Rewiring my YJ

Joined
Apr 26, 2022
Messages
25
Location
Abilene, Tx
It's taken me way too long but after spending a few dedicated days on it, the wiring for my ride is about 95% complete. I'm using a painless performance 25 circuit harness. The dash and tail lights are complete. Just have a few connections to make in the engine harness, replace a few hoses and she should be good to go! Getting pretty excited to turn that key!

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I’m curious, why did you decide to replace the entire harness? On my 92’ I’m going to replace my dash and gauges w custom dash from DD and auto meter gauges. I’m thinking maybe I should redo the harness while I’m at it?
 
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I’m curious, why did you decide to replace the entire harness? On my 92’ I’m going to replace my dash and gauges w custom dash from DD and auto meter gauges. I’m thinking maybe I should redo the harness while I’m at it?
After looking over the harness as much as I could, I just thought it would be less work in the long run. Since it was over 30 years old, several mods from previous owners and the condition of most of the wiring insulation I did look at, it seemed better to replace and at least have a decent starting point as far as electrical goes. One binus from doing it that way is that since I'm not an electrician or real mechanic, the whole process has made me much more knowledgeable of the entire jeep. I've got a much better understanding of not just the wiring but also of the engine components, the guages, fuel system, steering, suspension, etc. In a nutshell, I'm glad I decided to go that route
 
After looking over the harness as much as I could, I just thought it would be less work in the long run. Since it was over 30 years old, several mods from previous owners and the condition of most of the wiring insulation I did look at, it seemed better to replace and at least have a decent starting point as far as electrical goes. One binus from doing it that way is that since I'm not an electrician or real mechanic, the whole process has made me much more knowledgeable of the entire jeep. I've got a much better understanding of not just the wiring but also of the engine components, the guages, fuel system, steering, suspension, etc. In a nutshell, I'm glad I decided to go that route
Oh, almost forgot, I didn't replace the harness to the computer. When I took everything apart, that harness was still wrapped in tape and looked brand new since it was protected. So I just used the schematics and figured what went where to splice it in with the new harness.
 
Oh, almost forgot, I didn't replace the harness to the computer. When I took everything apart, that harness was still wrapped in tape and looked brand new since it was protected. So I just used the schematics and figured what went where to splice it in with the new harness.
Looking into doing this at the moment. How hard of a job was it to splice in the Painless Harness? My Engine and ECU harness are both in pretty good shape, I'm more mainly focused on the dash and body wiring.
 
I'll be curious to hear how it turns out myself. I'm currently debating all the same options. Plus I've a 94 donor harness available.
 
only down side?
is if you need shop work (or far from home and things fail)
they will now know what to do?, with non jeep harnesses. (the tech can't just read the FSM and fix it) (costly labor doing it the hard way , them)
stock is best , if not 100% offroad or Track racing (LOL)
learn to fix bad wiring, with soldered connections and heat shrink tubing.
yes some parts are now hard to find. for jeep electrics.
switches. come to mind but they are sold. check out rockauto.com yet. (not a plug , just a fact)
I remove all wiring hacks from mine the first month owned. and it all works perfectly.
Glad to hear the PCM is wired stock, hacking that would be a huge pain.
good luck on the project.
 
before doing up grades we do:
  1. tune up fully, fluids and belts and all filters
  2. then a full brake job. ( i replaced ever inch of brakes, even SST brake lines put in. that will never rust again) and zinc plated, calipers.
  3. many upgrades are in fact down grades on the street. lifts done wrong. ( pinion angles all wrong) front axle lost all its CASTER?
  4. wench?
  5. wheels
  6. tires upgrades.
  7. a snorkel for fording streams (lol)
  8. hard top? (costly)
  9. all rust cured?
  10. shocks.
  11. u-joints bad.?
  12. oil leaks cured. all leaks of any kind cured.
  13. New radio that does , xyz?
  14. CB to talk to smokey and the bandit, just ditched mine day 1.
  15. new water pump is good idea. lowers ricks of overheating damage, big time and all new hoses.
  16. rhino liner spray the inside tub.? or new carpets or new rubber mats?
  17. rock slider bar fenders.
  18. new bumpers , rugged.
 
It's taken me way too long but after spending a few dedicated days on it, the wiring for my ride is about 95% complete. I'm using a painless performance 25 circuit harness. The dash and tail lights are complete. Just have a few connections to make in the engine harness, replace a few hoses and she should be good to go! Getting pretty excited to turn that key!

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nice jeep. i have a quick question tho. i'm looking for a light that can go under my hood and stay there, but still stand up to engine heat. anyone have any suggestions?
 
nice jeep. i have a quick question tho. i'm looking for a light that can go under my hood and stay there, but still stand up to engine heat. anyone have any suggestions?
KC Cyclones are good for that purpose. I have them on my YJ and Tacoma.

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Friendly suggestion, posts like these should become their own new thread, not as a comment on someone’s thread about a different topic. You’ll get more of the attention you need for your question that way. Also, the poster for this thread hasn’t been here since 2022, so it’s unlikely they’ll be back.
 
ok thank you. im 15 and new to the jeep community so trying to figure stuff out. also how did you mount them?
Sorry for the delay. I bought some pieces of bent up aluminum channel from a local metal store, used some camera tripod clamp pivots with the clamps removed from Amazon mounted to each side of the channel, and then 90° brackets mounted to the camera pivots, and the lights mounted to the brackets. Fastened to the hood using rivnuts.

Finalized the wiring in loom and ran it down the hood channel and secured with some clamps. It was way over the top and took way too long, but I was striving to see what I could do with it.

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