So I've been having issues with my high beams not working at all. After searching, it seems a relay harness is the best fix. I've measured the outputs at the connector from the cab to the stock harness, and all have power, yet at the high beam connector for the headlights them selves, nothing. With that the ohms measured were 65+. I believe since the plastic housings that hold the bolts for the light/grill housing across the top are all broken (only held in by the 10mm nuts behind the front blinker housing), some of the wires has worn from the shaking it experiences and are shorting out. After watching Ksuspensionlifts installion video, the relay harness seems to only connect to one headlight socket, then to the lights, correct? If so, wouldn't I have to have a good connection from the original harness for a relay set up to work? Is there any DIY setup I can make or am I better off just buying one?

PS. The headlight switch connector has also began melting at the #2 Pin: Headlight Output Switch and I measured only ~9.96v.

 

mine weren't as bad as yours the high beams still worked, but even with the silverstars , night driving in rain or snow sucked. I only had about 10v at the headlight connector also. I got the harness kit from a place called " Headlight Services" The whole kit was 110 bucks and they shipped in a few days. Everything comes with the kit and it takes an hour or two to install. It wasn't worth the effort to try and get all the required parts to save 50 bucks...you will obviously need a new headlight switch. I think mine was 30-40 bucks at advanced auto. It makes a big difference. The only hard part was finding a good place to mount the relays..I did mine behind the battery and in front of the cruise control motor...kind of tight but the only good place I could find. They use one of your original light sockets to work as the relay drivers...takes almost no power to drive a relay compared to a headlight and then the system is directly powered off the battery...I used the green power stud at the front of the engine power box where all your engine fuses and relays are mounted. I think the right light socket is used as the driver Mine is also an 01

 

You're correct in thinking that for the headlight relay harness to work, you first need your original harness to give at least 11V or so to trigger the relays.

There's 2 switches that can cause you issues, one being your headlight switch which from your description, I would advise you replace. The second is the beam selection switch. Both switches run the full current demand for the headlights through them and both can fail.

Does a 2001 have a flash that is different to switching between hi and lo beam? If so, see if you get any power at the headlight connector when trying to flash instead of selecting hi beam. Power for that function should run out of pin #7 and may help to see if there is any issue with the beam selection switch.

As for the DIY option, yes you can if you wish. I did however you'd need to make sure that you build it correctly. By the time you've bought the connectors for the headlights, a plug to plug into the original socket, relays, fuses and the wire + your time it's a matter of is it worth it? As I work with automotive wiring, building my own harness was not an issue for me.

 

The beam selector still works, though I haven't tried the flash just yet, it's relatively new after I tried taking the old one apart about a year ago and it exploded the springs everywhere. The headlight switch is pretty new as well, about two months probably closer to one and the connector honestly isn't much more melted than the last time I looked. I've got a lot of free time for a little bit but not much spare cash which is why I'm wondering what my options are. I know harness are ~$30 which isn't much but I'll likely end up having to spend more, we all know how that goes. I've seen one or two things about just tossing a toggle switch in to replace melted connection but I don't know how to go about it. Is there anything I can do in the time being to keep a fire from breaking out?

 

Check the connector where the headlight harness connects to the main loom for corrosion.

Also have you checked your fuses? As far as I can gather you should have 2 for your lo and 2 for your hi beams. Check for corrosion where the fuses plug in.

Other than making sure you have clean connections, there isn't much you can do to reduce a fire risk other than the relay harness, LED bulbs or not driving when you need lights.

 

I've checked everything but behind the fuses, though they've got good voltage. Guess I'll stick to daytime until a harness comes in. That or vent some air to the switch and with some PVC and cut some cooling holes in it.

 

Once you install a headlight harness, you'll probably find the headlight switch and harness are working well enough to trigger the relays. The relay needs very little current to trigger versus the headlights so the resistance of the switch and harness become a non-issue. You will really appreciate how much brighter the headlight are with the upgrade. Next step would be a nice set of LED lights, or e-code headlights housings with a better beam pattern.

 

Just remember LEDs don't produce the heat necessary to melt snow and ice, if that is a problem in your locale. I don't like them, being on the receiving end, because nobody aims them properly. Recently I had a guy with an older Wrangler coming the other way with brown headlights and an LED lightbar on! I had to pull over because I couldn't see anything! Inconsiderate bastard!