eignub

so i finally got a chance to try to figure out why the tail lights and dash lights arent working on my new 88 laredo and i found the headlight switch and associated plug was completely burned up. i just about cut it off all as one piece because the melted plastic made it super hard to separate. now i got a new switch and plug and will be installing it soon, but i got a couple questions.

1. Would it be alright to just use butt connectors to hook up the new plug or is soldering mandatory? I am definitely only amateur level on soldering, and think trying to do it, basically upside down, would not be a good time.

2. Should i install another inline fuse when i put the switch in? I will eventually be putting in the upgraded headlight harness, but whats wrong with an extra level of protection? If it soudns like a good idea, what amps and on which wire?

3. When first checking fuses, i found the PO had a 10 or 15 amp fuse in the instrument panel spot, instead of the 5 amp its supposed to be. Does this sound like a wiring issue kept blowing the fuse so they threw a bigger fuse in to ignore the root cause, which in turned resulted in frying the plug/switch?

HEAP of JEEP

1: Butt connectors would probably be okay, but you could also take out the gauge cluster and solder from above.

2: I'm not an expert on electrical systems, but would think that an added fuse would not really add much protection on a circuit that is already fused, and if you had to change it, it would be kind of a pain to reach u there for a fuse. Its the heat from all the current that melts the plastic and fries the switch, not any kind of power surge. Once you upgrade the wiring and add some relays, it will alleviate that issue.

3: It could be the fuse blew and all the PO had handy was a larger fuse and just forgot about it. Throw the correct fuse in there and see what happens. If it blows, then you know you have an issue to track down.

eignub

well, ran into another problem, the plug i got does not actually fit the headlight switch. I was having trouble tracking down the plug and thought i found the right part number in a thread, i think on jeepforum, but re reading the thread again, the guy owns an 88, but also a newer jeep, and the part number was for a new one, (if i remember right, its different starting in like 92). Would i be alright connecting the wires directly to the switch using some flat female terminals since the plug is no longer made?

Turbo X_J

As long as the wiring is correct a connector plug isn't mandatory.

cruiser54

Yeah.

scottmphoto

I used the connectors to replace my burned up plug. It would behoove you to upgrade the wiring on your headlights and add in a couple of relays so that all the power doesn't go through the switch or it will happen again.

cruiser54

This^^^^.

If interested, we can supply all the info for this simple mod.

soledad89xj

Just out of curiosity, is this the same as Tip #19 ? As soon as I get the Jeep out of the shop this was one of the things I wanted to accomplish right away...

eignub

Got it all up and running again, here is a picture of the damage.



I am already planning on getting the headlight harness. I put one on my 01 and couldnt believe the difference, so right after getting the 88 i decided it was a needed upgrade also.

It will be the exact same harness right? They didnt change the plugs or anything throughout the years did they?

cruiser54

Sure is.

And it's the same one regardless of what Amazon says. What do they know about Jeeps anyway?

Crazy 8s

This one works great in my '88 XJ, even though the amazon page for it says that it does not.



It has gone up $12 in the last month though. Wire has become stupid expensive...

extrashaky

Do the headlight harness. Don't worry about installing extra fuses. The headlight harness will take care of that, and you won't have to worry about burning up another switch.

I put off installing my headlight harness because it seemed like a pain in the *** the first time I read about it. Not so! It was ridiculously easy, and I was a fool to delay. If I ever get another XJ, that's the first thing I'm doing to it.

ETA: I went with the ARB harness. It's about twice as expensive as the Putco, but the quality is evident as soon as you open the box. It comes with good quality relays and plenty of line to mount them. I have them mounted all the way up on my firewall next to my cowl intake.

eignub

got the new harness delivered today, will be installing tomorrow. used the jeep a couple times at night as is since doing the wiring. everything lighting related it working good. new headlight switch did not get warm or anything. with the harness, should be golden.

eignub

so, got the harness installed, headlights look much better. found out the PO had put in h4 bulbs on the stock wiring, smh (and some stupid *** housings that have additional little lights in the bottom that come on with the parking lights unless thats just something normally different between my 01 and the 88.). that's definitely part of why the switch and plug burned up. anyways, got it all back together, and went to adjust them. snap! one of the plastic bar nut things broke. so now i need to find a replacement, does this one look right? http://www.dormanproducts.com/itemde...7&SEName=42185. the dorman site and most others say it doesnt fit an 88, but it looks right to me, and there are a couple sites that say it will fit the early years. so what do you guys think? unless there is a better fix?

extrashaky

If it were me, I'd just take the broken one over to the DIY junk yard and find an XJ with that same clip so that I wouldn't be waiting for shipping. The yard I use usually doesn't even charge for little fasteners like that.

ETA: Looking at that Dorman link, it looks like that same fastener is used in a variety of cars. If the local yard doesn't have a Jeep of the right vintage, you can probably find that same clip on another vehicle.