mattsmith

So iv'e got this issue with my cherokee (93 plate) where the headlights flicker on and off periodically. This happens usually within 10-15 minutes of both driving and ticking over stationary. Its been discussed here before but with no definitive answer. However, most threads pointed towards the headlight switch as the culprit...

and this is whats got me stumped. I went ahead and changed the switch for one I pulled from a much newer jeep. and it worked...perfectly.

That was about 4 months ago, but this evening the flickering returned.

I suppose i could have just replaced a broken switch with another broken switch considering it wasn't box fresh...but this seems unlikely.

Something, somewhere down the line must be burning them out. Its a bummer...I reckon changing the headlight switch in an old cherokee is up there with the top 5 most challenging moments of my life.

Any suggestions? Bulbs? grounding issue?

Cheers, Matt.

Larry's XJ

I'll bet that a harness "upgrade", I.E. Putco harness will fix it, tho still may need another switch.

cruiser54

Actually, it seems that the harness installation, without replacing the crappy switch, works fine forever.

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/hd...rite-up-11306/

Klutch

I don't know about the XJ, but other vehicles I owned had a bad voltage regulator when the headlights were flickering.

cruiser54

Correct.

mattsmith

I was putting off a wiring harness replacement as im kinda a novice with electrics, but at the moment that seems like the next logical step...

just trying to figure out why the 'new' switch would temporarily solve the issue.

MonacaYankee

Setting up the putco or lmc harness is so easy I could have done it when I was 10.
Hardest parting is running the harness on the driver side.
There is a write up to follow if you need help setting it up.

cruiser54

Because you have extremely high resistance in your harness. The "new" switch took a little while to heat up and fail like the first one did.

Just do the harness. Your headlamps will be about 35% brighter as an added bonus.

cruiser54

Yep.

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