Headlight issues

[RudeDog]

So I have a issue that seems to come and go. It happened before, and cleared up. It happened again this weekend on a travel trip. I turned on my lights and the pass headlight was dim, less than half as bright as the drivers side one, on low or high breams. I also tried switching on my driving lights and they wouldn't work with the low beams, but did sometimes with the head lights on bright/high? I banged on the dim pass headlight, no change, moved the connector at the back, no change (still dim). Also, prior to the trip, I had to jump start it. I then drove it for over 3 hours to my destination in daylight on my recent trip and around with no issues. It started like normal the whole time over the weekend with no issues at all. Went out today after work and everything is working fine. pass headlight is bright again?

Some other info: Battery is old and If the jeep sits for a week or so, it will crank slow and wont start. Once, I charged the battery while it was in the jeep hooked up to the cables? Problem doing that? I've done that with many other vehicles with no problem.

 

[JPNinPA]

Clean the ground connections of the light pigtail to body. Also clean the battery to eng and body contact points. A low or failing battery can be observed by the brightness of the headlights. It becomes pronounced when you rev the engine.

When my battery was failing I movies a pulsing when at low idle.

 

[RudeDog]

Light Pigtail @ body, where? I did have the pulsating when I first fired it up prior leaving on the trip. I held the revs up for a bit and it quit. Never saw the lights fluctuate with revs, but I've seen that with other vehicles in the past so familiar with it.

 

[Turbogus]

I know that on the old CJ's AMC grounded the headinghts to the fender. I this wondferful PacNW climate I ultimately went with a ground bus bar and ran all of my grounds to it, and ran a 6 ga. wire from it to the negative battery terminal of my secondary battery.

 

[JPNinPA]

Sorry didn't see your reply until the above. On my Tj the headlight is grounded with the blinker and marker light behind the headlight under the hood. I'll snap a pic tomorrow.

 

[jfrabat]

I have had the connector to the lights (the H4 plug) melt and cause bad connections on more than one occasion, i would start by checking those. If it looks deformed in any way, that's your cause, and if it is, eBay sells ceramic replacements that have worked fine for me...

 

[RudeDog]

Old post.., but thought I'd type. I replaced the battery and so far has been good. Sad part is my small led lights (1spot, 1,flood ) that I swapped in place of the stock fog lights seem to project light better than the oem headlights. So, yesterday I ordered a pair of KC replacement H4 Headlights... Hopefully I'll see better (Literally)....

 

[RudeDog]

Ok, so I put the replacement kc lights, they look pretty good. Now, while doing the install I did find that the pass side connector is some what melted (thanks jfrabat!). I thought I'd checked it out a ways back..? Maybe not, or I missed it? The problem did go away so possibly I figured it was handled. Anyway , so, in this thread a ceramic connector was mentioned. Anyone know more about it. A Pn, where to get it?

 

[RudeDog]

Still old post... Bought the ceramic plug ends off eBay. Now I need to find time to do the install. Been working on returning a Suzuki DR200 and wiring rocker switches for my rzr.

 

[Dragon5126]

Another reply to an old post: The Battery ground... it is usually to the engine block, not body. Also get a can of spray electrical cleaner, pull the connector on the head lights and saturate the plug. take a woman's emery board cut to size to fit in the socket and clean it make sure no corrosion is left, spray it again, check the headlight pins, do the same. Also unplug your connectors to the alternator clean them. and check the alternator connector to the battery. Now the fun part, locate your PCM. since about 95 or so that's where the voltage regulator is located... check the mounting screws, clean their connections, unplug the electrical connectors ( just pull it out if its easier and clean all connections on it and the plugs, remount and reconnect. Other than the possible bad headlight connections, which would explain only one side being affected, this is about 90% of battery charging issues, if it is NOT a dying battery.

 

[JPNinPA]

Another reply to an old post: The Battery ground... it is usually to the engine block, not body. Also get a can of spray electrical cleaner, pull the connector on the head lights and saturate the plug. take a woman's emery board cut to size to fit in the socket and clean it make sure no corrosion is left, spray it again, check the headlight pins, do the same. .

The battery in an 04 is grounded to both the body and engine. YES directly to the body behind the engine. The engine and body connection points need to be cleaned by light sanding until they have a shiny metal appearance. An easy way (not perfect nor captures all issues) to validate a ground issue is to measure the resistance from the neg terminal connector to the body. It should read less than 2 ohms. Five ohms and above will give a issue with lights and other systems. Lower is better.

 

[Dragon5126]

If you will look at the size of the ground wire that goes to the body, it is rather small, You will find numerous other grounds going from the engine to the frame, body and other points of the vehicle. the one that goes from the battery to the body is inconsequential per the factory service manual when dealing with chassis electrical issues.

 

[JPNinPA]

If you will look at the size of the ground wire that goes to the body, it is rather small, You will find numerous other grounds going from the engine to the frame, body and other points of the vehicle. the one that goes from the battery to the body is inconsequential per the factory service manual when dealing with chassis electrical issues.

Show pics of what your talking about. The stock ground strap is not 00 but thick enough to handle return current. Beyond this, there are abraded straps that ate1/2 to 3/4 inch wide grounding different parts to the body. Like the hood.

The battery to chassis is not inconsequential as experience has it. Is that a true FSM what year and page?id love to read the body ground doesn't matter for myself. It better matter as all current from the battery and alternator has to return to the battery negative terminal. The ground wires need to carry that current, contacts included.

 

[Turbogus]

I've governed the electrical issues I've encountered on 'Black Betty' with the help of some great folks here and elsewhere. Here is a great thread I found on another site regarding electrical;
Been reading the good book of JeepHammer! - JeepForum.com

I hope we can return this thread to proper decorum after all, we all have our moments, nothing to call one another out on.