AboutRoland Finston Expertise I specialize in Chrysler Corp. front wheel drive cars and minivans for the years 1982-2005 based upon my 50-year DIY experience and factory shop manuals. I don't have expertise/manuals for Jeeps, Trucks, Imports. Today on vacation, I will not take questions at any time, nor answer you within 1/2 hour. If I am shown as "maxed out" try again, in an hour, as I may be answering another question or otherwise busy. There are answers to ten thousand Chrysler questions at your finger tips: put a few key words in the "find" box (above) or click on "view past answers".
Dear Roland, Thank you for taking time to help all of the people that seek your advice. My problem seems to be a short or bad ground on the headlights. Most of the time when we turn the headlights on, the relays under the dashboard start to click wildly. I put my finger on the one that was clicking, replaced it & then the one next to it started to click. I replaced that one also & it still continued to click. The funny thing, it doesn't do it all the time, just every now & then. Sometimes, it will be days before it happens, then it will go for days happening every time you cut the lights on. I'm fairly good at repairing my own vehicles, but this has me stumped. I'm not sure if it's a ground issue, ignition switch problem or something else. Any input will be appreciated.
Many Thanks,
L. George Heard
Answer Hi L. George,
I have the '98 manual which appears to be applicable to the '96 model. It would be helpful to me to know if you notice any electrical component that is impacted by the clicking of the relays when it is happening? The relays for the headlamps proper are actually located in the power distribution center under the hood. The ones under the dash are: door lock/unlock relays, daytime running lamp module/combination flasher, rear window defogger, radio speaker, fog lamp, and courtesy lamp relays. I then could try to understand what is the cause by knowing which are the relays that are clicking. If the relays aren't labelled than describe the locations of them. I suspect that something is drawing down the voltage on the actuation coils of the affected relays as the result of turning on the headlights, or possibly the contacts in the multifunction switch (high/low selector) are oxidized. Does this happen with both the low and the hogh beam lights being called into play?
Roland
