Jeep electrical seizure

mcsjk

New member
So I've been having an interesting electrical issue lately and I have no idea what is causing it. Here's a video of what's happening:
(Sorry for the vertical video)

Basically, I'll start the Jeep, it turns over just like it should, runs just like it should. But randomly that will happen. I lose my gauges, dashboard lights come on, radio shuts off, I lose my turn signals/ hazards, and the windshield wipers turn on. Sometimes it lasts half a second, sometimes a minute or two, it just depends and there is no way to predict when or for how long it is going to do it for. But whenever it decides to finish it resets and goes back to driving just like it should, as if nothing happenedIt still drives like it should, even while doing it, I presume because it's a manual. But it is a bit concerning and definitely frustrating.

I try to avoid the stealership at all costs, especially with it being a 2008, but if nobody here has any idea what's going on or how to fix it then I think I'm headed to the dealership this weekend to let them try to figure it out.
 

jeeeep

Hooked
could be several things, I'd start by checking all the ground wires for corrosion and make sure you don't gave a loose negative terminal connector.
 

mcsjk

New member
could be several things, I'd start by checking all the ground wires for corrosion and make sure you don't gave a loose negative terminal connector.

Definitely not the terminal connector. I've disconnected and reconnected and checked the connectors probably 5 or 6 times since this started happening.

I'll check all the ground wires. If a ground wire is causing a short though wouldn't it be a consistent problem and not something that happens randomly?
 

Ddays

Hooked
Mine did the exact same thing. Turned out to be the winch power cord was installed under the nut that forces the terminal wires to auto-tighten on the terminal. Even though the nut was tightened as far as it could go it still couldn't grip the terminal tight enough to keep from being jostled around. Drove me batty. Driving down the road and all of the sudden everything starts lighting on & off like it was possessed! Do you have something hooked up under that nut?
 

CastleRockJeep

New member
Mine did the exact same thing. Turned out to be the winch power cord was installed under the nut that forces the terminal wires to auto-tighten on the terminal. Even though the nut was tightened as far as it could go it still couldn't grip the terminal tight enough to keep from being jostled around. Drove me batty. Driving down the road and all of the sudden everything starts lighting on & off like it was possessed! Do you have something hooked up under that nut?

Exactly the issue I had after installing winch.
 

mcsjk

New member
Mine did the exact same thing. Turned out to be the winch power cord was installed under the nut that forces the terminal wires to auto-tighten on the terminal. Even though the nut was tightened as far as it could go it still couldn't grip the terminal tight enough to keep from being jostled around. Drove me batty. Driving down the road and all of the sudden everything starts lighting on & off like it was possessed! Do you have something hooked up under that nut?

Which nut are you referring to? The one that is straight up and down in the picture (doesn't actually have a nut on it in the picture) or the nut that tightens and holds the terminal onto the post?
IMG_5458.jpg

I don't have anything hooked under the nut that holds the terminal onto the post but I do have a terminal connector for my amp for my speakers on the straight up and down one.

Would it do it to you when you sit still? I can pull up to a red light, all normal. And while I'm sitting there dead still it will start doing it.

I will go out and double check my nuts. What did you do to fix it?
 

Ddays

Hooked
Sorry, :cheesy:

Seriously though, the issue you are experiencing is exactly what I did. You have to have a loose or corroded connection.
 

mcsjk

New member
Well, I just went out and cranked all four of my nuts as tight as they'd physically go :cheesy: and then went out for a little test drive. Knock on wood but after about 30 minutes of driving it hasn't happened again yet.
 

jeeeep

Hooked
Well, I just went out and cranked all four of my nuts as tight as they'd physically go :cheesy: and then went out for a little test drive. Knock on wood but after about 30 minutes of driving it hasn't happened again yet.

:shock: :cheesy: really, who doesn't laugh at a good nut reference...

put some paint marker paint on one side of them so you can see if they are working loose
 

ShotgunExpresss

New member
My cure for the same issue!

Thanks for the nut help :cheesy: Saved me god knows how much at the dealership to do probably the same thing I just did.
Entirely to many connections to come loose on a dual battery setup. After hitting bumps and my guages going out to having my winch smoke up the whole jeep due to what appeared to be a good connection drove me to this! ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1445449241.154204.jpg
 

ShotgunExpresss

New member
It's a 2250 AGM cranking amp battery , it cost 470.00 from Autoplicity website and it has Sky High 2/0 battery terminals. Nothing special except it eliminates the bridging connections required for a dual battery setup which I had and the one battery is more powerful than the 2 I had. Less connections equal less headache when your off the beaten path.
 
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