no headlights

[fattony]

Hi,
I started smelling a plastic burning smell and couldn't find where it was coming from and the engine temp was good. Then about a month later my headlights started going out for a few seconds then a couple weeks later they went out completely. All other lights work fine. Anybody have any ideas? I don't know a good mechanic nor can I afford it at this time. I'm hoping someone can help me figure it out so that I can fix it. Someone mentioned a toggle switch behind the dash, could that be it?

[gtmud]

The smell of plastic was probably one of two things, neither being any good. Either your headlight switch was melting or worse your insulation on the wiring was melting. I had this same problem on my 00' XJ with only, at the time, 30K. Lost headlights altogether. Took it to the dealer to find that the main wire feeding the switch(Red) had somehow gotten hot and melted the insulation off, (the wiring harness was near my
steering column). They spliced in another wire a no problems. Recommend taking your dash out, not to bad of a job and start looking for signs of melted plastic(insulation). Did the fuse blow? Should have, Once you find the burnt wire, start tracing it from its scource to its termination point, looking for any locations were it was rubbing against metal causing a short, also with a meter check your switch for high resistance, this will cause the wiring to heat up. Also check ALL the grounds for your headlights. Good luck.

[Cam7]

Check the switch if it is Ok there is a wirring Juction under the Air cleaner Box that becomes corroded and can cause a number of lighting problems.