No head or tail lights

[xj94]

I changed the headlight switch, harness and put in a heavy duty wire harness with a fusable link to take away some of the load off the switch because the old one melted the switch and plug and killed all the lights.This set up worked fine for a month, now the head and tail lights are out everything else works.Fuse and relay check good,i tested for power going to the headlights at the original headlight plug and there isn't any.I also replaced the head light switch just in case it was defective and still no change.I pulled the dash looking for burnt wires but didn't see any,maybe i missed something i'm not good with electrical stufff.:bang:

[JENSSEN]

Seems like you may have lost a ground or several. Know how to do a continuity test? Bad ground would cause a headlight switch to melt down.

[NW99XJ]

Chasing the ground on this one is a good suggestion, although may be difficult if you dont have a wiring diagram, and are unsure of what to look for.
Speaking of wiring diagram, in this case, it's probably going to be the best thing to track down. As clear of one, and preferably in color and easy to read as possible.
The ones on line are in color, but often times hard to read.... The ones in the back of a Haynes or Chilton book are good and legible, but not in color.... BUT, may be a good place to start.
This will show you what position of what wire on what plug is supposed to be doing what.
In your case, I would also check the fuse block under the dash.
The older XJ's were notorious for the master/slave cylinder leaking at the firewall, and dripping that lovely brake fluid all over the back of the fuse block.
This obviously is NOT a good thing, and usually results in a massively corroded fuse block, failing circuits, and in worst case scenarios, causing a fire.
Now, you mentioned you took the dash off and inspected for burnt wires.
Thats good!
However, a burnt wire is not necessarily the only cause for a problem like this.
Corroded, or oxidized wires can also cause this as well as corroded or oxidized connections (at plugs or at grounding points.)
The problem is....that you cant always see these issues thru a visual inspection.
At least not the TYPICAL inspection....this is where the wiring diagram is going to come in handy.
As far as inspecting the circuit path....wires that have been corroded will be stiff...and i mean hard as a rock. Oxidation of copper causes it to stiffen and get brittle, eventually break and/or disintegrate. Using the wiring diagram, locate and trace the wires for the circuit and follow their pathway as much as you can inspecting both visually for browning, burnt, broken or other "obvious" issues....but also physically inspecting the wire path by working it thru your fingers, feeling for brittle, or hard spots.
Also, a wire that has a clean break in it, will bend super easy....it will "taco" on itself, and fold in half with little effort at all. The sheath/insulator may be intact, but internally, the wire is severed/broken.

If it comes down to it after an exhaustive search, that you cannot find any solution, you're only recourse, is to rewire. Doing so is going to be a massive chore, and to my knowledge there is no "Cherokee specific" kit out there to help you out. There ARE universal re-wire kits out there from companies like Painless, that offer kits for the hot rodders that may work for this application.... making it work for the XJ is going to require some modification of course, but may be a viable option if all else fails.

So to re-cap.....
Inspect the fuse block, (under the dash) also look a the power distribution center (under the hood)...check each for corroded or broken terminals, or broken wire connections. (This is what I am leaning towards being your problem, when you mentioned there is no power at the plug.)
Re-inspect as much of the wire pathways as you can, and double check all relays.
Test the function of the switch if you can with a digital multi meter, and look for shorts wherever you can....areas where there might be a pinched wire, or maybe a screw thru a wire....(the door's sill plate trim screws are a common culprit for this.)

I hope this helps somewhat, This is prob not going to be easy, but with some patience, and some good attention to detail, I'm sure you'll do fine.
Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help,
And keep your ears open for an upcoming episode of The XJ Talk Show, ....I will most likely cover this topic in the next installment of Electrical & Audio Tips."

[xj94]

:stars:I'll give it a shot,looks like a lot of ground to cover so i'll tackle it on monday when i have more time thanks a whole lot







Chasing the ground on this one is a good suggestion, although may be difficult if you dont have a wiring diagram, and are unsure of what to look for.
Speaking of wiring diagram, in this case, it's probably going to be the best thing to track down. As clear of one, and preferably in color and easy to read as possible.
The ones on line are in color, but often times hard to read.... The ones in the back of a Haynes or Chilton book are good and legible, but not in color.... BUT, may be a good place to start.
This will show you what position of what wire on what plug is supposed to be doing what.
In your case, I would also check the fuse block under the dash.
The older XJ's were notorious for the master/slave cylinder leaking at the firewall, and dripping that lovely brake fluid all over the back of the fuse block.
This obviously is NOT a good thing, and usually results in a massively corroded fuse block, failing circuits, and in worst case scenarios, causing a fire.
Now, you mentioned you took the dash off and inspected for burnt wires.
Thats good!
However, a burnt wire is not necessarily the only cause for a problem like this.
Corroded, or oxidized wires can also cause this as well as corroded or oxidized connections (at plugs or at grounding points.)
The problem is....that you cant always see these issues thru a visual inspection.
At least not the TYPICAL inspection....this is where the wiring diagram is going to come in handy.
As far as inspecting the circuit path....wires that have been corroded will be stiff...and i mean hard as a rock. Oxidation of copper causes it to stiffen and get brittle, eventually break and/or disintegrate. Using the wiring diagram, locate and trace the wires for the circuit and follow their pathway as much as you can inspecting both visually for browning, burnt, broken or other "obvious" issues....but also physically inspecting the wire path by working it thru your fingers, feeling for brittle, or hard spots.
Also, a wire that has a clean break in it, will bend super easy....it will "taco" on itself, and fold in half with little effort at all. The sheath/insulator may be intact, but internally, the wire is severed/broken.

If it comes down to it after an exhaustive search, that you cannot find any solution, you're only recourse, is to rewire. Doing so is going to be a massive chore, and to my knowledge there is no "Cherokee specific" kit out there to help you out. There ARE universal re-wire kits out there from companies like Painless, that offer kits for the hot rodders that may work for this application.... making it work for the XJ is going to require some modification of course, but may be a viable option if all else fails.

So to re-cap.....
Inspect the fuse block, (under the dash) also look a the power distribution center (under the hood)...check each for corroded or broken terminals, or broken wire connections. (This is what I am leaning towards being your problem, when you mentioned there is no power at the plug.)
Re-inspect as much of the wire pathways as you can, and double check all relays.
Test the function of the switch if you can with a digital multi meter, and look for shorts wherever you can....areas where there might be a pinched wire, or maybe a screw thru a wire....(the door's sill plate trim screws are a common culprit for this.)

I hope this helps somewhat, This is prob not going to be easy, but with some patience, and some good attention to detail, I'm sure you'll do fine.
Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help,
And keep your ears open for an upcoming episode of The XJ Talk Show, ....I will most likely cover this topic in the next installment of Electrical & Audio Tips."

[xj94]

Thanks for all the help.I found the problem, i had some bad grounds and some corrosion around the fuse box are under the hood.Hope if stays fixed for good

[XJ Wheeler]

Glad ya got it figured out, Chris. That kind of thing is never fun.