.

I think my first idea of a loose wire is the root cause, the symptoms started when I wired in the stereo because of wires moving in the dash. Today I’ve got the dash mostly apart, started it and then shook the fuse box and the dash popped to life.
Pretty sure it’s the keyed switch wire from the fuse 10.

 

[Chris]

Hopefully you get it figured out... if you do, let us know!

 

[sgtjdgelinas]

I have ground coming through, battery constant and battery on in the circuit board. But the ccd bus is only pushing .3 volts where it should be about 2.5
It’s probably in the gauge cluster itself as the self test doesn’t work.

 

[sgtjdgelinas]

Hopefully you get it figured out... if you do, let us know!

Chris, do you know if a gauge cluster from a 2000 will fit a 97? I suspect that’s the issue and there’s one for sale nearby on Craigslist.
Thanks.

 

[Chris]

Chris, do you know if a gauge cluster from a 2000 will fit a 97? I suspect that’s the issue and there’s one for sale nearby on Craigslist.
Thanks.

I'm not 100% sure, but if it's like the rest of the TJ stuff, 97-02 is generally interchangeable, while 03-06 is not (for some stuff, not everything).

If you have a part number for your gauge cluster, I can look it up in the parts catalog and see what other years it is compatible with. That will be very telling.

 

[sgtjdgelinas]

I'm not 100% sure, but if it's like the rest of the TJ stuff, 97-02 is generally interchangeable, while 03-06 is not (for some stuff, not everything).

If you have a part number for your gauge cluster, I can look it up in the parts catalog and see what other years it is compatible with. That will be very telling.

56009170

 

[sgtjdgelinas]

Here’s another question, it’s going to be near impossible to find a low mile instrument cluster, but the odometer itself unplugs from the circuit board. Any idea where the Odometer reading is stored? If it’s in the odometer itself or the circuit board?

 

[Chris]

56009170View attachment 70884

That gauge cluster says it works in 98-00 Wranglers. Oddly it leaves out the 97 year. Which makes me think maybe the 97 year won’t work in yours either.

 

[Chris]

Here’s another question, it’s going to be near impossible to find a low mile instrument cluster, but the odometer itself unplugs from the circuit board. Any idea where the Odometer reading is stored? If it’s in the odometer itself or the circuit board?View attachment 70887View attachment 70888

The mileage to my knowledge is stored in both the gauge cluster and the PCM. My understanding is that it has to match up in both, otherwise there will be issues. Not 100% sure on that, so you may need to make a new thread asking that specific question so that others who have done the swap can chime in.

 

[sgtjdgelinas]

That gauge cluster says it works in 98-00 Wranglers. Oddly it leaves out the 97 year. Which makes me think maybe the 97 year won’t work in yours either.

Thought you should know, I pulled a dash cluster from an 01 Cherokee and it’s plug and play with my 97. That means any gauge cluster form a 97-01 xj is interchangeable with a 97-00 TJ, even though they have different part numbers.
The difference that I can see is the xj dash has a light for the rear hatch, and the TJ dash doesn’t. Probably good info to put in the FAQ section.

 

[Chris]

Thought you should know, I pulled a dash cluster from an 01 Cherokee and it’s plug and play with my 97. That means any gauge cluster form a 97-01 xj is interchangeable with a 97-00 TJ, even though they have different part numbers.
The difference that I can see is the xj dash has a light for the rear hatch, and the TJ dash doesn’t. Probably good info to put in the FAQ section.

Very good info indeed, thanks for sharing this!

 

[John Scoggins]

Sounds like you have a short and/or broken wire on the factory harness side of the radio plug and when you plug in and unplug the radio you moved that shorted and/or broken wire around.

 

[sgtjdgelinas]

Sounds like you have a short and/or broken wire on the factory harness side of the radio plug and when you plug in and unplug the radio you moved that shorted and/or broken wire around.

I had power going to the dash with or without the radio plugged in. Ended up being a failure in the gauge cluster. Currently it’s working and I have a backup if it fails again.

 

[John Scoggins]

I had power going to the dash with or without the radio plugged in. Ended up being a failure in the gauge cluster. Currently it’s working and I have a backup if it fails again.

Cool beans...

 

[av8trang]

Well it worked for awhile and now we’re back to no dash functions. Even worse, sometimes the gauges turn on and off again while driving, and unplugging the radio and associated wiring did not change anything. Back to square one.

Hey this just happened in my jeep! Did you ever figure yours out?

 

[btgilles]

I just installed a new head unit yesterday and lost gages (but gage cluster lights are fine). After reading this thread I remembered that a couple wires were not connected into the Jeep harness on the unit but I added them on the new adapter since the chasis connector had those. Looks like the blue power antenna wire from the head unit is the culprit, I'll bet the blue wire on the chassis harness doesn't match up. I know what I'm looking at after work today! Thanks to everyone for the clues on this thread!

 

[Fughuert]

Not much help since your radios are working but my TJ had a problem where I had no instrument cluster(gauges didn't move and no backlighting), radio had no power, or any other interior backlighting and the problem was the pink/white wire from the pdc was damaged.

 

[btgilles]

Yesterday I was suspected the Pink/White wire and was chasing that until I found no breaks or shorts. Hopefully disconnecting the blue wire fixes mine!

 

[btgilles]

Wasn't the blue wire, turned out to be Fuse 10 in the fuse box under the hood. All systems nominal...