Burning smell=overheated switch and/or wiring. Unless you are confident with your electrical skills, take it to someone who knows what they are doing. If you want to go the trial and error route, make sure you carry a fire extinguisher with you. You'll need it.

 

I will swap out the headlight switch, will that fix the high beams, or is that a separate issue?

 

If I can change the ignition switch, I can do this, and I will.

 

If you replace your ignition switch then you removed your high beam switch. It is now out of adjustment.

 

Do you have comprehensive insurance coverage on your Jeep?

 

Look here folks. In the last chapter, a whole bunch of people told her not to try to tackle the cooling overhaul. She did it anyway. She ran into some trouble, but she got it done and learned a lot along the way.

If she says she can do this, I think she probably can.

But I do hope she'll put a fire extinguisher in the Jeep in the mean time, just in case.

 

What was really strange about that one, was that the questions continued for 2 weeks and 10+ pages--then all of a sudden *poof* it was done.

 

I keep an extinguisher in my Jeep but will I need it if I'm not using the headlights? Is it unsafe to drive in the daytime? Please advise on this.

 

I'm not sure whether I would declare it "safe" to drive, but I think you're going to end up doing what you want either way. If you do drive it, make sure you keep that extinguisher handy, just in case.

Are you certain you won't need your headlights? What about when it rains?

I know from your prior thread that you have time and money constraints that frustrate a lot of the people here who want you to run right out and repair everything immediately, but on this one I think it would be wise to get this resolved as soon as possible. That's because even if you think you're only going to drive it in daylight, you will end up needing your headlights sooner than you think. You'll either get stuck out after dark, or you'll need them in weather. Then you'll end up using them anyway, with all the risk that carries.

I didn't find that strange at all. I have projects I expect to do that I put off for months, then *poof* one weekend I go do them. The only difference is that I don't discuss them here the whole time I'm waiting. Last time she was waiting for a paycheck and the time to do the job, and when that was all lined up she tackled the job. Most of us have been there at some point in our lives.

 

As far as I know, there is always power to the headlight switch. Who knows exactly where and why you are having the burning smell?

More than just headlights go through the headlight switch.

 

The problem is you don't KNOW what the problem actually is until you actually tear into it. Anything prior to that is conjecture and guesswork, so we can't tell you if it's safe or not. The only known issue is that you have an electrical problem with a "burning" smell. If you smell that smell, it means that something electrical is overheating, and THAT can lead to a fire. Which is why we suggest you don't drive it until you fix it. I would actually go the extra step and suggest you remove or at least disconnect the battery until it's resolved........but it's your jeep.

 

Replacing switch in the morning.

 

Good call. Hope it fixes your issue.

 

Got the switch out and it clearly needed to be replaced. The headlight relay is pretty burnt out too. My son took these pics especially for you guys. Now the connector is burnt at one of the inserts, I can't find any XJ videos on how to replace it. Do I need to remove the upper panel because the wires are so short?

 

That connector that you have your finger on is not available new.

You will either have to find a good one in a salvage yard, cut it out, and rewire/attach your original wires to the salvage part pigtail.

Failing that, you will have to repin every connection with female spade terminals that fit the male spade terminals on the new Jeep headlight switch.

The upper bezel and probably the instrument cluster will have to come out in order to have a little working room. It is awkward to work in that area.