Headlight woes..

[spikey]

Hello all.
So while driving to work tonight I hit my foot switch for high beams and lost my headlights. After doing a little research I have a feeling that my dimmer switch is what caused this to happen. I have checked my lights, "PO upgraded to Hella" they are not blown. Checked fuses, can't find one that seems specific to headlights but no fuse is blown.
Looking around I see that my dimmer switch and headlight pull knob are both fairly new so i'm curious if there is anything else I should be checking.

Also as much as I hate to just rig things up I don't leave work till 3:am is there anyway to jump around the dimmer switch? I only need to make it 6 miles and really don't want to take a chance of being hit by just using my marker lights.

Oh yea, 1978 CJ7 , AMC 304 , auto if that helps with anything.

Tank you for any help.
And grammar nazis I apologize, i'm on my phone with tap a talk so might not catch everything

Spike

 

[bondo258]

Pull off the tape, undo the connector.

Three terminals:

Red w/trace should be hot from headlight switch. may not be if headlight switch is partially burned out.

Gray low beam feed through firewall.

Gray w/trace, hi beam through firewall. smaller gray w/trace hi-beam indicator.

Haynes book says it's true.

Get a jumper wire (properly fused of course, if the headlight red wire is a no-go ) to the gray wire and you should have low beams. Tape it up good.

You may have a thermal breaker that needs to be reset, if no fuses are obvious.

And run those headlights off of a relay. Pronto. Are you sure they are not already relayed? Wire colors same in engine compartment.

Good luck!

 

[spikey]

I'll check for relays. I know the guy I got it from seemed to not be to much of a hack.
I figured out what happened tho. When I unbolted the dimmer switch the innards stayed attached to the 3 prong harness. It looks like the crimps didn't keep the parts in place. I taped it up with electrical tape to get me home after work.

I'm basically toolless tonight, since someone busted wifeys window in our driveway I took everything out of the cj. I feel naked. Lol I at least still had my Haynes under my rear seat and a leatherman tool.

Thank you for the help


Spike

 

[doctorronshelton]

Pull off the tape, undo the connector.

Three terminals:

Red w/trace should be hot from headlight switch. may not be if headlight switch is partially burned out.

Gray low beam feed through firewall.

Gray w/trace, hi beam through firewall. smaller gray w/trace hi-beam indicator.

Haynes book says it's true.

Get a jumper wire (properly fused of course, if the headlight red wire is a no-go ) to the gray wire and you should have low beams. Tape it up good.

You may have a thermal breaker that needs to be reset, if no fuses are obvious.

And run those headlights off of a relay. Pronto. Are you sure they are not already relayed? Wire colors same in engine compartment.

Good luck!

thanks with this. its a big help man. but might i change my car lights.

 

[Jimbos76cj]

Not to keep up the Hi- jack.. First thing you should do is upgrade your healights by adding relays and heavir wire.. then change your bulbs.. If you hook up a brighter bulb that pulls more power your switch will melt and screw up your wiring.

 

[spikey]

thanks with this. its a big help man. but might i change my car lights.

ummm not sure if you didn't read the rest if the posts? That info he posted would have been my ticket home that night. I work nights, get off at 3:am. How should I change my headlights?
typically I run crane for a living they're was no crane to go to when mine went away so I am running a manlift "construction elevator." I get to park right next to it and be able to tinker with my Jeep. I'm lucky really I mean who wouldn't want to get paid to play with their rig??
Ok I got off topic there but either way the info above would have been a way to get home had the problem not been cheap parts breaking.
Spike