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1990 - Can't get running lights. Everything else works.

S

Skylar

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Ann Arbor
My '90 XJ's taillights have mysteriously left and haven't been back. Bulbs, fuses are locked in and good. Headlights, hazards, brakes, turnsignals and foglights are good.

I towed a friend's dead car right before they went out. I was thinking that could've done something to them.

Am I looking at a short somewhere, or loose wire? My mechanic neighbor thinks it's the lightswitch, somewhere in there. It's tough to take apart though, I took out the whole dash cover and lower guard too, and still couldn't get it out.

Any help would be nice. Can't drive after dark, and that happens before 6pm now.
 
To get the headlight switch out, you have to depress a button on the switch and then the knob and stem will pull completely out.

Then you unscrew the retaining bolt from the frontside of the dash. This will free up the switch from the dash.

You don't have to take the dash apart at all. It helps to have a replacement switch on hand so that you can see exactly where the little button is.
 
Thanks for the replies.

What year(s) NSS is compatible with a 1990 XJ? I'm expecting to replace this when I look at it.
 
Winterbeater is correct. The NSS has no effect on the taillights. The only thing the NSS does is activate backup lights and allow the vehicle to only start in Park or Neutral.

When you say taillights, do you mean just the part of the light that comes on when the headlights are on or brake lights or everything on the back?
 
Hey Jess.

I mean the running lights.. Brake lights work, signals, hazards.. The running lights don't. So if I drive at night, no light is emitted until I apply the brake.

So I guess I mean the ones that come on when the headlights are on.
 
clunk said:
Probably the neutral safety switch (NSS). Do a search for those terms and you should come up with alot of info.
Click to expand...

Whoops, sorry for the wrong info! I should have read your initial post a little better. Good luck with the fix, my friend has an older full size wagoneer with the same problem and he's been trying to track down the problem for ages. Let us know what you find, I'm sure my jeep will suffer the same problem one day!
 
winterbeater said:
Since it's after you towed somebody, did you look underneath for damaged wires in the back?
Click to expand...

It's possible. I looked and didn't see anything obvious. I have an aftermarket bumper with D-rings for crawling, so the tow strap never would've contacted the underside, but it's possible. I was thinking the same thing.

The high today was 16 degrees. I think I'm gonna have to pay a shop to sort this out, it's my daily driver and way too cold out, the initial work I did had my body and hands hurting.
 
clunk said:
Whoops, sorry for the wrong info! I should have read your initial post a little better. Good luck with the fix, my friend has an older full size wagoneer with the same problem and he's been trying to track down the problem for ages. Let us know what you find, I'm sure my jeep will suffer the same problem one day!
Click to expand...

About the full size Wagoneer. -- I had one about 15 years ago. A 360 cu. in monster. I had to fix the tail lights issue twice because the body would shift a little on the frame (rust bucket). It would pinch the wire to the tail lights and short them out. If I recall correctly, they were on their own fuse.:repair:
 
Well, just tried it to check again and make sure the dash and dimmer worked today, and I have everything on including the tails. I can't understand what's up with this thing. I know the problem's not solved.
 
Skylar said:
Well, just tried it to check again and make sure the dash and dimmer worked today, and I have everything on including the tails. I can't understand what's up with this thing. I know the problem's not solved.
Click to expand...

check for a loose fuse connection or loose wiring to the fuse block.

how did you check the fuses? visual or with a test light?

i just replaced the head light switch on my 89. i removed the lower trim panel, reached up to push the button on bottom of switch while pulling out the stalk(the piece you pull to turn on the lights). then unscrew the front piece holding the switch to the dash board.
 
There's no doubt in my mind now that it's the headlight switch/knob.

I checked the lights right after they came back and they're gone.

I ordered one for $17.99, the guts, not the knob, and I'm installing when it arrives on the 28th.
 
I wouldn't update the thread except last night coming back from my folks for xmas, the jeep's tails were on when I got back. To avoid killing the battery I pulled some fuses but they stayed on. Pretty weird. I'm hoping the bad switch really is the culprit.
 
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