'89 MJ reverse lights not turning on

'89 MJ. Still being restored. The wiring harness has been hacked at but is so far in good condition. The reverse lights are not turning on when it goes into reverse. The only things I can think of is that the Tranny sensor fuse is toast, or both bulbs are gone. Its been sitting in a garage for the past year, so things are mediocre for quality. There is a short somewhere as the ground wire behing the Righthand taillight was disconnected, when its touched to ground, all the lights go out and it starts to smoulder. Any ideas?

if its an automatic, you need to check the neutral safety switch. it probably is bad. if you are careful you can remove it and dismantle it and clesn the contacts and the contact springs. they usually get gummed up over time

Its the AX-4 4speed manual. Would there be any switches that could be caked with dirt or just worn out?

The reverse switch is screwed into the side of the tranny. Never heard of the manual tranny switch being bad. Check the wiring and the "tranny" fuse.

Check for a couple of wires coming out the side of the trans. At least on the Peugeot trans, that's the backup switch. Another possibility on the Comanche is the plug for the rear wire harness. It's located behind the drivers side rear tire and is a common location for corrosion issues.
Jeep on!
--Pete

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