My 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee has an "Auto" setting on the headlight switch. This settings causes the head lights to automatically turn on when it's dark and turn off when it's light. I'm having an intermittent problem where the head lights will suddenly turn off(or not turn on) when I'm using the Auto setting at night time. I suspect the light sensor is going bad. Does anyone know where this light sensor is and how I can replace it?
Thank you, Steve Smith
Most cars with this feature have the sensor mounted on the rear view mirror. You need to be sure you aren't hanging your tie from the mirror because this can cover the eye that sees when it is getting dark, and this causes unreliable operation.
On the 1997 JGC the sensor is mounted on top of the dashboard about center just below the windshield in the defroster bezel. Manual says to pry up the bezel and the connector is right there.
REALITY CHECK Isn't that what I said? Most cars with this feature have the sensor on the rear view mirror. (I turns out the OPs car has it actually on the dashboard at the base of the windshield.)
I used to drive a Turbo T-bird from Irvine to home, via the Ortega Highway. The car had the automatic lights that would dip the high beams for oncoming cars, and then go back to the brights again. The mile marker signs on the side of the road, and the large rocks of the cliffs that the road is built into, would confuse the sensor, and it would dip the lights for no apparent reason at a moment when the most possible light is desirable. It was a bitch to figure out how to disable that feature while driving on a mountain road, but I managed.
On the
Steve Smith did pass the time by typing:
In the 93 it's between the defroster grills on top of the dash. You just pop the grills out and unhook the sensor. Thing is it's not an easily damaged doodad. Dirt can make it think night time has come earlier.
And I thought both features were operated from the same place. That is, I thought the sensors were located together, not that one sensor does both jobs. However, I can't think of a reason why one sensor couldn't do both jobs.
If the lights are off, and the sun goes down, the sensor sees this and turns the lights on. If the lights are on, and the sensor sees lights coming from the other way, the lights dim to low beam if they aren't already there.
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