Dome Light Not Working

[Hunter552]

My wife went to a local tire shop to get the aux battery replaced. With the number of JL's on the road, this has got to be a normal repair for them. Everything seemed routine. Next day she noticed the dome light wasn't coming on. Before I had a chance to troubleshoot the dome light, she discovered the windshield washer fluid wasn't dispensing either (reservoir is full). Everything worked fine beforehand. I made sure the light switch wasn't in "party" mode, rolled the switch fully up/down, checked and replaced fuse F20 (interior lighting) just in case but still not working. Are the interior lights and washer pump on the same circuit? Haven't found anything else not functioning as it should. I did read somewhere that a JL forum member had a broken wire in the rollbar that the dealer found and repaired. Up for any ideas before I take it to the dealer to scan for error codes.

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[itsallwright]

Did you figure this out?

I have these symptoms as well (no dome, no washer, recent replacement of aux battery). I never considered these issues related and planned to tackle them one at a time (washer issue first). Your post has me wondering as this seems like an unusual combination.

Thanks,
Jay

 

[itsallwright]

After much diagnostic effort, I ruled out the washer pump and switch on steering column. This left me scratching my head. I looked into aux battery replacement and learned the 'dealer way' of replacing was through the under hood fuse box (power distribution, TIPM, etc.). I also learned that box was commonly responsible for bizaar behavior (mostly in JKs though).

This prompted me to take it apart and I discovered a bent pin that was the culprit. I straightened the pin and put it back together. Both washer fluid and dome light work again.

I tried posting some pics, but don't think I am allowed with a new account.

I hope this helps someone else.

 

[Hunter552]

Well after chasing various potential culprits, multiple batteries, replacing modules, weeks at the dealership, and a heap of $$ out of pocket, the problem is solved. All the electrical anomalies were the result of a damaged PDC (power distribution center aka fuse box). Turns out when my wife got the aux battery replaced at a (formerly) trusted repair shop, they damaged the PDC while reinstalling it. Yes, it is possible to replace the battery thru the passenger fender well, but that is not what their "book" said to do. So, they went in thru the engine compartment. The dealership that we bought the Jeep from messed with it for 3 weeks straight. They "supposedly" checked the PDC, replaced both batteries, Lighting control module, Body Control module, checked the star connector, wiring, etc. After no luck, they had already ordered a new chassis wiring harness. I said hold on a sec, that is like open heart surgery for a Jeep and I wanted a second opinion. I took the Wrangler to the dealership where I bought my Gladiator from. The service advisor and I discussed everything that had been done up to that point. He agreed, the harness couldn't be the issue and started from the beginning. He called me the next morning with good news. It was a bent pin on the back of the PDC (see pic). A new one was ordered and of course it was on backorder for 2 weeks. Yeah, it could probably be bent back. But I wanted a new one and wasn't taking any chances at this point.

Now for the kicker. Had the first dealership told my wife the batteries were covered under warranty for 36 months when she called them, instead of quoting her $1100 to replace both batteries, she wouldn't have gone to the repair shop in the first place. This lack of professionalism set us upon this 6-month freaking nightmare. As soon as the warranty is up, that stupid aux battery is coming out and bypassed!!

 

[namttip]

• Thank you: ItsallWright and Hunter552, thank you both for bringing your dome light/windshield washer issue to this forum. Your information helped me with the exact same probelm.
• The Problem: I bought my Jeep from Dan Cummins in KY, and had it shipped to my home in SC. It had the problem when it arrived. The dome light would not work, and the fuse was good. The windshield washer would not spray, but the wipers worked fine. I took it to a local dealership, and they spent a week troubleshooting with no luck.
• The Fix: My awesome wife found your post, and I went to work on it. The pin was barely bent, but it was enough to miss the mating socket (see pic below). I also found that the plastic was deformed around the mating socket where the pin hit it. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of that part. I straightened the pin and used a screwdriver to straighten the deformed plastic socket. I carefully set the PDC back down on the 4 connectors as straight as I could. Now, the dome light and windshield washer works again.
• Good Resource: I used this video to help me to dig down to the bent pins (starting around 6:00 mark).
  • HOW TO Replace the Main and Auxiliary Battery on a Jeep JL Wrangler and JT Gladiator Truck (youtube.com)
• 

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