oledummy

I have a 1998 xj sport that is not the oldest vehicle I own, but it appears to be the only one on which the headlights will not turn off after I shut the engine off. I am very fortunate to have a neighbor call me to let me know I have left my headlights on again. (5 times now)
I cannot seem to find a definitive answer on the web as to whether these jeeps were originally equipped with this feature.
If not, I wonder if anyone has tried to add this on via relay and sensor?

cruiser54

Do you have sentinel headlights?

If you turn off the key BEFORE the switch, they'll stay on for almost 2 minutes and then go out.

gat

Do you still have your owner's manual? If so then check it. My 1992 has the headlights stay on (for 10 minutes, I believe) as a security. Imagine being a women driving home at night. It may be more secure and comforting to park in your drive way and walk with the headlights on showing the neighborhood where you are and you can see where you are going, too.

cruiser54

It's called Sentinel Headlamps. Read about it here:CRUISER'S MOSTLY RENIX TIPS

ADDING THE SENTINEL HEADLAMP FEATURE

JANUARY 3, 2016 CRUISER54 20 COMMENTSI love the Sentinel Headlamp feature. It allows my Jeep to provide me with safe lighting after exiting it at night. We live in a rural area with no street lights. Here how it works.

I researched an old wiring diagram and found that all that was needed to have this feature was plugging in a relay!! And, the plug is already in our Jeeps.

The relay is part number 56000636 or 56009324 and sells for about $50.


Since I part out XJs and MJs, I went through my stash and found I had saved a few without knowing what they were. Think “junkyard” here.

I simply plugged the relay/timer in and instantly had sentinel Headlamps.

Ralph77

So I have a question.
I dislike this feature in my '00.
If I accidentally turn off the Jeep before I turn off the headlights I have to stand there and make sure they go off.
Can I just pull that module and everything else will work as it should?

cruiser54

You can on the earlier models. Probably work on yours. save the module though.

Ralph77

Maybe give it a shot.
I am pretty good about not doing that anymore. Turn off the Jeep before I turn off the headlights. But
when I do my OCD causes me to stand there to make sure they actually go off to not come out to a dead battery the next day. LOL

cruiser54

You are aware of what the D stands for in OCD, right? LOL.

Ralph77

OCD is a *****. LOL.

cruiser54

My wife is OCD.
Drives ME crazy lot of the time. when she took zoloft it was better.

Ralph77

Never actually been diagnosed but things have to be just so with me.
So I figure I have a mild case of OCD at the very least.
I have to fully understand whatever I am trying to do as much as possible.
I mean every last detail. In effort to get it right. Sometimes it comes out
exactly as I wanted it to. Others times not quite. But as long as I try, 100%,
no matter what the outcome I am OK with that.
That is why I am leaning towards a mild case of OCD. LOL.

cruiser54

sounds right to me.

boxburn

On mine, all I have to do is turn the key to On, then back to Off if I turn the ignition off first. That turns them off for me.

Ralph77

Guessing mine is the same way. Give it shot today and see what happens. I just don't need it though.

SatiricalHen

I don't think he's talking about how must cars you can always leave the headlight switch in the on position, but when you turn the car off and take the key out the lights go off and there is no possible way to leave the lights on. My girlfriend's dad just got a wrangler, but both her and her dad have cars with auto headlights so they always forget they turned the lights on and when I've been with them I always have to remind them and when I'm not with them they've killed the battery a few times.