Hi all,
I've been lurking ever since getting my 2012 Arctic Edition (55k miles) a few months ago, and have really appreciated the useful info I've come across in regards to suspension, tires, awesome aftermarket products (ATH), and so forth. Unfortunately what brings me to step out of the shadows and make my first post isn't an exciting build thread, but an electrical issue. Yes, it's the dreaded wipers and lights gremlin
Symptoms:
- Wipers and lights are on whenever the car is on (key in 'on' position or running)
- Gauges don't work, dashboard is either blank or a christmas tree that emits a long mechanical tone every 30 seconds
- My radio, power seats, speakers, engine and transmission all seem to be fine. Seems to be lights/wipers/dash specific. Car seems to be drivable beyond the above issues.
- I have seen both NO BUSS and C 932 on the dash when trying to get codes to show using the trip button trick and the ignition switch 3x in a row trick. Not sure if C 932 is a CAN bus code or part of the dash gibberish, but the CAN bus seems to be involved.
- This all happened the day after I had stressed the car battery by leaving it on for 60min to charge my phone during a phone call with an old friend, where I lost track of time. The car started up just fine the next morning, but then the wipers, lights, dash, and dash beep appeared and hasn't gone away.
- Thinking about indications I've had prior to all this, I've had my wiper go on randomly for a few wipes right after starting the Jeep, but not every time. I've also always heard what I think is the dvd/cd system mechanically operating at weird times like it's changing discs, even if the car has been sitting a while.
I have some minor wrenching experience and a strong desire to learn (and save $) by fixing or at least identifying the cause myself. I've read everything on Google about this issue. Here is what I have tried so far.
Attempts:
- Fully charging my battery with a trickle charger, checking amps to make sure it held charge. Even the battery recondition function. Battery seems to be fine, unless I'm missing something.
- Every variation of disconnecting the battery for various time lengths, including over 8 hours. This battery reset does not fix my issue unfortunately.
- Checking every ground location I can find and testing volts- all check out. I found 3 or 4 in the engine bay, the one in back by the driver side brake lights, and the two by the hood release latch.
- I took apart both stalks of the Multifunction Switch (lights, wiper) to see if anything looked off, both checked out
- Checked every fuse- none of them appear to be blown
- I "manually perturbed" the TIPM fuse box, that didn't help. I also started to remove it to look underneath it, nothing seemed bad but I didn't disconnect all the bundles attached to it
My guess is that is that stressing the battery lead to some sort of malfunction, or exacerbated an existing issue. I'm guessing the culprit is either the TIPM, Multifunction Switch, or some kind of short or loose ground that I missed. I've heard people with my exact symptoms mention finding a loose grounding strap in the steering column, but the only grounds I see near there are by the hood release latch and they seem to be good and grounded.
All the above being said, I'm wondering what my next step should be. Is there any further diagnosis I can do before I start replacing parts? Should I get a multimeter or test light and look for shorts? Anyone know if these symptoms indicate a short/ground issue vs a TIPM/Multifunciton Switch issue?
Greatly appreciate any help that could be offered.