Few days ago I started one post about headlights on my XJ and seemed like problem was solved after reconnecting main ground wire and many other things, but this happened again. I was so happy two days with my headlights and this evening they started flickering again. Please, any more suggestions?? Thanks Davey
When it's happening, put your hand carefully on the light switch and see if it's hot or even better see if it makes a click or snap when the lights are flicking.
If it's hot, the headlights are drawing too many amps. You might want to check the connections on the back of the bulbs, you said you did clean the grounds?
Do you have stock headlight bulbs in there?
Any added lights tied into the headlights?
Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT'sDavey wrote:
Did one of your repairs fail already...I have been thru the bad headlight ground thing before, I ended up rewiring the whole darn system...the wires were broke in places they should not have been in the first place, and my repairs did no good. I actually took time the second try to solder the wires instead of crimps (butt connectors.) The wires broke an inch from where I had soldered them....sometimes it was just meant to be...bad.
Yes, switch is getting hot, I don't know how hot it ''should be'' but it is. I did check the connections but I'm not sure that I found real ground connection for headlights because there (near the driver side headlight) I found bunch of cables and connections. And those connections I cleaned. There are fog lights on my rig but previous owner probably cut out connections, so nothing else on switch but main lights. I own this car about two years and I never changed bulb but seems like bulbs are fine. Probably they are stock but what is difference between stock and others? Power? Anyway, I found that many times something happened with electrical installation on this Jeep. Even my power seats stopped working three months ago due to very bad wire under the carpet but this is another, not so important problem. i will try again and will dissasemble everything. I really hate electrical problems on car.
OK, so it is time for you to give us more information, Davey.
You said that you had already replaced the headlight switch and the dimmer switch, did the problem appear before or after you did this (if before, why did you replace those parts)?
Mike has asked you a couple of times if you've got standard or aftermarket lamps installed as headlights. The answer is important, some aftermarket lamps pull far too much power.
Did you do anything else electrical to the Jeep before this started?
Do the headlights *flicker* or do they *blink*? Do they both do it at the same time? Flickering suggests a bad connection someplace, blinking (especially with a ticking noise behind the dash) suggest that the headlight breaker is tripping. Headlight breakers are just a thermal switch, not unlike a signal flasher, made of a bimetal strip and a pair of contacts: If you pull more power than the rating it heats up, the bimetal strip bends away and opens the contacts. When it cools down it bends back and closes the contacts. Close, hot, blink. Close, hot, blink. Close, hot, blink. Extra-bright aftermarket lights can pull more power than the breaker's rating, so can a wire that has chafed through and is shorting intermittantly to ground. Adding lights to the circuit (like driving lights that are wired directly to the headlight circuit) could also be a cause.
Most corroded connections increase the circuit resistance and won't trip the breaker. The exception is the connection at the breaker: Corrosion here causes extra heat and fools the breaker into thinking it is overloaded.
If the headlights are stronger than the stock 55W bulbs, this will overheat the breaker inside the headlight switch and it will start flashing off and on eventually. It takes time to wear out the breaker by heat.
Add a set of fogs to the power and the switch pops fast. Cut the wires off the fogs and 'hope' the switch will hold until you sell it to the next poor guy?
Do you have regular looking sealed beam headlights in there or are the bulbs plug in from the back ones?
Flashing off and on is a blown breaker. Flickering is a bad connection.
You said the wire on the headlight switch was burned and you changed the end. Did you do this before changing the switch or after when the lights started flicking again?
If you cleaned this up after, you were likely too late. If the new switch blew it's breaker before you cleaned up the connection, it will never work stable again. Once the breaker is blown, you need a new switch.
You can wait until the switch is hot and then go feel the wires out near the headlights. If the wires near the headlights are hot, suspect the bad connection out there. If they are cold, then it's at the switch again.
Mike
"Lee Ayrton" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@panix2.panix.com...
Ok, I'll explain everything like it was. First it started one month ago when I was about 300 km far from home in another city. In the evening I felt strange smell inside a car, first I couldn't recognize what and where but one hour later my headlights just extinguished (only low beam, parking was still there). So I moved the switch in and out lights came back but not for long. This evening was a nightmare to drive home 300 km on uknown road with lights which can fall in any moment. Tomorrow, my friend who had XJ '88 told me that he had problem with headlight switch on his Jeep and after installing a new one everything was OK (but he also told me that he changed three of them, three times). So I ordered a new one from 4WD Hardware and they sent me dimmer switch also. In meantime, I disassembled my headlight switch and found burned contact inside and male connection for headlights (on switch) was wobbling. I assembled it again with some screws till new one comes. Later on, I installed a new one... Jack or connection for switch was melted so I removed it completely and just connected directly on. I was so happy that my problems have finally finished till next evening when lights started blinking again(not flickering like I said before, sorry about my English but I'm not from USA as you see). I studied Haynes again and thought, maybe dimmer switch... installed a new one and again same thing, maybe relay... put a new one, same. All the time I notice that switch gets hot, especially old one on place where is the rheostat for instrument lights dimmer and of course, tan wire for headlights. Under the hood I found this wire mesh strap just hanging from firewall (!) so I connected it on intake manifold, later Mike told me it goes on last bolt on head and I found this but I think it can stay on manifold also. Just under the bolt which holds fuel rail. I looked around and found three ground connections on left inner fender which I slacked off and tightened again. All connections near left headlight i dismantled and sprayed with WD40. Same evening I was driving around and nothing strange happened with headlights, so happy, I sent reply on my post here that everything is fine but tomorrow (means yesterday evening) shit again.
I will remove headlights again to see, but here in Europe we don't have headlights where bulbs are molded (I mean where bulb is a headlight complete like I had on my Chevy Caprice Classic '83). Tomorrow I 'll check bulbs again.
Yes, connected power for moving my seat on alternate connection because seats stopped working due to corroded wire under the carpet.
They blink, not flicker, sorry for misunderstanding, just going off and on in second or two. After waiting about ten seconds I have lights back fot longer period. Both lights go off and on in same time. Ticking noise is coming from relay under the dash.
That's the story, little bit too long. Sorry for bad English.
Davey
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.