Electrical/stereo issue

LuciferJeeps94

LuciferJeeps94

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Joined
Feb 6, 2024
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4
Location
Wyoming
Searched the other questions like this and didn't see any answers: had an oil leak, got bad enough jeep went in to limp mode, weekend before last we changed the oil filter housing (what a mess) fixed that issue seemed to be going well. this last saturday I got into a soupy situation, I turned traction controll off, 2wd reverse, suddenly ABS, Ebrake, Traction on, Traction off came on the dash, solid-no blinking, pushing Traction control button did nothing. I checked to make sure my brake was disengaged, tires rolling, brakes stopping, etc. Drove a little ways, flung off some mud, all lights turned themselves off. Monday I was driving to work and turned BT on, play a couple seconds cut out like a skipping cd. Switched to CD did the same. Switched to radio had no volume control but could change the station. No sound. Went back to cd and watched the time counter for the song continue but the song itself played a couple seconds then no sound then came back. Disconnected the battery, checked the fuses. Wiring looks OK from what I can see without tearing it all out. I have the factory 9 speaker alpine with sub in rear cargo area. No touch screen, no nav. I don't know if anything at the beginning is connected I just wanted to give all information leading up to this issue.
 
I just joined today but also just dropped my 2017 JKU at the dealer about 2 hrs ago. I had the CEL for P0128 (thermostat) come on recently, especially when it's really cold. If it gets over 50* it goes off. Anyway this past Saturday my stereo started doing the same thing. I thought it was maybe a stereo wire that got kicked, disconnected, etc. I noticed that my screen display and everything else on the stereo was completely normal except no sound and when I used the volume knob or steering wheel control the little indicator line for volume never showed or moved.

After some research of similar symptoms it seems the head unit has went out.
 
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Thank you for your reply DickensCPA!

By head unit do you mean the stereo itself? Or something else? I'm sorry, I'm really new to the inner working of the mechanic world. I appreciate you taking the time to respond!
 
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No, the factory battery clamps are shit from day 1.

Essentially, they clamp around the post with a thin ring of metal (instead of a full grip around the entirety of the post) , that allows the clamps to spin as the vehicle flexes and bounces, resulting in a groove being worn into the post, and an intermittent contact.

On top of this design flaw, the mechanism that tightens the clamp is also GARBAGE. The chamfer nut is intended to slide the bar when tightened, but the fingers on the bar bend, resulting in a clamp that 'won't clamp' under normal use.

So combined, the clamp itself wears a groove onto the post and then can't even tighten more than the original setting to resolve it.
If I ever meet the engineer that designed this, I'll have more than a few unkind words for them.
 
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LuciferJeeps94 said:
Thank you for your reply DickensCPA!

By head unit do you mean the stereo itself? Or something else? I'm sorry, I'm really new to the inner working of the mechanic world. I appreciate you taking the time to respond!
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Yes the actual unit in the dash. I specifically got the base head unit because I wanted less electronics. When my kids were younger and in car seats I always had a Jeep and a full size truck. Now the kids are 14 and 21(LOL!) and Sep of 22 my 9 mo old BRAND NEW truck developed an "electrical gremlin" that all but rendered it useless. I bought the Chevy with every option GM offered. When it developed an electrical problem they said they couldn't trace it.

I originally thought it was a speaker/wire issue because everything on the display was normal just no sound or it would be intermittent like a CD skipping. I noticed turning the volume knob didn't even display the volume going up or down nor did the steering wheel vol control. After researching and asking around everyone said the head unit was bad. I had the EXACT same head unit in my '04 Rubicon that's still going strong and had a Ram 1500 from Dec '06 to Nov '21 with same unit and it never gave me problems either.

I was worried I couldn't live without a truck bed so I handed my '04 Rubicon down to my son in college and bought a new Gladiator. Had trouble with the aux battery and it wouldn't jump and I got stranded. I ask my dealer who is a close friend to look for a 2017 or 2018 JKU with very specific instructions on what I did and did not want. It took from March '22 until Sep '22 to find it. I had bought a new Chevy to bridge the gap. He literally found my Jeep 2 days after my new truck went limp.

The base radio was one thing I specified and I'll be doggone if it didn't go belly up. At LEAST though something like that doesn't leave you stranded.

Someone above also mentioned bad battery cables. One thing I've noticed in my JKU since day one is I can NOT get the neg cable tight enough. Every so often I'll be driving around fine and stop somewhere and it won't start back up. I have to pop the hood and the neg cable is loose enough to wiggle and it will start right up. I have no power it's as if the battery is 100% dead yet it has a connection it's just kinda loose and if I wiggle it I'm fine for a month or so.

I dropped mine off to the dealer yesterday for the bad head unit, code P0128, I have that small weeping radiator leak below the top shroud and it leaks BAD where the two freedom tops meet front center, passenger side of sound bar and both sides on the front doors comes over the bottom sill under the door into the floorboard. My carpet wreaks. I can go thru a car wash dry as a bone but a light rain or if someone spits out the window I wind up with a gallon of water in each front floorboard. I've tried every YouTube fix I could find.

This is my 4th Jeep but my first hardtop and I've never had a leak before. Jeeps are also notorious for a cracked windshield and I'd never had a crack or chip and since 9/2/22 I've had 3 in this one. LOL!
 
Another thing I never dealt with in the previous 3 soft top Jeeps is re-soldering the rear defrost back to the rear window every 2 mos. LOL!

But I still LOVE this Jeep.
 
DickensCPA said:
Another thing I never dealt with in the previous 3 soft top Jeeps is re-soldering the rear defrost back to the rear window every 2 mos. LOL!

But I still LOVE this Jeep.
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I have a trick for that!
I held the "button" with a pair of forceps (locking tweezers, if you will), and heated it up using a MAP torch.
Once the button was super hot, I added a bit of solder & then simply held it against the solder that was already on the glass.

Worked perfectly, on the first try.
 
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WestCoastDan said:
I have a trick for that!
I held the "button" with a pair of forceps (locking tweezers, if you will), and heated it up using a MAP torch.
Once the button was super hot, I added a bit of solder & then simply held it against the solder that was already on the glass.

Worked perfectly, on the first try.
Click to expand...
That's pretty much what I do, it just comes off every so often.

I'm not sure what makes it come back off. It could be closing the tail gate too hard or a contrast in hot/cold when I use it.
 
I discovered my rear window defogger wire disconnected last fall as we were putting the hardtop back one. Hubby tried several different approaches to soldering it back on, which none worked. Then I lost the darn little button that goes on the glass. Research indicated the best solution was a new rear glass! Yeah $$. So I bought a little electric fan mounted it to the folded up rear seat with the strap holding the rear seat . I leave it turned on , plugged into my 110v outlet and just turn on the power when needed, jeep is plenty warm enough. Julie in Toronto
2dr 2017 Jk
 
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