salohcin04

Hi folks, newbie here again, just wanted to make sure everything works thanks.

I have a 98 Cherokee XJ, 4.0, 4-speed auto w/od, 322,000 on the odometer, still going strong but with a hi beam problem that is kicking my butt.

This is what it is doing; With my headlight switch on, beam select switch in high beam or flash, my hi beam indicator light in dash is ON, but my hi beam lights are off. If I disconnect the drivers side headlight and headlight switch is on and beam select switch is in (hi beam and/or flash) I measure 12VDC at the hi beam socket (connects to back of headlight) to ground and the hi beam indicator is ON.

The things that are new; Headlight switch, beam select switch, both headlights (with the longer terminals), both headlight sockets that plug into the back of the headlights. Both new headlights tested directly to battery as good.

Additional troubleshooting I have done;
Cut the two feed lines( Hi beam and low beam) going into the fuse/junction block (passenger side kick panel) and spliced the lo beam side(Violet/white) into the high beam side(red/orange), turned on the headlights, beam select on low, and my high beams came on. The problem appears to be before fuse/junction block so I disconnected my temporary splice and hooked the lo beam side back up like normal. Red/orange wire is still cut for high side.

I am thinking that the problem may be oxidation buildup on one of the metal pins inside the plastic connectors that plugs into either the headlight switch or beam select switch for the high beam side. Pins 1 or 2 on the beam select switch or 7 and 8 on the headlight switch.

At this point I am starting to take resistance readings. I have the instrument cluster removed and I took the high beam indicator lamp out. The headlamp switch is disconnected. The only thing in the ckt is the beam select switch, I measure infinite resistance from the red/orange wire (hi beam wire) on beam select switch side, to ground. Once I put the beam select switch on high beam I measure 1.4meg ohm which is high resistance but is it enough to prevent my high beams from coming on?

Question, how can the high beam indicator be on in hi beam or flash and yet the hi beam lights not come on when I know that part of the ckt works because I tested that part of the ckt by splicing the lo beam side onto the hi beam side?

Just for the record I don’t have any fog lights hooked up. On the back of the driver’s side headlight there are two red wires on one terminal (high beam). The red wire that goes from the driver’s side headlight to fog lamp relay no. 1 is disconnected. I have Alldatadiy
Any and all suggestions are welcomed and appreciated in helping me with this problem.

Thanks
RobD

Lowrange2

If I'm reading correctly you spliced the high beam input wire into the low beam output wire at the fuse box in the kick panel and the high beams worked? Right?

So, that tells you that the high beam wiring is good from the fuse box to the headlights.


Seems like the problem woud be somewhere between the headlight switch and the fuse box.

What makes no sense to me is how are you measuring 12 volts at the headlight plug but you aren't getting a beam?

Sounds like a good time to upgrade the wiring harness.




Also, I'm not sure where the headlight shutoff delay module is but it'd be something to look into.

salohcin04

yep, I basically cut the violet/white wire (low beam) coming out of the beam select switch and spliced it into the red/orange wire(Hi Beam) going into the fuse block and the high beams came on with the light switch on and beam select switch on low beam.

As far as measuring 12vdc at the plug, the only thing I can think of as to why its doing this is when you measure voltage across on open in a ckt ( like an open fuse) you measure source voltage. In this case I am measuring from the hi beam side of the plug to ground and getting 12vdc. I am not 100% sure I can compare the two though. I would think that I am not getting any current flow in the circuit but then why does my hi beam indicator come on in Hi or flash and why does the 12v go away when I plug my light back in? I can't figure it out yet.

I did do some continuity checks in the hi beam ckt before the fuse block; with the headlight switch and high beam indicator(blue light) out of the ckt I measure 4 M ohm from the red/orange wire to ground with the beam select switch in high beam. I would have thought that reading to be measuring like a straight open.

I also sprayed a little contact cleaner and gently probed with a jeweler screwdriver in the high beam connectors and blew everything out with compressed air. I will be putting everything back together tomorrow and test it out again, maybe it will work.

Just for the heck of it, if I decide to upgrade my wiring harness for the headlights any suggestions?

salohcin04

Well, I found the problem with why my high beams were not working.

The red/orange wire coming off the dimmer/high low beam switch has a manufacture splice (two wires) in it. One wire feeds the fuse box/headlights and the other wire goes to the high beam indicator in the instrument cluster. The wire going to the high beam indicator had a short in it; However, it was not enough of a short to blow any fuses. It was though enough of a short to prevent any current from feeding the rest of the circuit…….fuse box, headlights. Current always takes the path of least resistance.

The best I can figure is that some of the current was going to the short and the rest going to the high beam indicator.

I thought I might mention a couple more things so that they don’t happen to any of you. In my case, I was reading 12vdc at the head light plug and my high beam indicator was on in flash mode and regular high beam mode but yet my lights did not come on.

I was using a digital voltmeter set to read volts. Yes, I could have changed the mode to read current but never thought of it. Most of the schools I have been to teach probing the ckt looking for where you lose voltage. Anyway, I was just getting ready to throw in the towel when I thought of a 68 camaro that I had as a kid that also had an electrical problem. The guy who fixed the problem found it with a $2.00 test light.

The test light will give visual indication of whether you have voltage and current in the ckt. If the light comes on you have voltage and current, if the light does not come on you are missing voltage or current.

I took my test light out, blew the dust off of it, and probed in three spots:
Right before the dimmer switch = test light on
Right after the dimmer switch = test light on
Right before the fuse box next to the passenger side kick panel = test light OFF………Hmmmmm, I found the problem area.

Needless to say I ran a jumper from the wire coming off the dimmer to the fuse box bypassing my high beam indicator for the time being and all lights are working.

Does anyone know where I can get replacement bulbs for my instrument cluster? The bulb below my high beam indicator is out. Dealer will not sell bulb but will sell cluster for $1100.00.

redmuck

you should be able to get them at any auto parts stores.