Clifford Concept 600 Vexing Problem

2000 Jeep Wrangler 4.0L

Clifford Concept 600

All, thanks in advance for your help.

After 6 years of trouble free operation, my Concept 600 has presented me with a vexing problem.

I recently noticed that my brake lights were no longer working. I don't know how long I was driving like this.

Well after several hours of tracing down wires and process of elimination, I discovered that the alarm t-taps at the headlight switch was shorting. After years of exposure, they were loose and very brittle.

Yesterday, I replaced the T-Taps and got a litte further. Here are my symptoms:

-Auto headlights On, headlights off = Brake lights don't work

-Auto headlights On, headlights on (parking/headlights) = Brake lights work

-Auto headlights Off, headlights off = Brake lights don't work

-Auto headlights Off, headlights on = Brakes don't work/ no running lights

I've just about traced down all the wires to no avail. I'm not sure what to check next. All fuses are good. According to the installation diagram there should be more fuses but I can only find one 5amp and one 20amp at the battery.

It seems to me that the 600 isn't getting juice from somewhere. It's probably something stupid

Other then this, the Jeep and alarm are functioning properly.

Thanks

Yes good comment, I was surprised that the 3M T-Taps didn't fair well long term. They crumbled like a cracker as I was trying to open them up. Now I'm stuck with 2 boxes of them (50 cnt.) :(

Do you have a better replacement brand?

In retrospect I kind of like the T-Taps.

It disentegrates EXCATLY when the car isn't worth stealing (after 6 years, at least my Jeep) allowing me to rip it out easier when it starts to go haywire :)

Maybe 3M did thinkt their product through.

But I think I'm going to be in a world of hurt as my Jeep ages more with this alarm. :( I was half tempted to start dismantling things but wasn't sure how the starter interrupt worked and how to piece that together again.

Once I get another primary vehicle, I'll start to remove the alarm and go to a more simple method of protection (kill switch). But I will surely miss that proximity alarm.

No, I'm almost 99.9% postivie that is is NOT the Jeep, when the autoheadlights are on, it is not supplying power to the brake lights. When the switch is on, the brake lights work. When auto headlights are off, the alarm should release all headlight (lighting) control back to the Jeep (like the alarm isn't there), which it is not doing, the brakes don't light up neither do the running lights.

There is a circuit somewhere that is not getting juice. I'm pretty sure it is down stream where the alarm taps into the headlight switch. The installation instructions are not that clear as to what wire is doing what when it taps into the headlight switch that is where I am lost.