Hello ... And ... Help?

[Rockfrog]

So I've beena  background CC viewer for some time now, decided to jion the fold as it were.

 

I own an 88 5spd 4.0 2wd MJ and a '00 AW4 4.0 4dr 4x4 XJ. Been a jeep nut for a few and it's all tha fills my driveway more or less (wife drives a turdy 08 JKU Sahara).

The XJ was the DD until i got the MJ a few months ago and now it's my DD and the XJ is the fun toy (~6" long arm, hp30, 4.56, dertroit and true trac, yada, yada).

 

 

So now I've found my time taken by my ailing MJ as the PO's were less than stellar at repair and maint. Swapped the cooling system out when I got it with the leftovers from my XJ, deleted the NFG EGR system, replaced the cracked vacuum lines with brake line, used a whole can of yellow top just to make the inside of the valve cover look like it had 211,000kms on it, it was that caked. But she runs OK and shifts fine. It used to have an intermittent high idle issue but it slowly has been going away after a TB cleaning so I figure it was just the IAC sticking from sitting so long. The first oil changed was a night mare resulting in pulling all the tricks out to get the filter off strap wrench crumpled it, plastic wrench stripped and the old screwdriver through it just tore more (ripped in half and had to use two allen keys in the inlets at the base with a crescent wrench and a screwdriver to twist the base off ... and that took all my strength to twist).

 

A dual (XJ/MJ) build thread is ongoing here - http://www.bcjeepclub.ca/index.php?topic=27321.0

 

Plans for the MJ include a set ot ZJ (D30/35 3.73 lsd) axles and a NP242 when i can find a cheap 4wd BA10 (yeah I'm not so smart there but they are cheap, and I can swap then easily enough). It'll be the DD and winter truck since I drive 250km to work and back again each week (500km round trip on a twisty mountain highway)

 

SOooOO ... my current issues are the dash wiring ...

 

The beginning ...

 

I replaced a couple gauges in my dash with some US versions .... OK easy enough. Toss the panel back in ... nothing gauges all dead, but it lights. pull panel check plugs, all good, pull wiggle reinsert, plop er back in. Works.
Add a few screws, still works
replace dash bezel still works.
replace radio, now dash clock and radio are dead.
check fuse block, eewwe, wiggle, scrape ... now dash is dead again.
Pull emissions timer since I was down there and it was annoying me ... futz with fuses and prying terminal back together ... dash works, but radio and dash clock are still dead.

 

the next day ...

 

So did some testing ... it's a wire in the radio harness ... red with gold tracer ... apparently also feeds the clock. it has only ~5V to it so there isn't enough to feed the radio, and not enough to keep the clock on with the radio hooked up.

I'm going to replace all the fuses with new ones as well just to help things as much as I can. Looks like the best route is to run a dedicated power wire for now. The PO's radio install was a butcher job at best, pure massacre by my standards and I suck at wiring.

 

and a day later ...

 

looks like it's the ETR circuit (clock and radio only) a red/Tan wire. Hoping swapping the fuses will help but that fuse block is pretty crusty.

I have gauges, clock but no radio right now. Guess I'll have to live with it until I return from work.
 

followed by ...

 

Just keeps getting better ... Replaced all fuses, still only getting 5v to radio. Plenty for the clock, not near enough for the radio.
Found the tail end of the cut stock antenna lead. And the other end of a craptastic aftermarket replacment that emds in a broken end at the box. Guess that explains why the radio bit never got reception.
Also while heading up island to work the wipers decide to stop working ... In a rain storm ... Yay.
Turns out the circuit breaker was a little rusted out and snapped a leg off. Had to mickey duck a not so "universal" jobby in there till I get home next week.

 
Yeah, that's really a marret in there ... WTF? There are more in the rear trailer harness spaghetti to fix as well ... I mean really?!?
 

 

All from this (SAE temp and oil pressure on cdn metric panel).

 

\

 

Soo at this point I've purchased a 88 XJ dash harnes complete and will prep that one when it gets here ... any suggestions for the current mess?

 

Thanks

 

[Rockfrog]

So I got home and started trying to decipher what the PO was doing with the wiring.

 

Hooked things back up to stock. For some reason the ETR circuit was showing 12V but wasn't putting enough amps out to power the radio. As the only other thing the circuit powers is the clock I skipped it, snipped it, and terminated it. Pulled the heater panel, and pulled the entire radio harness out underneath, remove the two wires I needed (the ground, and the purple w/ orange trace (switched 12V that also feeds the cig lighter). taped up the rest and laid them to rest to rest in the back bowels of the dash. The PO had made such a mess that it was best.

 

With the ground and switched 12V run I ran a main power wire pulling power off the not used rear window circuit. Used a 1/4" tap, 14g wire and put a 20A fuse inline (there is a 15A on the radio's power input but I wanted a fuse at the block in case the wire chafed through). Hooked it up and I had music again.

 

Now I just have to figure out what's going on with the antenna, I still have no radio reception. I'm thinking the wire is broken internally as it's got a good kink in it.

 

changed my circuit breaker adapter for a 15A breaker smallest I could find until I get a Ford/GM style (two screw terminal so I can use eye rings and tap into the existing circuit and find the damn thing anywhere .... but they are usually 7.5A - close enough).

 

Popped the wiper delay module open and re-soldered some cracked terminal solders joins and gave it a good cleaning ... result - I now have delay but now I have lost the mist function (had it before and without the box so I must have missed something). Need a wiper module and wiring function schematic and I should be able to fix it (re-assemble the box with screws so it's easier to get into now).

 

So now I have tunes, and delay wipers ... and the dash wiring is much less chaotic.

 

Next is wiring/soldering some connectors inline with the dome lights, I just twisted the wires onto the terminals and taped them so I could get them functioning first off. Picked up a pair of the euramtec lights. I want to convert them to LED as well but I'll just wire my own in direct to the housings, and add a center overhead mount light slaved off one of the sides as well (my eyes are getting too old for the dim stock dome positions.

 

When My new harness gets here I'm going to strip the unneeded spaghetti out of it.

 

She's coming.

On another note I found a deal on a 3.55 HP D30 .. traded a set of WJ tie rods ends for it. Found a 4wd BA10/231 combo for $75 and picked up a new trans mount for $40 plus shipping.

Going to convert my existing trans and start looking for a NP242 and an AX-15 for later on. The idea is to make this old girl the year round get me to work truck and winters through the mountain passes are pretty much a 4wd affair with ice and snow.

[Pete M]

welcome to the club! :waving:  looks like you're making some progress.  wiring is probably my least favorite mess to deal with :(  doesn't help that I suck at it.

[Rockfrog]

yeah, so do I ... but I'm getting better ... but definitely not by choice.

 

Thanks for the welcome, I've been a closet addict for a few years here, finally joined. It's nice to have a dedicated resource for these old trucks ... she may not be much to look at but she sure is a hoot to drive.

[mvusse]

 Wiper delay module should be easy enough to find a a junk yard. Way easier than trying to fix one.

[Rockfrog]

Maybe in your parts but I haven't seen a YJ or XJ, let alone and MJ in the yards around here for close to a decade ... And even then they are just bare shells.

Most around here are crushed or still running.

And hopping a ferry to the mainland for better pickings adds $120 to the bill ... Makes fixing pretty thrifty.

On that note ... Got her all zipped up again ... Tunes, wipers, and the radio works again ... Sorta, pretty crappy reception, but it pulls in more than without the antenna hooked up. Added a second ground for the radio chassis and added a ground from dash to. A steering support rod bolt (couldn't locate any unused studs, there was nothing above the hood latch at all). Sandwiched the ground between the support rod and the chassis, should be just as good.