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Brights are on and I don't have a way to turn them off...

F

Fryphax

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Ishpeming, MI
The multi-use switch (brights, turn signals, wipers, cruise) in my XJ is busticated and I have no way to turn my brights off. I need a quick solution so I can actually drive at night. Any ideas? 1987 XJ Wagoneer (4 headlight)
 
Fryphax said:
The multi-use switch (brights, turn signals, wipers, cruise) in my XJ is busticated and I have no way to turn my brights off. I need a quick solution so I can actually drive at night. Any ideas? 1987 XJ Wagoneer (4 headlight)
Click to expand...

Two options, REPLACE THE SWITCH or go buy a set of fog lights and an set of driving lights and mount them for nite use, the switch would be cheaper...
 
okay let me rephrase. I need a quick solution to get me by till NEXT PAY DAY when I will have the money to fix it. Unless you want to buy the switch for me?
 
If you know where the ignition switch is on top of the steering column, there is a dimmer switch right next to it. If you are sitting in the driver's seat, it will be on the left side of the column, above your shins. You will see a rod that sits in the end of the switch. Push that rod in, until it clicks, and let it up. This should put you back in low beam mode. This is just a temporary solution, but it should work. Do it with the lights on so you can tell if it is working.
 
Thus leaving me with no headlights, even safer
 
cherokee89 said:
If you know where the ignition switch is on top of the steering column, there is a dimmer switch right next to it. If you are sitting in the driver's seat, it will be on the left side of the column, above your shins. You will see a rod that sits in the end of the switch. Push that rod in, until it clicks, and let it up. This should put you back in low beam mode. This is just a temporary solution, but it should work. Do it with the lights on so you can tell if it is working.
Click to expand...

Will it have a black plastic piece attatched to it? I tried but maybe I was jiggling it when I should have been jaggling it.
 
With the switch in the bright position, the low beams are off. If I unplug the brights they will be off too. Total lights on: 0
 
this happened to me on my 90 cherokee, the switch is actuated by a rod on the top of the steering column. sometimes the bolts holding the switch in will come a little loose, allowing them to move the whole switch. once it was moved, it would not switch out of brights due to it moving down (or up) the column.
 
cut the wires :wierd: sorry couldnt resist..can you get a hold of any of the base part cause you could use some pliers to work the highs if the lever is broken off
 
Short-term "fix" until payday: Either find the rod under the dash and put the switch into the low-beam position, or if you can't find the switch just take a number 2 Phillips screwdriver and re-aim the high beams to point lower. Write down how many turns you moved each side, and after your replace the lever just crank 'em up again.

I hope you have gathered from the previous responses that what it broken is not a "switch," it's just a lever that connects to the switch by a rod. The lever just pushes into the socket in the steering column, and if you could get to a junkyard you should be able to grab one for a buck or three. The headlight dimmer and turn signal functions do not involve any wires at the top of the column where the lever is. However, with a Wagoneer you will have a couple of very fine wires for the cruise control that will have to be snaked through the column when you replace the lever. If your cruise doesn't work, don't worry about the cruise wires -- any lever out of any GM/Saginaw steering column will work. Doesn't need to be Jeep specific.
 
Well the cruise doesn't work, turn signals are iffy as are windshield wipers and bright switch doesn't work, thats why I used switch instead of rod.
 
Could very well be a SWITCH. The Hi/Lo headlight switch in my 87 shorted out and got messed up so that I manually could not switch them on or off hi beams. Ordered a replacement from someone on this site for like $8. You could just unplug the wires from your hi/lo switch (If its broken you will have to remove anyway) and wire it to low beams. Located on steering column. Other models might not have this switch and instead use a "multifunction switch" Junkyard tired to sell me this for $45 but its not what I needed.
Hope this helps.
 
The bright switch is not a part of the multi-function switch. The only thing you're doing when you pull back on the switch is pushing on a rod that runs alongside the steering column down to the REAL bright switch underneath the dash. Grab a flashlight and open your driver's door up and lay on the door sill and look up under there. You'll see the bright switch with the rod resting on it. Just push that switch in once to click the high beams off and you'll be set.

The issues with your multi-function switch don't have anything to do with the high beam switch, though it sounds like maybe the stalk of the multi-function switch is broken, thus you get no leverage to push the rod and click the high beam switch on/off.

Of course, after all this, if your high beam switch really doesn't work, then you'll find one cheap at a junkyard I'm sure. Probably anything from 84-96 will work.
 
I, ummm, used a couple of zip strips to fix mine. It moved but not enough to trigger the lights. Zip stripped it so it wouldn't rock and we were in business.

Sarge
 
NotMatt said:
Of course, after all this, if your high beam switch really doesn't work, then you'll find one cheap at a junkyard I'm sure. Probably anything from 84-96 will work.
Click to expand...
84-94.

They started using the Mopar steering column with the air bag in 95
 
Little update, I found the switch and actuated it with no results. I think some small rodents got into my jeep and had there way with my electrical. I have a short in my taillights too. I just adjusted them down and everything is alright for now.
 
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