Questions and Answers

Jeep Cherokee Lights On, Engine On Q. I have a 1997 Jeep Cherokee Sport, 4.0 liter inline 6, manual transmission, 110,000 miles, A/C and cruise control. Just recently my headlights started staying on all the time that the engine is running, or even if the key is just in the ON position. A further symptom is that after cranking I can turn the headlights on and then turn the ignition switch to OFF and the engine will continue to run, even after totally removing the key.

The engine will stop when I turn the headlights off. I think that this may be caused by a bad relay. What do you think? If it is a relay how do I know which one as I can't seem to figure it out with the documentation I currently have.

Thanks in advance for your time and help.
Rob

A. There are different head light systems used in that year Jeep Cherokee. Head lights alone, head lights with fog lights, Daytime Running Lamps, Daytime Running Lamps with fog lights and Sentinel Head light system. Diagnosis would depend on what system you have.

However, I don't think the problem is with any particular component. I think you will find a damaged wiring harness that has some chaffed wires allowing the circuits to cross, most likely in the steering column. More likely if you have tilt wheel.