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headlight hell

8K views 16 replies 10 participants last post by  wizabang 
#1 ·
i bought my first jeep and i love it but who ever had it before me tried to upgrade on a budget and im paying for it the one problem is the delta headlights they dim and get really bright and the passenger light goes completely out i looked at the wiring it all looks like it has good connection when i bought it the battery was corroded pretty bad and ive had an eas light on once any
help would be appreciated
 
#2 ·
What would help many of us to help you:
  • Specific details - details never hurt
  • Year and model of Jeep
  • Pictures - we love pictures

What would help many of us enjoy helping you:
  • Capitalization
  • Punctuation
  • Pictures - we love pictures
  • Specific details - details never hurt

NOTES:
  • Punctuation is the difference between knowing your shit, and knowing you're shit
  • Capitalization is the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse, and helping your uncle jack off a horse
 
#3 ·
NOTES:
  • Punctuation is the difference between knowing your shit, and knowing you're shit
  • Capitalization is the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse, and helping your uncle jack off a horse
Some might call that unhelpful or maybe even hurtful, but I say it's funny as Hell and I'm "borrowing" this part!

OP: Sounds like a bad/corroded ground or wire. Corrosion can run up a wire under the insulation and is hard to track without the right tools.
 
#4 ·
Some might call that unhelpful or maybe even hurtful . . .
I'm of the opinion that those "some" would be either horribly misguided or somewhat stupid.
However; I never assume that I know everything, and I'm always eager to learn new things.
With absolute sincerity, I request that you explain how a rational person with critical thinking skills could be one of these "some".

As for helpful, OP stated: "any help would be appreciated"
My reply was to:
  • help him/her get the complete needed information ASAP
  • help him/her decide to write like a big boy/girl (instead of that lazy ass crap)

As for hurtful: DUDE, SERIOUSLY? :cwm13:
 
#7 ·
OP: I have Delta headlights on my '13 JK with no problems, the problem you're describing sounds like it could be a few things:
1. Corroded wires as suggested
2. Alternator going bad
3. Battery going bad

You can have #2 and #3 tested at most auto parts stores. Which I would do to eliminate them from the equation.

As for the rest of the thread, glad to see that the writer of the Chicago Manual of Style decided to pay a visit.
 
#8 ·
OP: I have Delta headlights on my '13 JK with no problems, the problem you're describing sounds like it could be a few things:
1. Corroded wires as suggested
2. Alternator going bad
3. Battery going bad

.

I also have Delta quadbars. If you think those are budget, try using some stock headlights. I have had zero issues with Delta, but they are a pretty reputable company. Try reaching out to them !
 
#11 ·
If the Delta headlights are getting driven by the OEM headlight wiring via pigtail adapters (short cables to adapt H13 to H4 bulbs), you probably have a loose or bad pigtail causing the one bulb to go out intermittently. You might be able to unplug/re-plug the adapters tightly and wrap with electrical tape to solve that problem.

The pigtails -- or rather the thin-gauge OEM wiring -- is also probably the cause of the dim light.

I would suggest replacing the pigtails with a new wiring harness that takes power from the battery and only uses the OEM wiring to activate relays. The easiest way to do this is to get a Truck-Lite 98630 LED Headlamp Anti-Flicker Module Harness (around $40, you just need one) and a Putco 230004HW H4 100W Heavy Duty Harness and Relay kit (around $30). The Truck-Lite anti-flicker harness is needed to eliminate noise from the JK CAN BUS signals that could cause the relays to chatter, and also converts the OEM H13 connector to H4 used by the Delta (and other replacement headlights). The Putco harness includes all the wiring, relays and fuses to run your headlights off the battery.

If you already have a replacement harness for the headlights, then you've got loose or corroded wires somewhere. The most likely place is at the battery terminal. But vibration can cause any of the connections to fail, or wear through insulation causing intermittent shorts.
 
#12 ·
OP - THIS ^^^
The Truck-Lite 98630 will eliminate the voltage flutter from the pulse-width-modulation (PWM) control of the CANBUS.
The Putco 230004HW will deliver clean battery power with amps to spare for any legal headlights (and a few others).
There are other ways to accomplish the same thing, but BumpInTheRoad's solution is reliable and cost-effective.
Please note that BumpInTheRoad's use of punctuation and capitalization makes the communication effective (easy to follow).

Holy crap man, come back a detent from full afterburner and release tension the catapult! By that I meant someone certainly more politically correct and sensitive than I! There was more than a little sarcasm in those few lines. I laughed myself silly over your post. Totally appreciated it even. Really gonna use that last line in quotes often!
By the way, read through your mods, damn good work!
Yeah, sorry . . . for maybe the first time ever on JKO, my sarcasm barometer was off. Rare, but not impossible. :)
Spent a day auditing a plating and coating vendor, and my mind was still spinning with what I had to get done today.
I was so wrapped up in "clear, concise, and unambiguous communication mode" that you slid that one right by me. :beer:
Glad you enjoyed my thread, and thank you!

Oh and, for the record, that's a few notches from "full afterburner" for me. When I go full-on apeshit, it borders on epic. :D
 
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