• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

speedo quit and airbag light is on?

outracing

NAXJA Forum User
Location
ohio
So, here is the issue, recently my speedometer quit working. It will intermittently come on, but only on a rare occasion. When it quits, the air bag light also comes on. The first time it happened, I was on the highway, cruise on at 70mph and it just decided to give up. The cruise also quit. I have checked the connection for the speedometer at the transfer case, what else could it be? Any one else have this problem? How'd you correct the problem?
 
Same thing happens to me. switch your headlights on and off a few times. I need to replace the whole switch but there are more "important" things for me to replace right now.
 
tired it, did not work. do you need to replace the head light switch? mine seams to work fine. the gauges all light up okay...
 
You didn't mention the year of your vehicle.
IIRC, there was an issue with 97-98 gauge clusters and a poor connection at the back of the cluster causing an intermittent issue, just as you mentioned.
 
The issue with the last edition (97+) XJs is the connectors on the back of the cluster. Over time, corrosion starts and the cluster loses communication with the PCM. Generally speaking, just removing the cluster and reseating it will clean the contacts enough to resolve the problem.

The year of your Heep is important as each generation has it's own quirks. Presupposing it is a 97+, the CC system runs through the brake light switch. The switch is "normally closed" with the brakes not being applied. When the brakes are applied, the switch opens and the CC shuts off. There is an adjustment procedure for the switch.

With the air bag light coming on as the speedometer quits, this implies that the cluster momentarily lost communication and has restarted. Keep in mind that the air bag light comes on an initial power up.

But we really do need the year so as not to send you off into the woods.
 
Pulled the dash out, it was surprisingly easy. Then just a light pull on the gauge cluster and the gauges came out. Sprayed a small amount of contact cleaner where it plugs in and solved all my problems.
 
Back
Top