I also posted this in the Jeep buyer's forum and got a couple of answers, but I could use a couple more opinions.
ORIGINAL POST:
My wife and I looked at a TJ tonight that we liked, but there were some interesting electrical anomalies that I would like to ask the board about. The vehicle in question is a 1997 TJ SE, 4-cyl, 5-spd, 71,000 miles. Here is the Craigslist ad: http://boise.craigslist.org/cto/873254368.html
1) The left turn signal indicator light on the dash was always on (not flashing). I noticed that the bulb socket was dangling in the fender well with the bulb missing and the socket full of mud. The turn signals did work. Would cleaning out the socket and replacing the bulb make the light on the dash go out?
2) The shift light never came on. We have driven a YJ and another TJ and both had those idiot shift lights, but this one didn't. Should I have seen a shift indicator light?
3) The "Check Gauges" light on the dash would come on periodically along with a rather pleasant "ding" tone. After about 30 seconds, it would go off. In the 15 minutes that we had the vehicle, I think we saw it twice. What is the significance of the Check Gauges light?
I am leery of electrical gremlins. I don't mind mechanical issues, but I hate trouble-shooting electrical issues. I even have 10 years of experience as a field technician. Is there one issue that ties these three things together or do these misbehaving dash lights indicate a potential lifetime of buggy electronics?
P.S. Why don't all of these come with tilt wheels? It makes it so much easier for me to drive when they do. (This one doesn't have it )
ORIGINAL POST:
My wife and I looked at a TJ tonight that we liked, but there were some interesting electrical anomalies that I would like to ask the board about. The vehicle in question is a 1997 TJ SE, 4-cyl, 5-spd, 71,000 miles. Here is the Craigslist ad: http://boise.craigslist.org/cto/873254368.html
1) The left turn signal indicator light on the dash was always on (not flashing). I noticed that the bulb socket was dangling in the fender well with the bulb missing and the socket full of mud. The turn signals did work. Would cleaning out the socket and replacing the bulb make the light on the dash go out?
2) The shift light never came on. We have driven a YJ and another TJ and both had those idiot shift lights, but this one didn't. Should I have seen a shift indicator light?
3) The "Check Gauges" light on the dash would come on periodically along with a rather pleasant "ding" tone. After about 30 seconds, it would go off. In the 15 minutes that we had the vehicle, I think we saw it twice. What is the significance of the Check Gauges light?
I am leery of electrical gremlins. I don't mind mechanical issues, but I hate trouble-shooting electrical issues. I even have 10 years of experience as a field technician. Is there one issue that ties these three things together or do these misbehaving dash lights indicate a potential lifetime of buggy electronics?
P.S. Why don't all of these come with tilt wheels? It makes it so much easier for me to drive when they do. (This one doesn't have it )