Sick Scrambler

[jdub]

My Scrambler is sick.

I just pulled off an epic Golden Spike trip with no breakage! Drove through Arches and Dead Horse Point and somewhere in price to do geological surveying with the FIL.

Huge driving trip no problems and great gas mileage even with the a/c running in the desert. This issue happened on a city street not a immediate result of off roading.

The problem I have is that my electrical is going haywire. I checked all of the grounds that I can see. Traced al of the wires to the effected areas even purchased a turn signal switch to rule out that. I switched out all of the headlight switch and turn/hazard relays and nothing.

It is so weird! I hit the brakes and the dash lights come on. Turns don't really work. When I brake the marker lights come on. Nothing is consistent and I have wiggled the crap out of the wires and no change. It just comes and goes as it pleases. WTH??? I am buying extra turn relays tomorrow just to make sure but I don't think it is that.

My Dad is a master mechanic and I know he can help me fix it. But his time and my time is valuable enough that I'd rather pay to get it fixed and not waste any more time scratching my head. Problem is that I won't afford what Orem Auto Electric quoted me ~200$ to see what he can do. They are my last resort but I want to see what else is out there.

Can anyone help me? Any Ideas?

 

[Tacoma]

check all your ground straps, see if that helps. Report back.

 

[DaveB]

That is exactly what happens when the electrical system isn't grounded properly. As Tacoma suggests check the grounding straps to make sure the battery connects solidly to the engine, the frame and the body. Many of the ground returns are just wires that screw into the body and these grounds have a tendency to get corroded just like everything else on our old jeeps. The worst offenders are usually in the back of the jeeps near the turn signal lights where the most rust builds up. When the lights can't find a good path to ground they will find it by going through any other circuit to find it and that is why the other lights are turning on.

 

[neagtea]

I have seen the filaments in the bulb touch each other after a rough dirt road trip and it did a similer thing (kind of rare but worth a look). Replaced a bulb and good to go

 

[jdub]

Both, It was a burnt out bulb and not so much a ground but trailer wires arcing after being smashed. Took me a good week of trying to figure it out, symptoms were all in the front, like DaveB said "check the back"

Thanks guys you were more help than you could imagine.

JDUB