XJ cold weather electric issue

97TJNM

97TJNM

High Desert Redneck
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Joined
Oct 24, 2021
Messages
840
Location
Los Alamos, NM
I have a 99 XJ that me and my son have been working on for a few years to get it ready as his first vehicle. He has a learner's permit, and it's going great.

I have 1 recurring issue that I can't seem to resolve, largely because I hate electronics. 🤣 when it gets below freezing, his radio loses all programming and resets to factory settings. It's done this the entire time we've owned it, and it has had an aftermarket radio that whole time as well. I put a new battery in it last year, as well as a new alternator, as both failed, but neither failed in cold weather, so I don't believe it is directly related.

It doesn't fail to start or need a jump, the radio just loses power in cold weather.

Any ideas on where to start looking to troubleshoot this problem?
 
Id probably start by getting a new head unit. My guess is there is a short somewhere that shrinks in cold weather.
 
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tworley said:
Id probably start by getting a new head unit. My guess is there is a short somewhere that shrinks in cold weather.
Click to expand...

I should have clarified. There was a JVC head unit in it when I bought it. I replaced it last Christmas with another JVC head unit that is Bluetooth compatible.

That said, whoever wired the first JVC head unit in was a total dumbass. Cut the factory harness up and there was electrical tape and wire nuts behind the dash. I cleaned it up with heat shrinkage butt connectors. I halfway suspect it is something to do with the wiring (only suspect, as wiring/electrical is not my strong suit), but don't know where to start.

Thanks for the suggestion though. It helped my clarify what I meant, and it is a good place to check if I can't locate anything else to look into.
 
I would redo the power and ground connections between the XJ and the radio. Could be a poor connection, if you can solder the connections it would be best.
 
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TonyArms said:
I would redo the power and ground connections between the XJ and the radio. Could be a poor connection, if you can solder the connections it would be best.
Click to expand...

I forgot I started this thread!🤣 Life intrudes, I guess. Good suggestion, though. I'll get into the dash and check the power and grounds!
 
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