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safety feature?

X

xjhazy21

NAXJA Forum User
Location
fort mill, s.c.
i have a 1996 inline 4, 5 speed xj. it will not start unless the park lights are on. when i purchase the jeep i was told it was a safety feature, didnt think to much about it since this is my first jeep. well asked around and no one has heard of this so called "safety feature". whats causing this and how can i get rid of this annoynace
 
Could have some whacko aftermarket alarm/anti-theft system?

Never heard of it myself.

You MIGHT have a clutch starter-interrupt switch to require depressing the clutch to crank the motor, maybe somebody monkeyed around with that.
 
well i know for sure that there is not any alarm system. but you dont have to push in the clutch to crank it, my main problem is the headlight switch and getting pos switches from the parts store where the park lights only come on in the inbetween position ive been researching on here and found some fixes for it but cant work on it till the weekend cause of my job, and also my gauges quit working also,

this is my first jeep and i love it with big plans for it in the future, but what i thought would have been a simple fix (headlight switch) is turning out to be a major headache.

please help!?!?
 
I've never heard of having to turn on the parking lights to get it to start. Sounds to me like someone has done a roll-their-own disabling feature.

Can't really help you with the switch. If you're getting crud from the parts stores, your next bet should be the dealer's parts counter.

As far as your gauges go, on the newer XJs, the multi-way connector on the back of the instrument panel is known to be problematic. Don't remember if that comes back down to 1996 or not.
 
gauges as in no readings or no lights?

I would start checking grounds and the like. No it's not a safety feature, whomever told you that was blowing smoke to sell you a vehicle.

It's possible that someone wired the parking lights into the clutch safety switch so they could disable it and still have it present, for starting in gear on the trail, but that sounds highly unlikely.

Anyway the first step in any electrical troubleshooting is to make sure that everything has a good path to ground, and is not grounding through other components.
 
yeah i have realized now that its not a safety feature just an uneducated person who dont know how to read a wiring diagram and hooked something up wrong and i doubt that it was done that way for wheeling because the jeep is still bone stock and judging by the rust on the bottom its spent quiet some time up north im done with the parts store switches im thinking about going to pull a part and getting an original switch off of a 1996 xj. would that be a good idea or do i just need to dish out the money at the dealership for a new switch that might work. its starting to piss me off im almost at the point of rewiring the parks lights myself that way i know its done right and wont have any problems.

any advice?
 
xjhazy21 said:
any advice?
Click to expand...

yes, check and refresh all of the grounds. Check the wiring at the clutch safety switch
check the wiring for the parking lamps.

As to switches, don't by them at vatozone, order a decent wells one or something from rockauto.

Rockauto is closing out the wells switches for $5. I just checked.
 
and with the gauges none work at all but my turn signal lights work and highbeam indicator works also but no gauges im thinkin its a fuse but which one i cant find any diagrams in the manual or online saying which fuse number indicates what the fuse controls

any diagrams containing this info would be greatly appreciated. just remember its a 1996 inline 4, 5 speed 4 door

thanks
 
Before you go to far with the wiring diagram request, please read the sticky at the top of the forums about FSMs. In short, this site does not condone posting or publishing copyrighted information. Personally, I do highly suggest purchasing the FSM.
 
i did read one post where it was talking about the indentions on the bottom of the switch had something to do with the park light problem with the part stores switches and thats why they only come on in the inbetween spot and no where else is that possibly the problem?
 
xjhazy21 said:
i did read one post where it was talking about the indentions on the bottom of the switch had something to do with the park light problem with the part stores switches and thats why they only come on in the inbetween spot and no where else is that possibly the problem?
Click to expand...

Yeah, someone did a lot of work on trying switches and came up with a solution for which switches work and which don't--even had some pictures so you could identify them--try a search in OEM Tech for "headlight switch" or "parking lights".
 
well i got every thing fixed it was a messed up switch and two blown fuses (gauges and parking lights ) and a the battery cable was lose where it connects to the teminal replaced everything and everything works great again

thanks for everyones help but im still trying to figure why my park lights have to be on for me to crank up
 
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