8.4 Touchscreen going crazy

[Tim]

So back at the end of July I became a "real Jeeper." Yup, that's right, I got caught in the rain with my top down. The 8.4" screen barely got wet as I was able to pull over and pull my soft top back into place within a minute or 2. Predictably, the touchscreen became useless for the rest of that day but the next day it was fine. Since then I have experienced issues with the touchscreen ghosting (phantom "touches"). This happens when it is humid outside, even with the roof and doors on.

While I have read a few accounts of the touchscreen getting weird after getting wet, in all instances behavior returns to normal once the screen dries. I seem to be having more of a long term issue. It is definitely seems moisture/humidity related, but the screen isn't getting wet. This never occurred prior to the screen getting rained on a couple months ago. Seems odd. Any insight on resolving the issue short of shelling out $$$ for a replacement would be appreciated.

Can't warranty it as I have 70k on my 2020.

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[j.o.y.ride]

Every electrical mishap is going to behave differently with something like a radio. Other people maybe got a less critical part wet, maybe you got something wet that rusted and is flaking out that the others didn't.

You could try removing it and leaving it in a dry area a few days I guess.

 

[Tig]

I had the exact same experience. Im on Long Island so we both have been dealing with this non stop rain. Yesterday after work, hop in the Jeep and the radio goes bat yit crazy, changing stations, changing balance, fader, jumps into settings starts trying to change things in there, navigation briefly popped up. Finally just shut it off after listening to some obscure station on satelilite radio. Happened once before in very humid damp conditions. Also I to did get caught in the rain with the doors off. This morning everything seems back to normal.

 

[Tim]

Every electrical mishap is going to behave differently with something like a radio. Other people maybe got a less critical part wet, maybe you got something wet that rusted and is flaking out that the others didn't.

You could try removing it and leaving it in a dry area a few days I guess.

I get what you are saying. If that’s the case then most likely the radio is on the outs.

I had the exact same experience. Im on Long Island so we both have been dealing with this non stop rain. Yesterday after work, hop in the Jeep and the radio goes bat yit crazy, changing stations, changing balance, fader, jumps into settings starts trying to change things in there, navigation briefly popped up. Finally just shut it off after listening to some obscure station on satelilite radio. Happened once before in very humid damp conditions. Also I to did get caught in the rain with the doors off. This morning everything seems back to normal.

Yeah it’s weird. Had the Jeep since October 2019 and the radio has been flawless. I’ve even left it outdoors topless and doorless overnight a few times and even with some morning dew it’s always been fine. I dislike getting a wet ass in the morning so I‘ve been using a rain cover when doorless overnight for the past 2 summers. Never had a problem until it got rained on 2 months ago and now even with the Jeep all buttoned up with doors on and roof closed all it takes is humidity to make the screen go nuts. It’s happened a 3 times since August. I have a 40 minute commute so just turning it off isn’t appealing to me.

 

[Hootbro]

You can pick up replacement screens on the aftermarket and there is YT video on replacing the screens on other Chrysler 8.4" radios that should be similar if not the same process as ours in the JL/JT.

Might be worth taking it apart and seeing if it is just a water or corroded ribbon cable issue before ordering a replacement screen.

https://intelligent1tech.com/produc...uaq-lcd-display-touch-screen-radio-navigation

 

[Tim]

You can pick up replacement screens on the aftermarket and there is YT video on replacing the screens on other Chrysler 8.4" radios that should be similar if not the same process as ours in the JL/JT.

Might be worth taking it apart and seeing if it is just a water or corroded ribbon cable issue before ordering a replacement screen.

https://intelligent1tech.com/produc...uaq-lcd-display-touch-screen-radio-navigation

Thanks for the link! That is certainly the most cost effective way to deal with the problem if replacement ends up being necessary.


Interestingly, I read on the wrangler forums that guys are using screen protectors on these things. I figured it can't hurt. As per Mopar's instructions I used alcohol to clean the screen prior to application of a screen protector (not the Mopar one but I followed Mopar's instructions for cleaning the screen). The matte anti-glare coating came off the screen leaving it glossy. I used a microfiber cloth and gentle pressure and the coating was gone. My mirofiber actually had a black residue on it, as well. Prior to that, the matte coating was showing signs of significant wear where I touch the screen frequently along the left and bottom edges. I didn't take a picture, but it looked like a lot of the other pictures of worn uConnect screens on the Wrangler forums. I am actually starting to think the main problem was that worn/uneven coating. Now that it is completely gone the screen is working perfectly again. Maybe the irregular coating was giving humidity/water more places to condense, like dew on the grass in the morning? Maybe the worn coating was causing problems with the digitizer and the slightest deviation from normal conditions was enough to cause problems? In any case, I will report back with how this works out. Looks like another rainy couple of days coming up again...

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