89 Cherokee Headlight Wire Harness Upgrade
Вставка
- Опубліковано 25 лип 2024
- 1989 Jeep Cherokee Pioneer 4.0L I6 AW4 4X4 Command-Trac Renix
Putco H4 / 9003 Heavy Duty Headlight Upgrade Wiring Harness kit:
www.eautoworks.com/Putco-H4--9...
Amazon special with Bosch Relays: www.amazon.com/Ceramic-Automo...
What happens to old wiring or using high Watt bulbs without this kit:
• Why my low beams don't...
Tired of those dim and dangerous stock headlight wiring harnesses in your older Jeep? Well then talk to a commercial. I'm gonna show you how to install a high amperage headlight wiring harness to deliver more power and protect your stock headlight switch.
The problem with the stock wiring setup is that the battery voltage has to bottleneck though your headlight switch before it can run to the headlights. This means reduced output voltage and risk of interior switch damage. Modern lighting systems use a relay to switch on the lights instead of a switch directly to keep the switch and wiring smaller and safer. By using a relay system and direct battery voltage, you get the maximum light output from your bulbs, even if they are high amperage, without running the risk of melting your interior switch and dash.
You can make your own upgraded harness if you like, but I took the lazy way and bought a pre-made kit that came with the wiring, connectors, and relays all ready to go. The wiring is pretty simple and connects straight to your current system. Positive wires run from the battery to the lights, then the ground runs through a relay before terminating on the body. The relay is triggered by the pre-existing harness connector. There is one relay for low beam and one for high beam.
After it's laid out, just run it nicely in front of your radiator and you should be in business. The harness i bought was a Putco H4 / 9003 Heavy Duty Headlight Upgrade Wiring Harness kit that I got from eAutoWorks.com for about $30 bucks. It fulfills its purpose. - Авто та транспорт
Going to do this upgrade and try sealed beam sylvania silverstars. Hoping it's a significant upgrade over stock since stock is like a flashlight!
I have the 4 bulb version for my 59 impala.works awesome
You have a good eye. I got to enjoy it a little bit. Hopefully there will be more to come and maybe even a video or two.
The harness that connects to the switch melted and shorted the switch I need to do this headlight upgrade for sure. Posted yo a video on my account.
I did this upgrade to my 2000 Cherokee and what a difference! I should have done this a long time ago.
Great video. Thanks for the straightforward documentation.
Thanks for this video. I'm not real mechanically proficient but you made this look easy enough. Thanks for sharing. Going to order parts soon, now.
Looks like the jeep has had some fun!
Hey Nick, I haven't actually done anything to the stereo system yet. When I bought the Jeep from the previous owner he took out the rear hatch speakers and sub and left me with some basic Polk Audio speakers in the front and a JVC KD-R210 Head unit that isn't even properly clipped in to the bracket. As for removing panels, you could check my CB Radio install vid if you want an idea of how to run cables to the rear of the vehicle. If I upgrade to a speaker bar or rear speakers, I'll post a vid.
Hi NickInTimeFilms,
I watched all of your Jeep videos. Awesome job on all of them!
Could you please post your brand/model of your stereo and speakers.
and if possible make a video of how you removed/replaced trim panels, ran the wiring, etc...
Thanks & keep the videos coming!
Nick
Always my go to guy. Thanks nick
Will this fix my 95 xj to where when I turn the headlights on they work for about 4-6 minutes then start flickering on and off same with dash lights and tail lights
Idles smooth as butter
Okay ...so I have two sets of wires for both headlights...do I use one set coming from light switch and just cut the other set off
awsome. i have the same jeep. you almost sound like Michael Cera. thanks for the post
Awesome. Thx for the quick reply!
Did this make your headlight brighter?
Nice video!!!
Where did you order this thru? Also mines a 92 cherokee sport 4.0 auto 4+4
Very helpful video, but it would have been EXCELLENT with a part # and a location to purchase the harness.
I got mine on LMC Truck. But I installed it on my truck, and it barely made a difference.
I installed this wiring harness on my 99 XJ and it seems to have bypassed or overridden the daytime running lights. Did this happen for anyone else? The headlights all work but the DRLs don't come on when I start the car anymore. Not a huge deal but I wasn't expecting it to happen.
NICE MAN ..IN ARBIC جيد جداً
Thanks!
When you tested the lights you had "low beam, high beam and both"
How do you switch for both??
With my stalk it's a little loose and has a sweet spot where if you pull it just right, it will hold the high beam and the low beam together
Hey dude I've seen all your videos and they have been very helpful! I have a question my 91 cherokee is having an issue, where I only have high beams and no voltage on lowbeams do you have any idea what may be wrong?
I'm having issues with my blinkers that I still can't track down. I'll have to pull the wiring harness some time. If your high beams work then your ground should be good. That means it might be the positive cable that runs from the headlight connector to the headlight dimmer switch. My manual says it should be light green so try checking continuity. Or it could be the silly thing that your low beams burnt out.
Very nice!
Wow this is actually really easy. I thought this wiring harness upgrade would be kind of difficult and was discouraging me from upgrading my headlights. But this is actually a really smart way of doing it. I guess I will do it. I'm gonna get an H4 kit and some LED H4 bulbs. Trying to convert all my XJ's lights to LED. I've gotten pretty much all the interior so far
Now by interior do you mean just the gauge cluster and illuminated panels or did you also swap the dome and footwell lights? I've been looking into a decent dome light swap so my battery doesn't drain so fast with my doors open.
Gauge cluster, dome lights, map lights, footwell lights, the lights around the mirror on the visor on the passenger side,the light by the shifter, the light above the rear license plate, and the tail lights. If you do it, get all the lights on Ebay. I think my total came out to about $30 for all that. Just take out the bulbs you already have and find the little code on them. On Ebay search "XXXX LED bulb" ("X's" being the code). They'll all be brighter than stock, draw less power, and can come in colors if you want
NickInTimeFilms I think the 2 dome lights were less than $3 with free shipping. They come from China so they'll take a while to get here but it's well worth it
Se7enAte Nice. How does the interior look with leds? Not too weird going from yellow to white? I'll have to search up everything and may do that at some point. If you really want to go the extra mile, a video walkthrough would be sweet.
NickInTimeFilms it looks really good. i did this. the interior is just bright white light. no ricey blue or wacky colors. you can see everythign when the door is opened
Thank you once again for an awesome vid. Wondering if fog lights have anything at all to do with this harness. I want to add fog lights. Will the harness cause any complications?
Also, wonder what is the difference between the $125 ARB version and the Putco kit (besides about $95 :^/ )?
This kit will work with any type of lighting though for fog lights you only need 1 relay. You can make it all yourself for under $20 if you have the know how. I had to splice in different relays because those cheap Chinese ones kept rusting out
I recently purchased 100w 9004 bulbs for my 1991 ford ranger. Now the high beam indicator is constantly on and the high beams don't work. Would this remedy that?
Probably not. Did you notice this happen immediately when you swapped in the new bulbs or did it happen over time? There is a good chance that the bulbs were running too much amperage through your stock wiring and may have damaged the bulb connectors, wiring, or headlight switch. If something melted, you'll have to replace it. This harness would prevent such a scenario from happening again in the future though because it can take the higher amperage.
I would remove the bulbs and see if the High Beam light turns off. If it does then you may have defective bulbs or a short in your headlight sockets. You can also try probing them with a voltmeter to see if you are getting power to the sockets. It's a slightly different subject but check out my Fixing Turn Signals video for more help:
89 Cherokee Fixing Turn Signal Issues
Nicely done :-)), back in the mid 80's teenagers added spotlamps to there car along with other junk, but the mistake they allways made was "no relay", oh yes it worked but the lighting switch on the steering columb suffered badly, well it was cremated most of the time lol.
I picked up on relays in my electronics repair hobby so i allways used them plus a fuse, old tech but dam usefull :-))
Relays are my new favorite addition to any high watt circuit because I know it will be running the highest voltage available.
NickInTimeFilms
Yep they are relay good lol sorry bad bad joke :D
I will make comments on your videos, this does not mean i expect a reply, its my way of appreciating them, just so you know :-))
Thanks for the video! Now that it's been a few years, would you still do the mod?
Mark Adams Absolutely, but this time I'd look for a kit that came with standard Bosch relays like what the rest of the Jeep had. them cheap Chinese ones aren't sealed and don't take much to break contact. But getting full battery voltage and preserving the factory harness is a huge plus.
NickInTimeFilms perfect. thanks so much for the reply. I believe that I'm going to piece together the parts and do this myself, so I'll definitely grab done Bosch relays.
ps - it's my first comment on your videos but I've watched a few as it seems like whenever I want to do something, you've done it. Lol. So, thanks again!
To anyone watching this, buy and add inline fuze holders! This harness, while quality, does not have them! If you're going to use a relay system, adding inline fuzes will protect them from overheating and blowing bulbs.
so would i need 2 of these if my 89 is a wagoneer (4) headlights?
sorta kinda. this has a high beam and low beam relay so you're good on that. You could separate the high beams wires and get 2 more plugs and you should be okay
@ nickintimefilms have you ever seen any conversions for a 88xj wagoneer. it has a 4 light system
+chrys wallace Now that is a good question. I haven't seen any harnesses in my quick search, so you might have to make your own. I think you could also modify one of these harnesses if you add split the high and low beam wires and ran the proper plugs to each side.
Walmartrt on line, also summit racing has the the 4 head light system and Autozone. The Putco harness is the worst. try this one its better quality and 3rd the price. www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA40F28S0459
Or do what I did order 2 of these harness and just plug both of them into youre old sockets and you will now have 4...2 his and 2 lows like on wagoneer
how are you able to run both low and high beams at the same time?
My High beam stalk is a little worn so there is a sweet spot where they are both on. I was just holding it there.
How did you get both high beam and low beam to shine at the same time??
I was just holding the high beam stalk back to keep both lights on.
Would this harness fix a melted interior switch and dash?
The way that was worded was funny. It won't fix your melted switch or dash but it should prevent a meltdown from happening again if that's what you ment.
This harness bypasses your stock wiring by going directly to the battery and sending the electrical load from your headlights through a relay instead of through your vulnerable interior dash switch and old wiring.
As long as your interior wiring isn't shorting out and your stock wires are decent enough that current can pass through without heating up, this should fix your issue.
My passenger side connector is destroyed, could I run it the other way it I extend the power wires?
Yeah, that would be fine. As long as the relays get a trigger source then you will be solid
Are the relays 4 pin or 5 pin on this harness?
Thanks
The chinesium ones are 4 pin
Does this also work for other vehicles, for example a handa civic?
This is a pretty universal kit so it should work for just about any vehicle that uses that connector style. If you have H4/9003 headlights then it will plug right in.
NickInTimeFilms Would this also work in projector headlights with the same connection style?
+Vaios Kaliakoudas yeah, if it's the same connector it'll be fine
What plugs into the second plug at 4:25 that you said you have to ground somewhere?
The little black wire that comes off just needs a good ground to complete the circuit. I used nearby screws in the radiator cover to ground them. I wish the harness just ran ground wires that i could terminate on the battery but whatever.
Yeah definitely. At first I actually meant what connector goes into the 3 prong slot that the ground wire is coming off of. The PO put some weird harness on mine. They're h4 housings but the back of the housing has wires rather than prongs sticking out. Here's a picture. I think I'm gonna get this wiring harness and probably end up getting new h4 housings. Not sure how to fix this. s24.postimg.org/90z511qet/IMG_0871.jpg
What in tarnation. lol. The plug that the ground wire is connected to is just the plug you use for the headlights now. Looks like yours is some kind of adapter to work with other style lights...
Lol! Welcome to my life. I just watched your h4 conversion video again. The bulbs you have come with that prong out the back. My housings do say h4 on them so I wonder if I got those bulbs, upgraded to this harness, and put them in if it would work. Seems like maybe?
Also, how did you just do low beams, then just high beams, then just low beams. I can only do either low beams or both. But my bulb setup is obviously very strange. There are actually 2 separate bulbs inside.
That sounds like part of your wiring set-up then. it's suppose to be either low beams or high beams from the factory, but I always wanted to mod it so both come on with the highbeams.
High beams not working after this upgrade. Any ideas?
What kit did you go with. Could be a bad high beam relay, or the plug was not assembled in the right order.
Did a little trouble shooting and found out my issue was a little more complex then I thought lol
I was thinking about re-wiring my headlights so I can either have just dims or brights + dims on. You think this harness would hold up well to that? My headlights is horrible, I can't see but maybe 15 feet ahead of myself at night lol.
I was thinking about doing that myself until I got a light bar. Have you tried aiming them to make sure they are pointed properly? H4 Headlight housing conversions are nice too and help spread the beam much better. Or you can step up to LED housings to really push out some light.
If the harness has good relays rated to at least 30 amps then it shouldn't be an issue. You will have to look up how to properly wire it so that the high beam relay will trigger the low beam relay but it is possible.
I was googling some on it and it seems to be easiest with the GM style headlights. Still looking for a good write up on a single headlight with hi/low both. I'd love to get the H4 housing. I've read a lot of people complaining about the LED's, saying they blind other drivers and get flashed a lot for it? That's made me wary of buying them so far lol. I'll look for relays that can handle that for sure. I've aimed them the best I could but the light output is dangerously low. Here's a pic with my brights, sadly the streetlights is brighter lol. image.prntscr.com/image/9e61d66c32d047829fa388ffe77dd79a.png
No kidding, I can't even tell that they are on. Are those the brightest bulbs you can get? As for the relays, you could wire it a few ways. If you want to use a diode then you could go from highbeam 85 or 86(Coil side, whichever is the positive input, not ground) to low beam 85/86 with the diode pointing towards low.
__________[Diode]
HB 85 }____[_-->_]______{LB 85
Or you could put the load of both low and high beams on the high beam relay by wiring the low beam relay backwards. Instead of Positive to 30 and low beam to 87, you would have positive to 87 and low beam to 30, then use the output of high beam 87 wired to low beam 87A, that way high beam will feed low beam when it's off.
____________________[Relay]
(Positive)____ _LB 87 [__/_] LB 30 (To Low Beam +)
(HB 87)______LB 87a [_/__]
Lol yeah my gf won't even ride with me at night time because of my headlights. I don't think my headlights has ever been replaced, one might have but not sure. I been wanting to upgrade for a while but the H4 housings seems to be the only way to go with out spending $300+ on some over priced trucklites etc. Definitely saving what you said on note pad on my laptop so I can remember when I get the harness and new lights in. I think the first way sounds like the better way to go. Man that's badass how you have that down so well. Electrical/wiring was always kinda scary for me lol.
Haha, yeah I've just been messing around with everything so much that it's just in memory now. It's all just lego blocks once you know what the numbers and components are. I like my Euro Housings a lot and with a bright H4 bulb in there, they are pretty nice. Now you could also be getting low voltage to the bulbs from the factory wiring which will make them dim. The relay harness by itself could boost them a tad too.
hello , im having an issue with my 1999 jeep cherokee sport i upgraded to led head lights and they work fine with the engine off as soon as i start the engine both high and low beams come on and i can not control the lights with the dimmer switch, do you have any ideas why this is happening?
my e mail adress is chrisinpa@gmail.com thanks
Just LED headlights. no messing with the harness? Not sure what to tell you, newer vehicles can be weird with stuff like that. I'd talk to the headlight manufacturer if you can
yes just the head lights,i didnt do anything other than putting dye electric grease on the connectors,i have done that and they told me to check the grounds on the connector and i have a good ground there, i find it funny that they work fine engine off,
hey man i have hid headlight kit and the hid harness runs off of only the passenger headlight so would i only run this harness to the one headlight only?
Uhh, well Yes. But does you HID kit have relays or a dedicated 12v and ground wire? Because if it's not pulling power directly from the harness then this won't do anything for you.
NickInTimeFilms it’s got power to the balasts but i melted my headlight switch
Hmm, well if the current system caused that, then this will help you. This harness just uses the stock plug as a signal to trigger the relays, and they will take all the power through the new harness. Then plug whatever into the new one
NickInTimeFilms thanks dude. i’m pretty ignorant with electrical system
where did you purchase the wiring kit upgrade?
Check the description,last paragraph.
Putco 230004HW - Read the 1-3 star reviews on Amazon before you purchase so you know what you're getting into.
I would just run a zip-tie through the relay bracket holes and zip it to one of the other wire looms.
You need to measure under load (with the lights connected and lit!). Without a load, the measurements show false (much larger) values.
Will it stop the infamous cherokee headlight flicker.
or flash on and off lights, while driving
Are you talking about them just flickering when you hit a bump or like a constant really fast flashing? If the lights cut for a second over bumps or driving then it's probably a loose wire somewhere. This kit may help with that as long as the inputs are good. I've heard one guy say on his newer one that it was buzzing or something weird, but I don't know enough about the newer chrysler models to really know.
NickInTimeFilms I am talking about is the 1992 or 93
NickInTimeFilms my uncle replaced the headlight switch, I'm the jeep. it worked fine for about a month, then it started back. while I am driving the lights flash high beam then turn off. repeat. Will the kit bypass that set up. (it my uncle jeep, I drive it school)
The relay kit only gives the headlights full battery voltage and takes the strain off the factory harness and headlight switch. They may still respond the same way as factory though.
There is a "fixed" version out there. They claim to have fixed all the preexisting problems this harness had. Have not tried it yet but its in my shopping list. There on amazon if anyones interested. www.amazon.com/Ceramic-Automotive-Harness-Headlight-Foglight/dp/B00BMN30HY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1422299608&sr=8-3&keywords=h4+headlight+harness
That kit uses standard American relays which is quite nice because the Chinese ones are terrible in off road conditions. Sand gets stuck between the contact and prevents it from fully closing. It also has a fuse which is a nice touch.
As for the fixes, that sounds like what a headlight harness is suppose to do in general. Maybe they used higher quality headlight plugs but I doubt it. Thanks for the link.
Daaaam I just installed the yellow putco harness and was hesitant about it. Of course they'd come out with this as soon as I install it!! I did splice 2 inline fuses tho - I put in 30 amp fuses but don't know if this is correct - are these what should be in there? *Edit: just read the comment below and comfortable with the 30A fuses and where I installed them. whew
awesom3man3 hey if you still under 30 days since delivery you can still put it back together and send it back for free. Just print a return receipt from wherever you bought it from. I sent it right back after i put it in to test it, I bought mine from amazon though and they have super easy return policy.
awesom3man3 I good way to figure out what fuse you need is by finding the current amp draw and multiplying by 1.5. You can do this without a multimeter with a little math. If you run stock bulbs you have 55W low beam and 60W high beam per side. 55 x 2 = 110W (total low beam) x 1.5 = 165W / 12.6 (lowest batt voltage) = 13A. So try a 15 amp fuse. If it pops but you don't see any harness damage go one up again to 20amp. High beams comes out to 14A so same applies here.
NickInTimeFilms Thank you that was an awesome explanation I could follow. I'll try the 15A fuse in there then, cheers!