Not to hi-jack your thread (ok I am.. ) I was looking at a pre-97 (probably early 90s) XJ at the J-yard that has a full overhead console. I noticed there are two little black digital screens (I think I remember the word "metric")in the console. Are these are outside temp and compass? I was thinking of putting the console in my '87 XJ (police stripper). I was wondering how much wiring is involved to make it work since my XJ is so basic..
The J-yard wants $30 for the console and $30 for the headliner. \
Your thread is about wiring a overhead console.. and that's what my question is about.. so not a total hi-jack..
Yes. It's only one display actually, and technically it's a vacuum fluorescent display not an LCD, just a nitpick there though. The metric/US button is for the temp display, the compass shows N/NE/E/SE/S/SW/W/NW.
so on my '87 police stripper.. I might get the temp and compass working at best right? (The donor is pre-97)
Yes. The fuel economy stuff isn't even built into the pre-97 OHCs so it'll all line up nicely.
You need the metal bracket for the roof at the back end, it bolts to the same two holes as the dome light mounting pegs. You can get away without the one for the front if you didn't get it - you just need a ~3" long #8 screw and one of those little plastic retainer clips. The rear bracket can be harvested from any mid 90s Dodge Caravan with an overhead console iirc, if you go back to the JY and the donor is already gone/crushed/whatever.
With an 87 you may or may not have the proper connectors to do an OEM install. Your best luck installing one will be on a 91 to 96 with at least power locks or power windows/mirrors etc, since it'll have the wiring harness connector you need to plug into.
Stuff to get - the wiring harness that runs down the passenger A-pillar and plugs in under the passenger side kick panel. If you did not get it (but got the pigtail that plugs into the OHC) you can wire it up but it'll take some work.
A good source for info on what wire does what on the pre-97 OHC:
http://www.jonsteiger.com/www/barracuda/OVERHEADCONSOLE/
To get the temp sensor working you just need a temp sensor and some wire. You can use the sensor out of any ZJ (or the donor XJ), just look behind the grille for a small module with a two wire connector bolted to one of the vertical supports in front of the AC condenser. On the XJ it is bolted to the same bolt that holds the clip for the bottom of the center of the header panel, right behind the bumper, it's a pain to get to.
You don't need the headliner, just cut holes in your existing one. The rule of thumb here is to measure three times (and measure how far back the front of the OHC is from the front of the headliner on the donor), cut once, start very small, just a hole centered under where it'll be and a few inches in from the outline in every direction, then expand the hole as needed.
Let me know if you have other questions, I did an OEM-level install on my XJ (plug and play, no modifications needed to any wiring) and a custom on a local member's XJ (we had to do full custom wiring because he didn't have any power accessories) - all we couldn't get working on the latter was display dimming and that's because it was 10pm by the time we finished the rest and we didn't feel like digging through the FSM for another wire color code to tap into.
