WTF is going on with my 04? Bad battery? Low freon? Bad multifunction switch? ALL OF IT?!

wborisenok

wborisenok

TJ Enthusiast
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Oct 23, 2022
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Massachusetts
A month and an half ago I hopped in to make a beer run and it wouldn’t start. So I threw a charger on it, left it for the night, came back the next morning and it fired up without issue. A few weeks later, I went to take it a couple of hours away to my parents place in New York so I could leave my hard top at my dad’s storage barn. Wouldn’t start — wouldn’t even turn over. No accessory lights, dash lights, nothing. Put the charger back on again and left it. A couple days later, it started up. One thing I noticed the second time around is that the AC condenser kept clicking on and it seemed to effect the idling RPMs.

I’m suspicious of two things…first, wondering if the AC is getting low on freon. It’s still blowing ice cold, but my buddy at the Jeep shop said that when TJs get low on freon the condenser will keep kicking on. Second, I think my battery is shot. He mentioned that the condenser kicking on is likely taxing the battery.

Then, last week, I took the hard top off and went for my first top down ride of the summer. As soon as I turned it on, the left turn signal was flashing and clicking as though it were engaged…but it wasn’t engaged. Haha. Minutes into my ride the car started dinging - I believe to notify me that my blinker was still on. Video here: https://streamable.com/j8c32w

For shits and gigs, I tested all of the fuses under the hood. Fuse #16 (02 sensor) and fuse #28 (inject) appear to be corroded and had no response to the test light. I have exactly zero understanding as to if these could contribute to any off my problems.

My game plan is to replace the two bad fuses first. Then I’m going to get a load test on the battery. I think the blinker issue is completely separate, so I’m also going to replace the multifunction switch. Depending on the battery, I then might take it to get the AC serviced. Also, for what it’s worth, I haven’t had a single issue with this Jeep since I got it a year and a half ago. Anyone have any other suggestions?
 
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I recently went through a similar issue and it was a bad multi-function switch causing my fog lights to come on intermittently. It took me a week to figure out because I had covers on them at the time. AC kicking on and off too frequently usually means low refrigerant. It wouldn't affect the battery. The battery's purpose is to start the vehicle. After that, the alternator keeps things going. Sometimes unrelated stuff happens at the same time.
p.s. You can buy an AC gauge to test your R-134 level for $30 (comes with a can of R-134 refrigerant).
 
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AC compressor clutch is enabled by a pressure switch on the low side of the system (suction side of compressor). It opens when the pressure gets too low, turning off the compressor to protect it from operating outside it's intended operating range.

Some cycling can be normal if operated at low load in low ambient conditions but being June, it's more likely you have a leak and are low on refrigerant. The factory service manual has ranges for what the pressure should be at different ambient temperatures.
 
wborisenok said:
Thank you — appreciate that info!
Click to expand...

You are all over the map here. Let’s start with the most important if the vehicle won’t start what is the point of the turn signals and A/C?
Charge the battery and have it tested, replace the battery if bad, check and clean the cable connections, check the ground connection at the block. And the connection at the starter and primary junction box, clean and tight is what you want. Replace blown fuses you talked about.
Once you get the Jeep to start up and run let it idle with the a/c off for about 5-10 minutes, take it for a drive stop and go for 10-15 minutes. This should learn the idle and fuel strategy in the computer. Check the charging system it should be around 14 volts if not diagnosis and fix that issue. Now turn on the a/c and see if the compressor runs and the a/c gets cold (condenser is in front of the radiator). If the computer lost memory due to the battery being dead the idle control may need to relearn.
 
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Okay, problem solved. As mentioned, battery/starter/alternator were all fine. Replaced the two bad fuses, still had left turn signal stuck on. Pulled the turn signal fuse just to keep it from driving me nuts until I could replace the multifunction switch tonight.

Just finished that and the turn signal is working properly once again. I did notice that the headlights didn’t want to kick on until I turned the high beams on and then off, but they’ve been working fine since. No idea what that’s about. It was almost like they needed to be activated or something. Haha. 🤷‍♀️

I do have another question though - I was testing all of the functions and noticed that my turn signals blink funny. They alternate instead of blink together. I don’t know if I’ve just never noticed or if something is wonky. Both sides do the same thing. Video: https://streamable.com/2oaoc8
 
TheBoogieman said:
I recently went through a similar issue and it was a bad multi-function switch causing my fog lights to come on intermittently. It took me a week to figure out because I had covers on them at the time. AC kicking on and off too frequently usually means low refrigerant. It wouldn't affect the battery. The battery's purpose is to start the vehicle. After that, the alternator keeps things going. Sometimes unrelated stuff happens at the same time.
p.s. You can buy an AC gauge to test your R-134 level for $30 (comes with a can of R-134 refrigerant).
Click to expand...

Mind if I ask which AC gauge you recommend? I poked around on Amazon but there seems to be no top choice. Now that I’ve got the turn signal thing figured out (I think, pending my question about the marker lights) I just want to make sure my AC is squared away. I have a feeling the compressor kicking on was due to the battery somehow because it’s no longer doing it. Not sure how, but somehow. Lol. When I heard it the Jeep had given me a questionable start after sitting for a couple days
 
wborisenok said:
I do have another question though - I was testing all of the functions and noticed that my turn signals blink funny. They alternate instead of blink together. I don’t know if I’ve just never noticed or if something is wonky. Both sides do the same thing. Video: https://streamable.com/2oaoc8
Click to expand...

You just never noticed. 😉

They're wired in a funky kinda way that makes them work just right as a signal and a marker. Blinking alternately is a side effect and completely normal for a TJ.
 
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wborisenok said:
Mind if I ask which AC gauge you recommend?
Click to expand...

I buy this stuff and reuse the gauge.

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