Leigh52

Newbie to the forums - hi all!

I'm planning to replace my headlights this weekend (they're dim and way off, alignment-wise) and was wondering, can I get the halogen lights, or does that require switching out the wiring harness?

Additionally, I'm not exactly sure how to align them, but I'm guessing with a screwdriver, tightening and loosening different screws?

Thanks in advance! My ex husband used to take care of this stuff for me (Jeep mechanic) but he went and knocked up another woman.

Troth

He lost the xj gal of his life, welcome. You can call or ask where you buy them. they most often run a 4 prong male female adaptor. Re wiring would be a bit of a job, but I have heard great things about silverstars. Also in the OEM user manual, there are specs for adjusting the aiming. You park at a level surface with a wall ahead, park 10 feet out with a half tank of gas, not empty, not full. Then mark out on the wall with tape, one horizontal line where the top of the lights would sit. And two vertical lines showing the edges of the jeep. The user guide will give the inch offset aiming for ya

SnakeEyes814

Your jeep has the three prong female h4 plug already. You can purchase new sealed beam headlights at any parts store or walmart. I believe the bulb number is H6054. I've run the silverstars a few times. I was happy with the brightness. They burn out fast though. Good luck!

Sent from my DROIDX using Cherokee Forum

dukie564

Welcome

You have a rather easy job ahead of you. You can certainly install halogen sealed beam lenses on your cherokee to replace the stock ones.

Wiring harness upgrades aren't required, but advised, especially if you go to higher wattage lamps, or if you do a h4 housing conversion (kits available online). The stock wiring is a very poor design, and result in rather dim headlights, even when they are brand new. Eautoworks.com makes a Heavy Duty H4 upgrade harness that works wonders on our headlights for less than $20 shipped if you are interested.

Leigh52

Thanks all! I'll look into the wiring harness stuff. I can handle replacing bulbs and headlight assemblies, but I'm not sure I can do the wiring harness.

Dookie - I see you have over 240K on your Jeep. Mine's nearing 287K. Great automobile!

excess650

My '96 has been running sealed beam halogens for years. It has the 3 prong connector, so its a fairly simple swap.

Your '98 has a different grille than my '96, so I'm not sure what has to be removed to get at the front of the headlight. There is a thin metal strip that surrounds the front of the headlight, and its secured with (4) screws (2) top and (2) bottom. Remove those screws, remove the metal retainer, unplug the old headlight, and install the new one.

The newer halogen headlights have the brighter 55w low beams vs the older 35w variety. While you COULD do the conversion to use headlamps with replaceable bulbs, I don't think it cost effective or even practical on an older vehicle. The only advantage would be the availability of higher wattage bulbs, but the original wiring harness might not like it.

There are also a pair of adjuster screws on each headlight. The top one adjusts the headlight up/down and the one on the outboard side adjusts L/R.

dukie564

Why not? I LOVE my conversion and harness upgrade. The difference vs. the stock sealed beams is (excuse the pun) night and day.

BotakBeng

Here is a good write-up that you might me interested.

Just did mine and these are the parts,
Wiring Hardnesss (call Jason and get a discounted shipping rate)
IPF Housing
Bulbs

Difference.....night and day!!!

GL.

dukie564

yeah i bet since those bulbs are for offroad use only

BotakBeng

You got me.....just pushing a little .

For SAE/DOT compliant for street use.

excess650

The OP didn't seem comfortable doing the wiring harness upgrade.

Even the newer halogens with 55w low beams are a considerable improvement over the older 35w.

Likewise, she has 287k miles on it already.

Leigh52

You guys are great!

For me it sounds like the sealed beam halogens excess650 talks about are the way to go. Along with planting my herb garden, this is my Saturday project. I'm *excited!

I took a look at my grille this morning and it appears all I need is a Philips head screwdriver to make this happen. Will probably have a pliers handy, too, just in case.

(Yeah, with 287K on it, I don't put any more money into it than I have to. Heck, it only gets a proper bath a couple times a year to get the road salt off!)