First Love

Hi Guys,


Have been in the process of bringing my 89 XJS back to life after a 15 year slumber. So very excited as this was my first Jag! Have gotten most of the mechanicals back into a functional mode, but it has been a long time since I've been intimately involved in other aspects of this car.
The dip switch only occasionally will allow the select/de select use of the brights. As I recall, I think there are 2 relays that are energized when the lights go from dim to bright. I will be testing/trading the relays, but my concern is the switch (stalk), on the column. If the relays show healthy, how involved is it to test/repair/ or replace the switch? I don't hear any or feel anything from the switch when changing back and forth, and don't know if that is normal. Appreciate any feedback guys. Happy Holidays!

 

I just picked up my new 95 convert. Have been driving all of two days so far and nights too. Not sure abut your 89 but my 95 has no sound when moving from low to high or high to low. The switch movement is one pulse/pull to the steering wheel for high beams and another pulse to the steering wheel for back to low beams. No audible click of the stalk itself. The sequential flip flop happens in the Headlight Control Module electrically and not by separate contacts in the stalk switch. All the stalk switch does is complete a ground to the Headlight Control Module. Do any head lights work?

 

The stalk switch simply makes/breaks a ground circuit to 'trigger' the relay. If your blue/black wire at the headlight relay is grounded/ungrounded in accordance with operating the stalk switch, that's as good as it gets as far as the stalk switch goes.

As I recall....been a few years.....you can remove the column shrouds and peer into the switch mechanism to see the little spring-metal tab that actually provides the ground. It might be gunked up. I fixed one once with some aerosol contact cleaner. I say "as I recall" because it might be thinking of XJ6/12 switch gear....which might not be the same as XJS.

Poor connections at the relay, or inside the relay, are more common. The relay can be opened up to clean the contacts

Cheers
DD