Headlight Problem

[Dinkle]

I am having trouble with my headlights. When i turn them on, only the right light works on low beams but both work on high beam. I bought the jeep with IPF high intensity bulbs already in place. I took the light assembly out to look at the bulb and checked both bulbs on the passenger side harness and both bulbs worked fine. I then unplugged it and the plugged it back in and it worked on driver side low beam. After complete reassembly I turned them back on and all lights worked (high/low). So I thought the problem was resolved. But........... An hour later I walk back outside and try them and the low beams on driver side are not working again. The day before this the driver side light was much dimmer than the passenger. Should I switch out wiring harness that bulb connects to? Anything to do with the high beam switch on the floorboard? Any ideas would be great.

 

[Purple77CJ7]

If the light or lights were dim, I would check for a bad ground. If it is the original pig tail plugs, they could be bad. When I had trouble with the dimmer switch, you would turn the brights on and have no lights. I found were the connector to the dimmer switch was not fully plugged in.

 

[CJ]

Sounds like typical headlight ground problems. You most likely have a questionable ground at one of your headlights and you are back feeding through the opposite bulb. This is very common on CJ's.

 

[hole]

with checking grounds, and you might want to try scraping the connections in the headlight pigtail with a small flat screwdriver. A few years ago I had a similar sounding problem, and all it was was a little crud built up on the low beam side of the connector.

 

[BusaDave9]

Even when the lights are not working the high beams worked on both side. That tells me the problem is not the ground.
The lights are wired to the drivers side headlight first. THen the passenger light is connected to the drivers side. Since it's the drivers side low beams that work intermittantly I say the problem is the socket on the drivers side. You might have some corrosion in the connector causing a bad connection. If you have something narrow enough to fit into the connector you could try scraping it. After you get it working I would use dielectric grease to prevent future corrosion.

 

[Heymikey0629]

I am having similar problems. Low beams both work but are extremely dim. High beam is bright but only passenger side lights. Pulled out light from driver side and tested and both high and low work when connected directly to battery so bulbs are not the problem and I would agree that the high beam being bright should rule out a bad ground I would think. I did however find the pigtail to the driver side lamp is slightly melted and I suspect there is a connection problem causing this issue. But I still have another problem... No parking/running lights or dash lights. Brake and turn signals work fine. Have replaced both dash switch and dimmer switch. Don't know why dash switch has 7 connectors but the plug has only 6 wires so one is not used. Have checked and also replaced ALL fuses just because. Anyone else have or had this problem? Please post solution if you can. Thanks!

 

[Fastatv]

I have experienced about every problem in this thread . Anyway, so far, for me, every problem was either a dirty connector or shabby ground. As BusaDave mentioned above, I used a small file ( and small wire brush ) to clean the connector blades, then bent ( twisted ) the male blades slightly for tighter fit, then cleaned them with contact cleaner, then applied dielectric grease. For the marker lights, attached ( using a sheet metal screw ) the light's ground to the fender well using a round crimp connector. The factory ground connection worked, but lights were very dim. For now, all my lights are working correctly . Rick

 

[Ctknorr]

I have a similar problem on a '74 CJ5 . Floor dimmer switch kicked one time no low beams either side kick it again and high beams work fine.

All side markers and turn signals work.

Gould this be the dimmer switch gone bad?


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[gr8dain]

I have a similar problem on a '74 CJ5 . Floor dimmer switch kicked one time no low beams either side kick it again and high beams work fine.

All side markers and turn signals work.

Gould this be the dimmer switch gone bad?


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Very well could be. If you have a multimeter or test light, you can validate it before buying a new one. I can't remember which wires to test as power coming in and headlights coming out, but that should not be hard to figure out. I have replaced mine once due to a condition similar to that but it was a lack of high beams.

 

[Ctknorr]

Very well could be. If you have a multimeter or test light, you can validate it before buying a new one. I can't remember which wires to test as power coming in and headlights coming out, but that should not be hard to figure out. I have replaced mine once due to a condition similar to that but it was a lack of high beams.

Thanks, I'm just learning to use a multimeter. (Cause I just bought a Jeep) I'll definitely try this first.


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[gr8dain]

Thanks, I'm just learning to use a multimeter. (Cause I just bought a Jeep) I'll definitely try this first.


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Get a wiring diagram. That will tell you which wire to test for incoming and outgoing power. Good luck. And yes, every CJ owner should have a good multimeter.

 

[mtnwhlr]

You should check the plug for corrosion I had a lot on mine. Cleaned it and it works a lot better now.

 

[Ctknorr]

Very well could be. If you have a multimeter or test light, you can validate it before buying a new one. I can't remember which wires to test as power coming in and headlights coming out, but that should not be hard to figure out. I have replaced mine once due to a condition similar to that but it was a lack of high beams.

Finally got around to this today. Turned out it was the switch. I think it still had original floor switch in place.

When we replaced it's all working good now.

All that is left to do is adjust the drivers side headlight. It's pointed to high for low and high beam.

Thanks for helping.

CK


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[gr8dain]

Glad you got it done. Glad it was simple.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

:ty: For the update.


LG