High beams stuck on

P

Pcrichar

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Mar 15, 2022
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Hey everyone!

I have a 1991 jeep yj renegade.

My high beams are stuck on, even with the jeep completely turned off. I suspect “flash to pass” is stuck on somehow.

I’ve replaced the headlight switch, dimmer switch, and DRL module.

Any insight on what fuse might need to be replaced? Or any other solutions? Much appreciated.
 
High beam power comes from the dimmer switch on the steering column which is operated by a rod attached to the turn signal/high beam stalk. The dimmer switch gets power all the time jumpered from the headlight switch so that you can flash your high beams. Your dimmer switch is likely bad and allowing that battery power to flow through the switch when you are not flashing the high beam. I would try a new dimmer switch or at the very least test the output on the high beam wire from the dimmer switch. I suspect you’ll find some voltage there which shouldn’t be unless you are holding the turn signal stalk down to flash, or you have the headlights on and triggered high beams on.

Edit: I just re-read and see that you already replaced dimmer switch….hmmmm. I can not think of how else power would be making it’s way down there after looking at the circuit…

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machoheadgames said:
High beam power comes from the dimmer switch on the steering column which is operated by a rod attached to the turn signal/high beam stalk. The dimmer switch gets power all the time jumpered from the headlight switch so that you can flash your high beams. Your dimmer switch is likely bad and allowing that battery power to flow through the switch when you are not flashing the high beam. I would try a new dimmer switch or at the very least test the output on the high beam wire from the dimmer switch. I suspect you’ll find some voltage there which shouldn’t be unless you are holding the turn signal stalk down to flash, or you have the headlights on and triggered high beams on.

Edit: I just re-read and see that you already replaced dimmer switch….hmmmm. I can not think of how else power would be making it’s way down there after looking at the circuit…

View attachment 119658
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Thanks for this! The day the headlights stopped turning off, it was a really hot day. Could it be that some wires melted together?
 
Pcrichar said:
Thanks for this! The day the headlights stopped turning off, it was a really hot day. Could it be that some wires melted together?
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Could be, but a lot less likely now that you just clarified the high beam stays on with DRL module unplugged. I was going to say maybe the low beam wire (which is what the DRL runs on too) shorted to the high beam but with it unplugged that would no longer be a concern.

Stoopid Jeep makes a good point about the column. You may have a physical issue with the column’s high beam actuator rod forcing the dimmer switch into high beam mode.

If you pull the dimmer switch off the column and remove the rod from it, do high beams stay on?
 
I had the column undone last summer, so I am going by memory here, but I think it stayed on even when I removed the rod.
 
One thing I noticed today, with my high beams “off”, my headlights and high beams are on at the same time, and if I switch the high beams “on”, the headlight turns off. So looks like the dimmer switch is doing it’s job.
 
You must have a short somewhere then I guess. Probably either due to melted wires or worn insulation.

I would start digging into the harness and see if anything is obviously wrong. Probably going to be a pain but I can’t think of anything else that could possibly be the problem…you have already changed all the possible problematic parts.
 
machoheadgames said:
You must have a short somewhere then I guess. Probably either due to melted wires or worn insulation.

I would start digging into the harness and see if anything is obviously wrong. Probably going to be a pain but I can’t think of anything else that could possibly be the problem…you have already changed all the possible problematic parts.
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Machoheadgames, thanks for the help with troubleshooting! It is really nice to have peace of mind knowing I tried all the problematic parts. I’ll be cracking a few pops and lookin at the wires on the weekend. Again, I appreciate the time and help! I’ll post again once I find the solution.
 
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Good luck with it. I would definitely try it with the high beam rod removed from the dimmer switch to make sure the lights do indeed stay on. That could potentially save you from chasing down a bunch of non problematic wiring.
 
also - how did you confirm it's the high beam wire that's the problem? Is the indicator on the dash on and have you tested the pins at the headlight plugs to make sure it's the high beam wire with power? Just curious.
 
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