1997 jeep; no reverse lights?

Question

I recently bought a 1997 jeep ltd cherokee. I had to take it back to the garage since i bought it because it has had x6 various electrical problems ( x5 returns ) ...
The latest being no reverse lights- I have returned it twice for this problem but still not fixed. Now out of three month warranty, garage says it is a major expensive problem and I have to pay mega bucks to fix it ! Anyone with advice, please? Thanks.

Answer 1

Well you can do some preliminary investigation to find out what is wrong:

It is a simple circuit. It goes from the battery to the reverse lever to the lights with a fuse in the line. I assume you have checked the fuses so something is not working..get a Chilton's Manual or something with a wiring diagram and try this

1) Remove the lenscover and one of the bulbs in your reverse lights.
2) Get a long wire (about 25 feet or so) and run it from the battery to the wire on the center of the bulb socket (not the sides that will short out your jumper). When you touch the center, the OTHER back up light should come on (that means your lights are good and th wires back there are working.

3) Now locate your reverse switch. If you have a column shift it will be at the base of the steering column if you have a floor shift it can be in several places (locate the manual).

The reverse switch will usually have two wires one comes from the battery and one goes to the lights you just checked. Pull the wires one at a time and touch your jumper to them ... If you know which one goes to the lights just do that one. If the lights come on you are almost home free.

If the lights came on, then it is either going to be the switch or the power source...test the source first...If they didn't come on you have a break in the wiring between the lights and the switch. You can hunt for it or replace it.

simply jumper these two leads together and check the lights. If they come on you have a bad switch.. If they don't then it is the power source.

two fixes:
a) Hunt for the broken or disconnected wire
b) Run a new wire from a fuse to the switch.

That should do it, but check with the manual for other wiring anomolies.

g

Answer 2

My girlfriends 1999 Wrangler had this problem.
there is a neutral safety switch on the drivers side of the transmission. we were able to replace it for less than $20. I can't remember the size (18mm maybe), but we were able to remove it with a normal wrench set.
of course, depending on the transmission model and your vehicle, your location may be different.

Answer 3

there is a neutral safety switch on the transmission, i believe on the pass side, some times the grease gets old and goopy, need to remove and clean out and put new grease

Answer 4

If the fuse is sweet then it truly is the little micro-swap activated by the replace lever - examine the guide, it will be lower than the transmission tunnel or down on the area of the gearbox the position the operating rods are. they many times get coated in highway crap and die.