2007 Wrangler X (JK) electrical problem, no turn signals, no wipers

30825 Views 11 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Roxy6200, 7 d ago

blueoceanbill

Discussion Starter · Aug 12, 2011

Vehicle:
2007 Jeep Wrangler X (JK)
totally stock with no modifications
[email protected]

Symptoms:
1) Headlamps and tail-lights lit all the time when ignition switch is on; but no fog-lights or high beams. (i.e. left column lever has no influence with turning on or off any lights). Head/Tail lights come on when jeep is started and go off when jeep ignition is turned off. Dome light works okay.
2) Turn signals do not work. Hazard Flasher does work okay.
3) Windshield wipers and washer do not work. (i.e. right column lever has no effect on wipers or washer).
4) Horn, brake lights, instrument panel, and stereo appear to work okay.

Troubleshooting thus far:
1) verified all fuses to be okay.
2) cleaned all grounding lugs, battery posts under hood and near steering column inside jeep. Unconnected and reconnected all wiring plugs under hood and near steering column.

Needed:
1) Electrical diagrams for 2007 JK jeep. Have the Haynes manual, but not very in-depth at all. Have 2006 Wrangler TJ Unlimited diagrams (but are somewhat different) which even has verification details for ignition switch, left and right multifunction switches, etc. My JK left and right multifunction switches have different cabling than what is on the TJ diagrams.

Observations thus far:
1) have read various forums and have seen quite a lot of attempted solutions which took both dealers and individuals quite an effort with no real conclusive solution for these symptoms.
2) Saw a post that says it is the left malfunction switch. Do they really mean left multifunction switch that has a malfunction switch inside?

I ALSO HAVE A 1980 CJ5 WHICH I PURCHASED NEW WHICH IS MUCH MORE WELL BEHAVED. I KNOW HOW CHALLENGING WIRING/ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS CAN BE TO TROUBLESHOOT IN THE JK AND I ACCEPT ANY TIPS YOU MIGHT HAVE TO HELP ME FIND THE PROBLEM. I WILL GO WITH METER IN HAND TO PURSUE SIGNAL FLOW WITHIN FAILING CIRCUITS AFTER I POST THIS REQUEST. ANYWAY, ANY FEEDBACK AND HELP WITH THIS PROBLEM WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. I WILL DO A VERY CONCLUSIVE POST SUMMARIZING ALL STEPS AS I CONTINUE MY TROUBLESHOOTING EFFORTS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

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bitbyte

· #2 · Sep 1, 2011

Did you ever find a solution to this? I'm having the same problem as of this morning.

I've read that, for some, it's been resolved by fixing a loose ground wire in the steering column. But no one has given any details at all about it's locations or anything.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Jeep School

· #3 · Sep 1, 2011

I've had a few JK's do that--an '07, '08, and recently '10. Every time, I just disconnected the negative battery cable for about 30 minutes, then reconnected and started up fine.

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bitbyte

· #4 · Sep 1, 2011

I had thought about trying that, but it starts fine already. Just no control over the wipers lights or turn signals.

Also the lights are on by default when I start the vehicle.

Are those the symptoms you had?

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bitbyte

· #5 · Sep 1, 2011

Jeep School said:
I've had a few JK's do that--an '07, '08, and recently '10. Every time, I just disconnected the negative battery cable for about 30 minutes, then reconnected and started up fine.

I tried this at lunch. The first time i turn the key back on after the reset it takes another 5 or so seconds, but then the problem comes back. I presume it's initiating a new diagnostic, still finding the problem, and putting it into a failed mode.

I spoke with the dealer service dept , we looked at some wiring diagrams and I'm going to try the multifunction switch. Other threads indicate that the wipers also go through this switch. The switch is only 36 bucks at the dealer, so it's not a terribly costly gamble as this seems to be a high fail item as it is.

I wasn't able to find the ground wire that other threads have referred to.

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bitbyte

· #6 · Sep 2, 2011

I took the gamble and replaced the multifunction switch which resolved the problem with the headlights, turnsignals, wipers etc not working. The part number for the multifunction switch for people WITH fog lights is 68041484AB.

However, I have a new problem. When I activate the left turn signal, very often after making the turn, the stalk isn't returned to the neutral position cancelling the left signal. Sometimes it does, but usually it doesnt. The right signal usually cancels, but sometimes it doesnt.

Ideas?

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Nickit1981

· #7 · Sep 2, 2011

bitbyte said:
I took the gamble and replaced the multifunction switch which resolved the problem with the headlights, turnsignals, wipers etc not working. The part number for the multifunction switch for people WITH fog lights is 68041484AB.

However, I have a new problem. When I activate the left turn signal, very often after making the turn, the stalk isn't returned to the neutral position cancelling the left signal. Sometimes it does, but usually it doesnt. The right signal usually cancels, but sometimes it doesnt.

Ideas?

That seems like it is going to be something more mechanical than electrical at first thought. Probably have to get into the steering colum tofigure that out. I have neever beein there.. so I am just guessing.

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bitbyte

· #8 · Sep 2, 2011

Nickit1981 said:
That seems like it is going to be something more mechanical than electrical at first thought. Probably have to get into the steering colum tofigure that out. I have neever beein there.. so I am just guessing.

I agree, it worked fine with the original switch though, and I was very carful when I put in the new one to make sure it was properly seated. I guess maybe it's simply defective.

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bitbyte

· #9 · Sep 6, 2011

I removed the switch one last time at lunch to make sure I hadn't installed it incorrectly. Everything was correct. I noticed that the movement of the stalk wasn't as smooth as the old one and that the lube that they put in the plastic mechanism where it contacts the steering column wasn't as well distributed as the old one. Once the lube migrates around a bit and things smooth up it will be ok. I've already notice that it's getting gradually better.

Hope this helps someone else.
:beer:

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blueoceanbill

Discussion Starter · #10 · Nov 30, 2011

PROBLEM FINALLY SOLVED! (Thank you BITBYTE!!!!)

OK, between moving multiple times, I finally got around to finding a multifunction switch which I bought directly from the dealer for $37.28. However, my part number for the 2007 JK Wrangler X was 68041485AB. This JK also has fog lights too. The replacement scenario was:
1) disconnect the negative battery terminal (this is said to be a requirement to lessen the chance of air bag explosion, so just in case, I complied)
2) remove two long torx screws from bottom cover on steering column (near the steering wheel)
3) remove one short torx screw from bottom center of lower cover and then remove both top and bottom plastic covers on steering column. You might have to raise and lower the tilt steering wheel into various positions to free up the plastic covers for removal.
4) remove phillips head screw from left multifunction switch which has the left turn signal lever and controls the headlamps. slide the switch out enough to be able to disconnect the two connectors from the multifunction switch (one in the rear and one on the top).
5) place the new switch in the reverse of the above sequence.

NOTES:
The dealership pointed out to me that electrical parts can NOT be returned once purchased; so buyer beware. They were pleasant, and did point out that I could have them troubleshoot the problem for me for around $100 per hour and might have resorted to that if the left multifunction switch did not solve the problem.
You can disassemble the left and right multifunction switches with a torx screwdriver, which I did do. The insides of both were a bit grungy; so I cleaned them up, but this did not make any difference with my original problem. Thus I purchased the new left multifunction switch and upon replacement all now is back to normal. I have waited a couple of days to operate the vehicle to see if the new switch malfunctions. It is still working; so I assume we are back to normal. Whatever the heck normal really is..... All in all this was a good learning experience to become familiar with the later day electrical systems of JKs. I had already cleaned just about every connection, especially groudpoints in the jeep, and verified all fuses to be okay. Good Luck with the replacement and thanks again to Bitbyte for feedback.

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RacerXS

· #11 · Oct 2, 2012

Thanks for the write up ^^

This is just the info I needed!

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Roxy6200

· #12 · 7 d ago

bitbyte said:
I tried this at lunch. The first time i turn the key back on after the reset it takes another 5 or so seconds, but then the problem comes back. I presume it's initiating a new diagnostic, still finding the problem, and putting it into a failed mode.

I spoke with the dealer service dept , we looked at some wiring diagrams and I'm going to try the multifunction switch. Other threads indicate that the wipers also go through this switch. The switch is only 36 bucks at the dealer, so it's not a terribly costly gamble as this seems to be a high fail item as it is.

I wasn't able to find the ground wire that other threads have referred to.

Sounds like a TIPM issue I am sad for you as I am still stuck on hell on the rewire situation for a certain plug C5

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