Solution for Dim Headlights - 97 Cherokee Sport
 

Can anyone suggest an inexpensive, effective remedy (that a novice could
install) for the really dim headlights on our 97 Cherokee Sport?

Driving at night in rain+fog is very difficult and I don't think it's
because of poor headlight alignment - they're just not bright enough.

Thanks for any help,

Tony

Re: Solution for Dim Headlights - 97 Cherokee Sport
 

On Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:11:01 -0000, 7h95g <gtrsg@fds.net> wrote:

>Can anyone suggest an inexpensive, effective remedy (that a novice could
>install) for the really dim headlights on our 97 Cherokee Sport?
>
>Driving at night in rain+fog is very difficult and I don't think it's
>because of poor headlight alignment - they're just not bright enough.
>
>Thanks for any help,
>
>Tony


Onlt three things can cause this, a bad ground for them or excessive
voltage drop in 12 volt feed to them or low system voltage. First I
would check the headlight grounds to body and body to engine/ battery
ground You ght pull apart connectes where they are bolted on and make
sure they have aclean connection and you ight add a extra ground strap
too between body and engine. If this does not work, you could increase
the size of feed wire coming from light switch to head lights to about
a 14 or maybe a 12 ga to reduce voltage drop and also check any connec
tions in it s path before you attempt to run a new oversized wire.
Also check battery voltage when running and it should be around 14
give or take. YOu could try check voltage at light with light are on
and blub is plugged in to see how much voltage you are getting to them
under load and also if you measure voltage between headlight ground
and engine block with lights installed and on there shoul be no more
than maybe .10 or so seen. If more voltage is seen then there is a
problem with grounds as mentioned above. You can do same with hot feed
and can measure voltage drop to it by reading between battery and blub
12 volt pin with lights installed on as this will show drop in this.
These test will show is there is a big loss in feed circuit.
-----------------
TheSnoMan.com

Re: Solution for Dim Headlights - 97 Cherokee Sport
 

On Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:11:01 -0000, 7h95g <gtrsg@fds.net> wrote:

>Can anyone suggest an inexpensive, effective remedy (that a novice could
>install) for the really dim headlights on our 97 Cherokee Sport?
>
>Driving at night in rain+fog is very difficult and I don't think it's
>because of poor headlight alignment - they're just not bright enough.
>
>Thanks for any help,
>
>Tony


Onlt three things can cause this, a bad ground for them or excessive
voltage drop in 12 volt feed to them or low system voltage. First I
would check the headlight grounds to body and body to engine/ battery
ground You ght pull apart connectes where they are bolted on and make
sure they have aclean connection and you ight add a extra ground strap
too between body and engine. If this does not work, you could increase
the size of feed wire coming from light switch to head lights to about
a 14 or maybe a 12 ga to reduce voltage drop and also check any connec
tions in it s path before you attempt to run a new oversized wire.
Also check battery voltage when running and it should be around 14
give or take. YOu could try check voltage at light with light are on
and blub is plugged in to see how much voltage you are getting to them
under load and also if you measure voltage between headlight ground
and engine block with lights installed and on there shoul be no more
than maybe .10 or so seen. If more voltage is seen then there is a
problem with grounds as mentioned above. You can do same with hot feed
and can measure voltage drop to it by reading between battery and blub
12 volt pin with lights installed on as this will show drop in this.
These test will show is there is a big loss in feed circuit.
-----------------
TheSnoMan.com

Re: Solution for Dim Headlights - 97 Cherokee Sport
 

On Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:11:01 -0000, 7h95g <gtrsg@fds.net> wrote:

>Can anyone suggest an inexpensive, effective remedy (that a novice could
>install) for the really dim headlights on our 97 Cherokee Sport?
>
>Driving at night in rain+fog is very difficult and I don't think it's
>because of poor headlight alignment - they're just not bright enough.
>
>Thanks for any help,
>
>Tony


Onlt three things can cause this, a bad ground for them or excessive
voltage drop in 12 volt feed to them or low system voltage. First I
would check the headlight grounds to body and body to engine/ battery
ground You ght pull apart connectes where they are bolted on and make
sure they have aclean connection and you ight add a extra ground strap
too between body and engine. If this does not work, you could increase
the size of feed wire coming from light switch to head lights to about
a 14 or maybe a 12 ga to reduce voltage drop and also check any connec
tions in it s path before you attempt to run a new oversized wire.
Also check battery voltage when running and it should be around 14
give or take. YOu could try check voltage at light with light are on
and blub is plugged in to see how much voltage you are getting to them
under load and also if you measure voltage between headlight ground
and engine block with lights installed and on there shoul be no more
than maybe .10 or so seen. If more voltage is seen then there is a
problem with grounds as mentioned above. You can do same with hot feed
and can measure voltage drop to it by reading between battery and blub
12 volt pin with lights installed on as this will show drop in this.
These test will show is there is a big loss in feed circuit.
-----------------
TheSnoMan.com

Re: Solution for Dim Headlights - 97 Cherokee Sport
 

On Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:11:01 -0000, 7h95g <gtrsg@fds.net> wrote:

>Can anyone suggest an inexpensive, effective remedy (that a novice could
>install) for the really dim headlights on our 97 Cherokee Sport?
>
>Driving at night in rain+fog is very difficult and I don't think it's
>because of poor headlight alignment - they're just not bright enough.
>
>Thanks for any help,
>
>Tony


Onlt three things can cause this, a bad ground for them or excessive
voltage drop in 12 volt feed to them or low system voltage. First I
would check the headlight grounds to body and body to engine/ battery
ground You ght pull apart connectes where they are bolted on and make
sure they have aclean connection and you ight add a extra ground strap
too between body and engine. If this does not work, you could increase
the size of feed wire coming from light switch to head lights to about
a 14 or maybe a 12 ga to reduce voltage drop and also check any connec
tions in it s path before you attempt to run a new oversized wire.
Also check battery voltage when running and it should be around 14
give or take. YOu could try check voltage at light with light are on
and blub is plugged in to see how much voltage you are getting to them
under load and also if you measure voltage between headlight ground
and engine block with lights installed and on there shoul be no more
than maybe .10 or so seen. If more voltage is seen then there is a
problem with grounds as mentioned above. You can do same with hot feed
and can measure voltage drop to it by reading between battery and blub
12 volt pin with lights installed on as this will show drop in this.
These test will show is there is a big loss in feed circuit.
-----------------
TheSnoMan.com

Re: Solution for Dim Headlights - 97 Cherokee Sport
 

I had bullet connectors in my driving lights line. They had got corroded
and warmed when the lights were on. I cut them out and soldered/shrink
wrapped the wires. Now the lights are nice and bright again. In this case,
the grounds were good. Check your wires and connections first like Snoman said.

Re: Solution for Dim Headlights - 97 Cherokee Sport
 

I had bullet connectors in my driving lights line. They had got corroded
and warmed when the lights were on. I cut them out and soldered/shrink
wrapped the wires. Now the lights are nice and bright again. In this case,
the grounds were good. Check your wires and connections first like Snoman said.

Re: Solution for Dim Headlights - 97 Cherokee Sport
 

I had bullet connectors in my driving lights line. They had got corroded
and warmed when the lights were on. I cut them out and soldered/shrink
wrapped the wires. Now the lights are nice and bright again. In this case,
the grounds were good. Check your wires and connections first like Snoman said.

Re: Solution for Dim Headlights - 97 Cherokee Sport
 

I had bullet connectors in my driving lights line. They had got corroded
and warmed when the lights were on. I cut them out and soldered/shrink
wrapped the wires. Now the lights are nice and bright again. In this case,
the grounds were good. Check your wires and connections first like Snoman said.

Re: Solution for Dim Headlights - 97 Cherokee Sport
 

A bad headlight wire connection will usually give off heat.

I have seen a lot of bad headlight switches in later Jeeps that caused
dimming. These switches got physically hot, so you can carefully feel
the switch when the lights have been on for a while.

Same for the main wire connections on the lights like Scott mentioned.
They will be hot if they are a bad connection.

Had one bad connection in a TJ that the dealer couldn't find after
several trips and diagnosed a bad computer so the gent gave up and wired
the headlights direct using the stock wiring to only trigger the relays
to turn them on which is super low power. That turned his headlights a
'bright' white by giving them battery voltage and has lasted several
years. He obviously had a power issue, not a ground issue. He/we used
this link to wire the relays:

http://www.classictruckshop.com/club...osch/relay.htm

You can use a multimeter to look for voltage drops by 'walking' it
around. You take a reading on the battery positive and negative 'posts'
to see the volts, then move the negative probe to the clamp, then to the
body to see if it is the same, then to the bolt on the headlight ground
out near the fender, then the loop connector on the headlight ground to
see if you get any volt drops. If it drops say between the bolt and the
loop connector, there is a bad connection there.

You can do the same for the positive probe while leaving the negative
probe on the battery post. Even just see if there is a drop between the
battery posts and the battery cable clamps. The drop or bad
connection can be there even.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile...
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

7h95g wrote:
> Can anyone suggest an inexpensive, effective remedy (that a novice could
> install) for the really dim headlights on our 97 Cherokee Sport?
>
> Driving at night in rain+fog is very difficult and I don't think it's
> because of poor headlight alignment - they're just not bright enough.
>
> Thanks for any help,
>
> Tony