Finally got this Trooper on the road and now down to fixing the few little things. I have no high beam on the headlights when positioned on high or pulling the turn signal stalk back to flash them. I replaced both bulbs, checked the headlight relay and it's good. Removed the cover from the relay and manually closing the contacts brings on the high beams until I release and the relay opens back up. Am I correct in my thinking that the relay has a constant 12 volts and it's the ground side that switches off and on to activate the relay? If correct, any ideas where to look for a problem? I can certainly go after the column mounted lever but thought I'd ask in case I'm missing something more obvious. Thanks once again.

I'll take a stab at this one and say that you are correct in assuming the headlight relay has a constant 12V source and is activated on the ground side.

This info is based on the pickup/amigo wiring diagram, which probably is not the same as the Trooper, but it might give you some ideas.

There are 2 10amp fuses (next to the headlight relay) that are for the high beams.

The circuits from those 2 fuses then go to the left/right high beam connector (or, headlights).

From the headlights low beam circuits, they run to the switch/stalk on the steering column THROUGH 2 other wiring connectors... those 2 "other" wiring connectors are located near the engine firewall on the L/R sides.

I would trace all those wires and insure that the connectors are cleaned with some "electrical cleaner" spray.

As you mentioned, it could be the switch/stalk also... do you hear the telltale "click" when you try to activate the high-beams? Sometimes it's just that the switch/stalk needs a good cleaning or the point contacts are worn.

On a 17 year old vehicle, I would start with the switch/stalk.

HTH
Van <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Ditto with Van's suggestion. The stalk switch is a funky little nylon rocker that moves the contact reed like a see-saw for hi or low beams. As the contacts age and pit it tends to heat up the reed which heats up a tiny metal ball in the end of the nylon rocker. If it gets hot enough the ball will melt the nylon and the contact is lost. Best bet? Cruise the junk yards. Same switch can be found in amigos and p'up trucks. Also trace back the harness to the fire wall and pull the connector. Blast both ends with electrical contact cleaner and work it in and out a few times to establish a good contact. Lightly applied dielectric grease would be a plus. You'll have to drop the skirt under the steering wheel and maybe pull the drivers side speaker for easy access. It's really low amperage that actuates the relays so even a tiny bit of corrosion in the harness contacts can cause a problem. In fact you may want to check the harness first before you pull the steering wheel to get at the signal switch.