Melted switches and connectors?!! 2000 Jeep TJ

Hi Folks,

Three electrical connectors have melted in my 2000 Jeep TJ.
Specifically, the A/C Heater Control C1, C2 and Light Dimmer connector.
In addition, the A/C Heater Control switch has also melted (second
time).

Is anyone else experiencing this problem? Is there are solution?
Maybe a grounding issue?

I'm on my second heater control unit and this is getting expensive.


Insight much appreciated. Thanks.
Nick

That happened to me in my Cherokee and it has been reported in TJ's
too. It is due to a bad connection on the power plug at the motor
itself in some cases. This causes too much heat in the wires and melts
out the switch.

I would be checking this connection for heat and burned pins.

The TJ's are also blessed with a bunch of defective switches and the
'new' ones are from the same batch..... Folks are saying the new
switches are bad right out of the box....

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

Nick Hughes wrote:
>
> Hi Folks,
>
> Three electrical connectors have melted in my 2000 Jeep TJ.
> Specifically, the A/C Heater Control C1, C2 and Light Dimmer connector.
> In addition, the A/C Heater Control switch has also melted (second
> time).
>
> Is anyone else experiencing this problem? Is there are solution?
> Maybe a grounding issue?
>
> I'm on my second heater control unit and this is getting expensive.
>
> Insight much appreciated. Thanks.
> Nick

Mike Romain wrote:
> That happened to me in my Cherokee and it has been reported in TJ's
> too. It is due to a bad connection on the power plug at the motor
> itself in some cases. This causes too much heat in the wires and melts
> out the switch.
>
> I would be checking this connection for heat and burned pins.

Thanks. What is the "power plug at the motor"? Do you mean the wiring
harness that connects to the blower motor and supplies power?

Also, any thought how how this would be related to the headlamp /
dimmer connector melting?

Nick

Nick Hughes wrote:
>
> Mike Romain wrote:
> > That happened to me in my Cherokee and it has been reported in TJ's
> > too. It is due to a bad connection on the power plug at the motor
> > itself in some cases. This causes too much heat in the wires and melts
> > out the switch.
> >
> > I would be checking this connection for heat and burned pins.
>
> Thanks. What is the "power plug at the motor"? Do you mean the wiring
> harness that connects to the blower motor and supplies power?
>
> Also, any thought how how this would be related to the headlamp /
> dimmer connector melting?
>
> Nick

Yes, I mean the first plug on the harness coming out of the motor. The
motor will have a pigtail with a connector on it.

The heat will do the whole circuit and it does strange things to
contacts. Likely the dimmer is on the same fuse link from the power
distribution center. You should check the fuse for signs of melt too.
It can look 'saggy' and will blow easier or die from vibration because
it went crystalline.

I recently had a bulb short internally in the back fixture so both
elements were lit while having to use the one flasher for about a half
hour and it damaged both the brake switch and the signal switch's
contacts from too much heat. They got arced and have taken a while to
start being stable again.

Folks,

The service manual indicates that A/C Heater Control, Headlamp Switch
and Blower Motor relay are all connected to the same ground point
(G200). A faulty ground connection may explain why these connectors
are melting.

According to the manual, G200 is located "Left Rear of Instrument
Panel". This area was leaking in my Jeep, so I will now go check how
"grounded" that ground really is.

Any other advice also appreciated.

Nick

Maybe this recall might help??
------------------------

Recall 99V117000: Instrument Panel Ground Screws Loose

The left side and right side instrument panel wiring ground attachment
screws could loosen over time. If the left side screw loosens, the
instrument panel gauges may not function when the headlamps are turned
on. If the right side screw loosens, the defroster blower motor may
not function.

Dealers will remove the ground screws, drill a new pilot hole adjacent
to the original hole, and the screws will be reinstalled in the new
holes.

Owner notification began May 31, 1999. Owners who take their vehicles
to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not
receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact
Chrysler at 1-800-992-1997. Also contact the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration's Auto Safety Hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT
(1-888-327-4236).
----------------------------

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

Nick Hughes wrote:
>
> Folks,
>
> The service manual indicates that A/C Heater Control, Headlamp Switch
> and Blower Motor relay are all connected to the same ground point
> (G200). A faulty ground connection may explain why these connectors
> are melting.
>
> According to the manual, G200 is located "Left Rear of Instrument
> Panel". This area was leaking in my Jeep, so I will now go check how
> "grounded" that ground really is.
>
> Any other advice also appreciated.
>
> Nick

Mike Romain wrote:
> Recall 99V117000: Instrument Panel Ground Screws Loose
>
> The left side and right side instrument panel wiring ground attachment
> screws could loosen over time. If the left side screw loosens, the
> instrument panel gauges may not function when the headlamps are turned
> on. If the right side screw loosens, the defroster blower motor may
> not function.
>
> Dealers will remove the ground screws, drill a new pilot hole adjacent
> to the original hole, and the screws will be reinstalled in the new
> holes.
>

I think they tried to fix this in the year 2000 model. G200 and G201
which handle both the above circuits, are both attached left of the
instrument panel and under the speaker. Looks like they moved them.

Thanks

Hey Mike and Nick,

Do you guys suppose this is something that has been addressed in the newer
models?

I read so much in this group about bad wiring in the Jeeps that it makes me
think I should be looking for things all along or even now to be sure they
stay tight.

Kate
06 Rubee-Kahn


"Mike Romain" > wrote in message
...
> Maybe this recall might help??
> ------------------------
>
> Recall 99V117000: Instrument Panel Ground Screws Loose
>
> The left side and right side instrument panel wiring ground attachment
> screws could loosen over time. If the left side screw loosens, the
> instrument panel gauges may not function when the headlamps are turned
> on. If the right side screw loosens, the defroster blower motor may
> not function.
>
> Dealers will remove the ground screws, drill a new pilot hole adjacent
> to the original hole, and the screws will be reinstalled in the new
> holes.
>
> Owner notification began May 31, 1999. Owners who take their vehicles
> to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not
> receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact
> Chrysler at 1-800-992-1997. Also contact the National Highway Traffic
> Safety Administration's Auto Safety Hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT
> (1-888-327-4236).
> ----------------------------
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>
> Nick Hughes wrote:
>>
>> Folks,
>>
>> The service manual indicates that A/C Heater Control, Headlamp Switch
>> and Blower Motor relay are all connected to the same ground point
>> (G200). A faulty ground connection may explain why these connectors
>> are melting.
>>
>> According to the manual, G200 is located "Left Rear of Instrument
>> Panel". This area was leaking in my Jeep, so I will now go check how
>> "grounded" that ground really is.
>>
>> Any other advice also appreciated.
>>
>> Nick

Hi Kate,
I believe the circuit board connection was only found to be bad
during the first couple of TJ years, and was quickly fixed with a slap.
That problem lit the airbag light:
http://www.billhughes.com/mirror/gauges.htm
God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
http://www.billhughes.com/

Kate wrote:
>
> Hey Mike and Nick,
>
> Do you guys suppose this is something that has been addressed in the newer
> models?
>
> I read so much in this group about bad wiring in the Jeeps that it makes me
> think I should be looking for things all along or even now to be sure they
> stay tight.
>
> Kate
> 06 Rubee-Kahn

Because I take my Jeeps out to play and they do run into or across
puddles and creeks and rivers and swamps (Have had the Cherokee buried
up to the lights both front and back in a 'puddle' with muck coming
through the door speakers, let alone the CJ7), I opened 'every'
connection I could get my mitts on and stuffed them all full of
dielectric grease. This keeps the biggest failure cause, corrosion, at
bay.

Lots of the new connections are just mini computer pins designed to pass
low current computer signals. These connections get corroded so easy it
isn't the least bit funny. Look at how many cases to you see posted
that complain about dead vehicles just after a wash! Or CPS's that
start to work after unplugging them and plugging them back in which
scratches a new contact usually or TPS's and shifting issues on
automatics.

This isn't Jeep only, I worked at a garage just up the road from a car
was that has pressure washers and we had 'tons' of tow in from there of
all makes!

Mike

Kate wrote:
>
> Hey Mike and Nick,
>
> Do you guys suppose this is something that has been addressed in the newer
> models?
>
> I read so much in this group about bad wiring in the Jeeps that it makes me
> think I should be looking for things all along or even now to be sure they
> stay tight.
>
> Kate
> 06 Rubee-Kahn
>
> "Mike Romain" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Maybe this recall might help??
> > ------------------------
> >
> > Recall 99V117000: Instrument Panel Ground Screws Loose
> >
> > The left side and right side instrument panel wiring ground attachment
> > screws could loosen over time. If the left side screw loosens, the
> > instrument panel gauges may not function when the headlamps are turned
> > on. If the right side screw loosens, the defroster blower motor may
> > not function.
> >
> > Dealers will remove the ground screws, drill a new pilot hole adjacent
> > to the original hole, and the screws will be reinstalled in the new
> > holes.
> >
> > Owner notification began May 31, 1999. Owners who take their vehicles
> > to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not
> > receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact
> > Chrysler at 1-800-992-1997. Also contact the National Highway Traffic
> > Safety Administration's Auto Safety Hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT
> > (1-888-327-4236).
> > ----------------------------
> >
> > Mike
> > 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> > 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
> > Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
> > Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
> > (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
> >
> > Nick Hughes wrote:
> >>
> >> Folks,
> >>
> >> The service manual indicates that A/C Heater Control, Headlamp Switch
> >> and Blower Motor relay are all connected to the same ground point
> >> (G200). A faulty ground connection may explain why these connectors
> >> are melting.
> >>
> >> According to the manual, G200 is located "Left Rear of Instrument
> >> Panel". This area was leaking in my Jeep, so I will now go check how
> >> "grounded" that ground really is.
> >>
> >> Any other advice also appreciated.
> >>
> >> Nick