Some people just like every thing to function as it should.
I'm one of those people and it's frequently my undoing :banghead:So, for unclewolverine & XJI6191:
Well, I finally managed to get both Full & Part Time warning lights working ..... well, at least for now.
To recap on previous attempts :
- Changed original (20 year old?) Mopar switch for quality replacement (MWP?) - no effect.
- Changed all dash bulbs to LED equivalents - all warning lights now much brighter (and learned that there are large differences in LED bulb quality) - Full Time light still only one to work regularly *
altho' it would still sometimes flicker rather than stay solid green.
- Novak 231 & 242 transfer case cable fitted as I suspected perhaps shift was sufficiently imprecise for switch to register correctly - still no Part Time warning light but shift definately improved !
-Swapped out previous replacement switch to Mopar OE - no difference.
Next I tried crusier54's suggestion of improving the earth connection under the driver's dash with an additional jumper wire (*
I don't have the link to his "Mostly Renix Tips" but Google will no doubt pick it up). Found it:
http://cruiser54.com/?p=110
Incidentally, I found two black wires connected to the metal tab near the hood release rather than just the one in his description but suspected one was for an accessory so chose the black wire coming from a wiring loom as most likely to be the one to make a better contact, per his instructions. Rather than connect via the existing screw mount I connected this wire directly to the jumper via crimped spade connector and then protected that with shrink tubing and bolted the end of the jumper to the metal strut per his guide.
Result - no difference :bawl: Still, at least I have an improved ground to go with those in the engine bay and thats never a bad thing!
Last attempt: I removed the guage cluster' (yet again!) and replaced the Part Time LED bulb with a standard 1.4w incandescent bulb. For good measure I also used a new bulb holder altho' I had replaced all the holders with new ones when I'd converted to LEDs.
Result: amazingly it worked !! Both Full & partTime warnings lights now work correctly :worship:
I don't know why this should be - perhaps it's a resitance thing but it matters not - I now have warning lights to show what mode the 242 is in and altho' its only been a few days it seems to have finally resolved this irritating issue that's bugged me for the last 5 years (*
the LED was in the correct orientation to light up btw).
My only annoyance is that afterwards I realised the bulb I used was one of the originals I'd removed rather than one from the pack of new ones I purchased so it's probably going to blow soon. Why would this be so irritating? My UK spec. Limited XJ has a Fancy Dan wood veneer on the dash facia which both stiffens it and adds about 2/16" to the depth meaning removing it and especially reinstaling it is a nightmare and invariably results in some damage to the wood veneer every time. Not ideal.
Anyway, just happy to have worked a solution which may assist someone else :cheers: