Electrical gremlins

Old Hippie

Old Hippie

Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2020
Messages
28
Location
Michigan
Bought my new/old TJ a couple of weeks ago. It has an intermittent electrical problem. I'll be driving down the road and all of a sudden, the radio dies. When it goes, the wipers won't work and the directional signals quit. Headlights still work and it runs fine. A friend said he thinks it's a bad ground somewhere. Where would you think a good place to start looking would be? I really don't want to take it to a dealer if at all possible. Would taking it to Auto Zone for a free scan be a good idea?
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
 
I'm not certain of the best place to look first, but these ground points look like a good starting point.

Fig.26.JPG
Fig.30.JPG


If it's neither one of those, I would scan around for any damaged/pinched wiring and keep digging through the Connector/Ground/Splice Locations in the FSM until I could get it pinpointed. That's one of those types of problems that just takes some digging. Unless of course someone has run into the same problem and will be able to chime in with some specifics. Let us know what you find out.
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...ice-manuals-fsm-technical-documentation.4618/
 
Thanks for the reply. I guess I'll wait for warmer weather and get to digging. From what I've gathered, if it's black and grounded to the tub or frame, it's suspect.
I think the hassle of chasing down electrical problems is a tradeoff for finding a '99 that hasn't had any frame rust or repair, as well as the tub. She runs sweet, just a quirky gremlin that needs evicting.

Would I be wise to jerk the negative battery lead before I go poking around? I've heard of people blowing their airbags when monkeying around with the wiring.
 
You should have no issues with the - cable still hooked up to battery, but I would anyways. Make it a habit to always, always disconnect the battery whenever you do any electrical work. This includes pulling a simple connector for the radio. While often unnecessary it is best to always play it safe. New electrical parts are getting harder to find for a TJ so a little extra s
 
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