Headlight Problem at Jacoby Canyon

[Roger]

Well, all of us who went on the Jacoby Canyon Run last week know that I kept loosing my headlights while driving along the trail.

I tried spraying contact cleaner in the switch but to no avail. I bought a new switch at NAPA in in LV and changed it out. When I removed the wiring harness plug from it, I noticed that the harness and part of the old switch were melted. It was getting overheated somewhere and I'm surprised that a fuse wasn't blown somewhere.

One of the connectors was covered with melted plastic and it took awhile but I managed to get it clean, and I finised up the installation.

My KC Daylighters are wired so that they can only be turned on when the high beams are on. The other option is to run the control wire straight to a 12v source and turn them on independently. I don't think that the way it's wired would cause the overheating, but I don't know for sure. I removed a bunch of old funky wiring from a previous owner and I suspect that maybe they had wired some driving or off road lights directly through the switch which could have caused the overheating of the switch.

I've got local "test trail" and tonight after dark I'm going out for a test run and see what happens.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this and/or the best way to wire off-road lights? Thanks!

[womb raider 940]

I wire all my lights on a separate relays. As well as all wiring and fuses. I just feel better wiring it that way. That way if I do need my brights, only they wil come on not all the other stuff.

[Shadly1]

Usually, a melted switch is a result of corrosion in the switch itself. That new switch should have handled the problem. If it didn't, the problem is elsewhere and the switch was just the weak link. It needed to be replaced anyway. I'm not sure about TJs, but YJs and CJs don't come with a relay for the headlights. I'm sure this is done for simplicity reasons... one less thing to break on you. Because there is a live headlight lead going through your ignition system, you shouldn't tap off of it for anything other than a signal wire for other relays. If you draw too much current off that sucker, you'll start melting bulkhead connectors and ignition switches.

Roger, sounds like your KCs are wired just like mine. As long as those KCs are on a relay and the high beam lead is only a signal wire for the relay, it's wired properly. If the KCs get their power from the high beam lead, it's wired improperly.

[Roger]

Tr -940 I agree with you, when I add more lights, they'll be on seperate relays. I think the two I have are maxing out my alternator, so when I add more lights, I think I'll need to upgrade the alternator...

Shadly1 - Yes the power for the lights comes directly from the battery and the relay wire is coming from the high beam socket wire on one of the headlghts
That's what I thought also, time to change the switch!- Thanks

[avjeepfreek]

Hey Roger, I hope that got'er fixed! I know you were getting frustrated with it out there in the trail!

[Shadly1]

Lucky dog! They're cheap!

http://www.quadratec.com/products/55211_02.htm

[Roger]

Lucky dog! They're cheap!

http://www.quadratec.com/products/55211_02.htm

Yep! That's one of the things about CJ's that I love!

[Roger]

Light Switch Update!

Well, my wife and I took a quick night run this evening. She was on her new 2008 4x4 Yamaha Grizzly Quad and I in my CJ.

We live very close the the railroad tracks and if you look on a map, Powerline Rd. runs parallel to it. We went west on Powerline a few miles to Grapevine Canyon Rd. and up Grapevine to the microwave tower. Now powerline is one of the roughest roads around.

What a teriffic view tonight!

The lights worked just fine! So I guess that problem is solved. Now on to either trying to figue out why I have no back up lights or the valve cover leaking (again gerrr). There's always something to fix....

[Shadly1]

trying to figue out why I have no back up lights or the valve cover leaking (again gerrr).

Because it's a Jeep...

[Roger]

Because it's a Jeep...

Tell me something I don't know!

[TJ Clay]

JEEP= Just Expect Every Problem

[Mitch]

Roger,

When you fiqure out the "No Back Up Lights" problem please let me know. At least one of my brake lights always works as opposed to zero back up lights all the time.

Mitch