Background
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| Travel Kit for Spare Fuses, Lamps, and Relays |
I like to be prepared, especially when it comes to recreating in this Jeep. I also like to have things nice and organized, which is why I decided to track down all the stock fuses, lamps, and relays used throughout the vehicle, and create a kit to carry as part of my normal
Equipment Checklist.
The 2006 Jeep Wrangler Owner Manual has a nice table on page 306 listing all the interior fuses located on the fuse block behind the glove box. Pages 307—308 have a similar table for all the underhood fuses and relays in the power distribution center. Finally, pages 309—310 spell out the various interior/exterior lights and corresponding bulb types.
Interior Fuses
| Cavity | Fuse | Description |
| 1 | 20 Amp Yellow | Park Lights, Skim (Sentry Key) |
| 2 | 20 Amp Yellow | Stop Lights |
| 3 | 20 Amp Yellow | Subwoofer System |
| 4 | 10 Amp Red | Door Switch Defeat |
| 5 | 10 Amp Red | Airbag |
| 6 | 20 Amp Yellow | Rear Wiper |
| 7 | 10 Amp Red | Back-Up Lights, Rear Window Defroster Relay, ABS |
| 8 | 10 Amp Red | HEVAC |
| 9 | 10 Amp Red | Airbag |
| 10 | 10 Amp Red | Instrument Cluster |
| 11 | 10 Amp Red | Solenoids, DRL |
| 12 | 10 Amp Red | Power Distribution Relays, Skim (Sentry Key) |
| 13 | 10 Amp Red | Turn Signals |
| 14 | 10 Amp Red | Radio |
| 15 | 10 Amp Red | HBL (Rear Window Defroster) Switch |
| 16 | 10 Amp Red | Headlamp Aim (Export Only) |
| 17 | 25 Amp Natural | Front Wiper |
| 18 | 20 Amp Yellow | Cigar Lighter |
| 19 | 20 Amp Yellow | Spare |
| 20 | 20 Amp Yellow | Spare |
Underhood Fuses (Power Distribution Center)
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| Mini, Standard, Maxi, and "Cartridge" Fuses |
| Cavity | Fuse/Color | Description |
| 1 | 40 Amp Green | HEVAC |
| 2 | 40 Amp Green | HBL (Rear Window Defroster) |
| 3 | 40 Amp Green | Exterior Lighting |
| 4 | 40 Amp Green | Radiator Fan |
| 5 | 20 Amp Yellow | Transmission |
| 6 | 30 Amp Pink | Starter |
| 7 | Open | |
| 8 | 40 Amp Green | ABS Motor |
| 9 | 20 Amp Yellow | ASD |
| 10 | 40 Amp Green | HD/LP |
| 11 | Open | IOD Storage |
| 12 | 30 Amp Pink | ABS Valve |
| 13 | 40 Amp Green | Accessories |
| 14 | Open | |
| 15 | 50 Amp Red | IOD |
| 16 | Open | |
| 17 | 20 Amp Yellow | Power |
| 18 | 20 Amp Yellow | Horn |
| 19 | 20 Amp Yellow | Fog Lights |
| 20 | 15 Amp Lt. Blue | Radio |
| 21 | 10 Amp Red | A/C Clutch |
| 22 | 25 Amp Natural | Ignition Switch |
| 23 | 20 Amp Yellow | Fuel |
| 24 | 20 Amp Yellow | Off Road |
| 25 | Open | |
| 26 | 10 Amp Red | Accessories |
| 27 | 20 Amp Yellow | MFSW |
| 28 | 10 Amp Red | Clutch Override |
| 29 | Relay | ASD |
| 30 | Relay | A/C Clutch |
| 31 | Relay | Transmission |
| 32 | Relay | Starter |
| 33 | Relay | ABS |
| 34 | Open | |
| 35 | Relay | Fog Lamp |
| 36 | Relay | Horn |
| 37 | Relay | Fuel Pump |
| 38 | Relay | HBL (Rear Window Defroster) |
| 39 | Relay | Front Differential Locker (Rubicon) or High Speed Fan (2.4L Engines) |
| 40 | Relay | Rear Differential Locker (Rubicon) or Low Speed Fan (2.4L Engines) |
Replacement Bulbs -- If Equipped
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| Different Lamp Types Used Throughout the Vehicle |
| Interior Lights | Bulb Type |
| Auto. Trans. Indicator Light | 658 |
| Courtesy Lights, Under Dash (2) | 906 |
| Heater Control Lights (2) | 194 |
| Rocker Switch Indicator Light (Rear Window Defogger, and Rear Wash/Wipe) | Bulbs only available from authorized dealer. |
| Soundbar Dome Light | 912 |
| Instrument Cluster | Bulb Type |
| Telltale (High Beam) | 74 |
| Illumination | 103 |
| Exterior Lights | Bulb Type |
| Backup Lights (2) | 1156 |
| Center High Mounted Stop Light (1) | 921 or W16W |
| Fog Lights | H3 |
| Front Park/Turn Lights (2) | 3157 |
| Front Side Marker Lights (2) | 168 or W3W |
| Headlights (2) | H 6024BL |
| Stop/Tail/Turn/License Lights (2) | 1157 |
| Underhood Light | 561 |
In reviewing the numerous fuses, lamps, and relays, two questions arose:
- Why on earth did Chrysler use so many different lamp types throughout the vehicle? Wait, I think I already know the answer. Could it be due to auto manufacturers’ reliance on numerous generic parts suppliers, each of which uses their own designs and specifies their own lamps? Furthermore, Chrysler lets them use whatever lamp they specify, since Chrysler doesn’t care how inconvenient and nonsensical it is to the end-user? Anyway, it seems to me that rather than using 16 unique lamps throughout the vehicle, a more integrated approach would be to use the same lamp type for multiple applications, thereby allowing the dealer/service department to stock fewer parts, and make it simpler for the customer. Whoa! Wait a minute. After all, this is the auto industry I’m talking about, and Chrysler on top of that. I know, I’m expecting too much.
- What possessed Chrysler to switch from using standard Maxi fuses (which can be found all over the place) to using obscure, long “cartridge” fuses in the underhood power distribution center? After all, my 1997 TJ used a mix of Mini, Standard, and Maxi blade-style low-voltage fuses, which have been the standard in auto applications for decades. Now, apparently GM is using short “cartridge” fuses, while Chrysler is starting to use long “cartridge” fuses in place of Maxi fuses. What’s the matter with Maxi fuses? Is it ditto number 1?
Procurement
What I thought should be a relatively simple job turned into a multi-week extravaganza. Actually, it was extremely easy to buy spare interior fuses, since the fuse block only uses Mini blade-style low-voltage fuses, which can be found in any auto parts store or even ordered from McMaster-Carr. Order spare interior Mini fuses: done! Same with part of the underhood power distribution center, which uses a handful of Mini fuses. Order spare underhood Mini fuses: done! While I was at it, I also ordered some spare Standard and Maxi fuses for my custom Auxiliary Power Distribution Center [future link].
Most of the lamps were easy to get as well, thanks to the Owner Manual listing of bulb types. McMaster-Carr carried all but two of them, the Instrument Cluster Illumination lamp (bulb type 103) and the Rocker Switch Indicator Light (proprietary built-in). Order spare interior/exterior lamps: mostly done!
This is where my luck ran out. The rest of the power distribution center uses long “cartridge” fuses, which weren’t available at local auto parts stores or on McMaster-Carr. Okay. Let’s try NAPA. Nope. When NAPA doesn’t carry something as basic as “cartridge” fuses for a four-year-old Jeep Wrangler, I’m concerned about being able to get these types of fuses in the future. Why did Chrysler abandon Maxi fuses? While NAPA had the shorter GM “cartridge” fuses, I had to resort to the dealer to buy the longer ones found on my Jeep. Oh, yeah. I just answered my own question again.
The underhood power distribution center also has four relays (two types; at least it’s not four different types). Again, after lots of searching through their catalogs, NAPA was unable to find a credible match, so it was off to the dealer. While the relays are supposedly ISO compliant, there are still many different types, varying in pin arrangement, electrical ratings, and internal features.
As I said in the Specifications section, anyone who’s ordered obscure parts from Chrysler knows about their total lack of organization when it comes to supply chain management. Not only did NAPA not have matching “cartridge” fuses or ISO relays, the local Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep dealership seemed to have a lot of difficulty in getting them as well. You’d think that fuses would be a normal, stocked item, but again, I’m expecting too much from Chrysler. I gave them exact quantities and amperages of fuses needed, and placed the order. After some digging around in the back, the parts guy came back with a handful of random amperages, which fulfilled about 25% of my order. The rest, he said, would arrive in a few days. As for the Instrument Cluster Illumination lamps (bulb type 103) specified in the Owner Manual, the dealership’s reply was, “We can’t find that part. Usually, we just order a bunch of different bulbs and see which ones fit on the instrument cluster we’re trying to fix.” Basically, they order random parts until they find one that works. Wow. Nice job. Really gives me confidence in Chrysler.
Upon returning to the dealership on the date specified, only part of my order had arrived. Out of what arrived, the quantities and amperages were wrong, even though the part numbers on the packaging were correct! Give me a break! I’m not trying to order a wind-wing for a 1955 Willys Wagon; just some “cartridge” fuses for a 2006 TJ! Why is Chrysler always on the brink of collapse? If they can’t even ship some “standard” fuses for their customers, how can they possibly run an entire car company? Does anyone in their organization take responsibility for their job? Or are they complacent beyond belief? At least the correct ISO relays arrived.
After a total of four separate trips to the dealership spread over a few weeks, I finally had all the parts together. Of course, McMaster-Carr’s excellent customer service and ordering processes had long ago delivered the lamps and fuses ordered through them. Maybe Chrysler could be more efficient and competitive if they had McMaster-Carr run their parts supply chain.
Assembly
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| Spare Fuses, Lamps, Relays, and Electrical Connectors |
Now came the fun part: putting it all together in a compact kit. While I ordered close-to-exact quantities of fuses and relays, most of the lamps came ten to a package. While I now have a lifetime supply of spare lamps, this was way too much volume to carry in the Jeep. Therefore, I decided to carry two of each lamp type, which fits nicely in a plastic compartment box I bought at Ace Hardware. I arranged the lamps in such a way to reduce pressure and the chance of breaking, and padded the extra space with tissue paper. I also printed miniaturized versions of Owner Manual pages 305—310, and put them in the box for reference. Lastly, I filled the remaining cavities with some spare solder, ring terminals, and wiretaps I had on-hand. These may come in useful when making trailside electrical repairs.
Now, I’m ready for popped fuses, bad relays, and burned-out lamps, regardless of their size or location on the vehicle (excluding the sealed-beam Headlights, which are too big to carry, and Instrument Cluster Illumination lamps, which couldn’t be found).
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| Packaged and Ready to Go |
