The oddest DRL gremlin ever... HELP!
 

Hi guys, new here - I already introduced myself in the Intro section, but thought I'd say hello again!

So here's the deal, I searched this forum high and low for days before biting down and joining to solve this issue, before I go more insane. So here we go:

I am from Canada, and I just bought a 1999 XJ, my first Jeep ever. Now, it runs, it's black, and it has minimal body rust, so I was happy. Price was right too!

However, I never noticed that I had no Daytime Running Lights (mandatory in Canada for sure!), so I wanted to fix that. Here is what I knew going into it:

1. Fog lights (now, after a relay change or two) work, including the switch illumination - so I have OEM Fogs and they work.
2. Light switch works - I have high beams, rear lights and ONE low beam (I think the passenger side bulb is burned, we will come back to that later, see Itallics at the end of the post)
3. High beam light shows up on dash, no issue there (I read that was a symptom sometimes)
4. NO DRL's.
5. Fuses are all 100% not burned and correct

So I went to work on the module. I got 4 from the Junkyard (from a 1997 ZJ, 1997 XJ, 1993 XJ, and 1990 XJ), and here is what happened:

First I noticed corrosion on 2 pins on my original OEM module. That all got cleaned off on male & female. I plugged it back in. Nada.
Continuing:

1. Chinese knockoff module that someone had just replaced on that junkyard ZJ - The lights are always on. ALWAYS. Literally no way to turn them off, once this one got plugged in. Tossed aside because it would drain the battery
2. Module 1 - Nada
3. Module 2 - Nada
4. SEEMINGLY.... Nada BUT....

This is where my issue is, and where I NEED YOUR HELP: I got tired of turning the Jeep off and on, and disconnecting/reconnecting the battery, and say "Eff it, I will risk unplugging and plugging in the last module with the XJ running" (OH NO! cried the mechanic Gods....). It's a good thing I did that, because as I plugged in the last module, BAM! I HAD LIGHTS!

Ok cool, excited me says he fixed it, packs the tools away, shuts it down for the day.... but before I go, I best make sure I did fix it. I start the Jeep up again: NO LIGHTS. :cursing:

WHAT!? OK let's try the plug out/plug in thing again, with the Jeep running. Sure enough, the DRL's come back on. Turn it off, turn it back on, NO DRL's.

So guys.... what on Earth sort of Demon do I have?

How can my DRL's come on, only when I disconnect and then plug the module in, while the Jeep is running, but won't work once I turn the engine off and on again?

Do you think it's some sort of weak relay? (like the Fog light DRL relay, the one that would be just below ABS in the box?)

I repeated the test with the other Modules, and none of them work, so my only hope for a working one is this last one.

Also When the DRL's did come on, BOTH bulbs work. But when I throw on the light switch, I only have lowbeams in ONE (driver) light. High beams work in both. I imagine I need a new sealed headlight/bulb...

PLEASE HELP.

I figure my original post is a little lengthy for some, so a quick Too Long, Didn't Read version is:

Assuming everything relating to fuses, switches, relays and bulbs is ok (all my lights are working as they should, except DRL), Why would my Daytime Running Lights not work as the car is turned on, but while running if I unplug and re-plug in the DLR module, the Daytime lights come on. Once the engine is turned off, and I turn it back on, the lights once again DO NOT work. But I can make them work with the unplug/plug in trick so long as it's running.