Pull / push headlight switch acting odd

Jeep9748

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 26, 2016
Messages
513
Location
Ohio
Okay...so I have noticed that my headlight switch was starting to act odd. when I turn my headlights on and turn on the foglight switch everything works great. when I push the switch in the lights turn off except the foglights and dash lights. few days later, whenever I start the jeep the dash lights are on. today I get in and per the normal, dash lights come on and I noticed that when I turned the switch to engage the interior light the exterior lights dim and get bright as I turn the dial. I want to say the headlight rheostat is going out or there is a short, or do I just have a really cool tactical feature with my lights....
 
Sounds like the switch is going bad. At least that's what I would assume based on other similar issues I've seen in the past.
 
update was not the push pull switch....was the blue tooth headunit I installed. not sure y but was interfering with and running off the headlight switch. removed it and put the OE headunit back in and no issues....FYI
 
before it is asked, I did connect all wires correctly and they were soldered together. not sure if the ground strap was the culprit. I had the ground strap screwed into the back of the case. I will look into this thing down the road.
 
The ground strap screwed to the back of the case should be correct, I don't think that is the cause of the problem.

Did you use a harness that connects to the factory radio plug? Always verify the wires with a test light, I've had harnesses where the color code was not what the instructions said, it's rare, but does happen.

Your profile says both your Jeeps are '97s, so here is the wiring.

You will see that there are two illumination wires, the black/yellow one that goes through the dimmer, and the orange one is a constant 12v when the dash lights are on. Your problem is most likely the connection to one of these wires. Double check with a test light that you are connected to the correct wire, and verify which wire on your aftermarket radio it goes to. You can also disconnect both wires to verify that the new radio works without causing the issues you had.

97-jeep-radio.PNG


If you don't find the problem, post the wiring diagram for the new radio and the wiring harness you are using, and I may be able to suggest other things to test.
 
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I will double check wiring, I know used that plug and play wiring harness. I soldered all the wires with like wires. what is odd is when it was in the dash I noticed that some stations would come through the speakers and go in and out. when Bluetooth was used no issues with sound. I just figured it was the head unit was crap.
 
I will double check wiring, I know used that plug and play wiring harness. I soldered all the wires with like wires. what is odd is when it was in the dash I noticed that some stations would come through the speakers and go in and out. when Bluetooth was used no issues with sound. I just figured it was the head unit was crap.
It is still possible that there is a problem with the head unit. I always try to isolate it by a process of elimination before I return it.