stevedolce

yesterday evening my 2011 JKU started behaving off..my tail light are dim, dome light is dim and rear wiper wipes very slowly.

here's some background...

• about 2 weeks ago i got jeep line-x'd. took jeep home, re-installed the seats and plugged up the connectors. everything was fine except i got an airbag warning lite. (FYI jeep has side airbags). i connected/disconnected the negative battery to no avail. still had airbag light.
• yesterday morning i found a sorta loose, slightly wet yellow connector by the rear driver side door. pulled it apart and pulled up back together (but didn't disconnect the negative post of battery). airbag light is off, but seatbelt light is dinging..
• yesterday evening when i got my car at the train station is when things started acting odd. i clicked my keyless entry and the front lights lit up like usual, but the tail lights didn't. they are incredibly dim.
• my rear interior dome light is very and my rear wiper is intermittent.
• to make thing even weirder my rigid LED backup lights blinked when i click the keyless entry (blinking like the brake lights actually should when you click the key).
• when i step on the brake, the tail lights are VERY DIM, but the rigid LED backup light go on.
• the rigid lights are part of an LOD rear bumper and i have them spliced into the stock reverse lights.
• not throwing any codes.

the dim lights make me think it's a voltage issue but would that effect so many things to the rear of the jeep(yeah, it's the furtherest point from battery so there could be voltage loss.
but why would the reverse lights turn on when i hit the brakes?

help!
steve

ronjenx

It sounds like a bad ground, rather than something on the positive side. A bad ground can make the power seek alternate routes, like through a bulb that wouldn't ordinarily be on.

stevedolce

Bad ground like I didn't tighten up the negative post on battery?

ronjenx

Could be, but I was thinking more of...
A bad ground somewhere in the back half of the JK.

stevedolce

In gonna show my ignorance, but where do I start looking?

ronjenx

When you line-x'd the JK, did you remove any ground wire screws from the pan? G300 is common to a lot of the rear components. It is located to the left of the tunnel, approximately even with the back of the driver's seat.

stevedolce

Are there any ground straps? Or are all the grounds part of connectors?

ronjenx

I'll have to check mine to be sure. I think it would look like a wire with an eye terminal, screwed to the pan; probably a lot like the ones on the sides of the front foot wells.

stevedolce

Cool-I'll do some research and look in the morning. When you say tunnel I assume you mean the center console hump?

ronjenx

Yes.