The problem is after I drive for awhile my headlights shut-off. If I use my high-beams they shut-off much sooner so I have been limited to using only low-beams which still cut out after awhile anyways. When they do the only way to keep them on is to hold the high low beam lever on for awhile. After holding it for awhile, and blinding everyone coming at me, the lights will stay on for just a few minutes but then shut back off. What could be causing this problem?

 

Next time they shut off. Try to reach under and touch the headlight switch. More then likely it is over heating or the connection to the switch has melted. It is very possible that you will have to change out the switch and the connection.

 

I will look at the switch but is there anything else as well that could be overheating or causing it. Is there a separate relay somewhere else?

 

is there anything else that could cause this

 

No relay, that's why your switch is most likely overheating and causing your lights to freak out to much current coming from the battery through the switch and to the headlights. You may need to replace the switch, whether or not you do replace it look into either building or buying an upgraded headlight harness. Give me a min and I'll add a link.

 

Here it is

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/he...grades-151217/

 

ok thank you but what exactly will an upgraded harness do for me...i dont know much about electrical

 

Well as I said, right now when you turn on your headlights it draws power from the battery to the switch and then back out to the headlights, resulting to much current going through the switch causing it to heat up a lot and eventually fail (lights flash on and off or in your case turn off altogether). With the harness it adds two relays (one for high beams and one for low) so power goes from battery to the relays and to the headlights it's a much shorter distance so there isn't as much power loss. This will make it so you don't fry your headlight switch and your stock sealed headlights will be 30% brighter.
Hope this made sense and helps you out.
Best of luck.

 

Here's why, and how, to fix it so it won't happen again. Your switch may or may not have survived the overheating.



Cruiser’s Headlight Upgrade Harness Instructions
　
It's easy to install a supplemental headlight harness.

From the factory, the voltage to the headlight bulbs travels from the battery, inside the cabin, to the headlamp switch, and then back out to the lamps via undersized wire. It's not uncommon to find only 10.5 volts at the lamps.

The supplemental harness is installed so that it provides battery voltage to the lamps and is just triggered by the factory wiring. The result is about 30% brighter headlamps and headlight switches that don't melt and burn out.
　
　

Absolutely plug and play. Remove grille and headlamp bulbs. I fed my harnesses from the passenger side starting between the battery and the back of the headlamp housing, over to the driver side. Plug the driver side bulb into the new harness. Attach the new harness's ground wire under one of the small bolts on the radiator support after scraping the paint off under it. Attach the harness to the existing harness behind the grille working toward the passenger side. . Plug the new harness plug into passenger headlamp. Plug original headlamp plug into receptacle on new harness. Attach the ground for the passenger side just like you did the driver side under a radiator support bolt. Attach relays with provided bracket on the passenger side inner fender. Connect power wires to battery.

Revised 12/10/2012

 

^^^ Yep. Straight-forward and relatively simple. Very noticeable improvement in night driving.

 

Heres a very well written and pretty easy to understand write up of how to make your own headlight harness up grade http://go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoHeadlightLoom.htm