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Head lights turn off and on and off and on and off...while driving

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Old 03-07-2011, 05:58 PM
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Default Head lights turn off and on and off and on and off...while driving

I was on my way home from TDS down here in SoCal last night and twice, my headlights switched on and off 2-4 times before going dark... BTW, drivin a 95 cherokee i6 4.0.

This isn't a good thing, obviously, since on windy roads at night, not having any light out in front at speed is extremely dangerous. Thankfully I have my uncovered offroad lights on my roofrack that I turned on (had they been covered, I'd be at the bottom of a cliff right now in a jumbled heep of a jeep).

Any suggestions on what this may be? I'm thinking relay somewhere, but I'm not sure. Anyone have the diagram of the stock lights? Should I just replace the stock lights with DOT approved HID/halogens? (Note, I'm not interested in a discussion on which is better, HID or Hals - there's already a thread for that I found while researching this problem to see if anyone else has had it)

Thanks for the input all. I would appreciate the help!

FrankenJ
Old 03-07-2011, 06:47 PM
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https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/hea...ght=headlights

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/hea...ght=headlights
Old 03-08-2011, 12:00 AM
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Thanks DaddyCat - I did search for other threads that might talk about this. Never came across either of those. The first one with the video in the first post doesn't quite resemble the issue I'm experiencing. My headlights don't slowly turn off and on like that. They switch off and on quickly... I'll check out the switch and the wiring harness for the lights, I'm probably better off upgrading the lights at the same time... Might as well do all the work once, instead of fixing them now and upgrading later.

Thanks again.
Old 03-08-2011, 07:18 AM
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It's most likely just the switch. They're known to wear out. Due to the constant use, the pins get worn and contact between them and the metal slide bar is lost, resulting in the lights going on/off. The harness itself is most likely still good, but it's definitely good time to upgrade the lights as well.
Old 03-08-2011, 08:27 AM
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https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/hea...-random-77768/

Browse the entire thread and branch-off where directed...

Sorry, it's the same thread that DaddyCat sent.

Last edited by Cherryokee; 03-08-2011 at 08:30 AM. Reason: ffm
Old 03-08-2011, 09:38 AM
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yes, I id search for others who had the same issue. Never came across those forums that have been linked already. Key word difference is that I would say my lights where SWITCHING off and on... those threads used the words FLICKER. I wouldn't describe my situation as a flicker...
Old 03-08-2011, 09:44 AM
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Originally Posted by FrankenJ
yes, I id search for others who had the same issue. Never came across those forums that have been linked already. Key word difference is that I would say my lights where SWITCHING off and on... those threads used the words FLICKER. I wouldn't describe my situation as a flicker...
You say potato, I say poh-tah-toh...

Flicker on/off or switch on/off are both still on-again and off-again. It's uwanted behavior an any sense of the word - whether it's random in nature or rhythmic it's still broken.

You're down to only a couple of possibilities so dig-in and diagnose it. What have you got to lose?
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