Electrical Issues Galore

Hey All,
I just picked up a 1987 cherokee pioneer (5spd, 4.0, D30/35) and I have some concerns about the electrical situation. This is my first jeep and I am a little concerned about some of these issues. Here goes...

-No reverse lights
-left blinker indicator remains light while park/head lights are on (only the dash indicator, not the actual blinker lights on the exterior)
-CEL does not light up prior to start
-radio (original) light remains lit always
-Dome light and both reading lamps do not work
-climate control panel does not light up with lights on

I think thats it...

I have checked and replaced every damn fuse i could get my fingers on so that has led me to seek your help.

Literally any insight on any of the issues is greatly appreciated! Thanks

grounds.
check and clean all of them.
also bond the dash frame to the stud that's on the lower drivers kick panel. AMC relied o nthe rivets to ground the dash and the like. You'll want to add one going from the battery to the inner fender as well. Might as well chuck the braided ground strap on the back of the head in the trash right now and replace it with a 4ga 12" piece from the parts store.

Reverse lights is probably the switch in the trans. Check for 12v at the trans, and leaving the switch.

blinker indicator on solid with the parking lamps is almost certainly the grounds in the socket. they suck, then somehow that circuit grounds through the dash. I know, it's wierd, trust me.

There is no check engine light. the Renix ECU predates any sort of OBD mandate. The "check emissions" bulb was on a simple timer. They're all long gone these days.

the rest of your lights are probably burnt out bulbs. you'll have to pull the HVAC controls and check for voltage on the orange (IIRC) wire. it's either orange or pink, pretty sure orange.

really that's pretty minor i nthe world of old AMC wiring.
What you should really be concerned about is the firewall connector, the ignition switch connector and the HVAC connector.
One stops your junk from running, one melts down and causes random interior issues, and one catches your junk on fire.
You should check those.

welcome to the board BTW.

and welcome to learning all about 12v electrical, courtesy of AMC.

Wow.... THANK YOU!! Looks like I have some homework to do. Thanks boss.

so, you'll want to pull the fuseblock and have a look behind there. the 5 spd ones tend to have a leaky clutch master kill the backside of the fuseblock.

The firewall connector there is held in place by a big long bolt with a 10mm head. you're gonna want to split it, then clean up the brown goo in there.
Double check that the top orange (pink) wires aren't burnt. Those carry most all of the interior load.

then you'll want to pull the lower valance off the dash, reach up onto the top of the steering column and pull the big conector on the ignition switch. Make sure it's not melty melty. Clean the contacts and put it back. Chances are the brown (?) wire is gonna need some love. That's the one that powers everything in the cab from the switch.

Then go ahead and pull the HVAC clutser and have a look at the blower motor switch. it's big and flat. Nearly gauranteed that it's melted and burnt.
it's a PITA to repair because the wires are already short from the factory, so any cut/splice work has to be done inside the little cubby hole.
Be careful to not bone up the linkages for the blend door when you pull it.

Colors are from my memory, which isn't so good, so they may be wrong. you'll know the ones your looking for because they will likely show signs of heat damage.