Bad headlight switch?
05-22-2011, 10:32 PM
#1
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Location: Knoxville, Tennessee.
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Year: 1989
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Bad headlight switch?
Okay here's where I'm at. A few weeks ago, I had no gauge cluster lights or anything so I went through everything, and had no blown fuses. I took apart the dash to check the headlight switch connections and nothing seemed to be wrong. So I put it all back together, and just for s***ts and giggles i tried the dimmer switch to see if i had cluster lights, and somehow they came on. Then they stopped working, and i checked the fuses to see if it actually blew a fuse this time and it did. I replaced the fuse and everything worked well until today when I turned my headlights on i got instrument lights for a brief second then they shut off. The headlight switch (I believe) would sometimes make a grinding noise prior to this situation when I turned it on. I checked the fuses and blew the tailights/insturment lights fuse, i replaced it and tried again and it instantly blew the fuse. Does anyone have any clue as to what might be happening? I'm leaning towards a bad headlight switch, but i assume it could also be a short somewhere. Thanks.
04-06-2014, 04:51 AM
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Hi. I had the exact same problem. Weird instrument light levels. Low beam headlights. Couldn't get onto high beam. Would drain the battery over a week or so period. Replaced headlight switch with second hand one. Fixed it. All okay.
04-06-2014, 07:22 AM
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Year: 1990
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0
Those headlight switches are overloaded when they leave the assembly line. Deterioration of the connections and ground points only gets worse.
Primary cause of failure is the headlamp wiring and the resulting heat in the switch.
Secondary issue is the poor grounding of the instrument panel lighting and gauges. They grounded nearly all of it with a self-tapping screw to a metal bar on the lower panel. Too many things going to it, and a crappy connection.
A supplemental headlamp harness with relays that is easy to install will take the heat out of the switch and even your standard old headlamps will be about 35% brighter.
As for the instrument panel ground, click on my link below and go to post 18.
Primary cause of failure is the headlamp wiring and the resulting heat in the switch.
Secondary issue is the poor grounding of the instrument panel lighting and gauges. They grounded nearly all of it with a self-tapping screw to a metal bar on the lower panel. Too many things going to it, and a crappy connection.
A supplemental headlamp harness with relays that is easy to install will take the heat out of the switch and even your standard old headlamps will be about 35% brighter.
As for the instrument panel ground, click on my link below and go to post 18.
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